Chapter Two: The Unseen Enemy
Three hours after their arrival on the Valkyrie, the rescue team settled in for the wait until the S.L.A. agreed to do business with the Basileus.
The Vanguard was due to arrive at the Scorpion Shipyards to join up with the other four battlestars of the Fifteenth Fleet. Tolan just shook his head as he sat down at the spartan metal desk in the small quarters he would be temporarily occupying.
Tolan took out the three photos he carried with him at all times. One was a picture of his mom Sylvia, his cousin Lacey, and of course his wife Emily.
The door to his room had been left opened, but Tolan did not notice the officer stop to knock on the door.
"Commander Tolan, am I disturbing you?"
"No you're not Mister…" For the life of him, he could not remember the man's name.
"Ensign Gaeta, sir. Commander Adama sent me to give you some news involving two of your crewmembers."
Tolan arched an eyebrow, "Very well then Mr. Gaeta. What is it?"
"Major Minerva came down with appendicitis; she is in surgery at the moment. Also, Petty Officer Cobb broke his arm in what was described as an unfortunate fall in the head."
Tolan shook his head; he had been on the Valkyrie for less than three hours and already had to replace two people. "I'll speak with Commander Adama about replacements."
"Not necessary sir. He had a list of potential replacements for you to choose from." Gaeta motioned to someone outside the door, and another ensign brought in a stack of folders.
"Please send my thanks to the commander." Tolan said, taking the first folder and browsing through the personnel record.
It took him a good hour or so to finally decide on the replacements for Major Susan Minerva and Petty Officer Wallace Cobb.
Picking up the phone he sent word to Commander Adama asking him to have Major Artimus Bowman and Petty Officer First Class Robert Imlay sent to his quarters.
Among the folder of personnel was the file on the S.L.A., something Tolan and crew would need for the mission. He opened it and scanned the pertinent information before turning his attention to the leader of the group. General Jonas Sano, the leader of the S.L.A., in some ways it seemed the man was a ghost. He was born in the city of Vius on Sagitarron, attended the Army Academy on Caprica, and resigned his commission shortly after Adar took office.
He put the folder down and rubbed his eyes, "If I find the time while waiting here, I'm going to write the social history of ambrosia." Knowing that there would be too many things going on for that to actually happen.
He had gazed at the one photo he had brought of Emily; it was taken at their wedding. When Emily and he had married, there had been a professional photographer stationed just aft the end of the saber arch. His mom had told him that she had never seen his dress grays look better on him, and that Emily looked elegant in her white wedding dress.
"How happy we were then…" Tolan said to himself. The thought that Emily had come so close to dying when she lost the baby…their baby…there was a part of him that selfishly wanted to be off this mission and instead with his wife at their Caprica City vacation home. She was released from the hospital, but the doctor had given her orders to rest in bed for the time being. At least she was not alone; her brother Andre and sister Andrea had been granted emergency family leave in order to stay with their younger sister and look after her.
It was with thoughts of his wife that his mind began to drift to someplace far from the Valkyrie…
Again Tolan found himself disturbed by a knocking on the door. He sat up with a start as he realized he had fallen asleep in his chair. There were three more firm knocks on his hatch and Tolan quickly composed himself before allowing the visitor entry. The door swung open and in walked a man wearing a gold flight suit with a Raptor patch on his arm and Major's pips on his neck. He was about six foot tall and Tolan surmised he was in his mid to early thirties, fairly close to his age, with short cut dark brown hair.
"Excuse me sir!" said the Raptor pilot. "I've been ordered by Commander Adama to report to you at once. My name is Major Artimus Bowman."
"Bowman?" said Tolan racking his sleepy brain. "Yes of course. Please have a seat Major!" Tolan indicated to the chair adjacent to his and the Major seemed to pause before accepting it. "Thank you for coming on such short notice although you didn't have to change into your flight suit just yet!"
"I haven't sir" explained Bowman in an almost lazy tone. "I've actually just completed a seven hour flight in a Raptor. I was ordered to come straight here the moment the skids hit the deck."
"I see!" said Tolan. "Well I won't keep you any longer than I have to I'm sure you want to get your head down as soon as possible. Major Bowman, my team and I have been tasked with a very important mission. As you may or may not be aware by now the President's niece is missing."
"Yes sir I saw it on the news" interjected Bowman. "Shuttle accident."
"That's the public line for the time being Major. The truth is, however, that the President's office has received a ransom from the S.L.A. for the girl's life." Bowman's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Right now both Military and Police Intelligence agencies are coming up blank on the matter. Obviously we can't negotiate with terrorists."
"I see. So you're forming a snatch squad and need a Raptor pilot? Is that it sir?"
"Hmm, not exactly Major," whined Tolan hinting that Bowman was on the right path but had just missed the mark. "Before I go on any further Major, due to the sensitive nature of the mission I must ask for your answer now. I won't lie to you. This mission is high risk and therefore if you opt out it will not be held against you in anyway."
"But you're stuck right now is that it sir?" shot Bowman. "And if I refuse then you will turn to one of my people to do the job." Bowman's words echoed a tone of concern that Tolan immediately picked up on and thought he could use to his advantage. He cares about his people.
"I don't want it to come to that Major" said Tolan feigning a lack of interest that he knew would make Bowman think that Tolan was just another CO who saw people as numbers not Human beings. "I'd much rather have your experience on my team. Your record is exemplarity except for..."
Tolan reopened Bowman's file to glance down for a specific piece of information. As soon as he found it he looked straight in Bowman's blue eyes as he dug the knife in. "That incident when you were aboard the Battlestar Daedalus. Awful shame losing a colleague like that." Tolan sat back in his chair to watch the effect his words were having on Bowman.
Major Bowman knew he was being manipulated and there was nothing he could do. The image Tolan had implanted in Bowman's mind made sure that he dare not leave one of his own pilots at the hands of such a 'maverick' and so, reluctantly, Bowman nodded an acknowledgement.
"Excellent!" smiled Tolan. "Tell you what? Why don't you get some rest Major and then report to me on the starboard Hangar Deck at 0800 tomorrow. I need you to take me somewhere. There's still one more member of the team I need to collect."
"Where are we going?" asked Bowman not expecting an answer.
"You'll see tomorrow!" said Tolan. "Good night Major. You're dismissed!"
As Bowman left the room, he could not help but mentally kick himself over how he had let Tolan manipulate him in such a manner. His mind ran through many things about the man, none of which was particularly pleasant…in fact most would have got him thrown in the brig for insulting a superior officer.
Much like the senior pilot insignia, the A.T.T. had the larger outstretched wings and an additional silver border on the upper edges of the diamond. However, the one Tolan had also had a gold star; meaning that he was among the best in his class…the man may have been a stuck up, manipulative bastard but he knew how to fly.
The thought of that brought another surge of bitterness to run through Bowman. He had applied in hopes of being accepted to Advance Tactical Training, but his application was denied. The thought that a man like Tolan could get in when he could not just grated on his nerves even more than the way the man had manipulated him into agreeing to take part in the mission.
At 0735hrs Tolan walked out onto the starboard Hangar Deck with Galit Malka at his side. Galit was particularly unhappy that she was not accompanying him on this flight but Tolan stood his ground with her until it was clear to him that she had finally got the message. They stopped and asked one of the deck gang for help in finding the Raptor that had been set aside for this mission. The young 'knuckle dragger' pointed them to the far end of the Hangar Deck where a solitary Raptor sat ready and waiting with Bowman already going through the initial pre-flight checklist. As the two of them neared the Raptor Bowman climbed out of his seat and went to the open hatch to greet them.
"Good morning Major!" called out Tolan to him. "Major Bowman this is Galit Malka of the Ministry of Intelligence. She is also part of our team." Bowman and Malka shared an acknowledging glance that Malka finished with a smile as she looked upon the Raptor pilot in his gold flight suit. "You'll meet the rest of the team when we return."
"Can you tell me where we're going now, sir?" asked Bowman who was exhibiting signs of being more than a little agitated at feeling out of the loop.
"As soon as I'm aboard Major I will brief you" explained Tolan. "Are we ready to depart?"
"Only waiting on you, sir" replied Bowman.
Tolan exchanged a few pleasantries with Galit before turning to leave the flight deck. Bowman returned to the cockpit of the Raptor as Tolan scrambled up the side and followed him in. Tolan closed the hatch behind him and took a seat immediately behind his pilot.
"Ok Major" said Tolan as he reached into his pocket to produce a small piece of paper on which were written several numbers in sequence and handed it to Bowman. "Here it is! These are jump coordinates to Virgon. Our destination is the Crethen Federal Prison. There we are going to collect the last member of our team."
"From a prison?" gasped Bowman! Tolan nodded and the bemused Bowman took the piece of paper off him before resuming the pre-flight checks. A short while later the Raptor was raised from the Hangar Deck to the Landing Deck that sat in the cavernous vacuum filled space inside the Hangar Pod. Since this was a simple transport mission Bowman didn't have a helmet on and Tolan simply wore his standard issue Commander's Duty uniform.
As the deck lift came to a halt Bowman requested clearance for takeoff. The two Colonial Officers had to wait patiently for three Vipers to complete their landing before the Raptor could lift off. An uncomfortable silence, a side effect of their first meeting, consumed the Raptor's interior until Tolan decided to break it.
"I think I've been less than honest with you Major" he explained from the seat behind Bowman. "For that I am truly sorry but you have to understand that I have a mission to accomplish and I need you to do it." Tolan wasn't looking for Bowman to accept his apology. He didn't really care one way or the other as long as Bowman continued to do his job. Tolan watched as Bowman's head turned to the side slightly to listen. It wasn't the cloak-and-dagger stuff Bowman was troubled by and Tolan knew it.
"Y'know, people die all the time in the service. From what I read in your file the incident when you were aboard the Daedalus wasn't your fault."
"With all due respect Commander" shot Bowman. "I know my sins. It don't matter what the record says. It's hung over me like a dark shadow ever since. I've spent everyday trying to make up for it for over five years. I transferred to the Valkyrie hoping I could leave it behind me but it's everywhere I go."
"I can empathize" said Tolan truthfully. "I know what it's like to have a stigma about you. For me it's my family's somewhat....colourful history. From here on out Major I give you my word that I will be open and honest." Bowman nodded in gratitude as a voice crackled in his headset that they were now clear for departure.
The Raptor seemed to glide effortlessly out of the Valkyrie's starboard Hangar Pod into the dark of space. Bowman held the controls while Tolan made himself comfortable in the aft compartment. The two of them readied themselves for just another unexciting trip in a Raptor. 'Mule' work as it was known to Bowman and his pilots.
"Raptor Two-Niner-Niner you are clear of Valkyrie airspace. You may proceed at your discretion!"
"Roger that Valkyrie" said Bowman over the wireless before imputing the jump coordinates into the FTL computer. "Ok FTL is spooling. Get ready to jump in Five...Four...Th-"
Tolan was thrown from his seat as a deafening roar consumed the Raptor and it began to tumble through space. An alarm began desperately wailing a warning that the atmosphere in the cabin was leaking and the ship was beginning to decompress. "Mayday! Mayday!" yelled out Bowman over the sound of three alarms that now rang out in the cockpit. "This is Raptor Two-Niner-Niner declaring an emergency!"
Bowman fought to wrestle control of the Raptor that was kicking around in a vicious circle. As the tail of the Raptor continued to spin a bright blue trail of leaking Tylium appeared to form a ring in space. Gradually Bowman managed to stop the spin but he was still fighting desperately to prevent the Raptor from doing so again when the Valkyrie came through over the wireless.
"Raptor-Two-Niner-Niner cut power to your engines immediately and await rescue!"
"Negative!" blurted Bowman. "We are losing atmosphere, we don't have time to wait for rescue. I'm going to have to put her on the deck!" The Valkyrie responded with the familiar voice of her commanding officer Commander William Adama.
"Archer this is Valkyrie-Actual! You have a cleared deck. Bring her home!"
"Roger that sir" replied Bowman as he pointed the Raptor back towards Valkyrie its tail kicking from side to side like a fish.
As Tolan held onto the support strut for Bowman's seat he realized he didn't know that Bowman's call sign was Archer and wondered how he could have missed such an obvious fact but then again it was a late night and such details are seldom recorded since they were more of an informal accolade. Tolan did little to distract Bowman as he attempted to line the Raptor up on the approach path to the Starboard Hangar Pod.
"I won't be able to put her down under power! We are going to have to cruise it! Point at the deck and kill the engines. Let the inertia put us down!"
"Just like shooting an arrow!" joked Tolan in a not-so-funny kind of way.
The Raptor was still bucking and kicking furiously as Bowman continued the approach. The Landing Officer aboard Valkyrie was trying to help by calling out instructions but all they seemed to do was infuriate Bowman further who uttered "If you think you can do better..." through gritted and angry teeth.
Once he was sure that the Raptor was aiming for the Landing Deck Bowman cut the engines and suddenly the Raptor fell quiet as it now drifted towards the deck. The scene was a stunning juxtaposition to just a few moments ago as only the alarms now indicated that something was wrong. The Landing Deck was fast approaching and it wouldn't have taken a genius to figure out the landing was going to be a hard one. With the deck just a few hundred feet away and closing Bowman ordered "Brace for impact! Brace! Brace! Brace!" Both Bowman and Tolan assumed their crash positions and waited with baited breath for the inevitable.
It came in a deafeningly loud thump followed by the sound of crushing metal as the Raptor slammed into the deck and slid along the magnetized surface. Without stopping it soon began to veer off to the left scraping the deck as it went before colliding into Hangar Pod wall with so much force that the Raptor ricocheted back several feet before finally coming to rest.
It had been thirty minutes now, and Tolan hadn't left the Hangar Deck since the Raptor was returned to the decks below. He sat on a tool box as a medic addressed a graze to his head he had received from being tossed around the cabin of the Raptor. His whole body seemed to feel sore from the force of the impact and despite the insistence of the medic he refused to go to sickbay for the time being. Instead he stared at the Raptor that had nearly become his tomb. The right engine had a large gaping hole in the side and the whole right side was stained black from the explosion. Tolan watched as the Deck Chief and his team, closely watched by Bowman whose left arm was in a sling, looked over the little ship to determine what had happened.
Adama had arrived and was talking to Tolan when Bowman walked up to them holding a small cylindrical device no bigger than a flashlight in his right hand. Adama and Tolan turned to face the Major who was now standing next to them with a look of burning anger on his face.
"Is that what caused it?" asked Adama.
"Yes sir!" replied Bowman. "It's a Tylium Transfer Regulator. It controls the amount of Tylium that's fed to the engine as the FTL spools up. This one has been worn down. As our FTL spooled up the regulator failed and flooded the engine with Tylium causing an overload."
"So it's just bad luck then?" asked Tolan who examined the device for himself.
"No sir!" said Bowman confidently. He suddenly caught the attention of the two Commanders in his vicinity both shocked at his answer and eager for an explanation.
"Those regulators are changed every month and Two-Niner-Niner's was changed just over a week ago. That looks like it hasn't been changed for over a year. Also the regulator has a safety valve attached to it that locks in place should the regulator fail. The FTL system would automatically shut down and we'd still have a flyable bird. Now the regulator failing is one thing but both the regulator and the safety valve going at the same time...the odds are astronomical!"
Both Adama and Tolan knew what Bowman was getting at but he would have to say it for them if it were to truly sink in after all who would want to believe it? "In my opinion and the Chief's, we think the Raptor was sabotaged. This was an effort to kill you, sir!" said Bowman to Tolan. "And it very nearly succeeded."
"Sabotage!" uttered Adama in disbelief. "If that's true..."
"Then the Valkyrie has been compromised" finished Bowman.
"I'm afraid it's worse than that gentlemen" added Tolan. "The mission itself has been compromised!"
The three of them took a few moments to truly assimilate their conclusion. Tolan knew what he had to do and he turned to Adama and said, "I have to report this to Admiral Corman. Please excuse me!" With that he left the two of them looking in open mouthed disgust at the sight of the damaged Raptor. It was not the sight of the damage itself but rather what it meant;
The S.L.A. has at least one supporter onboard the Valkyrie.
Like most large vessels in the Colonial Fleet, the Valkyrie had a weight room for its crew to exercise and stay in shape. For Tolan, it provided a chance to work off the growing anger and frustration that came from the attempt on his life. He had already done three sets of bench presses, now he was working on his first set of military presses.
'One.' Tolan called out to himself mentally, the burn of his anger fuelling his body.
Also in his mind he heard the rapid-fire staccato of machine gun bullets.
'Two.'
'Scott, get down!' the alert voice of his brother Andrew who had taken him by the shoulders and thrown him down hard onto the sidewalk as bullets pelted the spot where he had been standing.
'Three.' He was once again a twelve year old boy who was on Scythia Beach back on Canceron.
'Four.' He was cradling Andrew's head, looking into the lifeless eyes of his older brother, calling out for help and scared that whoever had done this would come back for him.
'Five.' The helplessness consumed him that night, the fear he felt had paralyzed him and kept him from doing something for what felt like an eternity.
'Six.' He had promised after that day to never feel that way again. The next time someone came for him he would be a man of action instead of a victim lost in the chaos and confusion.
'Seven.' He had kept to that promise, and today someone had tried to kill him.
'Eight.' He tried to focus on now, not something that had happened years ago.
'Nine.' Just one more rep…that might help him to regain his focus.
'Ten.' That was it, he laid the bar back into its resting position and wiped the sweat off of his face with the front of his shirt. He had not anticipated his memories of his brother's death to come back.
"I would have never pegged you as a workout warrior, Commander." A voice behind him announced after he set the bar back in its place following his first set.
"Keeps me in shape, and I can burn off the anger at whoever tried to kill me." Tolan said as he stood up to turn and face Galit Malka.
"I suppose a 'Thank you' is in order, if I had gone with you…well you know…" she seemed unable to voice what she wanted to say.
"We never know how things play out, but I'm glad you weren't there…the ride got a little bumpy."
"I imagine."
"Commander Tolan!" a voice called out to them from the entrance to the weight room.
"Major Bowman." Tolan said in acknowledgement.
Bowman walked over to where he and Malka were standing, "Commander Adama wishes to have a word with you concerning the 'incident' earlier today."
"Very well then, Galit we'll talk later." Tolan said before turning and leaving the room.
"I do hope he changes into his uniform first; workout clothes just don't send the right message…" Galit said to herself before saying to Bowman, "Well Major that was quite a display of flying earlier. I think you and the Commander would have bought it if you hadn't flown so well."
"Thank you, it was tense there for a moment." Bowman remembered something he had seen on the Commander's uniform, "Tolan could have done it just as well, I saw the A.T.T. pin on his uniform."
"I saw a mention of A.T.T. in his profile, but didn't research it." Galit said slightly embarrassed.
"A.T.T. stands for 'Advanced Tactical Training'; a course that only the best of the best pilots got to take. The application rates for slots on each class are high, but the attrition rate for students is higher. On average, only fifty percent of any class lasts until graduation. Graduates wear the A.T.T. patch on their flight suits with particular pride. A smaller A.T.T. pin went on the graduate's dress grays. Commander Tolan's pin bears the gold star of an honors graduate – 'the best of the best of his class'."
"Wow…" Galit said, "I'm surprised you weren't selected for that class."
"I applied, but it just wasn't meant to be. It was a dream of mine though…"
"Well I think you showed today that you belonged there." Galit said with a smile, hoping to lighten the mood that had suddenly turned somber.
"Thanks."
Galit decided to take a chance, "I know about the Daedalus, I read the report on you once Tolan selected you for the mission."
"I've already had the commander play that card; I don't want to hear it again."
"Fine, but I think Tolan had a reason for selecting you. You're not the first officer to screw up and you won't be the last. Even our fearless leader had a monumental frak up!"
"Yeah well he wasn't the reason behind someone's death was he?" Bowman said with a voice tinged with bitterness.
"No he didn't, but he ruined a person's life because of his recklessness."
"What?"
Galit moved closer to Bowman, "He ruined the life of his XO and almost killed her career."
Galit then went on to explain the scandal involving Tolan and Bridget Woods before adding, "Using my degree in Psychology, I would have to say that he carries a strong sense of guilt over what happened. He blames himself and has done all he could to make it up to her. He made her his XO when he got command of the Vanguard. I believe that he holds himself responsible for costing her a life she wanted for herself and almost ruining her career."
"It's not the same."
"It's not identical, but the two of you are honorable men and you both feel the burden of responsibility more strongly than others. I'm not telling you to get over it and forget what happened. Channel that into something more useful, don't let it consume you."
Before Bowman could answer, she had turned and left the room.
He saw her turn left and quickly went after her, "Miss Psychology Major…" he began, "Explain to me why he joined the Fleet instead of staying in the family business."
She smiled at him, "Here I thought you were going to challenge me! Tolan lost his older brother in a drive-by shooting, in fact his brother died protecting him. I think that would be enough to dissuade him. He joined the Fleet to contribute to society and do something respectable. Make something of his life in a way that would make his brother's sacrifice worthwhile. The man carries a lot of pain beneath that professional surface; he hides it well to most people."
"You haven't tried this psychology analysis on me…right?"
Galit got in close and raised her head to his ear, "You'll have to guess that for yourself, Archer."
Bowman was speechless, and by the time he found something to say she gave him a sly smile and turned to walk away.
"I'm an excellent judge of character. You'll find my assessments to be right on the money." She called out to him as she walked down the corridor.
Scott Tolan sat across the desk from Commander William Adama. The two men had barely had time to speak since he had come aboard the Valkyrie. Now he was getting another piece of news from the older man that was far from pleasant.
"This is not good, any idea what happened?"
Adama shook his head, "I have my people going over the logs and video now. Agent Barron is assisting them. Whoever did this knows why you're here."
Someone had sabotaged the jump drive on the scout ship Sica that essentially meant they had no way of getting to wherever the S.L.A. base was located.
"I can probably get my family to supply a shuttle with FTL capability." Tolan said.
"I'd rather wait until we know who's behind this."
Tolan nodded, "As it is the mission is in jeopardy, I'm going to my quarters to try to get a plan together. Let me know when we have a development."
Life on the battlestar Vanguard had taken on a sort of monotony since the exchange with the Valkyrie. The Fifteenth Fleet was scheduled to begin their annual fleet exercises, known this year as 'Operation Gonen'. The Vanguard would be joining four of the five battlestars in battle group. The Caprica, Stryker, Ares, and Perun would join up with the Vanguard for weapons tests, target practice, and the pilots would be recertified on their viper qualifications. The battlestar Zarya was preparing to undergo a six-month overhaul at the Quirinus Shipyards. The shipyards were a part of the Taurus Space Complex near Tauron.
The phone in her quarters began to ring; she got off of her bed and walked to her desk to pick up the phone.
"Woods." She stated as she waited for the reply.
"Colonel there is a priority one call for you from the Caprica," Ensign Keri Collier, the on-duty communications officer, announced.
"Very well, put the call through." Woods said, wondering why she was receiving a priority one from the flagship of the Fifteenth Fleet.
"Colonel Woods this is Admiral Stanford," the deep, booming voice belonged to Admiral Terrence Stanford …the flag officer in charge of the Fifteenth Fleet.
"Yes sir, what can I do for you?" Woods asked immediately.
"After consulting with Fleet Command, the decision has been made to have Vanguard go in for its scheduled overhaul instead of the Zarya. The decision was made less than an hour ago."
"I see…" Woods began; knowing that there was no way she could hide the disappointment in her voice.
"Colonel this was not an easy decision we made, but we felt that it was in the best interest of the battle group that we switch out the Vanguard and the Zarya."
'Yeah frakkin' right…' she thought to herself before saying, "Of course sir, I will began making preparations for the overhaul. Actual out." Hanging up the phone, she felt a numbness begin to go over her mind. The change in plans felt like a slap in the face to her, as though Admiral Stanford lacked faith in her abilities and went behind her back to make sure she did not command the Vanguard during the exercises.
There was little she could do about it, so she decided to take the necessary steps to get the ship ready to put into dock. An idea hit her, with the nature of the mission Scott was on…it would not hurt for her to have a word with Emily to let her know where her husband was.