"There Are More Things in Heaven and Earth" by Ness Ayton
Definitely not one of my best stories; more of a plot bunny that popped into my head.
"I just love it when a plan comes together," the Colonel announced. He flexed his fingers and then lit the stump of the cigar which he had clenched in his teeth. Used to this, the other man ignored him until Peck, who had been scanning the clearing in which they stood, broke the silence.
"Colonel, I hate to disturb your thoughts, but what are they?"
Hannibal Smith pointed followed his comrade's pointing finger with half closed eyes. Then he opened his eyes and stared; over amongst the trees to their right stood three red and white planes. The four men moved cautiously across to them.
"Russian?" queried Smith.
"Nope," Murdock replied. "They're like nothing I've ever seen." He ran his hand over them, caressing the unfamiliar metal with love and admiration. "They're not from earth," he announced in a sepulchral voice. "Aliens have landed. Little green men from outer space….."
"Fool!" snapped BA. "Little green men! Hannibal he's getting worse."
"Oh I don't know, BA. Look over there."
Murdock and BA turned to see what it was that Smith had spotted. In the shadows stood three men, dressed in brown uniforms of a style unknown to the men watching them.
The two groups stood looking suspiciously at each other through the trees. Then one of the strangers spoke.
"What are you doing with our Vipers?"
Murdock lounged closer to the strange group.
"Vipers?" he queried, looking closely at the spokesman, who took a step backwards. Then, in his best military accent, he continued, "Who are you? Where 'av you come from? Are you Russian?"
The strangers exchanged startled looks.
"No," replied their spokesman slowly, "We're not Russian. We're Caprican."
It was the turn of the other men to exchange startled looks.
The blond stranger moved closer to his leader.
"Apollo, there's only three of them. Let's just knock them out and get out of here."
"What without any tylium? Do be sensible Starbuck!"
Starbuck shrugged in resignation as the third member of their group spoke,
"What my friends are trying to say, gentlemen, is that we're stuck here unless you can help us."
"Oh well put, Boomer. Show them that they're the stronger side."
"Well, we have to trust someone Starbuck and I, for one, would like to get off this lump of rock as soon as possible and return to the Galactica."
Smith strolled casually through the trees to the three strangers.
"What's the Galactica?" he enquired, chewing on his cigar.
"It's a battlestar," replied Starbuck. "Now, can we……."
"What's a battlestar?" Smith continued in an even tone. The three men shuffled nervously. "Now look fellas if you want the help of the A-Team you'd better start telling the truth."
"A-Team? What's that?" asked Boomer.
Smith waved the question aside and continued to regard the small group fixedly.
"Well?" he demanded after a few minutes silence.
"Oh frak!" Apollo muttered under his breath and then, in a louder voice, he continued, "It's a ……..You know you're not going to believe this."
"Try us."
"It's a spaceship," Apollo shot out.
"Spaceship!" BA snorted derisively. "Do you think we're fools?!"
"Wait, BA, I think they're telling the truth," Murdock said, oblivious to BA's look of disgust. "Are you military?" he added.
Apollo nodded assent.
"They're military, Hannibal," BA pointed out unnecessarily. "It must be a trap. Let's go."
"Not your military," Starbuck put in quickly.
"I don't think it's a trap BA," Smith reassured his friend. "If it was they wouldn't have been so ready to admit to being military personnel."
"Exactly, Colonel. My thoughts exactly," Murdock agreed in clipped tones.
The three Galacticans just stared at the A-Team, wondering how they had managed to get into such a crazy situation.
"Okay fellas, I'll buy your story for the moment," Hannibal told them. "Now, what was it you needed?"
"Tylium," replied Boomer.
"Face, ever heard of tylium?"
Templeton Peck, better known as Face, emerged from behind the trees where he had been hiding in case of trouble.
"No, " he admitted as silence fell like a stone around him. Everyone stared, first at him and then at Starbuck. Peck too stopped and gaped at the blond stranger. It was just like looking in a mirror, except for the clothes. Taking a deep breath he strolled across to the others in what he hoped was his normal nonchalant manner.
"What's tylium?" he enquired.
"The fuel that will get these beauties flying and us home," Starbuck replied, to all appearances equally nonchalantly but just as shaken inside. But, he decided, no one was going to beat him at coolness.
"I don't know about the tylium," Smith mused. "Anything else we can do for you fellas while we're here?"
"Landing gear got damaged when we set down," admitted Boomer. "Don't suppose any of you are mechanics?"
BA here is pretty good," smiled Smith. "Show 'em BA."
With a growl BA followed Boomer over to his ship.
"Do we trust them?" hissed Starbuck, still eyeing Peck nervously.
"We don't seem to have much choice," Apollo hissed back.
The A-Team set to work on Boomer's Viper and quickly had the landing gear repaired. Murdock leant against the sleek body of one of the ships.
"You know Colonel, I'd love to fly one of these," he drawled.
"Well I don't think you'll be able to Murdock."
"Oh?"
"No tylium, whatever that is, remember?"
Just then came a loud noise of engines overhead and the clearing was filled with swirling dust and leaves.
"Decker!" yelled BA, throwing himself to the ground.
"The shuttle!" Starbuck cried at the same time, "and I bet that's Athena at the controls. No one else would dare land in such a small area."
The Galactican shuttle settled down gently in the clearing and the engines were shut off, leaving everyone with a ringing in their ears.
"Crazy fools!" muttered BA, getting to his feet.
A door opened in the side of the shuttle and a blonde girl stepped out. With a wave to Apollo she said,
"The Commander thought you might like some tylium."
Starbuck gave a whoop of delight and Boomer grinned.
"We certainly do," Apollo agreed fervently, "but how did you find us, Cass?"
"We had a guide," she said, stepping aside to let one of the "angels" from the ship of lights out of the shuttle.
"An angel!" murmured Murdock. "Colonel, we've died and gone to heaven."
"Oh Murdock!" groaned Peck.
Murdock tottered across the clearing towards the "angel", crooning softly to himself. The "angel" gave a squawk of horror and disappeared into the trees.
"Where'd it go?" Murdock cried, looking around wildly.
"They're not supposed to be seen," Apollo explained. "Now, let's get the Vipers refuelled."
With Cassiopeia and Athena's help the refuelling was soon completed. The three Galacticans retrieved their helmets from the cockpits and put them on.
"Egyptians!" shrieked Murdock. "Pharaohs! Pyramids!"
"Let's get out of here fast," suggested Starbuck.
Solemnly the A-Team and the Galacticans shook hands and said their farewells.
"And thank you for your help, sir," added Apollo as he climbed into his Viper. With a great roar the shuttle and the three Vipers took off and disappeared into the brightness of the sun.
"You don't think that could have been Earth, do you?" Starbuck asked.
"No, I don't think it was," Apollo replied.
"Thank the Lords of Kobol for that," Boomer added. "Two Starbucks on one planet would have been a bit much."
They all laughed.
Down below four men were staring into the sky.
"It was a dream wasn't it, Hannibal?" BA asked.
"Had to be," added Face. "There can't be two of me!"
Smith did not answer. He just bent down and picked a buckle out of the grass. With a smile at Murdock he threw the buckle thoughtfully into the air and caught it again.
"He's on the jazz," sighed Face, whilst above them a grey-clad battlestar continued its slow quest through the heavens.