BG04-Shore Leave
By VStarTraveler
Summary:
While the fleet resupplies in the Timorala system, Starbuck finagles some planet-side leave to finally spend a few relaxing cycles with Cassiopeia but their little furlon takes a serious turn that threatens to ruin their time together…perhaps permanently.
'***
Disclaimer:
This story is a work of fiction, written entirely for fun and not for profit. This interpretation of the world of Battlestar Galactica is entirely my own, and Battlestar Galactica and all of its various components remain the property of their respective owners.
'***
List of Characters is now available!
Due to the length of this story and the cast of canon and original characters involved, it was suggested that a character list might be helpful. Therefore, I've added a "Character Cast" below following this Prologue. There's very basic information for the reader and possibly those new to Battlestar Galactica, with the list and descriptions written to avoid any spoilers.
Prologue: Pretty Planet
At ease for a rare moment, the man stood at the edge of a large fresh-water lake looking up at the brilliant colors of the sunset as the day wound down in that little corner of that little world. It reminded him of evenings in yahrens past on Caprica, his homeworld, which was now lost to the Cylon invaders.
The thought of the Cylons caused him to momentarily catch his breath, reminding him that, despite the peaceful setting, there could be danger nearby. Reacting to that thought, a quick search confirmed that there were no Cylons there. Relaxing once more, he observed the strange trees and plant life just beyond the shore to the lake as he breathed in the beauty of the planet as well as its crisp, fresh air.
The man was standing on Beta, the second planet from the star known to the Colonials as Timorala. The planet orbited almost dead center of Timorala's habitable zone; as such, it was a prime candidate for the fleet's much needed resupply mission.
The planet had been visited once before, several sectars ago, by a survey team on a scout ship. Both the man and his wingmate had studied their report in detail on their flight to the planet when not on alert or in sleep mode. Based on what they had seen so far, the information the survey team had obtained appeared to be holding up well.
The surveyors had left the fleet aboard the small research vessel almost a yahren before and had visited a number of different systems, searching for worlds with specific types of resources and other criteria, but also with no Cylons or other intelligent life in the area. In that and a subsequent trip, the surveyors had discovered and explored six planets that seemed to meet the designated criteria. According to the survey report, they'd spent ten cycles in the Timorala system, including three cycles exploring this planet.
The survey reports for Timorala Beta had been glowing, with promises of significant native foodstuffs, both plant and animal, that could be harvested and would be appropriate for human consumption. In addition, there were numerous desperately needed raw materials available for the taking. Furthermore, there were portions of the planet with an excellent climate and great conditions for plant growth that could be used to produce significant crops in a matter of a few sectars. Finally, they had found no evidence of biological pathogens that would make Beta dangerous for human visitors, and best of all, no signs of Cylons or other intelligent life. All of that combined with the raw materials available on other celestial bodies in the system made the system appear to be an excellent candidate for a resupply mission.
The man looked up to watch a flock of one of the local varieties of feathered avions flying overhead. One occasionally departed from the group to dive down to try to grab something in the water. He admired the flyers' gracefulness in flight, and the way they tucked their wings and jutted their neck and beak forward on hitting the water, sometimes but sometimes not bringing up one of the various piscons that swam in the water. It reminded him, in a way, of a Viper in a screaming dive toward its target, though the Viper pilot's preferred payoff was often the destruction of an enemy ship or emplacement rather than the flyer's hope for a tasty morsel.
The latest avion surfaced, craned its long thin neck, and swallowed its meal.
"Well done!" said the man softly, not wishing to disturb the graceful creatures.
Smiling at the avion's success, he took a little puff on his fumarello and glanced at his chrono. The local day would end in just a few centons, and many creatures like the avions would go their own way, awaiting the following dawn, while others would come out to live their lives under the cover of darkness, hiding from predators or actually being one. The situation in the wild on the planet actually seemed to offer a number of parallels to the situation in the Colonial Fleet.
The avion suddenly spread its wings and lept from the water. Wings beating furiously, the creature fought its way back into the air to begin the cycle again.
The two men had completed their orbital survey of the assigned part of the planet and had collected meteorological data before activating the beacon. It was a small data gathering station that had been hidden on the planet by the earlier survey team. After collecting the station and some additional soil samples, they had followed the same procedure at three other hidden stations, including the one nearby. These last bits of data would allow Commander Adama and the Council to determine if the fleet would attempt to resupply in the Timorala system or if they would be forced to move on.
With a bit of time remaining before their planned departure, he reached down and picked up a couple of smooth, thin gray stones.
Giving them a quick look, he picked the one he liked best and then sent it spinning out over the water, beyond the narrow zone where the surf washed across the shallows and the rocky beach, watching it skip on the surface three, four, five times before it sank into the water. Taking the other, he tried once again, and again saw nearly the same result, with the stone dropping below the surface with a plop as it hit the water again after the fourth skip. He started to reach down for another but then changed his mind, going into a two-handed stretch that he eventually extended to all four body quadrants.
He was just finishing his stretch with his fingers curled under his left foot while listening to the small waves on the narrow beach, when he heard footsteps approaching. Boomer's voice rang out, "Hey, Starbuck, I've got it stowed and it's almost launch time! You all stretched and ready for the long ride back to the Fleet?"
Starbuck looked up at the two of the planet's three moons that were currently visible as the reds and oranges in the sky mingled with the yellows and remnants of the blue on the setting horizon. He could imagine having a home with a view similar to this sometime in the future, perhaps when the Fleet finally reached the Thirteenth Colony, but for now, the Fleet would be in the Timorala system for a relatively short period and would then move on, with the Galactica remaining home for the foreseeable future. Still, maybe he'd be able to take a few cycles of leave in a spot like this….
Hitting a few keys on his comp pad, he recorded the coordinates of the location, checked his chrono once more, and turned to his approaching friend to say, "Yeah, Boomer, I think it's time. Let's head home."
'***
Author's Note: Thanks for reading my story! This story was previewed in Chapter 12 of my previous story BG03-The Rescue, and begins a little over a cycle after the end of that story.
Character Cast: Due to the length of this story and the cast of canon and original characters involved, it was suggested that a character list might be helpful. Therefore, the list is below, and I've edited the name to maintain the alliterative titles used in the story. Canon characters are in Bold; others are my original characters from this story (BG04), prior stories on this site (BG01, etc.), or from my earlier writing group. The list and descriptions are written to avoid any spoilers. Feel free to consult back to this list as you read, if needed.
Adama — Commander, Battlestar Galactica, and Quorum member; father of Apollo, Athena, and the late Zac, and sealmate of the late Ila
Anaka — Assistant to Melikie
Apollo — Colonial Warrior and Captain of Blue Squadron; boyfriend of Sheba, stepfather of Boxey, and brother of Athena
Arax — Fleet Security officer
Athena — Colonial Warrior lieutenant, former Bridge officer, now transferred to Red Squadron; daughter of Adama and sister of Apollo.
Baltar — Former Quorum member and traitor who betrayed the Colonies to the Cylons, now a prisoner on the Prison Barge
Betta — Caden's girlfriend
Bojay — Colonial Warrior lieutenant, transfer from Pegasus, Silver Spar second in command, temporarily assigned to Blue Squad
Boomer — Colonial Warrior lieutenant, Blue Squadron, one of Starbuck's best friends
Boxey — Young son of the late Serina, and Apollo's adopted son
Brandt — Fleet security officer
Brie — Female former shuttle pilot, now Blue Squadron Colonial Warrior lieutenant
Caden — Warrior trainee, best friend with Jent since childhood
Calias — Prisoner on Prison Barge
Cassiopeia — Former socialator now a Med Tech, studying medicine to be a doctor; Starbuck's girlfriend
Chadler — Amorous young drunk vacationer in New Hope
Danatron — Sealmate of Ofelia and foster father; friend of Baltar
Dietra — Female former shuttle pilot, now lieutenant and Blue Squadron Colonial Warrior
Draegor — Fleet Security lieutenant, Third Watch commander in New Hope
Entella — Female farm equipment Mec Tech/mechanic
Finlay — Fleet Security officer assigned to the Prison Barge
Fleera — Female farm laborer who works with Rutilius
Grider — Farm laborer who works with Rutilius
Hefasia — Female CW trainee, second in command of Trainee Squad Alpha—Three
Ila — Adama's late wife, mother of Apollo, Zac, & Athena
Imperious Leader — Supreme leader of the Cylon Alliance and empire
Jenena — Colonial Warrior ensign and female training squad officer in Blue Squadron
Jent — Colonial Warrior trainee; best friend with Caden since childhood
Jolly — Colonial Warrior senior flight sergeant in Blue Squadron Warrior and trainer
Jostine — Young female Colonial Warrior trainee, recently injured; Walrach's girlfriend
Junian — Galactica's firing range officer
Karkarian — Forgemaster/engineer in charge of heavy industrial work on Foundry & Forge Ships
Keeltie — Jent's girlfriend
Krachus — Colonial Warrior ensign assigned to Red Squadron
Krixus — Fleet Security investigative tech/forensic technician
Lazant — Colonial Warrior lieutenant transferred from Pegasus, now in Red Squadron
Lesku — Farm laborer who works with Rutilius
Lucifer — Cylon IL-Series robot, aide to the Imperious Leader
M742L955-61B — Cylon Centurion
Martus — Agri-trac operator
Melikie — Facilitator
Monoro — Zoologist studying life on Beta
Mooks — Pudgy, older Warrior trainee with advanced electronics degrees
Muffit — Boxey's pet mechanical daggit created by Doctor Wilker
Neissy — Assistant to Melikie
Ofelia — Sealmate of Danatron and foster mother
Omega — Sergeant and aide to Commander Adama on the Bridge, Battlestar Galactica
Partha — Former transport operator, now Viper mec tech/mechanic
Persellus — Farm laborer who works with Rutilius
Rait — Fleet security officer
Rance — Captain, commander of Fleet Security aboard the Galactica
Reese — Fleet Security lieutenant, Starbuck's nemesis
Ricks — A doctor from the fleet
Roda — Assistant to Melikie
Rutilius — Farm laborer, formerly intercolony trade rep for farm equip company
Salik — Galactica's head doctor
Sheba — Colonial Warrior lieutenant, former Silver Spar head, temp w/ Blue Squad; Apollo's girlfriend
Solon — Elderly science officer on the Galactica
Starbuck — Colonial Warrior lieutenant and Blue Squadron second in command; Cassiopeia's boyfriend
Tigh — Colonel and Galactica's second in command; Adama's best friend and confidant
Varcan — Colonial Warrior lieutenant, Blue Squadron's non—flying executive officer
Voleron — Fleet security patrol officer
Walrach — Blue Squadron Colonial Warrior ensign, & trainee squad officer; Jostine's boyfriend
Wheran — Whitcher's young nephew
Whitcher — Fleet security desk officer, uncle to young Wheran
Zhili — Blue Squadron female Colonial Warrior cadet officer candidate
P.S. Thanks to Metal Navy for pointing out the potential problem with my original placement of this list.