Chapter Two: Friend and Foe Alike

OLYMPICA:

"You know this is a waste of time." Rear Admiral Naomi Sakura said to her fellow flag officer as they rounded a corner on C-Deck of the Olympica. The huge flagship of the Colonial Line now served as the fleet's de facto capital, taking on the role of open spaceport.

"I know that, but I'm humoring the woman." Fleet Admiral Scott Tolan said, trying his best to keep a straight face.

"I've been an officer in the battle group for almost two years now. With all due respect, you are not the humoring type."

"You know how to cut through the B.S. and that is why I promoted you twice in less than a year."

"The first time was when Commander Gates died of a heart attack and then the second time you chose me to take command of BSG-66 in case something should happen to you. I do appreciate the votes of confidence though."

"Something tells me you want to know why we're doing this."

Tolan was walking at a fast clip, seeming to leave Sakura behind him. Considering Naomi Sakura was reputed to be a workout warrior it said plenty about how Tolan was leaving her behind.

Sakura redoubled her efforts at keeping pace with Tolan's 'spaceport walk' and when she caught up with him said, "My curiosity is getting the best of me."

"Aurelia Gilliam has called me in for a closed meeting with her defense committee. Now with her I can only assume it's something bad so you're coming along for the ride. It's the nature of politics; you have to give a little in order to get what you want."

"I could have sworn you hated politics."

"I do, but the environment I grew up in ensured that I learned how to play the game."

"I don't doubt it." Sakura said.

"Admiral Tolan!" A woman's voice called out from the crowd.

Tolan looked in the direction of the voice and recognized who it was. "That's Lt. Zelada. Meet me at the First Class Lounge on A-Deck."

"Very well, I'll see you there." With that said, Sakura turned and headed for the nearest elevator.

Tolan walked to Zelada, returning the salute the lieutenant had given him.

"Good to see you Miss Zelada, what can I do for you?" Tolan asked. Zelada had been stationed in the Flag CIC of Victorious during the recent battle at Cosmora.

"I was wondering if you had time to talk sir." She asked, looking visibly nervous.

"I've always kept an open-door policy with the crew. If you don't mind me asking, have you gone to Commander Graystone?"

"I would have sir, but I don't know him as well as I do you. I need someone to talk to, and you're the only one I can trust."

Tolan nodded, "Very well Miss Zelada, I believe there is a restaurant on this deck. We can talk there."

Sixteen minutes later the two officers were seated in a booth at the Tenala Restaurant.

"What is on your mind?" Tolan asked after taking a sip of his water.

"Well Admiral, I don't know if I should admit this to you or not but I am scared." Zelada said, looking visibly nervous.

"That's natural; all of us are going to get scared during this campaign."

"Even you, sir?"

"I've faced my fears more than once during this conflict. We have to have the courage to make through the adversity we face."

"With all due respect, how do you define courage?"

Tolan was quiet, reflecting on the past seven months. When he first got the report of the Cylon attacks his mind froze for an instant as he tried to digest just what was happening. He had seen combat once or twice in his career up until that day. Now he thought of all the times he had sent his ships into harm's way, knowing that he might find himself among those listed on the casualty list. "To me courage is being afraid but rising to the challenge in spite of it."

"Thank you Admiral, I feel better hearing that." Zelada did not sound quite as convincing to Tolan, but he let it slide. "Permission to speak freely?"

Tolan nodded and Zelada spoke up, "I wonder if you had any reservations when you went up against Hector Alonzo and the other civilians who've tried to take you out of the fight?"

Tolan thought it over for a few minutes, "That was different; I knew I was on the right side of that argument. That whole thing with Hector Alonzo, especially the incident with the Olympica, was a game of chicken."

"Sir, you threatened to blow up the Olympica and everyone on board, those are high stakes for a game of chicken."

"I'm not the one who decided the stakes; I just played with what I was dealt."

"I'm due back to the Victorious in the next hour! Sorry to cut this short Admiral." She said as she got up from the table.

"Give my regards to Commander Graystone. By the way Miss Zelada, just what were you doing over here on the Olympica?"

"I was running some documents over to a member of the Quorum, too sensitive to send electronically. Thank you for taking the time to talk to me Admiral Tolan, you helped me quite a bit."

"Glad I could help you lieutenant, I still have an open-door policy but next time you might want to go to Commander Graystone before you come see me."

"I will, and thank you again."

Tolan noticed that Zelada seemed a bit too eager to get out of the restaurant.

ATHENA:

Major Jeremy "Hercules" Chandler, CAG of the Athena, sat behind the LSO in the Traffic Control Center located in the starboard flight pod. He wanted to see first-hand how the new squadron performed with their landings. This would have been a task for Captain Simone Merrick, but he pulled rank on her and now he saw the next pilot come in for a landing. He looked at the board and saw that the pilot in question was Ensign Lynsie 'Magnet' Medford. It was the next pilot due for landing that served as the reason for his being here for this observation.

Chandler decided to see just how well this next pilot could land. He walked over and took the headset away from the LSO.

"Ghost, this is CAG. Do you copy?"

"CAG, this is Ghost. I copy."

"Alright Ghost, take her in on a hands-on approach."

"Hands-on approach, aye!"

'Alright Lace, keep it together.' Lacey Tolan thought to herself as she tried to line her viper up with the flight pod for the hands-on approach. Of all the landings this was the type that never failed to make her nervous. Automated landings were a breeze, but these were gut-wrenching. The tiniest mistake could prove fatal.

Moving the Viper in position for her landing, she took a look at the ball to make sure her glide path was on target. Her mind swirled with thoughts of how embarrassing it would be for her to suffer a wave-off or even worse to deal with a 'bolter' where she would have to fly out of the other side of the flight pod and try it again.

'Bring it down Lace, you're going to do it,' she kept her thoughts together and did all she could to vanquish any doubt that might be creeping in.

Her mind brought up a piece of advice she had been given by Commander Artimus Bowman of the battlestar Hermes, 'Don't think too hard on your landing, just let your training and instincts guide you down. Think too hard and you'll make a mistake.'

The pod was getting closer and closer now, the voice of the LSO seemed to be guiding her but she found it hard to focus on what he was saying. She knew the words to listen for and everything appeared to be going well. Her Viper entered flight pod and she judged her landing well enough to land on the magnetized surface and be lowered into the hangar bay. Was her approach sloppy? Did she make any errors on her landing? Questions flooded her mind; the last thing she wanted was to leave a hint of doubt as to her ability to fly a Viper.

Chandler watched as Ghost, otherwise known as Ensign Lacey Tolan, called the ball and made a smooth landing with her Viper. He was impressed; Ensign Tolan seemed to already have a feel for flying that eluded quite a few pilots. He returned the headset to the LSO and had him send word for Tolan to meet him in his office once she was out of her Viper.

He sat at his desk and busied himself with some business, some of which dealt with his colleagues in the Fleet. When Tolan came into the room he offered a seat, which she immediately took.

"Nice landing out there Ghost, you have a knack for this."

"Thank you sir, I appreciate that." Tolan said.

"From what I read of Admiral Tolan, it seems the apple didn't fall far from the tree. I'm sure he's proud of you."

"I'm sure he is. He's one of the people that have had a large influence on my life."

"Who else has influenced you?"

"Admiral Carter is one, and Commander Artimus Bowman."

"I remember Bowman; I was on Hermes when he took command. A month after that I got orders to report to the Helios."

"He told me that there was nothing wrong with piloting a Raptor, but I had my heart set on becoming a Viper pilot."

"I think you'll be able to hold your own out there, you seem to be ahead of most of the pilots."

"I hadn't reached basic flight yet, but I had a basic understanding of how Vipers worked. When I got to the Maytoria for flight training I was already familiar with how to operate them."

"It shows, I could tell a difference between the pilots who volunteered from the civilian population and pilots such as you who actually spent time at the Academy."

"Thank you, I'm glad I could leave a good impression on you."

"I'm going to ask you a question, and I want you to think about it before answering. Can you do that?"

"Of course I can, sir."

"Would Admiral Tolan be one to make a rash decision? I mean one where he lets his emotions get the better of him?"

She thought it over, "The one I knew growing up would more than likely weigh the consequences before acting."

"Ahh…" Chandler leaned back in his seat and clasped his hands behind his head, "What can you say about the Admiral Tolan of today? After all we've been through after nearly eight months one would have to wonder."

"I wouldn't know. I haven't been here all of those eight months. Is there a point to these questions?"

"Just getting a better feel for the man, after all he is in charge of the Fleet along with Kronus. For the sake of everyone I would think it best to hope that the Cylons haven't driven him to make any decisions that would be unwise."

"Understood Major, will there be anything else?" She had a sudden urge to bolt from the room; something about the CAG had unsettled her.

ATLANTIA:

The battlestar Atlantia jumped to the area that had been the location of Armistice Station. Carter had left word with Vestal that the mobile dry dock was to wait at the Charon weapons anchorage until he could find the Kios and confirm that it was salvageable. As important as the battlestar was to the fleet, it would be crazy to waste one of only three mobile dry docks still in operation. They were now the only facilities with the capability of repairing damaged ships.

"DRADIS reports negative contacts Admiral; the Cylons are nowhere to be found." Lt. Kylli Vanamo, the on-duty Tactical Officer, announced.

"Excellent Miss Vanamo. I want a CAP launched and every Raptor out there searching for the Kios." Admiral Tyrone Carter ordered.

"Do you really think we'll find her?" Colonel Sean O'Rourke asked.

"I'm hoping we will, but it doesn't make sense for the Cylons to take shut the ship down and take prisoners just to blow it up afterwards."

"If I were the toasters I'd use it for research, get a better feel for how our ships are designed."

"If they were able to shut the Fleet down the way they did, then they know plenty about the design of our ships."

"Sir, Major Rayko reports that the CAP has launched, the Raptors will be following shortly behind." Lt. Jared Vega, the Communications Officer reported. Simeon Rayko had been promoted from Captain to Major when Celina Cruz took over as Executive Officer on the Victorious. He had been her personal selection to take her place of CAG of the Atlantia.

A loud explosion shook the Atlantia, throwing everyone in the CIC to the floor. Carter finally managed to get to his feet after several smaller explosions rocked the battlestar.

Lt. Colonel Virgil Linas took a report from the hands of one of his electricians and gave it a once over. There had been some reports of faulty wiring in tylium release valves, meaning that the fuel in the tanks was not completely getting through to the engines. Linas blamed part of it on the quick rebuild given to the Atlantia once Admiral Tolan made the decision to salvage the battlestar. There was nothing he could do about it now, Atlantia had been commissioned back into the fleet and would be needed for frontline duty until the Cylons were finally defeated.

He would get an electrician group together to try to solve the problem. He looked out from his office into the massive main engine room and felt a sense of pride in his ship. He had been stationed on the Sphinx, and the joy he felt working in that battlestar did not even come close to what he felt now that he was the man in charge of making Atlantia run smoothly.

He picked up his coffee cup and took a long drink, savoring the liquid fuel he was going to send coursing through his body. He sat it down and was going to read another report when he heard a deafening explosion. He immediately shot out of his chair and bolted for the door. He was reaching for the handle when the room collapsed all around him and there was nothing but blackness.

"Report!" Carter shouted to his Tactical Officer.

"There are reports of explosive decompressions along the dorsal side of the hull between frames 59 and 62."

"Set Condition One throughout the ship and seal all bulkheads between those frames."

"Sir, I'm getting reports that the Engine Room has been destroyed, a few survivors managed to make it out of the emergency escape trunks, but not many. Chief Mills has scrambled DC teams that are fighting small fires that have broken out in the areas near the Engine Room."

"I want an analysis of our power situation, how much time do we have until the emergency generators quit working."

"Sir, how do you know they're working now?" Colonel Sean O'Rourke asked.

"If the Engine Room is completely gone then that means the only thing keeping power and life support going are those emergency generators."

Carter turned to face the Communications station, "Mr. Vega we need one of the raptors to jump to Charon and let the Vestal know of our situation. The sooner they get here the sooner we can dock the Atlantia before we lose power and life support."

"With all due respect sir, I think we need to get a message to Admiral Tolan about this."

"First we'll get Atlantia inside Vestal so we can see just how severe the damage is. I also don't want to give the toasters any idea we're here, and a distress call would be too risky."

"Sir, I'm receiving a message from the Raptor squadron and the CAP requesting orders." Vega announced.

"Have the Raptors keep scouting this sector for the Kios. I want all Vipers recalled here to defend us in case this was a Cylon attack." Carter said, not wanting to make it sound more ominous than it may actually be. He looked up at the DRADIS display but there were no contacts showing, Cylon or otherwise.

"Admiral, I'm receiving a message from Lt. Sasser. He's volunteered to jump to Charon with his Raptor and alert Vestal to our situation." Vega announced after receiving the message from Lt. Michael "Dragon" Sasser.

"Very well then, tell him we'll see him soon."

OLYMPICA:

"I'm glad you were willing to meet with me Admiral." Aurelia Gilliam said to her dinner guest.

"I wasn't sure what to expect from you, or even why you wanted to meet with me." Rear Admiral Naomi Sakura said, still unsure as to why she had been asked here to the Olympica.

"You're the only woman Colonial Fleet flag officer in a male-dominated hierarchy."

"Does that make me more or less dangerous? Besides, General Hyde is also a flag officer." Sakura swore she saw a flash of anger in Gilliam's eyes at the mention of Hyde but the Quorum delegate appeared to get her emotions back in check.

"I didn't mean it like that; I just feel that out of the Admiralty you were the one I could best relate to."

"From what I have been told you have a less-than-stellar view about the military. You come clean with me about that and we might have a starting point."

"You know how to negotiate; I like that quality in a person. You could say it all goes back to General Hyde. You see, before her actions at Iambe I was pretty much apolitical and no feelings one way or another towards the military."

"I take it you lost somebody that day."

"Yes I did. I had been married for about five years; my husband's name was Ian Gilliam. That day he went there with my two nephews to take part in the protest. When Hyde let her 'dogs of war' loose on the protestors they were killed in the skirmish."

"It makes sense then. You never forgave Hyde or the military for what happened that day."

"Perhaps, all I know is a part of me died that day and I have never trusted the military since." A pause before Gilliam asked her next question, "Does Tolan know you're meeting with me?"

"No, he had already invited me here for this meeting with your committee. Why are you asking?"

"I had a file delivered to me this morning, from an anonymous source. If this is to be believed then Admiral Tolan disobeyed an order to relinquish command of the Victorious when the battle at Cosmora took place."

DIA GRIENE HOTEL:

OSTARSIS:

A meeting was taking place on Ostarsis inside the Dia Griene Hotel, the former luxury hotel-turned base of operations of the Cylons.

"Welcome, Hector. I have grave news." One said with an unusually serious look on his face.

"What would that be?" Hector asked. He was flanked by two of the older model centurions though he had no idea why.

"It comes down to a vote we took recently, after reviewing your performance at Cosmora."

"We had made a deal though. What of our bargain?"

"I now alter the bargain." One said, moving away from the table he had been standing at.

"How can you change one side of a bargain?" Hector asked, confusion beginning to cloud his mind.

"When there is no other side. I'm afraid we had lost our focus when we made that deal with you. Like us, you have forgotten the entire point of the war."

It dawned on Hector what was being talked about, the destruction of humanity. Even though he was working with the Cylons, he was still very much human. "I have no ambitions against you, if anything I have been working to become an asset to you!"

One let out a bitter laugh, "Could you think us so foolish as to trust a man who would see his own race destroyed?"

"We were going to spare them once the military was defeated. The civilians were to be subjugated, under me."

"There can be no survivors. So long as one human remains alive, the Cylons will continue to be threatened."

Hector began shaking his head furiously as he struggled to grasp what was happening, "Surely, you don't mean me?"

The two centurions each grabbed an arm, pulling him down to his knees. One began walking towards him, producing a long blade in his hand.

"We thank you for your help, Mr. Alonzo. Your service will no longer be required."

Hector began shouting, "No! You can't! You still need me…" He did not get to finish the sentence as the Cylon slit his throat with the knife. It did not take long for the man to die.

One leaned over the body and glared at it with all the disgust he felt towards humanity. This was another example of how frail and useless the human body was, the same type of body that served as his prison. How he wished he could be like the Centurions, the perfection of mechanized life. Instead he was stuck in an organic bag of meat that did nothing but cause his disdain for those who created him to grow.

OSTARSIS, KRIA BUNKER:

There was only one person in the tennis court of the Kria Bunker; Bridget Woods powered her way through another session of tennis. It seemed most people preferred to use the holo-band, but for her there was nothing better than a good workout. She had chosen the scenery of Leonis for this tennis session. Around her it looked as though she was playing a game on the plains of Leonis. Yesterday she had done the Caprica City rooftop setting, but tired of the skyscraper look and wanted something a bit more rustic.

She finished her session and took a seat on a nearby bench and began taking in deep breaths. She had pushed herself hard on that one, and her body was letting her know it. Still it was great to at least feel alive. A door opened and in walked Neveah Ratliff, a former movie starlet and her only confidante here in the bunker.

"Sorry I'm late, that holo-band can be addictive!" Ratliff explained.

"You've been spending a lot of time on that is that healthy?" Woods chided.

"You would know there's nothing addictive if you would only give it a try."

"Even here the last thing I can afford is to live in a fantasy; I have to stay grounded in real life."

"You don't know what you're missing; you can forget all this here and not worry about the Cylons."

"I'll have time for that when I go to sleep, that works well enough for me."

Ratliff walked over to where Woods sat and took a seat beside her.

"Nev, why do you want to spend almost all of your time in the holo-band?"

"No reason, it's just something for fun."

"As a commanding officer of mine would say, 'there's the lie, now you can tell me the truth.'"

"The infamous Scott Tolan?"

"Yes, and don't go changing the subject."

"Damn it! Well Bridget, it's complicated."

"Of course it is. Nothing is ever simple nowadays."

Ratliff got up and grabbed her shoes, "I have to go, and I promise we'll talk later!"

Woods watched as she left the room in a hurry and when she was alone she said aloud, "Sure we will, once I tie you down and force you to talk."

OLYMPICA:

The meeting of the Quroum's Defense Committee, let by Aurelia Gilliam, had been one of ill-shown hostility between the Federalists and Admiral Tolan. Gilliam in particular seemed to relish throwing barbs Tolan's way. At first the admiral took it in stride and would not respond to what could easily be seen as assaults on his character. Gilliam, however, had no intention of letting up and grilled Tolan over ever perceived shortcoming she could think of.

"It will go better for you, Admiral, if you'd show a little respect." Gilliam said, not bothering to hide her irritation with Tolan.

"You mean things could get worse?"

"Admiral Tolan, I would think an officer of your caliber would understand the importance of holding this conference." Peter Halle, the Quorum member representing Libran, said in attempt to stop any possible bickering between Tolan and Gilliam.

"Well, I have the inclination, the maturity, and the wherewithal... but unfortunately, I don't have the time. You may not realize this, but we are in a war and there is an important operation being planned."

"This plan I have heard about is a bit reckless, I question whether you have thought this through logically." Gilliam retorted.

"Your lack of confidence in me is duly noted Ms. Gilliam, but I have a mission to complete and that's exactly what I intend to do whether you like it or not. Do we understand each other?"

"I have to wonder if you and I are even capable of reaching an understanding." Gilliam felt that she and Tolan were so ideologically incompatible that they could never see eye-to-eye.

"I had a professor at the Fleet Academy who said something that has stayed with me since the day I heard it, 'The difference between success and failure is your ability to adapt to your enemy.' We have to deal with the Cylons and they more than demonstrated that they don't care about rules."

"That may be true, but we do have our rules and it is important that we abide by them. Doing things your way will only cause the civilians in this fleet to turn against you and those in the military." Kurt Eckhart, the Aerilon representative said.

"The people of this fleet can love or hate me, makes no difference to me. My job is to keep them safe, and that is why I put this uniform on and make the decisions that have to be made. As for you Ms. Gilliam, do not sit up there with that smug look on your face and expect me to regret the decisions I have made. I am doing what I deem necessary to save innocent lives. I am more than willing to let History make its judgment of me, all that matters to me is that we live to see another day."

"For someone who cares little for being judged, you seem to be a bit obsessed with it. I suppose that comes with being your 'unique' position." Gilliam stated her observation.

"Ms. Gilliam, allow me to enlighten you. You have no idea what it is like to be in my shoes, so I will let you in on what goes on in my world. I stand at the Command and Control Station with charts, maps, DRADIS screens, inventory lists, crew evaluations, oxygen replenishment reports and things of that nature when I'm having what you would term a 'quiet day'. When it comes to battle I don't have the luxury of studying all the information, but I make my decision and pray to the gods that I am right before I send men and women to fight and possibly die. You are correct, I care little for how I am judged, and I stand by that. All I ask for is that the gods have mercy on my soul for all who have died under my command. Since the Cylons attacked us, every day for me has been judgment day."

There was a long silence before Gilliam started up again, "So what you are saying, Admiral Tolan is that the ends justify the means and you are above the law."

Tolan let out a deep sigh, "Why don't I save you some time. It's obvious that your agenda here is to discredit the Admiralty and myself."

"The truth is all I care about."

"You sound like you were involved in some kind of a tragedy, but I had nothing to do with it. That might explain your hostility towards the military."

"How dare you! You do not get to dictate the questions of my committee! You are dismissed Admiral Tolan. We will now question Dr. Latasha Dennis."

Dr. Latasha Dennis entered the room and took a seat at the table situated in front of where the Defense Committee was situated.

"Dr. Dennis I want to thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to come before this committee." Aurelia Gilliam said to the doctor after she had been sworn in for her testimony.

"I'm sure you have a reason for taking me off of the Solace where I could still be assisting my patients," she responded tersely.

"This is a matter of importance. Do you remember an incident about a month ago when you treated Admiral Scott Tolan?" Gilliam asked.

Dennis looked to the table on the right where Tolan and Sakura were seated, "Yes I do."

"Would you be as kind as to elaborate on why Admiral Tolan was in need of treatment?"

"Admiral Tolan had been on a mission with the Marines and in the process was injured."

"How severe were these injuries?"

"A micro-fracture to his collarbone and a broke rib, there were various other bruises, scrapes, cuts, and so forth but nothing life threatening."

"I see. From the records sent over from the Solace, you had prescribed some strong pain medication for Admiral Tolan."

"I did, the two fractures were painful enough and warranted a degree of medication in order to allow Admiral Tolan to function and carry out his duties in a non-combat setting."

"Seeing how we are in the aftermath of a battle that was recently fought, a battle in which Admiral Tolan did not relinquish his command as required by yourself and Governor Rush, would you agree that he overstepped his bounds?"

"Not at all."

"Would you care to elaborate?"

"I told Admiral Tolan that he would be required to relinquish command of the Victorious in case of a battle. As you can tell from the reports, he did just that by putting Commander Andre Graystone in command. What he did not do was relinquish overall command of Battle Group 66. While I had hoped that would not happen, it seems Admiral Tolan found a loophole through my orders and used it."

"I am recommending that Admiral Tolan be relieved for disobeying a direct order from yourself and Governor Rush. I'm sure you can see the logic of such a thing Doctor." Gilliam said, hoping that she had finally got something to remove Tolan from the military.

"In that case Ms. Gilliam you have a problem with finding another doctor." Dennis said as she stood up from her chair and left the conference room.

"Admiral Tolan, talk to her." Alfred Newton, the Picon representative, demanded.

"Oh, I plan to." Tolan said as he stood up to go after her.

"Excellent." Gilliam said with a smug smile on her face.

"I plan on telling her that she has given me one of the proudest moments of my life," he said to the twelve members of the Quorum with a pleased smile on his face. "Something marvelous has happened here. Please... do not let it pass unnoticed." Tolan pleaded with the Quorum.

"Would you mind telling me what all that means?" Gilliam said, her irritation with the admiral growing by the second.

"Dr. Dennis has just reaffirmed that humanity is worth saving." Tolan said before leaving the conference room, leaving all twelve members of the Quorum looking dumbfounded.

When Tolan returned to the conference room he found it empty except for Sakura, who informed him, that the council had recessed until tomorrow. She asked what would be done next, and it was then that Tolan came up with his next plan.

Aurelia Gilliam was sitting at her desk fuming over what had taken place with Tolan. She was so furious that she even sent Eli Hunter, her closest aide and confidante, away for a few hours so she would cool down. The door to her office opened, and she expected to see Hunter enter the room. Instead she was greeted by Admiral Tolan.

"I've got a long list of people I don't want to see, and your name is right at the top"

"I'm sure. I came here for a reason; it's not a social call."

"Well then, by all means Admiral. Enlighten me so I can send you away from here."

"With the Ostarsis mission coming up, the last thing we need is to let partisan politics divide us. I'm offering an olive branch to you so we can work together and put our differences aside at least for now."

Gilliam glared at him, "Take your offer and cram it up your ass".

For whatever reason Tolan did not look surprised, "I'm offering to be your friend. You don'twant to be my enemy."

"Let me make myself clear. I do not want to disband the military; I want responsible officers in charge. Those who know the ultimate authority resides with the civilians and understand their accountability. What we do not need is a renegade who believes in shooting from the the hip and dealing with the consequences later. You're reckless and a danger to not only yourself but to your crew and the civilians in this fleet. I will not stand aside and let you endanger us!"

"Here's something interesting. My grandfather always told me that politicians were sons of bitches, but I never believed it till now."

"Frak off, Tolan!"

Tolan did not move right away. Instead he leaned in close to her, closer than she was expecting. She made eye contact with him and saw a certain hardness to his blue eyes that seemed to penetrate to her very core.

"You can either support my efforts or be crushed under my heel...but you will not stand in my way!"

"Have you ever heard the phrase, 'The pen is mightier than the sword.'?"

"I have, and whoever said that never encountered automatic weapons."

"You know I am a pacifist by nature."

"Just so you know Ms. Gilliam, the pacifists are as much a traitor to their country and to humanity as is the most brutal wrongdoer." Tolan was not sure if he really meant it, but he hoped it would be enough to keep Gilliam off-balance.

Tolan walked out of the office, giving the door a noticeable slam. Gilliam sat there feeling a sense of victory. In her eyes she had stood up to Tolan and let him know that she would not be some mere pushover for him.

The door opened and Gilliam prepared for another battle of wills, instead Eli Hunter entered the room.

"First you get into it with Carter and now you go up the food chain and lock horns with Tolan. May I make a request?"

"Sure Eli, what would that be?"

"The next time you decide to piss off one of the admirals please tell me so I can hide."

"You worry too much."

Hunter shook his head, "You're playing with fire Aurelia, and I don't want to see you burned."

"You are so dramatic, do you need some downtime?"

"If you are planning on making life hell for the Admiralty then I want a wide berth. Do you remember that this is the same Tolan who threatened to blow up this very ship?"

"Do you realize the responsibility I carry? It feels as though I'm the only person standing between Scott Tolan and this mistake of a military operation."

"You sound like some sort of idealist."

Meanwhile, Tolan and Sakura were meeting the other members of the Defense Committee. In particular were the two Nationalists members and the one Independent. Tolan left his meeting with Gilliam knowing he had to do something about her, especially since she seemed to be taking a decidedly hard stance against him.

Alfred Newton, who had spoken up during the earlier meeting, was the first to speak.

"Admiral Tolan, we would appreciate it if you could clear up why you are undertaking the mission to Ostarsis."

"Very well, we are currently alive and on the run from the Cylons. Many were not as fortunate as us, and now we know that there are prisoners being kept on Ostarsis. Both military and civilian I might add. I cannot in good conscience let them stay there at the mercy of the Cylons."

"You seem to be convinced you are doing the right thing, why is that?" Marian Sanders, the Aquarian representative, asked.

"With this uniform comes the responsibility of protecting the lives of the people of the Colonies. I do not shrink from this responsibility, I welcome it. The path we have ahead of us is full of hazards, as all paths are. The cost of freedom is always high, but the Colonies have always paid it. The one path we shall never choose is the path of surrender or submission."

Newton spoke again, "You are taking on a huge responsibility with this admiral."

"Sure it's a big job; but I don't know anyone who can do it better than I can. There are those, like Aurelia Gilliam, who look to the past to shape how they view the world we live in now. The one thing that needs to be understood is this; because of the Cylons the world is very different now."

"As you mentioned before," Kurt Eckhart began, "We live as secure as we can in these circumstances. Why should we risk what we still have in order to save a few thousand?"

"There are risks and costs to every action. However, the worst of all risks is the one of comfortable inaction. Let me put this thought out there for you; when you see a rattlesnake poised to strike, you do not wait until he has struck to crush him."

"Give us some time Admiral Tolan, and I can assure you that we will have some idea of what our next step will be."

Tolan and Sakura stood up and shook hands before leaving. Neither said a word as they navigated the well-decorated corridors of the Olympica.

"May I ask what you're thinking?" Sakura finally asked.

"There is more selfishness and less principle among members of the Quorum than I had any conception of, and that includes the dealings I had during that rescue mission I led six years ago."

"It would have been preferable if fate had dealt us a better hand."

"We can't dwell on that though, the way I look at it is that we do what we can, with what we have, where we are. In other words, if you don't have a hammer you use a rock."