Scene – two small boys putting their toy space ships into a box, music plays and the words on the screen scroll…
Who says moving has to be complicated? Across the planet or across the system…Colonial Movers makes moving easy. With climate controlled containers, all your cares will evaporate…while we preserve your household goods just as you left them.
Wiping the grease from the motor onto her pants, the young blonde tried one more connection on the evaporator. It wheezed one time, giving a slight gasp of hope before it turned over with a gear-grinding scrape and was silent.
"You stupid fracking cylon construct!" It was the worse curse she could think up to hurl at the piece of machinery. "Great, just great. I do not need this felgercarb! Not now, do you understand me!" She cursed at the evaporator again.
Her crew had already tried to make repairs to the evaporator, even swapping it out with one of the other evaporators on another of the ship's compartments, a compartment where the passengers wouldn't notice if their air was a little stale and dank, and if they did, so what. They were lucky to have what accommodations they had after escaping the twelve worlds with their lives and little else. Last sectar the compartment she had taken the evaporator from had paid for their passage in potar roots. McKayla had to give the galley detail credit. They had come up with seven different ways to cook potar roots. But after a sectar of nothing but potar roots her crew was getting a little mutinous.
"Next sectar they had better come up with something good, or they can take their chances on the Agro ships!" McKayla thought to herself, knowing that she would never really relegate any passengers to the Agro ships. The Agro ships had the highest civilian casualties ever since the cylons discovered that was how the fleet was feeding the survivors. No food, no humans. The cylons weren't completely stupid it seemed. She had known for a long time that machines could think. Her father had even taught her that machines had moods and feelings. Each one was different and just like people they had needs and wants. More importantly, just like humans, they had good days and bad days. Right now, she and this evaporator were having a bad day. This piece of machinery had it in for her.
"How is it that this evaporator knows this is where my best passengers are? They always pay on time, every sectar, right on schedule, and not just with food. Without these passengers, you wouldn't have the parts you need, did you ever stop and think about that you lazy son of an air conditioner!" She spoke to the machine again as she tried another valve, then wired up another connection.
McKayla did not need this right now. Any minute a detail from the Galactica was about to show up to conduct one of their inspections. She knew she needed to impress them. As one of the youngest skippers in the fleet, and a woman too, they had already talked about giving her ship to someone else. She was hanging on to her father's pride and joy with everything she had. She couldn't let it go, what would her father think of her if she did? This ship was his legacy.
It would have broken his heart to see the ship in the condition it was. He always kept it pristine. It was one of the cleanest and best moving ships in the whole Colonial Movers fleet. The crew used to grumble about how they had to clean out container holds with soap and water when on other ships they would just open up the doors and let the vacuum of space clear out the debris. But her father's crew had also always been assigned to the best customers, the elite of the twelve worlds and all their belongings. Sometimes some of those belongings would come up missing, a common tragedy of having your whole household of possessions shipped from world to world. Suddenly one of the crew members would have a new vid machine, or a new sofa. The customers rarely complained, just filed a claim for the loss. Yes, her father demanded more from his workers, but there were perks for performance. Her father had moved the elite of the colonies, giving them the personal time and attention needed, from politicians to performers, Sires to singers.
Even now they had some of the fleet's best passengers, ones that had noticed that the evaporator was down before her crew had. They noticed when the air got a little stale and a little too rank. She knew this was not the kind of work a Captain should be doing, but she was the only one who had the time to read all the specs on the new evaporators to turn cargo containers into living quarters. In fact, she wasn't sure if half her crew could even read. They learned most of their duties through training's put on by other crewmembers. Plus McKayla had always picked up on new machinery easier than the other crewmembers. She was always mechanically inclined, maybe from spending a lifetime around cargo ships. In fact, she had scored near perfect on the Academy entrance exams when it came to mechanical ability. If the destruction hadn't come, she would have entered the academy this last term.
But she also knew she probably would never have gone. Her father's health had already been failing when she took the exams. Even if the end hadn't come, her father's end was near. His dream had been for her to take over his ship. He would have left it to his sons, had there been sons. But there was only McKayla, her mother having died not long after her birth. She was all her father had, well her and his other baby, his ship. He'd named her too after her mother Rayanna, that over the years had been shortened to Ray. McKayla and his Ray of sunshine. Somedays she didn't know who her father loved more. Somedays, it felt like she had a sibling to compete with, and somedays Ray got all the love.
McKayla's com buzzed, interrupting her thoughts.
"Yeah, go ahead Cael. What's up?"
"We've got company." Cael replied from the bridge.
"Oh Frack!" McKayla cursed realizing that the inspection team was almost here, and there she was up to her elbows in grease and wires.
"How far out Cael?" She hoped for a few more centons.
"You've got five skipper. You better get up here."
"Stall them for a few. I need ten more centons."
"I'll try."
"Okay baby," McKayla spoke to the evaporator again. "Please baby, if you just work for a little while longer I will get you all the grease and parts your little power core could desire. Please for me honey." She tried one more connection and the machine started up with a pleasant hum and the steady hiss of fresh air passing from the vents. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" She cooed actually kissing one of the valves.
She grabbed one of the rags nearby and started wiping grease from her hands as she sprinted for the lift to the landing bay.
"Cael," she said keying her com. "Let them land, I'm ready." McKayla frantically rolled her sleeves back down, fastening the cuffs. She noticed all the grease under her short nails and tried to scrape some of it away.
"I'll meet you in the bay." Cael responded.
The lift opened as she was closing the top fastening of her shirt and readjusting the collar. A lot of her crew had shown up in the bay to watch the vipers land. Lately they had been sending fighter pilots to conduct the inspections as the other engineers were tied up making repairs to the Agro ships and refitting other ships for generating food. That was fine with her. The pilots weren't as thorough as the engineers were. But the pilots brought other problems with them. Last inspection she had lost half of her hangar crew. They'd enlisted to become warriors.
McKayla had understood. It was hard watching those sleek vipers come in for a perfect landing and not want to be a pilot herself. Maybe she would have been had the end not come and she had gone to the academy. She could her hear father saying to her, "Wishing is like fishing, you don't catch anything unless you put your pole in the water." For the first time in her life she finally understood what he meant by that. She'd never get a chance to get close to that pond, not now, not ever. She was in different stream now.
She watched the pilots climb out of their vipers and knew she'd probably lose another hangar crew this inspection. Both pilots were fit and well fed. They were immaculate in their uniforms, medals gleaming with polish. Both of them wore a star cluster, the fleet's highest award. The blonde one even looked tan, not the usual grayish green complexion that most of the inhabitants of the fleet now had.
McKayla turned to Cael and said, "Remind me to talk to Siress Blasie about getting us some of those all spectrum lights, like the Galactica has. I think she has a connection, someone named Chenille."
"Chameleon. Yeah, she trades with him often. She might be able to get us a deal."
"Tell her it would be worth two sectars rent just so I could keep my hangar crew."
"Yeah, we might lose some bridge crew over these two." Cael replied almost under his breath. "These guys are heroes."
"Cael you wouldn't!" She flashed him a look of pure hatred.
"Could you blame me? I'm thinking they eat more than potar roots." He responded his eyes glued to the two warriors as they walked across the bay. Walked was the wrong word. She thought sauntered would be more accurate. The blonde one was smiling and laughing with his darker companion. "Yes," McKayla thought, "I'm going to understand, this guy is gorgeous. The stuff heroes are made of. Who wouldn't want to be like him?"
The darker warrior approached Cael and held out his hand in greeting. "Captain McKay, I'm Lt. Boomer, and this is Lt. Starbuck. We're here for your inspection."
Cael didn't say anything, still awestruck by the uniforms and a bit put off by the confusion. McKayla leaned in between Cael and the Lieutenant and cleared her throat.
"Excuse me, I'm Captain McKayla."
Lt. Boomer dropped his hand and hastily pulled out a data pad, double-checking his information. "It says here Captain McKay."
"I know. Lt. Boomer is it? I've sent in numerous corrections, but everything keeps coming back for a Captain McKay, or just Kay."
"Well, the physical description is right, blond, blue eyed, about 25 yahrens old, everything but the gender." The blond Lieutenant pointed out to his partner. "Looks like they left out the most important information." Lt. Starbuck looked up from the data pad smiling at her. He held out his hand to her. "Nice to meet you Captain McKayla."
She reached out to shake his hand. The blond man held her hand a moment longer than the handshake needed. Making direct eye contact, he flashed her another smile. Mckayla had been around men most of her life and she knew a flirt when she saw one. She also knew how to not let it get to her, or she thought she did. But she didn't let go of his hand as she wondered, so why was this guy getting to her? She smiled back at him and wanted to kick herself for the reaction. What she should do is get down to business and get this guy as far away from her as possible. Instead she found herself cocking her head and wondering if that tan covered all of him and if there was a way she could find out.
The darker Lieutenant spoke up breaking the moment. "So, do you have any problems to report? Any solium leaks or major repairs you need that we haven't gotten to yet?"
She dropped Lt. Starbuck's hand and turned to respond to Lt. Boomer. "No, no leaks. We've gotten to most of the major repairs ourselves."
"How are those new evaporators working out for you?" The warrior consulted his data pad again.
"Great. No problems. Working Perfectly fine."
"Did we catch you in the middle of some maintenance?" Lt. Starbuck asked.
"No, why do you ask?" McKayla asked surprised nearly jumping as the golden hero reached to touch her cheek.
"You've got some grease on your cheek there. Here, let me get it." Lt. Starbuck reached out and gently wiped the smear from her face. She blushed with embarrassment, cursed herself for such a schoolgirl response, but she also didn't move. "There, got it! Wow, this is a great ship. Who would have thought a cargo container would make such a great passenger ship."
"Colonial Movers were known for providing climate controlled shipping, isn't that right Captain McKayla?" Lt. Boomer replied, casting his companion a disapproving look.
She almost choked on her response. "Uh, yes. We are proud of our containers. The most reliable shipping available in the Twelve Worlds was our slogan."
"Your cargo is a little more precious now wouldn't you say?" Lt. Boomer said. "Shall we begin the inspection?"
"Uh, yes sir, right this way."
McKayla could have kicked herself for adding the sir. This guy should be calling her sir, she outranked him sort of, and what did he know about the evaporators, she thought to herself. She had a sense of dread and prayed to the lords that the evaporator on container one held on, at least until she could hurry these two pilots off her ship. Not that she really wanted to see Lt. Starbuck go. He was the best view she'd seen since the nova near Carillion. But her father would have been insulted at having to be inspected. He had run the best ship in the Colonial Movers fleet, and would have pummeled anyone who said any different. The Ray's crew had worked hard. They deserved some recognition, not to be checked up on like errant children. She straightened up and put on her best professional demeanor as she showed the Lieutenants around her ship. She was damned if they'd find anything wrong with her father's baby. She would never let his legacy be tarnished.
"Well, it looks like everything is in order." Lt. Boomer said checking off the last item on his data pad.
Lt. Starbuck smiled and lightly patted McKayla on the back. "Yeah, it looks great!"
Lt. Starbuck had spent most of the inspection chatting with her and her crew, leaving the actual details of the inspection to his partner. The affable Lieutenant told jokes and handed out compliments, and not once did he look at his data pad. If this bothered Lt. Boomer, McKayla couldn't tell as Lt. Starbuck had her engaged for most of the inspection. They had discovered that McKayla and several other crewmembers had grown up near the same town on Caprica as Lt. Starbuck. Most of the inspection had been spent comparing notes on some of the better aspects of that province of Caprica.
McKayla was amazed at how easily the pilot had gotten her and most of her crew to share information about their lives. McKayla had even talked about when she was younger and had been left with one distant relative after another, or in some cases just a friend of her fathers while he was away on some of the longer hauls that would take him on routes out of the colonies.
The blond Lieutenant had told her she was lucky, that at least she knew some of the people she was raised by. Lt. Starbuck began to relate to her some of his horror stories of life as a foster child. Only most of his stories weren't that horrible. In fact, they were quite funny. McKayla had laughed out loud as he told her about the blind man and his deaf wife.
"I would rearrange the furniture every day." Starbuck whispered to her conspiratorially. "He'd be bumping into things and yelling, 'Enid, what did you do?' and she would yell back, 'What did you say?' All day long it was, 'Enid', 'What?' 'Enid!' 'What?'"
They had both gotten a rather annoyed look from Lt. Boomer as they shared the joke. The look only made Starbuck laugh all the louder.
The inspection had gone well, McKayla mused. Even the evaporators had cooperated. Container one's had purred and hummed perfectly within specifications. They finished the inspection back where they had started, in the landing bay. Cael had rejoined them just as they were finishing.
"So how did it go Mick, er, Captain." Cael asked.
"Everything seems to be in order." Lt. Boomer commented again.
"Then I guess you'll be on your way." McKayla said, almost wishing Lt. Starbuck wouldn't be leaving so soon. But she definitely wanted the inspection to be over before one of the evaporators, or some other faulty piece of equipment conked out.
"Just as soon as we input the coordinates and arrange everything to link you up with the Agro ship and transfer command to Capt. Dastor." Lt. Boomer said consulting his data pad once again.
Cael was quicker to catch what the Lieutenant had said.
"What?!" Cael turned to McKayla, "The Agro ship?! What in the Hades Hole!"
She reached out a hand to silence her officer before turning to Lt. Boomer.
"Excuse me, but there must be some mistake."
"No mistake. Colonial Movers is to link up with the Agro ship to provide extra quarters and to transfer command to the Captain of the Agro ship, Capt. Dastor. According to my information you should have received an interfleet memo on this over a sectar ago." He consulted his data pad again.
"I didn't get any memo on this. There is no way I would approve something like that."
"Well of course you didn't get the memo, it was addressed to a Captain Kay." Starbuck added sarcastically.
"No, I respond to everything we get, especially to memos addressed to a Captain Kay. There was no memo on this. There is no way I would approve this!"
"We don't need your approval for this. It's a direct order from the Commander." Lt. Boomer stated factually.
She took a step back, cutting her eyes between the two Colonial Warriors.
"Since when did I enlist?" McKayla pulled herself more erect, trying to use the tone that made the crew jump.
"What was that Captain?" Lt. Boomer asked in a guarded tone.
"When did I enlist? Last I checked I am not under the command of anyone. This is my ship!"
Lt. Boomer glanced at his partner perplexed before responding to her. "Look, we are all in this together and Commander Adama is in charge of this fleet."
"That does not give him the right to take my ship and crew!" McKayla shouted. "We own this ship. It's the crew that got us away from the Colonies and have kept us running until now! Commander Adama had nothing to do with that!"
"Look here Captain!" Lt. Boomer shouted back, taking a step forward, using his height to loom over her. His hand immediately went to his weapon remembering back to the first days after the destruction, the crowded conditions and the survivors near panic and in the mood to riot. His friend's hand on his arm halted the instinct to draw his weapon.
"Boomer, she has a point." Starbuck said calmly, stepping in front of his partner before Boomer could get into a shouting match with Captain McKayla.
"You're taking her side? I do not believe you sometimes Starbuck." Boomer had been slightly annoyed with all the jokes and flirting his buddy had been doing, but hadn't said anything until now as it kept the young Captain out of his way as he went about the inspection. But now, this was too much.
"Well, she does have a point. I mean, she says she didn't get the memo, addressed to her or to a Captain Kay. Least we could do is check the communication logs and find out where the problem is. I'm sure there's some explanation." Starbuck looked over at McKayla and could see that she was still fuming. "Is it okay if we go to the bridge and take a look at your communication logs? I'm sure we can clear this up."
"We can access those logs from a terminal right over there." McKayla pointed to a station near the rear of the bay, not wanting these warriors anywhere near her father's bridge.
"Thanks!" Starbuck said cheerfully. "This will only take a second, right Boomer?"
"Right. I'm sure you just overlooked it Captain." Lt. Boomer almost sneered the implication that she had simply ignored an order she didn't like. Boomer let Starbuck lead him off to the terminal.
Cael waited until the pilots were out of range before he asked frantically, "What do we do? Being beside the Agro ship is like a death sentence, you know that right? The cylons will pick us off easily!"
McKayla kept her eyes on the pilots as she answered him. "Head up to the bridge. Put in a call to the Galactica and find out what is going on." She turned toward Cael, "Then contact Siress Blasie and tell her what's going on. Make sure she has an open comlink to anywhere she wants. Then contact Captain Sipes on the Cancerian Cargo ship, Captain Harcek of the Virgon Transport Barge, and anyone else you can think of who knew my dad."
"No problem. I'll contact everyone he worked with." Cael glanced down at the woman who even though she was Captain was many years his junior. "Are you going to be able to handle these two?"
"Sure, no problem. I am my father's daughter." Cael had started to walk away when she grabbed his arm to stop him. He looked back at her again. "Seal the bay on your way out."
"You got it." Cael cast the warriors a wary look before he quickly headed for the bridge.