Taz 2 Point Oh

by ninanintius

RP characters used in most cases instead of Canon. The Fleets top Raptor Jock, Colonel Nina Nintius, still stinging from the loss of her favorite Raptor, Taz, during her last mission, adopts a half dead raider she discovers while doing long range recon. Thanks to FireMatt97 for use of his Character Matt Lensherr and the D'Anna as the traitor (instead of Athena) plot line.

Taz 2.0 by Patricia L. Johnston

Set in the Battlestar Galactica Universe as recreated in 2003 by Ronald D. Moore using original characters created by fellow fans and myself - with special thanks to Matthew Manni for the use of his creation, Matt Lensherr, and to all the other fans whose creations were given small roles as well.

The Rag tag fleet is on the run from the Cylons, a sentient race of humanoid artificial life forms created by the 12 colonies of Kobol only to destroy their creators 40 years later. (There is more to the original story but it is not relevant here - all that is needed to be known will be included in this adventure.) Enjoy.

The Stray

While waiting for the Admiralty to get their shuttles in a row for the coming expedition to 'Rogue's Planet'; Colonel Nina Nintius, aka Mistress Betty, took the first long range recon assignment that her flight school schedule would allow. She had been out half a day so far, no Niko this time, and was growing bored with the lack of things to chart.

She wasn't terribly impressed with her 'new' Raptor either. New being a term she used loosely. Her friends had done their best and used the best Raptor with the best upgrades they could scrounge parts for. But it just wasn't Taz. He was hardly state of the art either but she had gotten her pilot pin flying that particular bird. And though he had been damaged and half destroyed a dozen times, it was always the same...feel.

This bird flew well enough and the controls were smooth. All her boards were brightly lit and the seat didn't even have any cracks in it. All her weapons were there and Rogue's new sensors certainly saved her a lot of time chasing asteroids, but she just felt alone. She didn't even want to call it Taz anymore.

She unbuckled, then stood to stretch. Nina was fairly tall at 5' 10 and the cabin offered little in the way of stretching room but she made do, even managing to touch her toes once. Returning to her seat she began plotting her next jump. She only had four more sectors to scan and then she would return to the Fleet.

"Start log," she stated to the voice activated recorder, "Sector Eight scan complete, no sightings. Proceeding to Sector Nine...in 3...2...1...Jump!"

DRADIS ALERT!

"Fracking not again!" Nina shouted while engaging her weapons and other defenses. She had already jammed the raiders ability to signal for help and engaged her detection interference protocols, though she assumed that it could 'see' her considering she could clearly see it. If I have to be rescued again... her thought was cut off by the beeping coming from her console.

She hadn't even looked at the sensor sweep results. Since Nina was scouting she had the Raptor's sensors recording everything even through the jumps. She had one hand poised on the countermeasure controls and the other on the missile launcher when she glanced down at the read out. She eased her hand off the missile controls and scrolled through the report. "It's wounded," she muttered. "If I destroy it and it resurrects the Cylons will know I was here and that the fleet is close. But it's already seen me and as soon as I am out of jamming range - Let's see if its awake..."

Nina eased the stick forward slowly approaching the disabled raider, her finger hovering just over the trigger. It's red eye flickered causing Nina to flinch but not fire as the eye went dim immediately after. "Sheesh..." she exhaled hard trying to relax herself. The raider made no other provocative actions so Nina brazenly bumped it with her Raptor's wing knocking the raider askew but getting no response.

Interesting, she thought. She really should destroy it if its not dead already but what if the res ship is just out of her scanning range? It could have scanned her or maybe it didn't, she really couldn't be sure. Then she had one of her 'ideas'.

According to her scans it's dimensions were roughly the same as her Raptor though only half as tall. "It's got to be much lighter than a Raptor, I bet it doesn't even weigh as much as a Viper. If I lock on to it from the top top get the maximum envelope...maybe..." She said, talking to herself again. The deck gang would surely love to get their hands on it as would every scientist in the fleet.

"Worse case it rips apart...but now that I see it up close...it's almost as if they were designed to fit right up under a Raptor. This could actually work!" Nina laughed then shook her head for talking out loud again. She used to talk to Taz but now she just sounded crazy.

The CIC

First Watch Commander Major Matthew Lensherr, call sign 'Hephaestus', stood at his post sipping coffee and daydreaming about his wife, the cylon traitor, D'anna, when suddenly Galactica's DRADIS alarm snapped him back to reality and signaled the return of Colonel Nina Nintius, call sign 'Mistress Betty'.

"Galactica Actual, Raptor TZ-99 returning to base over."

"Welcome back Mistress!" responded the Major. "Could you explain why am I am reading both Colonial and Cylon transponders?"

"I brought back a souvenir!" She announced. "Found it drifting out there alone, disabled, possibly still alive - I am going to need a cargo hold cleared, secured, and the outer doors opened before I can land this thing, preferably the one near the brig..."The same bay she used when she took the Flight School nuggets for their first space walk, on Galactica's belly.

"Understood Mistress, sending a team down there now to secure the area. Anything else?"

"Yes...send someone to the hanger to bring me a mug of coffee...you know how I like it!"

"Roger that Mistress...give us five minutes to prepare then call the ball when you see the doors open." Matt clicked off the mic and laughed. "Get Mars up here," he told the Marine at the door, "he is always eager to serve the Mistress." But then who isn't? He mused.

"Yes sir!" the Marine replied, snapping a salute then trotting down to the rec room to find Mars.

Once Raptor Tz-99 was in visual range Matt was able to see her cylon souvenir tucked up under the Raptor's wings like it was a part of the design. The Major then keyed his mic again, "Inform the crews preparing the brig Cargo Hold to set up 3 viper dollies...and get me the security feed from that room...I can't wait to see how she pulls this off."

Bringing in The Dog

There is a right way to do things and a wrong way. And then there is the way Colonel Nintius does things which is not wrong so much as just...different. Anyone else would have destroyed the raider or just left it but not Nina.

She won't likely admit it to anyone but she felt sorry for the thing all alone out there half alive. After what happened with Taz she just couldn't bring herself to murder it for being left behind. Resurrection or not. She cursed Matt and his Cylon wife for telling her the raiders were alive...like dogs. Well trained dogs. And that downloading is painful, very painful. As D'anna had told her, "We remember the pain of death every time."

Oh well when you put it that way, Nina had thought at the time of the discussion some months ago. That will teach me to have dinner with a Cylon, she thought now as she maneuvered the Raptor into position.

Raptor Tz-99 was poised outside the Brig Cargo Hold at the belly of the Bucket (A nickname for the Battlestar Galactica). She waited patiently, her cylon quarry nuzzled at her bosom, and hoped it wasn't afraid. A few moments later the massive doors began to ease open. Nina inched the Raptor back a bit to keep the shear down. "This is Raptor Tz-99...calling the ball...stand by...we're gonna pass this off in Zero-G...do you copy?"

"Copy that Mistress...suiting up three jockeys for you now..."

Her fingers barely moved yet the bird floated gently through the doors. Reaction Control System engaged to bring the bird to a stop, hovering high over the deck, the larger but thinner raider at risk of being crushed if she accidentally tapped it.

Nina slowly lowered the Raptor until the Raiders belly was nearly touching the magnetized dollies. Everyone was holding their breath. Three crewmen in suits and boots stepped through the inner airlock then made their way slowly to the middle of the room. Positioned on either side of the hovering Raptor and one at the nose, the men prepared to 'catch' the raider.

A thumbs up from the controller who had a better view than Nina signaled her to disengaged the mag-locks. The men then lowered the raider gently onto the dollies which magnetically locked on. Nina pulled the Raptor up as soon as she released the cylon dog to avoid bumping it off its wheels and everyone watching through the control room window exhaled at last.

The raider was turned so that its weapons pointed at the door and great care was taken in the vicinity of its turrets at all times despite scans showing internal power offline and only faint biological life remaining. The men stood there admiring the machine the way engineers do.

Nina adjusted her frequency then keyed her mic, "Actual, Mistress Betty, The Dog is in the Kennel. Proceeding to Port Landing Pod – I sure hope someone is waiting for me in the hanger with some hot coffee..." She then switched channels to communicate with the cargo bay, "Give it some water and a blanket but don't feed it yet...I am not sure if its house broken...I'll be right down." The crew laughed.

Hangar Bay

Lt. Junior Grade Emrick Sloane III, "Mars", was waiting in the Hangar as ordered by Major Lensherr, hot coffee in hand, prepared to Mistress Betty's simple standards. He stood at attention, hands clasped at his back with The Mistress's mug held firmly between them. He eyes grew wide as she emerged from her Raptor, her flight suit pulled down around her waist and her ginger locks bouncing playfully across her smooth, toned shoulders. He swallowed hard, forcing his eyes to blink so she would not catching him staring.

"Your coffee Colonel! Just the way you like it!" He smiled holding one arm out with her coffee in hand while his other hand maintained a stiff salute.

"At ease Mars, thank you. Very kind of you to 'volunteer' to bring it down." She flashed him a bright smile as she took her mug.

"Anytime Colonel!" He replied saluting again.

Nina saluted back then sent him on his way. Inhaling the sweet aroma coming from her mug, she whispered as she took a sip, "Mmm...coffee..." She then filled out her post flight report, gave a list of 'issues' to Switch, her former nugget turned deck hand, then headed for the Brig Cargo Hold.

Brig Area Cargo Bay

Admiral Mack Culverhouse was waiting there for Nina with his Flag Lt, Ginny Dido along with assorted curious crew, pilots and anyone else who could squeeze into the control room. A six man marine compliment assigned by Gunny remained inside the bay, secured to the wall, with a high yield surface to air missile launcher trained on the raider.

The dollies had been detached from the deck to move the thing around the room and in the event the Raider should come to life suddenly and pose a threat, the doors would be opened and the forced decompression would suck the raider out the door and then the marines would destroy it before it had a chance to attack the fleet or jump away. Something Nina wasn't concerned with, if it had the ability she doubted it would have let her capture it.

Before Nina could speak, the Admiral laid into her, "Are you out of your fracking mind? It's still alive? And you expect me to keep it that way? To what end? I-I don't even know what to say...you didn't even ask my permission before bringing it onto MY Fracking ship!"

She stood there for a moment waiting for the Admiral to take a breath, wanting to be sure he was finished before responding, "Sir...I apologize. I don't know what I was thinking...I was concerned that it saw me and if it downloaded the Cylons would know how close by we are to their patrol lanes...The good news is that my new Raptor is far more structurally sound than my old one. Obviously old Taz was way past due for an overhaul. This one didn't even grumble at the added weight.

Granted I didn't have a half ton of ore samples on board either." Alluding to the last trip which resulted in the destruction of her favorite ship, an obvious ploy to get sympathy from the Admiral who knew how attached she was to Taz.

"...it was a judgment call Admiral, and I am sorry if it was the wrong one but I also happen to believe this 'dog' can teach us a lot more about their defenses alive than it could dead...if we involve the right people that is."

He knew immediately that she meant the cylon prisoner D'anna living in the brig and married to one Major Matt Lensherr. He looked Nina up and down then sighed. She always had a way of getting her way. And it wasn't as if she'd ever intentionally endanger the fleet. He just really hated not being asked first. She was definitely right about the tactical applications, that much he agreed but wasn't quite ready to give in to her demands just yet...not with everyone watching.

"What do you need Colonel? A Cylon? Like the one in the brig perhaps? Sure. Why not. Have a fracking family reunion! Why Nina? Why do you do this to me? You know how I feel about these fracking machines and everyone's need to humanize them...I swear...I should just airlock it and destroy it right fracking now!"

Nina stood there trying not to smile, knowing he was going to give her what she wanted but demanding that she ask again just once more, "So does that mean you'll release her to me? The Cylon? And leave the raider under my authority?" Nina tilted her head slightly toward the Flag Lt who would ultimately advise the Admiral on what he should do and he would in all likelihood do it. Ginny smiled at Nina's acknowledgment, scribbled something on her clipboard and handed it to The Admiral who was still staring coldly at Nina like was she an insolent child he wanted to punish but couldn't bring himself to do it.

Not only did she bring home a potentially dangerous 'pet' without asking, she had the gall to ask for a prisoner to be released to help her 'train' it. He glanced down at the clipboard then scowled at his Flag Lt who just tapped the board with her pen giving him a look he knew too well. "Apparently..." he began, returning his attention to Nina, "my answer is yes." He then took Ginny's pen, signed the authorization she had filled out for Nina and then passed it back to Ginny with an exasperated sigh.

No one was surprised. The Admiral was not going to give up the tactical advantage this raider could provide no matter how annoyed he was at Nina's disregard for the chain of command. As demonstrated by her subtle but not entirely unnoticed colluding nod to his Flag Lt who suddenly produced a completed form for him to sign. The Flag Lt knew what he was going to do before he did. She only waited for the proper time to let him in on his decision.

As the Admiral and Flag Lt were about to leave, he paused and warned Nina, "If it 'chews up' anything, anything at all, out it goes! Got me? And clear this area! Essential personnel only!"

"Sir! Yes sir!" Nina saluted respectfully holding in her excitement until he was gone. All but the marines in the bay and 2 guards for the control room followed the Admiral out the door.

"Now, time to go get my new best friend," she said to the remaining guards as she departed for the brig.

Colonel Nintius had planned to meet with The Cylon D'Anna right away but when she arrived in the Brig area she was informed that Major Lensherr was with her now and had asked not to be disturbed. The Colonel could have interrupted, outranking him and having Admirals orders to confer with the prisoner but Matt was a good friend of Nina's and she knew that he just got off the Watch and so was now, in all likelihood, getting off with his wife.

"That's fine Corporal. Just inform the Lensherr's that I will be back here at 1800 hours to talk with them both." She returned his salute then headed for the showers. She had been up since the day before and needed some rack time.

Dark Dreams

Inside the private cell Major Matthew Lensherr and his Cylon bride lie sweaty and spent in each others arms. Slowly they began to drift off to sleep. He will dream of the lovely creature in his arms, her creamy white flesh pressed against him from chest to knee. She has fallen into a deep sleep and he will soon experience the same.

But her dreams are not as lovely as his. In her dreams she can see only darkness and feel only pain and fear. What is it? her mind asks of itself, but she is granted no answer.

And then suddenly, like a jolt of electricity had been attached to her spine, D'Anna sat up and screamed.

Matt bolted awake asking what was wrong just as the guard outside burst through the door training his weapon on D'anna, "Stand down Marine!" Ordered the Major. "She just had a bad dream, go, leave us." He assumed she had had a bad dream anyway.

"As you wish sir," replied the Marine, "But just so you know, Colonel Nintius wants to see you both at 1800 hours." Major Lensherr nodded then noted the time was only 1545. The Marine returned to his post, closing the cell door behind him.

Matt held D'anna close whispering that she was safe and tried getting her to talk about her dream. She was shaking and confused at first but then seemed to calm down. "I-I don't really remember...I was afraid...someone was hurting me...I just wanted it to stop...then I screamed."

She clung to Matt like her life depended on it. "It's strange," she continued, more lucid than before, "Cylons can feel when another Cylon close by feels intense fear or extreme pain but that would mean-" she doubled over suddenly, grabbing her head and crying out with the anguish she felt. "MAKE IT STOP MATTY! PLEASE!" Tears streamed down her cheeks and Matt could think of only one Cylon anywhere nearby that might be in pain.

"Marine!" he yelled and the guard promptly entered the cell. "Get Colonel Nintius on the horn and tell her there is something wrong with her new pet! She need to check on it RFN! GO NOW MARINE!"

The guard saluted and hot footed out the door to make the call. D'Anna cried out again. Matt couldn't leave her side and he didn't know that Nina had gotten her a pass so he just sat there, holding her tightly as she gripped her head and buried her face in his chest, sobbing, begging for him to stop the pain.

1530 Hours Brig Area Cargo Bay

Private River Humber, a Tauron from the original Pegasus crew on his way to his shift in the Brig, heard about the captured raider in the cargo hold. One of the deckhands present when Colonel Nintius brought it in told him it was still 'alive' though none of it's mechanical parts were working. River was more that a little intrigued.

The Private, an avid supporter of Admiral Cain, had felt pent up due to Admiral Culverhouse's rules about not harming the Cylon prisoners. When Cain was in charge they could do anything they wanted to any Cylon. And now that 'it' was 'married' to Major Lensherr there was no chance he could get away with a little private interrogation, as Cain used to call it. He was bored with running away and missed Cain's merciless way of dealing with the enemy so perhaps it was sadistic curiosity that prompted him to make a detour.

He was friends with many of the marines on duty, not one particularly sympathetic or forgiving toward the Cylons so none of them begrudged River the chance to take a closer look when he asked them to let him into the bay, despite that being a direct violation of orders. He suited up for Zero G and put on the magnetic boots, checked his O2 then stepped through the hatchway. He nodded to the marines against the wall who continued to monitor the Raider for any signs of activity, ready to blow it out the door if necessary.

River pressed closer, his boots kathunk, kathunk, kathunking across the deck. He was approaching with such caution that one of the other marines suddenly yelled, "Look out!" startling the Private who would have jumped had his feet not been secured magnetically to the deck. "Frak ME! You bastard! Don't do that again!" Then they all laughed.

Upon closer inspection of the disabled raider River decided it was not going to bite him and he relaxed. Running his hands over the raiders 'head' he discovered a release catch, pulling on it opened the front cover exposing the raiders brain. It pulsed slightly, veins and tubes running in and out of the brain in all directions. "What have we here?" River said coldly, his eyes widening.

"I guess you are alive after all...so to speak..." he reached in slowly and pressed his finger against one of the blood vessels, cutting off the flow until it swelled, throbbing as if to burst any moment and then he let it go. "Interesting," he snarled, poking around some more, the brain twitching and jerking under his invasive touch.

"What are you doing?" Asked the control room guard over the intercom. "Colonel Nintius doesn't want anyone touching that until she can figure out a way to access its data."

"Relax," River replied coolly, "I am just seeing if its awake, it's not like I am hurting it, sheesh, its just a fracking machine."

Only he was hurting it. The raider was feeling excruciating pain, as well as fear, it simply had no way to express it. And the more the Private poked around inside it's 'skull', the more frightened and in agony it became. It's brain required oxygen as well and with the cover plate removed the raider was slowly suffocating...

Busted

It was almost 1600 by the time Colonel Nintius made her way down to the Cargo Bay, her nap having been interrupted by a stressed out Marine babbling about screaming Cylons and pet raiders needing her attention. Since it was Major Lensherr who technically summoned her she assumed it must be important so she took every short cut available shaving more than 10 minutes off her trip through Galactica's belly.

What she saw when she arrived in the Cargo Hold Control Room filled her with a rage she hadn't felt since learning what Cain did to her civilian fleet. Tens of thousands of souls, murdered or left to die, anyone of them could have been kin to anyone alive today. Family much needed when so much had been lost.

"PRIVATE!" Nina screamed into the mic, "STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING THIS INSTANT! Put that cover back on there now! And you better hope you didn't cause any damage! Get your sorry ASS out of MY cargo bay Right FRACKING Now!"

River snapped to attention, his heart suddenly pounding in his chest. He did as ordered, doing his best to double time out of the bay in zero G with magnetic boots slowing his progress. After stripping out of the suit he passed through the second hatchway to find himself nose to nose with Colonel Nina Nintius, also known as, The Mistress...

Brig Cargo Bay Control Room

...After stripping out of the EV suit, Private Humber passed through the second hatchway to find himself nose to nose with Colonel Nina Nintius, also known as...The Mistress...

Colonel Nintius stood fast forcing the Private to stop short. He immediately snapped to attention with his hand held stiffly in a salute. She leaned in, arms crossed at her back, her green eyes narrowed and her usual cheerful expression replaced by an angry scowl, "Name!" she bellowed.

"Private River Humber, Mistress!" River's stomach was knotted as he had heard the Colonel was unforgiving when it came to having her orders disobeyed. She was known for assigning transgressors to janitorial duties or worse regardless of their rank. He could think of nothing more demeaning to a Marine and he figured the Colonel knew that.

"You're one of Cain's... aren't you?" The Colonel's disdain for Cain resonated in her question.

He replied, "Yes Mistress," trying not to sound proud of it, though he certainly was.

"Figures," she scoffed. "If it had been up to me not one of you unsocialized dogs would be allowed anywhere on this ship..." She cast a disgusted glance at the Corporal manning the controls who had let the unauthorized Private into the bay in the first place.

"Yes Mistress." River stated again, not knowing what else to say and afraid to say too much. Colonel Nintius also had sway with Gunny and if she felt the urge, she could bust River completely out of the Corps with Gunny's full support. That was the last thing he wanted.

After news had spread regarding Cain's actions with the other civilian fleet most of the Pegasus crew had found themselves unwelcome within these civilian ships. Many unsolved murders involved Pegasus crew who had resigned after Cain's death and mistakenly tried to integrate into the general population.

The Corporal piped up, "Apologies Mistress, I tried to tell him you didn't want anyone touching it..."

Colonel Nintius laughed incredulously, "Tried to tell him did you? Well bully for you Corporal! Maybe if YOU hadn't let him in there in the first place, YOU wouldn't be on my feldercarb list too!"

The Corporal swallowed hard then whispered, "Yes Mistress."

"Where are you supposed to be right now Private?" She asked, returning her icy gaze to Private Humber.

"Brig duty Mistress!"

"Ha! Not fracking likely! You're ass is not going anywhere near our Cylon prisoner, not after what I just witnessed."

"It's just a machine..." he muttered.

"Just a machine?" The Colonel cleared her throat, rotated her neck cracking it twice, then stated in a more civilized tone, "No...it's not. It is alive just like D'Anna is alive – just as much as you are and they both WILL be treated as prisoners of war, not some chunks of scrap metal to be poked and prodded by insolent little piss-ants...am I clear Private?" She spit the words in his face causing him to flinch.

Rivers heart was pounding again."Yes Mistress!"

They were the same height though he probably had 40 lbs on her. However she was a seasoned veteran who had faced down entire Basestars in nothing but a Raptor – and she had never shown any indication that any Marine gave her pause, not even Gunny and he was a monster of a man. The Colonel also had command authority on her side. For a moment he fully expected her to strike him and there was nothing he could do about it if she did.

Colonel Nintius did not strike him, using all her self control to resist. She merely continued her rant, her hands tightly clasped behind her back, glancing back and forth between the Private and the Corporal. "Humanities only real claim of superiority over the Cylons is our capacity for mercy and compassion. You-you are no better than they are. You, like your dead Admiral Cain, are sadistic and malicious and vile and I don't want either of you in my sight any more!"

River disagreed that the Cylons were anything but machines to be used by humans yet he was not about to say as much to The Mistress. Instead he choked out a barely audible, "Yes Mistress."

"That goes for you too Corporal! You and Private Pokey here march your asses into Gunny's office and tell him that you have both been relieved of any duties involving any Cylon prisoners including this Raider. I will be calling him to advise what punishment I feel is appropriate -"

She thought for a moment, cocking her head slightly, a mischievous grin just under her frown, then added, "Perhaps a month's hard labor down in the Bilge working for the Morlock's will teach you both something about the chain of command, respect for life and not doing whatever the frak you feel like! Am I clear?" Nina found her own comment ironic considering how the Raider came to be on board in the first place but she didn't care. That was a tactical decision, this was pure insubordination.

"Yes Mistress," replied the Corporal, handing her his key card for the console.

"Yes Mistress," River repeated. A month in the Bilge? River was horrified. He had heard crazy rumors about the Commodores clan, most of it bad. They barely sleep, they only consume coffee and grain alcohol and they prefer it dark. And those were the good things.

In truth, the Morlocks, together with the Wolfe clan, had originally colonized the hazardous world of Canceria. Surface conditions were harsh, which prompted construction of vast subsurface towns and factories. They became accustomed to the low levels of ambient lighting and developed a high-technology for mining. The Bilge was ideally suited to them. Other Cancerian colonists, such as the Mole People and CHUDs, sadly became feral; their experiences inspired stories now associated with Galactica's Bilge, and similar locations on the Tylium ship.

Rumors or not, thirty days hard labor in the Bilge would be difficult even for a Marine, unless he happened to be Cancerian. River would have preferred being disciplined by Gunny. A few broken ribs and a bloody nose was nothing compared to the back breaking labor awaiting him down there.

"Good, now get out!" Colonel Nintius stepped back to let Private Humber by. She crossed her arms across her chest and stared coldly at both Marines as they exited the control room. She then keyed the mic for the bay and ordered the other marines to stand down as well. "Your services are no longer required gentlemen, go find something else to do. I will be monitoring the Raider myself and I don't need anymore attitudes in black boots bothering me while I do it."

The Commander of the six man unit acknowledged her order then all six unbuckled from the wall and made their way back through the hatches, saluting the Colonel on their way out. Nina then pressurized the bay having decided that if the raider had the ability to defend itself it would have and working in zero G was too cumbersome and draining. She would be able to work faster with less gear on and plenty of O2 to breathe.

With the bay cleared of other personnel she called up Gunny first to let him know what happened and how she had handled the situation as well as what she expected in lieu of punishment for the transgressors. "That's right, thirty days in the Bilge...arrange it with Commodore Morlock...thanks."

Then she called the Brig, "Corporal, advise Major Lensherr that he and his wife are needed down here in the cargo hold with the Raider...No they will not require armed guards. You will not be needed any further for the time being. Hit your rack or whatever you marines do when you are not on duty." He replied in the affirmative then Nina hung up.

Now to see if any damage was done. Nina opened the two hatches going into the bay, now that it was pressurized there was no need to keep them closed. As she walked across the deck toward the Raider she found herself whispering to it the way she would a stray dog, "It's okay, nothing to be afraid of now, no one else is going to hurt you, I just want to know what you know."

Getting to know you

Standing at the Raider's side Nina gently stroked its wing as she walked around toward the head. She removed the panel to make sure the brain had not been damaged and was relieved that it had not. "I imagine you need oxygen the same as us," she said, realizing it couldn't answer her.

"You are correct Colonel," came the lilting voice of the Cylon prisoner D'Anna who had arrived on the arm of her husband Major Matt Lensherr. The two had just entered the bay and were making their way to Nina's position. "And thank you for making the pain stop," D'Anna added, smiling gratefully.

Nina gave them both a puzzled look until Matt explained what had happened with D'Anna and how he had known there was a problem with the Raider. He added, "I don't know what you did Mistress but thank you! I never want to see D'anna like that again. And I don't know how you managed to get her released without ten marines following us with rifles trained on her back, but thank you for that too!"

Nina smiled at him, then, rather stunned by the revelation, asked D'Anna, "You can read it's mind?"

"No, not really read it," D'Anna began, "it is more that when in close proximity to each other some Cylons can feel each other's emotions, if those emotions are intense enough, fear, pain, even pleasure – for example, right now this Raider is feeling deep gratitude toward you Colonel...and fondness...as am I." She smiled again hoping the Colonel knew she was sincere. "I am surprised that The Admiral is allowing me anywhere near the Raider, isn't he afraid I will turn on you and use it against the fleet?"

"The thought no doubt crossed his mind," Nina chuckled, "let's just say I have a way with the Admiral that he very likely finds both annoying and compelling." She winked and D'Anna giggled while Matt added enthusiastically, "We don't call her Mistress for nothing. Persuasion is a talent Colonel Nintius has in spades!"

D'anna teased, "Should I be jealous Matthew?" causing him to blush slightly.

Nina interrupted with mock disapproval, "When you two are done kissing my ass, how about we get to work and see if this Raider has anything interesting to tell us...assuming we can access its data...which is why you are here," she said nodding at D'Anna. "Now tell me more about this connection you have with other Cylons."

While they were talking Niko arrived with a portable urn full of Aerelonian Coffee courtesy of Lieutenant Junior Grade Sloane. "Mars sends his regards to The Mistress," Niko announced. "I think he has a crush on you sweetness," He teased.

"Naw, he is just thanking me for a trivial matter involving the President, it was nothing."

The four of them poured large mugs of coffee then set about connecting a variety of computers and diagnostic equipment to the Raider with D'Anna's guidance to be sure they did not cause it further pain or damage any of the data files stored in the Raiders mechanized parts.

D'Anna elaborated on the empathic connection that some of the models had experienced in the past though it was typically always pleasure as Cylons did not, as a rule, harm other Cylons. The Raiders were always too far away from any of the 'skin jobs' during battles to sense anything and those deaths were generally quick, so this was the first occurrence involving a Raider that D'Anna was aware of.

As they worked, D'Anna thanked Nina repeatedly, stating that she was enjoying her chance to work alongside Matthew immensely. Their time together was typically limited and always under guard. D'Anna was especially revelling in her relative personal freedom without shackles or trigger happy Marines pointing their weapons at her. Being allowed to handle equipment and tools without everyone watching her like she was a ticking time bomb was a pleasant change of pace.

Confessions

After hours of using every means possible to reactive the core systems of the Raider in order to communicate with it and download its data, they had made no headway at all. They couldn't even determine how the Raider was disabled in the first place. Whatever had happened to it, nothing worked. There was simply no pathway left un-fused. Nina asked D'Anna what she suggested they should try next.

"It's difficult to say Colonel, if we were on a Basestar this Raider would be euthanized so it could download itself into a new shell and that would be that." D'Anna thought for a bit then added, "Technically, if we had another raider shell, we could transplant this brain into the other one and it might work. I don't suppose you have another one?" D'Anna of course knew about the first Raider but never knew what had happened to it.

Nina shook her head, "Well we did, actually, and it would have been perfect but its gone now so...any other ideas?"

D'Anna started to answer then hesitated.

"What is it babe?" Matt asked, taking her hand. "You have an idea?" She nodded but still didn't answer.

"Come on woman, don't start holding out on me now, I was just starting to like you." Nina taunted.

Taken aback at being called 'woman' instead of 'it' and the playful manner in which Colonel Nintius had addressed her, D'Anna decided to share something that up until that moment she had kept hidden, not wanting to raise a panic in the fleet. There was no real danger as the project had been scrapped by the Cylons long before the Fall of the Colonies, but the idea that it was even attempted would likely have disturbed a great many Colonials, those in the military especially.

She squared her shoulders and took a deep breath, "Okay, but bear in mind that what we attempted never actually worked - however this situation is slightly different and so may prove to be more successful..."

Niko, ever the smuggler at heart, secured the outer hatch and shut off the security feed in the bay. Whatever D'Anna was about to tell them, he wanted Nina to be the one to share it with the Admiralty if it warranted sharing.

The three of them stood around the Raider mouths gaping as D'Anna told them about the various questionable biological experiments the Cylon Skin Jobs had performed while plotting the attacks on the Colonies. Apparently, they had made several attempts to hybridize Colonial ships in the way the Basestars have a hybrid 'brain' to control FTL and other ship functions. But rather than a full torso like the Basestars have, it would just be the brain, a Raider brain.

"In every test the brains failed to integrate with the on board systems, even with other modifications. We tried every kind of small craft the Colonies had with negative success." D'Anna looked around expectantly. When no one questioned how the Cylons acquired all those craft she continued. "In all of those trials however, the brains used were blank, fresh clones extracted from uninhabited Raider shells awaiting a download."

Nina listened intently for the actual solution to their problem, while trying to ignore the admissions of guilt D'Anna was sharing. Not that D'Anna had ever denied her role in the attacks. That is why she lives in the Brig. So far though she had been very cooperative and Nina had yet to feel like she was having to drag information out of her. Even these experiments she was confessing were so long ago, according to D'Anna, that Nina didn't care. She hadn't slept in nearly twenty-four hours and was feeling loopy. She just wanted D'Anna to tell them her idea so she could go to bed.

Niko and Matt on the other hand were enthralled. D'Anna's accent was hypnotic. She could have been reciting code from one of Digits security protocols and these two men would have thought it was poetry. The three of them were leaning against the Raiders wing at this point while D'Anna walked around it, gently stroking it as she did.

She then elaborated further. "The Cavils and Simons were trying to create a clean slate they could program like a sleeper agent. The brains would be hidden in areas unlikely to ever be accessed unless the vessel was torn apart for some reason. The idea was that the craft would then be placed back in the Colonies to be activated later – forced to turn on the Colonials. The pilots would be unable to do anything to stop it." That got their attention.

Nina, Niko and Matt were properly shocked at the idea and suddenly pressed for more details on the project. But as far as D'Anna knew none of the experiments had ever really worked. "Cavil claimed to have successfully merged one with a Raptor once that he returned to the Colonies. He said that he lost track of it somehow and to my knowledge never had any way to activate it after that. If it existed at all." D'Anna stopped walking as she arrived at Matt's side.

Eyebrows were raised at the suggestion a Sleeper Cylon Raider Raptor might be loose in the fleet but D'anna kept going, "The whole idea was scrapped as we moved on to other avenues of infiltration." She paused again, mentioning the attacks always drained the life from the faces of her human companions. A twinge of guilt pinched her belly so she finally got to her point, bringing everyone back to the present.

"In our situation now," D'Anna explained, "this brain has an identity already so it knows what it has to do. If we can create a hospitable environment for it... in the FTL Chamber of a Raptor for example, since it does not have to be hidden, it might just work."

At last. Nina's face lit up. "I have just the Raptor."

Matt laughed, "Yeah right Mistress, there is no way the Admiral will approve that."

"He doesn't have to know." She snapped. "He gave me full authority over the Raider and besides it might not even work. But if it does, all those Star Charts, Patrol Routes, and other tactical data will have him far too busy to care that I gave Taz a brain." Nina's fatigue was starting to make her cranky. Fortunately they all knew she was running on fumes.

"A Cylon brain Mistress," Matt persisted but Nina just ignored him. She had already decided what they were going to do.

"Then what?" Asked Niko who suddenly had the urge to gut his Shuttle Dragonfly to make sure it didn't have a brain hidden somewhere.

D'Anna responded, "Then, we override its command code. I can do that but you will have to allow me to connect directly to it." She glanced at Nina who nodded that she would. "After that a new code can be assigned giving anyone with the code full control over the vessel. If the integration doesn't work, the process will most likely kill it. But if it does work, it will be a loyal...servant..." D'Anna wasn't sure if that was the best word to use considering Colonial history but 'pet' was not entirely accurate either in light of the capabilities of this 'brain'.

Niko and Matt looked at each other then back at Nina. Niko asked, "Are you sure you want to do this babe, what if it goes all rabid on you?"

"Yeah Mistress," Matt agreed, "The new Taz is more heavily armed than the last one and these mounts don't just come off like before, we'd have to use cutting tools to disarm it."

Nina looked to D'Anna who added, "We will use the free will inhibitors. They will prevent it from doing anything other than what its Commander tells it to do and that is the person with the code. Once you download it's data you can always euthanize it then have it removed. Unless its data shows the Cylons are trailing the fleet with a Res Ship near by, it probably won't resurrect at all so your position won't be compromised. However," D'Anna gave Nina a curious look, "if they are trailing the fleet, it won't matter if it downloads or not as they already know we are here."

Nina suddenly felt stupid about the whole situation but having come this far there was no point in stopping now. She just hoped the data could be gathered and that it was all worth it. It was getting late and she was exhausted. "Let's pick this up tomorrow morning," she said, and they all agreed.

Matt had First Watch but would be down at lunch time. Niko also had morning appointments. However, Nina's cadets were all training for their final so they didn't need her supervision and obviously D'Anna had nothing else to do so it would just be the girls until the boys got off duty.

Matt asked Nina if she was okay with that. Even after what could be called a 'fun evening', one in which he and D'Anna 'hung out with' another couple as if his wife were not a Cylon, drinking coffee and solving puzzles, he was still not sure about her being alone with his fellow warriors for that long. He always feared D'Anna would say the wrong thing or make the wrong move...

Nina scoffed, "Relax Heph! D'Anna has been a huge help...besides, you mean too much to me as a friend, I would never just arbitrarily kill your wife - even if she had it coming - and I think you know me better than that." She gave him a hurt look while poking her bottom lip out.

Matt smiled humbly, "I know, sorry. Forget I said anything."

"Done." Nina stated, giving him a wink. She then offered a sympathetic smile to D'Anna whose cheeks were slightly blushed. Nina thought perhaps she was embarrassed by Matt's overprotective nature or was just tired of being the elephant in the room.

D'Anna then asked if they could get any Morpha from Doc Cottle to sedate the brain during the procedure. "It will make the transition better for it and the less stress the more likely our success." She returned Nina's smile with a grateful one of her own.

Nina said she would ask but made no guarantees. "Does it need to eat?"

"Yes and no," replied D'Anna surprised at first that the Colonel even thought about feeding it but then again, after getting to know 'Nina', as she had been asked to call her, D'Anna was coming to realize why Matthew liked her so much.

"When they dock with a Basestar nutrients from the Basestar are transferred to the Raiders via the interlocks. I don't get the sense that it is starving so we should have a few days – most Raiders can go weeks but we don't know how long this one was adrift. The tank we have to build for it inside your Raptor will have to be filled with an amino-acid solution that will become both its home and its food-source..."

After Matt and D'Anna departed, Niko went down the corridor to a supply room for a couple of bed rolls so that he and Nina could remain with the Raider, sleeping on the floor of the Control Room.

Matt returned to the brig with his wife and spent the whole night without nosy Marines spying on them. It was the first real privacy they had ever experienced. Gunny placed 1 guard at the Brig's outer hatch but none inside by the cell per Colonel Nintius' orders. Not while D'Anna was assisting with the Raider. Nina felt D'Anna and Matt had earned that much.

Girl Talk

The next morning Nina and Niko awoke to the sound of someone banging on the Control Room Hatch of the Brig Cargo Bay. Niko stood to pull on his pants, his sinewy form rippling with every move. Nina stood as well, covering her nakedness with the blanket then leaning against the console.

Niko disengaged the lock, spun the wheel and opened the hatch. The heavy door swung open, its hinges crying out for lubrication. An unfamiliar face greeted him, "Can I help you?" Niko asked.

"Crewman Devon Pins Sir, reporting as ordered by Major Lensherr Sir, I brought coffee."

Niko cringed at being called sir not once but twice, "Coffee? Why didn't you say so? Come on in."

The crewman stepped through the hatch carrying the portable urn filled with hot coffee fresh from the CIC. He glanced at Colonel Nintius, her auburn locks disheveled and more than half of her long smooth legs were exposed where the blanket couldn't reach. Her arms were also uncovered, creamy white and toned. He averted his eyes, "Major Lensherr sends his regards and wanted me to remind you to turn the security feeds back on...after you are dressed Ma'am." He set the urn on the counter, snapped off a salute without look directly at the Colonel then dismissed himself.

Nina dressed, had a quick cup of Aerelonian Black Silk coffee, then headed for the Brig to collect the Cylon D'Anna. She needed to get her Raptor moved into the cargo bay before Niko had to be at his first appointment. It was 6:30 AM already and he had to be on the Rising Star by 8:30.

Nina could have waited to retrieve D'Anna until after she had moved Taz. However, in her enthusiasm to get started it slipped her mind that parading a Cylon through the ship without any guards might illicit the wrong kind of attention. As was Nina's way, once she was accustomed to something she assumed everyone else was as well.

As they walked from the brig to the hanger, Nina chattered away at D'Anna about all the things they needed to accomplish, making sure D'Anna was confident she could perform the surgical tasks. D'Anna on the other hand was distracted by the stares and snide comments whispered by pretty much everyone they passed. She was only half paying attention to The Colonel, nodding or muttering "Uh huh, yeah, that will work," whenever Nina would stop talking long enough for D'Anna to reply.

Crew and Officers alike would salute Nina with "Good Morning Colonel" followed by hushed insults and queries like, "What is THAT doing out of IT'S cage?" or "Why isn't that dog on a leash?" and other less flattering comments.

At first Nina didn't notice any of it, being involved in her own thoughts, then she heard someone shout "Frakin' Skinjob!' which she just ignored, assuming the Cylon had thick skin. Later on she became aware that D'Anna was walking closer than when they had left the cargo hold. It was a long walk through a crowded Galactica, even though the crowd parted for them, it was still more than twenty minutes without using access tunnels. D'Anna had been in the lead to begin with but the more attitudes they encountered the more D'Anna fell back along side of Nina.

Even when no one was mumbling insults, a great many were glaring with hate in their eyes. Nina suddenly felt guilty for allowing anyone to say anything even in passing. Her charge was after all Matt's Wife and as his friend Nina owed it to him to protect D'Anna as he would himself if he were here. And now D'Anna seemed to be tucked in behind Nina as if trying to hide in her shadow. Impossible considering they had roughly the same build.

"You have nothing to be afraid of," Nina said to her as if it should be obvious. "I won't let anyone harm you...here..." she added, looping her arm through the Cylons and pulling her in close like a best girl friend. "Though, it surprises me you are so timid...you could snap my neck before I ever saw it coming."

D'Anna smiled meekly, un-offended by Nina's accusation of her strength, and gratefully accepted Nina's arm. She then lowered her voice and asserted, "If I so much as sneeze wrong Colonel, someone is going to put a bullet in my head. And frankly I don't want to put Matt through that, even if I somehow got lucky and was able to download, I doubt I would ever see him again...my people certainly wouldn't let me just come back. And I imagine your people wouldn't either." D'Anna paused for a moment then added in an even more hushed tone, "I may be stronger and faster but what good is that? Showing off my Cylon strength is no way to make friends."

"I suppose you are right," agreed Nina while patting D'Anna's hand. Nina then looked at her thoughtfully as they continued to walk, D'Anna was always 'put together'. Her clothes were surprisingly crisp for a prisoner as well. "Maybe if we put you in some coveralls? You are awfully clean, sort of shiny...like a toaster," she teased.

D'Anna had to laugh but was still uneasy. She clung to Nina as they wove through what seemed like thousands of people, though probably only a hundred or two. Sometimes she held on a bit too tightly. Every time they passed another smart ass, D'Anna would tighten her grip, holding on until they were gone. "Ow-ch." Nina had complained sarcastically after a particularly tight squeeze occurred. "Could you not break me while I am trying to console you?"

D'Anna blushed then let go completely, smoothing down her own jacket. "Sorry, I don't know why I am still so nervous. Perhaps this was a bad idea, with no guards. They seem to put the crew at ease."

Nina sighed, "The crew needs to lighten up. As for the guards, they annoy me and I see no point in pretending you are subdued by either their presence or the shackles they place on you. We both know you are here because you chose to be here and all you have to do is provoke someone into killing you anytime you want to return to your people, or just not be here anymore. So just relax and ignore the jerks. No one is going to do anything stupid – not while I am around – not unless they enjoy janitorial work."

"But the Admiral -" D'Anna countered.

Nina interrupted rather sternly, "The Admiral is a good man who doesn't let his personal issues with your people interfere with his judgment, if he did, you would have been airlocked ages ago. At the very least you definitely would not have been permitted to marry Matt and that Raider would have been turned to dust before I ever had a chance to explain rescuing it in the first place. He is no Cain." Nina then joked, "Now just pretend they are all staring because we are both so smoking hot sexy and just leave it at that."

Intriguing, D'Anna thought. She found Colonel Nintius' directness refreshing and not having to pretend she wasn't a Cylon for Nina's benefit was also a relief. She still didn't understand Nina, as she didn't fit any of the typical human stereotypes, but she couldn't help but like her.

By the time they reached the Hangar, D'Anna found she no longer noticed the hateful stares and had managed to tune out the majority of whispers and comments. Colonel Nintius was going to have some lovely bruises on her arm however. For that D'Anna felt terrible though she was impressed with Nina's tolerance to pain.

Colonel Nintius managed to find four sets of orange coveralls that didn't reek of knuckledragger then she ordered her former nugget Switch, now assistant to the Chief of the Deck, to round up the other nuggets so they could play gopher for the next two days. "All of you meet us down in the cargo bay in an hour to get your first list of needs." Surgical attire and equipment still had to be acquired from Doc Cottle and she was going to call him as soon as they returned to the Cargo Bay. She just hoped he was feeling generous.

Once on board the Raptor Nina surprise D'Anna yet again by asking her to take the ECO console to assist with the takeoff and landing. "While you are over there, poke around in the systems files. I know you are familiar with traditional Colonial Raptors but this one recently had major upgrades done to its sensors and targeting systems. Make sure nothing leaps out at you as incompatible with the Raider...hopefully those upgrades improve compatibility..."

"You intrigue me Colonel," comment D'Anna sincerely.

"Why is that?" Nina replied while doing her pre-flight checks from the Captains seat.

"You don't treat me like a prisoner – you keep...trusting me."

"Shouldn't I?" Nina had her back to D'Anna though her smirked expression reflected in the glass.

"Well yes but..."

Nina interrupted stating matter of factly, "But nothing. Matt trusts you, I trust Matt. I spent half the day with you yesterday and never once did you give me a 'vibe'. I either trust you to a certain extent or working with you is going to be a pain in the ass."

D'Anna smiled, "Like I said, intriguing."

"What is intriguing is that for someone who wants to blend in, be treated like everyone else and 'make friends', you sure like to remind me that no one else would let you have so much freedom." Nina then turned to face D'Anna, shaking her head, "If I were you, I would stop questioning me about it and just enjoy it while it lasts. I have no authority over you once this Raider situation is handled and most likely you will go back to rotting in the brig." Nina then reached over and patted D'Anna on the back like one of her Cadets. "Now, let's get out of here and go play doctor."

D'Anna knew the Colonel was right. Why was she always questioning Nina? Perhaps it was D'Anna who had the trust issues. Matt had said as much months ago when Colonel Nintius had joined them for dinner on a whim of Matt's. D'Anna never stopped questioning him about it. Demanding to know why Colonel Nintius of all people would agree to have dinner with The Cylon Prisoner and his answer was simply too innocuous for her to accept, "Because I invited her."

Let's make a deal

Once Raptor Taz was in place inside the cargo bay and the doors secured, Niko waved good bye then disappeared out the main hatch. Safely pressurized, Nina and D'Anna disembarked from the Raptor then each took a Raider wing and turned it so its head pointed at Taz.

A short time later they had brought out all the equipment previously stored during the opening of the doors. Something Niko had to handle himself while he waited. Nina assigned her Cylon assistant the task of determining the best way to install the brain in the Raptor as well as how to get the brain out of the raider without harming it. Nina then went to the control room to call Doc Cottle.

Twenty minutes later they had struck a deal. Thirty Fumarellos and Three Liters of Picon Brandy. Most of which was for the Morpha since the majority of equipment would be returned and other than gloves, the only other consumable was the nutrient bags necessary to moisturize and feed the brain until its tank was finished. He had prodded her for details regarding her needs and she simply pointed out that taking payment invalidated his need to know. Cottle manufactured the fluid from who knows what in his lab. They're used to feed coma patients primarily, and based on D'Anna's description of the contents of a Cylon Res Tub, this was as close as they could get.

"Alright Cottle, I will talk to Niko. My nuggets will be by for the equipment soon...Niko will come for the Morpha." She hung up a tad disgusted. It was no coincidence Cottle requested the items that he did. Everyone knew what Niko did for a living and what his favorite form of payment was. She hated to ask him to give up his hard earned pleasantries but never doubted for one second that he would.

She rubbed her eyes while glancing out the window of the control room. She watched D'Anna, now clad in dirty orange coveralls with her hair in a ponytail, as she climbed in and out of the Raptor taking measurements of the FTL chamber and then comparing them to the Raider brain. Nina then trained her eyes upward at the security camera still off. I really need to turn that back on but I don't want to advertise exactly what we are doing... Nina suddenly smiled, obviously she had an idea.

Returning her attention to Cottle's demands, she took a deep breath, rang up the CIC and asked to be patched through to Shuttle Dragonfly. By now Niko would be loaded off the Rising Star and headed to his next stop. "Major Lensherr? Colonel Nintius. I need a secure channel to Sleepwalker's boat."

"Roger that Mistress...don't forget to turn your security feedback on...The Commodore would like to have a look..."

By the tone of Matt's voice she figured Morlock was standing right next to him. "Copy that Heph...stand by..." Nina hit the switch for the camera out in the bay then waited.

Matt's reaction was immediate. "Holy Frak Colonel! What did you do to my wife?"

Nina laughed, "I gave her a rag tag fleet makeover. I told her she was too shiny, it kept reminding everyone she was a toaster. She agreed."

"She does look kinda cute..." he mused, forgetting where he was.

The familiar baritone voice of the Admirals second in command suddenly came on the line,"Colonel Nintius? Commodore Morlock. Would you please explain to me why our Cylon prisoner is unguarded with free access to both the Raider and our most heavily armed Raptor?"

"Absolutely Sir!" Nina responded. "She is performing the necessary tasks to collect vital strategic data from a captured enemy vessel Sir. And I can see her as well as you. She is doing exactly what I asked her do."

"Understood Colonel,"replied the Commodore stoically. "However, I would remind you that if you are wrong..."

Nina interrupted, "Yes Commodore, I know... Hades in a handbasket Sir. Hades in a handbasket."

The Commodore seemed satisfied and returned the receiver to Major Lensherr who now had Sleepwalker on a secure channel. "Shuttle Dragonfly you have an incoming call from Colonel Nintius...Go ahead Colonel, Shuttle Dragonfly is reading you..."

Nina waited for the click indicating the CIC was off the channel so her conversation would be private, "Hey Doll-face... I need a favor..."

Niko was less than thrilled, it was going to take most of his reserves. She also advised him that he had the honor of delivering said stash to the good Doctor and then transporting the drugs down to the Cargo Bay as soon as he was done for the day. "Ugh, alright, but you are really going to owe me for this Mistress."

"I am sure we can work out something." She cooed.

Moments after hanging up the phone the Nugget squad arrived. Nina explained to them what was going on then divided them into teams each with separate tasks. One group of four would go to sick bay to gather all the supplies and equipment. The EEG machine alone required two people to move it. "You will need to take the Bilge elevator next to CIC. Follow the floor lights aft until you find a small service elevator that will bring you right up next to this bay."

Another group of two were assigned to the laundry to acquire as many clean sheets as they could find, towels too. The last three would go to janitorial to get buckets and scrub brushes. "I want the deck under and around those two vessels scrubbed clean and I want you to scrub the Raiders head and the inside curve of its wings as well as the FTL Access panel on the back of my Raptor. Any questions?"

"Isn't that the Cylon D'Anna from the Brig?"

"Observant, yes. Any other questions?"

"There aren't any guards."

"Also another amazing observation. Anything else?"

They all just looked at her like deer caught in headlights. "Two things cadets, everything you see in here stays in here and also, you can always trust your Mistress. Now, off you go, daylight is burning."

Setting the stage

Several hours passed. The nuggets retrieved everything needed then cleansed the area as best as they could. They used the overhead zip lines to attach several sheets creating a small room around the raider and the Raptor, conveniently blocking the security camera's view. Sheets and towels were also draped over the raider wings and around the floor beneath the Raptor's FTL Access panel. Other towels were placed in a clean bucket to be soaked with nutrient fluids when the time came.

At first the cadets were all a little edgy around D'Anna but then seemed to forget she was there once they got into the cleaning and sheet hanging. D'Anna was far too busy measuring and drawing to concern herself with their discomfort and Nina was in the bay with all of them the entire time setting up the machines and preparing the surgical equipment.

Major Matthew Lensherr arrived at lunch time bearing fruit from the Botanical Cruiser as well as everyone's daily lunch ration of Algae Crackers, Noodles and Paste. After eating he set about helping D'Anna to install a rolling track for the tank to sit on that would slide in and out of the FTL chamber. It was going to be heavy and in an awkward place so the track would make installation much less difficult.

As evening approached, the cadets were congratulated on a job well done, having created a reasonable facsimile of a triage type operating room. They were sent back to their training under orders not to discuss anything about the Raider with anyone regardless of their rank. "You cleaned and you moved equipment...that is all you know. Dismissed."

Niko showed up around dinner time with the Morpha, just in time to be briefed on the planned procedure. The outer hatch was secured, Niko would remain in the control room to monitor the O2 levels and ambient temperature of the cargo bay. The slightest change could adversely affect the 'patient'. Nina, Matt and D'Anna washed up in a portable basin, put on their scrubs and prepared to operate on the Raider.

Brig Cargo Bay 1930 hours

The overhead lights were turned down while portable lights were arranged within the makeshift operating room. From inside the control room, all Niko could see were three silhouettes behind the white sheets. His board was green. O2 levels optimal. Ambient temp 16 degrees Celsius. The security feed was also denied a proper view, and with all three persons clad in scrubs it was impossible to tell who was doing what behind the curtain.

Nina's task is to monitor the EEG machine once the raider brain is connected and to offer general gopher assistance as needed. Her medical background is limited to First Aide, CPR and Wilderness Medicine. However she is highly mechanical and has yet to run across a piece of equipment she couldn't operate. Still, she was more than a little apprehensive about the responsibility.

D'Anna placed her hand on Nina's shoulder as she explained to her the basics of what the machine would be reading and indicated which readings were the most critical. "Colonel, I have calibrated the machine to the Raiders brainwaves and it will sound an alarm if anything drastic takes place. Just watch the numbers. If any of those readings leap up or down suddenly, let me kno P." Nina nodded, smiling weakly.

Matt would be handling the cutting torch and assisting D'Anna with the detachment of the head. As a Firefighter back on Aerelon, extrication was right up his alley.

D'Anna, who was more than qualified to perform such a task as brain surgery, thanks in part to years of biological experimentation by the Cylons on humans, would be performing the very delicate task of severing the brain stem. She would also be directing the entire procedure, being the only one among them with any knowledge of Cylon biogenetics.

First they needed to sedate the Raider. It's biological body was alive as much as the brain and it would feel the cutting torch...as would D'Anna. She opened the access panel exposing the pulsating blob of tissue and veins. Large arteries sprawled across its gelatinous surface like a great network of roads, or rivers. With gloved hands she gently pulled a large clump of bio matter aside near the back of the brain to reach the cerebellum.

It took both her hands to hold the matter back while Matt took a large syringe filled with Morpha and injected it into the largest vein. He had been trained with intravenous injections at the Fire Academy but had only ever done them on a dummies during training. Nina noted a slight pallor to his cheeks as he compressed the barrel. D'Anna then allowed the bio matter to fall back into place. "We should give it a few minutes," She said, wiping her hands on a towel.

D'Anna had determined that the brain cavity of the raider itself would make the most ideal holding tank, reducing the risk of damage due to over-handling. The next step involved cutting the Raider Skull cap away from the body. Thirty or so electrodes from the EEG machine were attached directly to the surface of the brain then the panel was lowered but not snapped allowing the wires a path. D'Anna double checked the readings herself, nodding to Nina who was feeling less confident than she ever had about anything.

The first cut would be across the top from wing to wing approximately 2 inches behind the brain – D'Anna had drawn a line. Matt was instructed to keep his depth at less than 1 inch to avoid drawing blood. "You just want to cut the shell, I will take care of the organics." She advised. "An any deeper than 2 inches you might nick the brain and probably cause a seizure. So please don't slip." She offered him a reassuring smile then put on her goggles as he began to cut.

Nina watched intently, also wearing goggles. Her eyes darting back and forth from his hands to the EEG panel then back to his hands. Her stomach tightened and her mouth began to go dry. He started at the base on the left side where the head met the wing. The cutting torch sputtered and sparked at first struggling against the Raiders armor plating.

Similar to crustaceans, Raiders have a hard shell with a gooey center. Directly below that hard shell was a vast network of nerves and blood vessels encased in the same bio matter surrounding the brain. The shell itself is able to withstand a good deal of cannon fire from Colonial Vipers so cutting through it was not exactly like a hot knife through butter.

Matt's hands were steady none the less. Once the shell had been breached he drew a line with the torch up one side and down the other with such ease it was as if he removed Raider Heads every day. As the first cut was completed, Nina let out a heavy sigh, never realizing she had been holding her breath in the first place. "Now for the next cut," advised D'Anna, "Join your ends by cutting around the face of the raider just under the eye track."

Matt started cutting again. The horizontal angle made it more difficult to maintain his depth and the cut was not as smooth. Plus he had several EEG wires in his way. And even though it was cool in the bay, the torch was hot and the gloves he was wearing were making his hands sweat. About half way around when he was just under the eye track the torch slipped his grip slightly. "FRAK!" He cursed, having drawn blood. He shut off the torch then looked to D'Anna to make sure he hadn't hurt her as a result of hurting the Raider.

"I'm okay," she smiled, understanding his concern. "It's asleep and didn't feel a thing. The morpha is working...you're doing great...almost there." She reached out and lifted the EEG Wires for him to pass under. He relaxed and started cutting again after the blood was wiped away. It took him more than ten minutes to finish the face cut having done the head cut in half that time. Once again Nina sighed with relief causing Matt to cast her a curious glance.

Nina smiled with embarrassment, "Sorry Heph – just so very intense – I knew you could do it – still – very intense."

Now that the shell had been severed it was time for D'Anna to cut through all the bio matter beneath the shell to further disconnect the head from the body. D'Anna drizzled or injected Morpha into the cuts made by her husband to deaden the tissues just beneath the shell. She then followed the torch cut with her scalpel up and over and around the front of the head while Matt dabbed the blood slowly oozing from the crevice. Nina marveled at D'Anna's surgical prowess for a moment then shuddered as she considered the sort of practice D'Anna had learned from.

Matt prepared an IV catheter then inserted it into the same vein on the cerebellum that he used for the initial injection to sedate the raider. D'Anna once again held the thick bio matter aside. Dual IV's were started – one with a slow drip of Morpha to keep the Raider sedated as well as further numb its network of nerve endings and another with nutrients to begin feeding it.

A towel soaked in surgical gel (used during ultrasounds) was draped over the electrodes to cover the brain and keep it moist. A second nutrient bag was opened and poured into the brain cavity. The thick layer of bio matter below the brain collected the nutrients, providing a bed of food.

Just below that food bed was a thin layer of cartilage supporting the brain and keeping it from falling down into the eye area. Matt's cut was below this however the cartilage would likely tear if they handled it wrong and D'Anna hoped to preserve it if possible. "What I would like to do Colonel, is pull a large panel of Raider Shell off the wing and use it as a base. With Matt's help I believe we can slide it under this head, cutting through the bio matter without any risk to that cartilage."

Nina and Matt concurred that would be the best course of action as the alternative meant inverting the head and using it as a bowl with the access panel on the bottom instead of the top which would still require some kind of enclosure to protect the brain from damage and bacteria. Additionally, that much handling was bound to cause some harm.

Matt set about removing a section of the wing while D'Anna prepared the Brain Computer Interface device. A simple mechanism designed to help human brains communicate with prosthetic limbs and hearing aides, D'Anna modified it earlier that day to receive an entire nerve cluster, being the brainstem of the raider brain. Electronic engineering being another one of her many Cylon talents.

She had salvaged some of the electronics from the raider, even though they were non functional as a whole, many of the components were still usable. A computer core adapter from the Raptor had been joined to the device making installation into the Raptor a simple matter of plugging it in. The hard part would be getting the raiders brain to recognize the interface.

Because the Cylons were organic machines all contacts within the device had to be coated with the bio matter from under the raiders skin. Once Matt had removed the proper sized panel, D'Anna scraped most of the bio matter off of the underside into a large bucket then had Nina saturate it with one of the nutrient bags. "Stir it up Colonel, you can't damage the tissue. It is regenerative and will adhere itself once in contact with the brain. All neural signals will be processed through the matter then translated into binary code for the interface."

Nina did as she was asked, the clumpy goo squished like hamburger through her gloved fingers as she blended in the nutrient gel. Satisfied that it was mixed she covered the bucket with a towel then changed her gloves. Her next task was to prepare the artificial Heart/Lung machine which D'Anna would plug the raider brain into as soon as the stem was severed and the BCI attached. All this had to be done before the head could be pulled free from the body. Nina swallowed hard wishing she had brought in a bottle of water.

Tiny wedges were placed around the face of the raider head to raise it just enough so that Matt and D'Anna could position the wing panel underneath. With less than an inch inserted into the narrow crevice D'Anna stopped, asking Matt to use the panel to pry the head upward enough for her to get her fingers inside to feel around. "I just want to be sure we are below the cartilage layer before we start shoving."

He smiled as she made several cute faces while working her hand up inside the raiders head. She felt around, slowly easing her hand in farther, grimacing when she still hadn't reached it. "It should be right here...wait...is this it? Here it is...okay this is definitely it, we're okay..." Concern washed over her face as she removed her hand.

"What is it Lass?" Matt asked, all too familiar with D'Anna's expressions.

"It's already starting to die. The cartilage layer has retracted...we don't have much time."

Nina quickly protested, "Wait what? Dying? No...How can it be dying? All it's waves..."

D'Anna cut her off, "No time Colonel," she pushed Matt aside and using her full Cylon strength shoved the plate under the raider head, slicing through bio matter and scraping against the rough edges of the horizontal cut. "Sorry Matthew," she apologized, knowing he had never seen just how strong she really was. He started to tell her it was alright and that he knew about her strength but she interrupted him as well. "Get the welder Matthew, weld around the base and hurry."

He did as she asked while Nina watched the brain waves closely. "All good so far D'Anna... are you sure?" she asked, only to realize what a stupid question it was after saying it.

D'Anna didn't answer at first. As soon as Matt finished the welding she wrapped her slender arms around the raider head and gave a good yank on the bottom plate, lifting and pulling, displacing the bulky head several inches. "Yes Colonel I am sure. If we don't get this brain connected to a new body soon, it is going to stop functioning completely." D'Anna then climbed on top of the raider, straddling the back half of the head.

First she switched the IV's so that the food was going directly to the brain as well as the Morpha drip. There was no longer a reason to feed the body. Then she had Nina pass her the line for the artificial pump so that blood from the raiders body could be collected and oxygenated for recirculation through the brain. With everything flowing in the right direction it was time to sever the brain stem. Nina and Matt moved closer to have a better view.

"Clamp... Scalpel..." she said to Matt who passed the instruments to his wife. Nina watched the EEG closely as D'Anna disconnected one line after another. The brain stem consisted of several tightly wound nerve clusters and tendons that had to be snipped, capped and kept separate from the others. D'Anna used some of the bio matter in the bucket to coat each line before capping it.

Things were going pretty well until D'Anna cut through a nerve cluster that had somehow been isolated from the Morpha drip. "FRAK!" she yelled, dropping the scalpel and clutching the back of her head, her face contorted in pain. Nina's EEG alarms blared mercilessly then D'anna pleaded "Morpha!" Matt turned up the drip and quickly prepared a syringe full of the stuff which he jammed into the cluster his wife had cut last.

He reached up to help her down but she declined. "I'm okay...it's okay... Morpha kicking in. Sure glad I only feel the absence of pain and the not the drugs or this would be all for me." She smiled noting the concern in both Matt and Nina's faces. D'Anna wondered if she would ever get used to anyone but Matthew caring if she felt pain or not. Nina handed her a clean scalpel, "Thanks," D'Anna said, "Just a few more to go." And she went back to cutting.

After what seemed like hours but was in reality only about 20 minutes, D'Anna had successfully severed and capped all connections without further incident. The raider blood had been collected and blended with nutrients and concentrated O2 and was now ready to begin circulating through the brain. The nutrient IV was replaced with the blood from the pump and they all watched with anticipation.

The EEG machine beeped mockingly as they held their breaths. "Come on," D'Anna urged, lifting the panel up and looking under the towel. The Heart/Lung machine gasped and clanked. Slowly the vessels began to vibrate with the flow of fresh oxygen as old blood was now recirculating more rapidly. The brain was still alive, D'Anna could feel it faintly alone in the dark of her mind, however it was so heavily sedated that D'Anna could not be certain it would survive until the Morpha wore off.

The Brain Computer Interface was coated with Bio Matter then D'Anna inserted the capped clusters and tendons one at a time, uncapping each as she went. The unit was then wrapped with gauze soaked in raider blood and placed carefully inside the brain shell. She then motioned for Matt to help her move the head on the cart and he was clearly surprised how heavy it was by the way he groaned once bearing the full weight. Nina steadied the cart as they sat it down rather roughly. Then they wheeled it over to the Raptor, along with the connected EEG and PUMP, where the interface cable was waiting at the back of the FTL chamber.

"Here goes nothing," D'anna said as she plugged the BCI into the Raptors receiving line. She paused for a moment to see if any alarms went off, when they didn't, she took a moment to explain what was happening to the raider. "It's been dying since before you found it Colonel and from the retraction of the cartilage I would say its been a week or so. We'll need to pack the void with the regenerative bio matter both under the cartilage and around the brain. If it lives, the cartilage will regenerate. If it doesn't, it won't matter."

Nina asked, "how long before the brain begins to communicate with the raptors systems so we can download its data?"

"It could take up to a day, maybe two depending on how quickly the brain recovers from all the stress. The electronic impulses from you Raptor along with the oxygenated blood and nutrients being artificially pumped through the brain will keep it alive until then. Once it interfaces, the pump can be disconnected as the brain will have created its own circulatory system at that point...We are going to need three times that amount," she said, indicating the bucket of bio matter next to Nina, "And the best source is going to be through the belly." She looked at Matt who took a moment to realize that was his next assignment.

Finishing touches

Nina and her team worked for another two hours completing the casing for The Brain. The bottom plate had to be trimmed and smoothed while the cavity was packed top to bottom with bloody bio matter carved out of the decapitated raiders belly.

Another section of shell was cut in two pieces then welded to the back of the casing with a cut-out left open for the brain stem to pass through. More bloody tissue was packed into the gap until it was sealed. The Morpha drip was dialed down gradually over those two hours until it was no longer supplying the brain. Only time would tell if it would 'wake up' and be functional.

The sealed Head was then moved on to the track inside Raptor Taz's FTL chamber. The interface lines were reeled in and secured behind a panel while the EEG wires remained attached along with the artificial pump circulating The Brain's blood. A sheet was draped over the back of Taz covering the equipment and the open FTL chamber.

Nina stepped out from behind the curtain and signaled Niko to raise the lights. When he turned the dial the bay was flooded with bright light then he gasped in horror at the sight of her, shouting into the mic, "What the frak Nina!? What happened to you?"

She looked confused for a moment then Matt and D'Anna came up behind her. When Nina saw them as Niko had seen her it was clear why he was concerned. All three of them were covered head to toe in blood and tissue from the raider. They had all been so intent on completing their task before time ran out that none of them stopped to wash their faces or change clothes in between gutting the raider and loading the brain into Taz. They had changed gloves but their scrubs were soaked as were their heads. Nina laughed, "It's not what you think and by the way... It's a boy."

Niko stood watch a while longer so the team could hit the showers. Afterward Matt and D'Anna went back to her cell as it was late and he had First Watch in the morning. Niko had to go as well unfortunately, as he had backlogged deliveries to catch up with. So Nina decided to just sleep in Taz. Since her last adventure with Niko, Nina had modified her new Raptor with a nice bedroll and blanket all ready to be deployed from under the side bench.

She had shut the bay lights off again and had only the glow of the instrument panel within Taz and the dim light from the equipment outside Taz to give her senses any definition of her surroundings. As she lay on her back waiting for sleep to come, she listened to the rhythmic beeps and breaths of the machines, letting their quiet beat lull her into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Waiting

The next morning Nina woke to D'Anna standing over her. "Rise and shine sleepy head," cooed the Cylon with the sultry accent.

Nina rubbed her eyes and sat up. "I guess I forgot to set the alarm. What time is it?"

"0600 Colonel. Matthew dropped me off about fifteen minutes ago. I thought you went to the bathroom so I was sitting in the control room waiting for you until just a few minutes ago when I decided to check the machines and heard you...breathing... in here." D'Anna hoped Nina didn't mind her initiative.

"Breathing?" Nina laughed, "You mean snoring right? It's okay. I'm aware of my sinus issues." She stood up and stretched then followed D'Anna back out of the Raptor. "So how is our patient this morning? Any nightmares?"

D'Anna smiled, "So far so good Colonel, I mean, Nina... Everything indicates the brain is no longer sedated. We'll know when the interface occurs because all your systems will shut down and then restart." Then she frowned, "It has only been eight hours since it was connected but if not by the end of today, odds are against it."

Nina nodded.

With nothing to do but monitor the equipment, Nina decided that D'Anna didn't need her help so she set about tearing down the curtains. After she actually did use the restroom. It meant leaving D'Anna alone but Nina was already over any concerns she may have had for the Cylon's trustworthiness and wasn't at all worried about it.

The rest of the morning Nina spent going over test results from her nuggets who had been pop quizzed by Third Watch legend Colonel Tony Bastain, "Falcon". Falcon had cornered them by the simulator after they had finished with the Bay Operating Room for Nina and asked each of them a different question based on a given tactical scenario. He taped their answers and included his own commentary on their responses. Nina found the test to be extremely useful as a training tool as well as educational for her to see her students from a different perspective.

Matt came down for lunch but since nothing exciting was happening with the Raptor Brain he decided to take a CAP rotation and return at dinner. Nina and D'Anna were bored too. They had resorted to playing cards and discussing the motivations behind the Cylon attacks. Nina had casually brought it up without the usual tone of accusation and D'Anna began sharing without hesitation.

In truth, there was nothing to tell that the Colonies didn't already know other than the change in perspective that some Cylons experienced after getting to know humanity more personally as she had done. But as with any society bent on the destruction of another, sometimes those in charge don't come around as quickly as those in touch with the 'enemy'.

At dinner time Matt and Niko arrived together bearing a tray of black market goodies someone had paid Niko with that morning. The four of them sat on the wing of the Raptor to eat and were enjoying Niko's stories from the rest of the fleet when the EEG machine began screaming...

Now what?

Some time later D'Anna had bad news, "I'm afraid we have no other option Colonel. It's dead if we don't do it and do it now."

A shocked Nina questioned D'Anna's solution, "Why does it have to be me? Aren't you practically related to it? Same blood type etc?"

"Humans and Cylons have different nervous systems yes, but our blood is very similar. I would be more than willing Colonel but you need me awake in case anything goes wrong."

"Awake? I won't be awake? And what could go wrong with a blood transfusion?"

"No, you will need to be sedated in case there are any residual effects."

Niko chimed in concerned for Nina's safety, "What sort of 'residual effects' are we talking about?"

"Beings that remember their past lives and have multiple generations of memories develop a sort of telepathy, like I have with the Brain. It is possible, though unlikely, that while you are connected via your bloodstream, that you might experience the odd shared memory. However it is extremely improbable that it would work in this fashion with a human. I still prefer to err on the side of caution for your own sanity."

"I can't wait." Nina replied sarcastically. The Brain needed fresh blood that wasn't from a dead body if the bio matter was ever going to regenerate and Nina was going to be the donor.

In review (The story this far)

Colonel Nina Nintius, Mistress Betty; Personal Log;

COLONIAL DAYS OF THE WEEK IN ORDER FOR REFERENCE

EosDay, LunaDay, TyrDay, OdinDay, ThorDay, FriggDay, CronosDay

3rd Week Year of the Daggit

EosDay

No log

LunaDay

Completed my weekend long survey of Rogues Planet yesterday with Niko. Unfortunately, TAZ was completely worn out and we were forced to destroy him after the rescue team arrived. (See mission logs for more details) I barely slept last night. I just kept hearing that sound, the sound of a Raptor being blown apart in deep space. Niko is comforting of course and the gang is already hard at work refitting my new Raptor, designation Taz 2.0 – However, I plan to immerse myself in the Cadets until I can test the new bird so as to keep the old one off my mind.

TyrDay

No Log

OdinDay

No Log

ThorDay

No Log

FriggDay

TAZ 2.0 is ready for a test flight. Taking him out tonight during Third Watch on a systematic survey of the surrounding area. I keep having that dream. I really need this diversion.

CronosDay

I found a fracking Raider! It's still alive! The Admiral gave me permission to access its data – I cannot wait to find out what it knows! (See mission log for full report) I need to take a nap now but tonight, that Cylon sitting in the Brig and I are going to access that data. Somehow. But if anyone knows that answer, it is her.

*Added to log after the fact for cross reference to Project Report 99A369

(Altercation with Marine, First night working on the Raider, decision to transplant into Taz made after it was determined the brain required a functional body in order to recognize commands and allow us to access its data and the Raider body was already dead. Slept in hanger control room with Niko.)

4th Week Year of the Daggit

EosDay

D'Anna successfully transplanted the Raider brain into Taz 2.0 with Matt's assistance while I monitored the equipment and Niko manned the control room. We are still waiting for the creature to adapt to Colonial tech. D'Anna cannot be sure how long it might take. (See PR99A369 for more details). I am sleeping in Taz tonight alone in case there is any change I want to be here. On a side note, I seem to be developing a fondness for the cylon D'Anna. She is Matt's wife after all and he and I are dear friends but it is more than that. I find D'Anna to be a skilled and forthright individual. I find myself giving her a great deal of trust but also admiration. In different circumstances I could see us becoming close friends. I can hear the Admiral groaning now.

LunaDay

We waited all day today for that brain to come to life and all it did was nearly die. It was then decided that I would give it a blood transfusion of my own blood, (see PR99A369 for more details). There were risks but everything went according to plan, for the first time since I brought the raider on board actually.

Suffice to say it worked. By the time I awoke from sedation the bio matter had already begun to regenerate, and rather quickly I might add. It was visible to the naked eye. The four of us watched as the sinewy fibers grew before our eyes like ice crystals darting along the cerebellum and down the brainstem to the connector integrating the brain with the mainframe and marveled as one by one the brain made contact with each of the Raptors systems.

I really need to get some rest. We have an early day tomorrow. First thing I will have D'Anna tap into the mainframe and reprogram that brain to answer only to me. Then we can start printing out its data. The Admiral is not going to like the fact that Taz 2.0 is now – technically – sentient – but if Taz's first act as a Sentient Colonial Raptor is to assist the fleet with invaluable tactical data on the Cylons whereabouts and plans, I am hoping the Admiral will be reasonable.

I have ordered 3 marine guards – of Galactica training – back in the bay to guard Taz 2.0 tonight (and the dead raider). I did not tell the marines why they were guarding Taz, just that should any systems come on during the night to alert me immediately – I am staying with Niko on his shuttle. I am sure they assumed I was just being paranoid about my baby. And they would be correct.

Taz's weapons are offline, disconnected from the mainframe just in case. D'Anna said the bio matter must be fully regenerated and functioning independently before we disconnect the life support and close off the head. Until the brain is autonomous, it will not recognize commands. The inhibitors are in place awaiting activation.

I wonder if I will have any wild Cylon dreams tonight? D'Anna warned it might be a side effect of the connection. Anything is better that the recurring nightmare of Taz 1.0s destruction.

TyrDay

No Log

Nina finished reviewing her logs from the past week and half then started a new log entry.

OdinDay

It has been almost 48 hours since the transfusion and so far there have been no ill effects. TyrDay morning D'Anna was able to access the brain, override its command codes and reinitialize it's free will inhibitors just as we hoped. We connected a printer to Taz's main computer and began the download. It was still printing an hour ago when I checked on it. D'Anna said it could take several days to print out everything but until we backup the archive now stored on Taz, a hard copy is necessary. The data printed out so far is everything we had hoped for and more. Star charts, patrol routes, key resource planets and so far, not one mention of the planet Rogue found and only an astronomical notation regarding the nebula. Perhaps they do not know of the planet? We can only hope.

*Tactical data is classified

The Admiral was beyond pleased when I gave him the first stack of papers and barely acknowledged what I told him about the transplanted brain, though he may be under the impression we intend to remove the brain when this is all done. I of course have other ideas. D'Anna and I have been talking a lot about the potential capabilities of this Raptor now that it is sentient and I intend to test those capabilities before we do anything rash.

As soon as the download is done printing I must convince the admiral to let me take it for a test flight. A viper escort with rescue raptor standing by in case we have to eject should ease his worry. I also have to convince Niko to fly shotgun. Ever since the transplant was completed he has been avoiding the Bay. I don't think he is comfortable with the new Taz but if the raiders truly are like 'pets' then all I have to do is treat it well and love it and it will be just fine. And if its not, I will eject the brain into open space and blow it up. However, if Niko refuses to be my ECO, I will have to find someone else... but who?

"Hey babe, you gonna be all night?" Called out Niko from the sleeping area aboard his shuttle Dragonfly.

"No hotness, I'm done. Just logging off the computer now... I hope you have the bed all warmed up..."

Hangar Bay

Colonel Nina Nintius "Mistress Betty", Niko Stratos "Sleepwalker" and D'Anna Lensherr strapped themselves into TAZ 2.0 for the first test flight of the newly installed raider brain. To Nina's surprise, Niko insisted on acting as her ECO for this test, apparently not wanting her to take the risk alone. Though Nina suspected it had more to do with the fact that Nina insisted D'Anna be allowed to join the party than any concerns he had about the trustworthiness of the brain.

D'Anna's expertise with the technology and the biology of the brain would be vital in the event of any issues, but more than that, Nina enjoyed her company. Everyone on Galactica already knew each other so well and had such intertwined histories that there was very little conversation to be had that didn't revolve around sexual conquests or other interpersonal drama. As D'Anna and Nina barely knew each other, they still had plenty of acquainting to do.

It took some of Nina's best argumentative skills however to sway the Admiral. Bringing the weapons back online meant arming a potential threat to the fleet. She had to remind him that the brain had been 'in control' of Taz for several days now and hadn't so much as backfired. "It is simply an extremely sophisticated computer upgrade sir." she had told him, trying to play on his insistence the Cylons were never more than broken machines and not sentient life forms. "One that should, in theory, triple the Raptor's FTL range and improve its targeting ten fold... but we won't know what it can do for sure unless we test it."

Not that Nina for one second forgot the brain was in fact sentient, but she saw little point in putting ideas in the Admirals head about free will. And telling him that D'Anna had interfaced with the brain, communicated with it electronically, and that she had convinced Nina the life form felt gratitude toward her for saving its life, would have landed Nina in sick bay and the brain would have been destroyed. Nina's instincts had served her well her entire life and this time they were telling her to trust D'Anna and make the most of what could be the greatest tactical gain for Galactica since the Blackbird. All she had to do was prove its capabilities without being killed or harming any of the fleet.

The brain was fully integrated into the Raptors primary computer now and its access code had been changed as well as its mission. D'Anna had programmed it, with Nina's supervision, to defend the Colonial Fleet under Colonel Nintius' command. It's free will inhibitors were in place and functioning accordingly. A valid precaution which Niko had grilled D'Anna extensively as to the effectiveness of those inhibitors. She assured him that to her knowledge no Raider or Centurion had ever exhibited free will. He seemed satisfied and let the matter drop.

"Mistress Betty to Controller – we are ready – please open the bay doors – over."

"Acknowledged Mistress – opening the doors now – may the Lords of Kobol watch over you!"

"Affirmative Control, advise Actual when we have cleared the bay."

"Roger that Mistress. Control Out."

New Tricks

Mistress Betty was all smiles. Taz 2.0 handled like a sports car. The computation power of the Brain resulted in superior reaction time allowing the Raptor to maneuver between the many vessels of the fleet with the ease of a viper. She barely moved the stick from side to side noting that Taz now responded to the lightest of touches.

Once clear of the fleet, all Sleepwalker needed to do to plot a jump was to bring up the Cylon star charts and enter the coordinates of a nearby asteroid field...the Brain did the rest in record time. For any other Raptor the destination would have been at least 2 jumps away but D'Anna assured them it was possible to do it in one. And she was correct.

"Bring the weapons online and advise Taz to plot a course through the asteroid field cutting a path with cannon fire as needed."

Sleepwalker did as Mistress Betty ordered while D'Anna monitored the secondary systems for any malfunctions. The navigational controls were set on Auto Pilot to allow the Brain to make course corrections as needed. At first Sleepwalker protested this step but Betty wanted to test the functionality of the Brain's interface with the Raptor.

"I doubt he wants to be destroyed any more than we do so just relax. Raiders have no problem with this type of maneuver, there is no reason to assume this will be any different and we have to know what it's capable of. We'll go slow. It'll be fine, you'll see. Right D'Anna?" D'Anna nodded her concurrence which was of little comfort to Sleepwalker but he knew there was no point in arguing with The Mistress once she set her mind on something.

Taz glided into the expanse of large astral bodies and fine particulate firing with precision as obstacles presented themselves. Betty kept her hand on the stick just in case there was a weapons malfunction but soon relaxed her grip seeing that Taz had the situation well in control. Sleepwalker was less relaxed but even he had to admit the Raptors reaction time far exceeded that of either pilot present. "Just don't get too cozy Mistress, we still don't know how the raider was originally disabled. What if it had some kind of mental break?"

The Mistress cast a wary glance toward D'Anna then replied, "Actually... we do know what happened, at least in part. Not that I want any of this to get around...if you get me? The brain's memory was still intact. It was apparently fired on by the Cylons for reasons we have yet to discover..."

"You're kidding?" Sleepwalker was justifiably horrified at this revelation. "And just what does our Cylon friend here think might be the reason? Surely she has some idea?"

"She's not sure... but the most likely explanation is that it malfunctioned or did something that Cavil didn't care for. The memories do not include the Cylons point of view from the incident. The Raider remembers being afraid, escaping then being disabled with an EMP from a Basestar and being left to die alone...I saved it's life and now it's loyal to me... and to the fleet." The Mistress smiled but could tell Sleepwalker was irritated she hadn't told him about all this before.

"And what if it malfunctions again? What if becomes afraid of us?" His questions were valid but did little to sway Betty against her new pet.

"What if we don't hold its past against it and acknowledge that it chose to leave the Cylons and was nearly killed for its desire to escape? Sound familiar?" She had more to say but was cut off when Taz suddenly engaged its FTL and jumped.

They were all stunned. Sleepwalker drew his weapon on D'Anna demanding an explanation, "What the frak? D'Anna did you do something? I told you we couldn't trust her!"

D'Anna shook her head and looked to Nina for backup. "I swear... I didn't... I don't know what happened."

"Stand down. The Autopilot is still engaged remember? Look where we are." Taz had jumped all the way to the edge of the Nebula where Rogue's Planet remained safely hidden, a distance that would have taken another Raptor five jumps to traverse since they started two jumps on the other side of the fleet. "Check the FTL, any sign of overheating?"

He holstered his weapon and did as asked. The FTL was humming like a kitten with no sign that the extended jump had any ill effects. "Everything seems okay...also, we've barely used any fuel. But that doesn't make this a good thing. Mistress, this Cylon brain doesn't seem to be inhibited and I don't trust it!"

"Auto Pilot Niko... Until Taz puts us in actual danger, I intend to reserve judgment. Maybe he's just showing off?" She patted the console and whispered, "You wouldn't put use in danger would you? Now what is this all about?"

As if responding to her question Taz jumped again. This time a short jump to the debris field where the old Taz had been destroyed. Sleepwalker and Betty immediately recognized the debris but had to explain to D'Anna what it was and why they seemed melancholy at the sight of it. "This is weird," stated The Mistress. "The nebula makes sense as it was in the Cylon database we downloaded but none of the data regarding the destruction of the old Taz is stored in this Raptor. I wonder how he knew?"

Again, as if Taz 2.0 could hear and understand he engaged his thrusters and began slowly moving through the debris. His spot lights came on, scanning the area, obviously looking for something. His passengers could do little but sit and wait. Sleepwalker wanted her to disengage the autopilot but Mistress Betty's curiosity would not be denied. At first Betty thought that in a past download her raider brain belonged to one of the raiders destroyed that day by the rescue team.

She could not have been more wrong.

Old dogs

Slowly moving through the debris, Taz 2.0 came upon what appeared to be the remains of Taz 1.0s under carriage. There in the light they could clearly see bio matter oozing out from a chunk of twisted and burnt metal. D'Anna gasped, "That can't be what I think it is!"

"What? What do you think it is?" Asked Sleepwalker and The Mistress in unison.

"It looks like a Raider brain, or what is left of it...but that would mean..."

Sleepwalker interrupted, "Would mean what? Why is there a raider brain in old Taz's debris? Are you sure its not from one of the raiders destroyed that day?"

Mistress Betty sighed, "It is definitely part of my old Raptor. I recognize the bracket work... there on the side. One of my very own welding jobs... you can tell by how sloppy the bead is." She glanced at D'Anna who had already put two and two together but waited for Sleepwalker to catch up.

"That would mean that old Taz was..." Sleepwalker paused, he couldn't bring himself to say it out-loud.

Betty finished his thought, "It means that old Taz WAS the Raptor that the Cavil lost track of before the attacks on the colonies and that for the past several years I was already flying a sentient bird." She laughed, "It all makes perfect sense now that I think about it." Sleepwalker scowled at her. "What?" She asked him, "It's not as if my old bird ever steered me wrong...if anything this is reassuring. We now know for sure that this being can be trusted with our lives." As usual, he was not reassured.

Taz's console suddenly lit up, flickering excitedly as the Raptor spun in several quick circles knocking his passengers off their feet. As they regained their balance and seats, the main computer screen began flashing, "By Your Command Mistress!" over and over again. After several minutes the flashing stopped and the screen reverted to a simple command prompt, "Input Orders". "If that is not a reassurance I don't know what is!" Betty was thrilled, Sleepwalker was less so but concurred that if this was the same 'Taz' as before that he supposed it could be trusted.

"Take us back to the Colonial Fleet," Betty typed into the system, though she suspected Taz would have responded to a vocal command. She then addressed her crew, "I think we should keep this to ourselves. Taz's abilities are wondrous, and the Admiral will be most impressed, however this revelation that a sentient Raptor has been in his fleet all this time and is now once again in control of his most heavily armed Raptor might well put him over the edge." Sleepwalker and D'Anna agreed.

The End?

Afterward...

Taz was indeed reincarnated. After the destruction of the first Taz, who was definitely the Raptor lost by Cavil many years prior, Taz downloaded to a Raider body back with the Cylons. However, he retained his memories of his time with The Mistress (memories he kept hidden from D'Anna during their interface) and the bond they had shared. Though she had never been aware her beloved Raptor had a mind of its own, he had saved her life many times. Once downloaded, Taz took the first opportunity to escape the Cylons and return to his Mistress but Cavil tracked him down and disabled him, leaving him to die of starvation.

It was fate or perhaps the will of the Gods that put Betty in his path. The rest as they say, is history. In either case the truth is obvious - there could be no more valuable asset than a sentient Raptor bonded to Mistress Betty and Taz is unlikely to be a threat to anyone except those who threaten his Mistress.

A room-a-zoom-zoom!

Thank you all for reading!