Battlestar Cerberus
Starboard Hangar Deck

The aft section of the Hangar Deck had been cleared by the Deck Gang specifically for the start of the first day's filming except for one Raptor that was being loaned for use in this scene. Colonel Artimus Bowman stood to one side as he watched the film crew who had arrived the previous day aboard a fleet of transport shuttles busily preparing what was now being called 'the set'. Neveah Ratliff and Argus Johansson, the stars of the movie, were sat in chairs away from the Raptor busily having the finishing touches applied to their make up. Looking at the Raptor he knew that anyone in the military who saw it would instantly recognize the changes made to the little ship compared to the ones flown during the war that it was supposed to be representing. They may look the same but the trained eye knew better and few people knew a Raptor better than Artimus.

Lieutenant Dayton had taken to staying close to Artimus while the others went about their business of making a movie. Artimus suspected that the Lieutenant didn't have the stomach to confront the director, Marcus Goldstein, about any technical inconsistencies he saw unless asked otherwise. If he is the kind of guy Picon Fleet Headquarters assign to these kinds of projects then no wonder the old war movies are so inaccurate!

"Ok let's start getting ready!" called out Goldstein. "Let's do a dry run through the lines before we start filming!"

Artimus folded his arms as he watched with some amusement as everyone suddenly began to rush around. Goldstein reminded him of his Marine drill sergeant when he was at the Academy. He seemed to put the fear of the Gods into everyone except for Artimus who just stood casually by and watched. Director or not he was still a guest aboard the Cerberus. Even Neveah and Argus seemed a little afraid of his temper as they positioned in the open hatch of the Raptor. They were both masquerading as a flight crew in the movie. Johansson was supposed to be a pilot while Neveah was an ECO. Although he would never admit it she did look good in the replica Cylon War flight suit although he noticed that it did show off her curves a little more than an actual one would.

"They tailor made it for her," explained Dayton when Artimus asked rather diplomatically if it was 'authentic'. "They deliberately make it that way to show off her…appeal."

"I see," said Artimus disapprovingly. "Just like a cattle market." Maybe she had sensed him talking about her but at that moment Neveah looked over at him from the Raptor and gave him a little smile. He nodded in acknowledgement but hoped no one saw it. He had an honorable reputation and he intended for it to remain intact.


Further up the Hangar Deck work continued as usual albeit quieter than normal whenever it could be helped. What sound did make it down to the opposite side of the Hangar Deck would be used to add to the realism of the scene as long as it didn't conflict with the actor's voices too much.

Once again Specialist Aldo Giannis found himself working maintenance on a Viper. As per usual he worked alone in the nose section where his duties involved keeping the DRADIS array and navigational equipment operating at full spec. This particular Viper had developed a nasty tendency of generating DRADIS 'ghosts' which was when the image of a contact was repeated away from the actual contact that it was detecting. It was a simple processor malfunction that involved removing the main pack and replacing it while he repaired the broken one in the workshop. It was a job he had done many times during the past few months aboard Cerberus.

He unhooked the clips that secured the device from the Viper after he had disconnected it from the main system before pulling it free. It simply slid out from its case and he placed the small cube shaped device down onto the deck before lifting up its replacement and slotting it back in. It was as he began connecting the new processor that he saw Neveah standing at the entrance to the Raptor.

At first he didn't believe it was her. He thought it must be an extra in the movie or that it was another main actress who looked like her but as his eyes focused more intensely on the woman it soon became incontrovertible. It was Neveah Ratliff! She was standing with Argus Johansson reading over their lines and sharing a small joke with one another. He immediately recognized the smile that became emblazoned across her face. It was a smile he had never seen on anyone else.

Suddenly her eyes seemed to fall onto him. It was only for a brief second but the result was electric. It was as if it was traveling up the Hangar Deck towards him and filling his body with warmth and affection the likes of which he had never experienced in his strict Gemonese upbringing. It was highly addictive and he began to crave every bit of it. He waited, desperately hoping she would look his way again. He didn't notice if her eyes fell on him again but to just be in close proximity to her was an overwhelming experience. His body had frozen as he held the processor in place even failing to notice that his arms were growing tired.

Someone had noticed the effect she was having on him however. Specialist Simtar had been talking to another knuckledragger as they worked on a nearby Raptor and had looked up absent mindedly only to find the frozen body of Aldo beside the Viper.

"Hey!" he said as a sly grin widened on his face. "Look at this!" The other knuckledragger turned around and saw Aldo. The two of them laughed at the apparent hypnotic spell that Neveah Ratliff had put on the young man. "What an idiot. Watch this!"

Simtar picked up a dirty rag that had been resting on top of his tool box and began to sneak up behind Aldo whose glare had yet to break from Neveah. Once he was within arm's length of the young man he thrust the dirty rag around his neck and into Aldo's face. "Here!" he said obnoxiously as Aldo jumped with a start. His hands let go of the processor and it crashed down onto the deck with a loud thud. Simtar continued to hold out the rag for Aldo to take it. "Keep her in your locker!"

Simtar then turned back towards the Raptor he had been working on laughing as he went. Although Aldo was used to be on the receiving end of Simtar's jokes this was the first time he was truly annoyed with him. No, it was more than that. He was genuinely angry at him for destroying that moment even though on the surface it seemed quite insignificant. Slowly his anger began to subside and was replaced by embarrassment. He decided to get back to work and so he picked up the processor and began to put it back in.

As he did so he could hear the director shouting at several people who were working around him. Without realizing it he was watching once again but this time he was looking at the director to see if he was shouting at Neveah. The thought of him doing so seemed to anger him more than Simtar had.


Artimus stood there with Dayton listening long and hard for the words 'Lights, Camera, Action!' He was sadly disappointed however. Goldstein gave out a long and frankly mind boggling list of commands to those around him making sure that everything was ready to start the actual filming. This scene was actually at the very beginning of the movie even though filming was into its sixth month. Dayton told him that movies are rarely filmed in order of how they appear in the finished product. This made Artimus curious as to how you could do a death scene one minute then act with the now 'dead guy' in the next scene as if nothing has happened. I guess that's why I'm not an actor.

Suddenly the set quiet down until only the faint sounds of the Cerberus Deck Gang on the opposite end could be heard. Looking through a small screen beside the main cameraman Goldstein finally shouted the word that everyone was waiting for; "Action!"

Both Argus and Neveah emerged from inside the Raptor trying to look like they had just completed a seven hour flight. Argus emerged quite casually while Neveah was pretending to try and massage an imaginary knot in her neck.

"Eight more days of this crap!" complained Neveah. "At least Achilles has got some decent facilities for some down time. Not like those frakking Colonial Patrol Vessels!"

The two of them jumped down off the wing and Argus turned to face Neveah as she followed. "Life on a Battlestar," announced Argus. "Get used to it! We're living the good life now!" As he finished speaking he lifted up his right hand and began to run his thumb across Neveah's bottom lip until his palm was against her cheek. "Y'know there is a lot of places to be alone on a Battlestar. I'm sure we could slip off somewhere later and…discuss tactics!"

Neveah smiled as she leaned up and said, "Yes sir!" before kissing him on the lips.

"Oh Gods!" Artimus couldn't help it. The words just flowed from his mouth as if he had no control over them and they echoed across 'the set'.

"Cut!" called out Goldstein angrily before turning around on his chair. "Something wrong Colonel?" The entire filmcrew were now staring at Artimus sending a volley of eye daggers his way except for Neveah who was trying to cover an amused smile with her right hand.

Artimus turned to Dayton expecting him to point out the obvious flaw in the script that he was seeing before him but the Lieutenant just kept silent. Not being one to back down Artimus turned back to Goldstein and explained, "Well, this…is…" He struggled to find the right words knowing that what he really thought was hardly diplomatic. "Well it's unrealistic."

"Really?" asked Goldstein quite sarcastically. "How so?"

"Well this is supposed to be the Battlestar Achilles during the Cylon war," said Artimus. "If I was the XO of the Achilles and I saw two officers fraternizing on a working Hangar Deck like that infront of the Deck Gang I would have them up on a charge. Well, let's be honest, they'd be hung for a serious breach of discipline."

It was always difficult to tell when Artimus was joking or not and so several of the filmcrew and even Argus Johansson had images of lovers in the military actually going to the gallows. What few of them realized was that the term 'hung' in the Colonial Fleet was military nomenclature for a court martial.

To his surprise Artimus found that it was Neveah who rose to the defence of the scene as she asked, "Yes but didn't former President Yulan meet his wife in the service? They were both Viper pilots I believe?"

"That is true," said Artimus over Goldstein who sat dumbfounded in his chair beside the camerman. "Relationships were bound to happen on Battlestars in time of war and very often the XO turned a blind eye to it on the condition that it wasn't made in public. Ever heard of putting your boots out?" Neveah shook her head. "Whenever two service personnel wanted to be alone for a while in their quarters to do whatever, one of them would put their boots outside the door to signal that they were not to be disturbed. It was kind of an open secret if you like."

"I see," said Goldstein who wasn't happy about suddenly finding himself out of the conversation. "Well Colonel we are not making a documentary. We are making a movie and in this movie it's ok to show affection on a Hangar Deck. Now unless you have anymore objections I would like to continue filming."

The only objection I have is you. Frakwood!

Artimus merely stared at the director in a threatening way. Goldstein knew he was crossing some kind of line with the Colonel and so chose to turn back to the scene he was trying to film.

"Let's do this again shall we?" sighed Goldstein.

Neveah shot Artimus an amused look before she and Argus began to clamber back into the Raptor. She had never seen anyone stand up to Goldstein before and she found the brief exchange hilarious to watch. As she prepared to do the scene one more time she had to physically fight to wipe the smile from her face which kept returning of its own accord.


Commander Hawker's Quarters
Five hours later

Many times in his life Artimus Bowman had been told that he had a very distinctive knock. No matter how hard he tried to knock differently everyone knew it was him and so as he knocked on Hawker's hatch it came as no surprise to hear Hawker call out, "Come on in Artimus!"

Artimus swung the round handle through half a turn and pulled across the bolt. As the hatch squeaked open he could hear the familiar sound of a guitar playing a slow and melancholy tune called 'The poor man of Ostarsis'. After closing the hatch behind him Artimus walked upto Hawker's desk where the Commander was leaning back in his chair with his feet up and the brown six-string guitar stretched across his chest as he played.

One thing the two men had in common was their love for Aerilon country music. Artimus had inherited his passion for the type of music from his grandfather who would regularly play his records over and over again when he was working in his garden shed. Artimus used to get so sick of it back then but now it reminded him of a simpler time.

Artimus perched himself in the chair opposite Hawker's desk and the two men just listened to the sound the guitar was making. Hawker was quite a good guitar player and Artimus knew that this was how he liked to unwind. It took his mind off everything else even if it were only for a few minutes but it was amazing what those few minutes could do.

"How are our guests?" asked Hawker finally as he continued to slowly strum the song.

"I think I made a new friend today," said Artimus jokingly.

"I assume you're referring to Marcus Goldstein?" asked Hawker whose eyes stayed fixed on his hands as they worked the strings to make music. "I heard what happened on the Hangar Deck earlier today." Hawker began to chuckle to himself as he pictured his XO and Goldstein in the middle of a blazing argument over someone wearing the wrong colour buttons on a duty jacket.

"I couldn't help it," said Artimus stifling his own amusement. "It just sort of slipped out of my mouth. But you ought to see what their doing. Some of it is just ludicrous and the technical advisor assigned by Picon Fleet HQ seems to be in a coma. He just doesn't do or say anything to Goldstein about it."

"Well it's not your job to say anything. Your job is to act as liaison to them to make sure that they can do what they need to without interfering in the everyday running of Cerberus and to make them feel welcome. Speaking of which, how was dinner with Miss Ratliff last night?"

Artimus looked stunned. Somehow he had convinced himself that no one else knew about his evening with Neveah even though the chef and his staff knew and the mess hall was a breeding ground for the good old fashioned rumor mill. Having seen the surprised expression on his face Hawker added, "It seems you've become the talk of the ship."

"It was perfectly innocent I can assure you," said Artimus.

"Oh I have no doubt about that," added Hawker. "But you never really did understand the workings of public relations did you? Appearances are everything. People see something and draw their own conclusion. They then tell others and the story gets twisted until eventually the only element of truth in what you hear is that you two did have dinner together. Alone! That's all the evidence they need. You should be more careful. I'm certain you don't want this getting back to the snipes in the engine room."

"No," said Artimus knowing exactly who Hawker was referring to; Barry Garner, his wife's brother. Artimus was uncomfortable enough having this conversation and so he decided to switch it back to the operation above Leonis. "What's the latest from the asylum?"

"Well the Leonis TC grid is back up and running so they are handling most of the traffic themselves again. Unfortunately there is such a huge backlog that we are being kept around for a bit longer just in case. The Battlestar Atlantia and the Battlestar Hermes are pulling out and returning to their original assignments so it's just us and Vanguard keeping an eye on things as well as the Leonis defence fleet. We're still going to be here for a few more days. I may put a word into Picon to arrange some R&R for the crew on the surface in a week or two once things are back to normal. So for the time being I'm just kicking back and forgetting about everything for a minute."

The intercom handset beside his desk buzzed the second he had finished speaking causing the Commander to lose his concentration which resulted in a rather clumsy end to his song.

"Spoke too soon perhaps?" said Artimus.

Hawker reached over and lifted up the handset before placing it to the side of his head to answer the call. "Hawker…Yes he is, one moment." Hawker leaned over to give the handset to Artimus. "It's for you!"

"Bowman!" announced Artimus once he had received it from Hawker.

"Sergeant Morgan here sir," replied the voice of the Cerberus Master-at-arms. "Your presence is requested at Miss Ratliff and Mr. Goldstein's quarters."

"Very well, I am on my way," answered Artimus before hanging up the handset. "You'll have to excuse me a minute, I've been summoned by Goldstein!"

"I won't have any bloodshed on my ship Colonel," called out Hawker as Artimus began to walk out of the Commander's quarters. Hawker found this whole affair extremely amusing to watch in the same way that Scott Tolan was probably laughing about it on Picon. Artimus Bowman was an extremely private man who preferred doing things with an air of decorum. He despised anyone with an over inflated ego even when he was CAG aboard the Valkyrie and egos went with the territory. His pilots always knew that if you done right then you would get recognition for it but otherwise they dare not boast infront of him especially if it was unwarranted.

For those who knew Artimus Bowman well they also knew of the fiery temper that lurks underneath his otherwise quiet and reserved exterior. Although since he had married Brooke Garner he had calmed down considerably there were those like Hawker who were waiting with morbid curiosity to see what was going to tip him back over the edge.


Artimus approached the quarters that had been assigned to Neveah Ratliff and Marcus Goldstein as well as several others of the more senior members of the group of filmmakers. His biggest concern as he walked there was why the Master-at-arms had called for him? If the chief of ship's security was at the scene then no doubt one of them was out of line. This thought dominated his mind as every report in the media he had heard about celebrities being drunk or rowdy filled his head. Before he even got there his temper was beginning to flare at the idea of Argus Johansson turning the Cerberus into front page news because of some inappropriate behavior.

As he reached the quarters he found Sergeant Morgan outside talking quite calmly to Aaron Doral. As soon as he was in view the two of them stopped talking and approached him. Morgan was a little over six foot two with short cut dark hair. Artimus liked working with Morgan because he knew that he didn't take any crap from anyone but at the same time was a consummate professional rather than a bully as many in his job were.

"What's going on Sergeant?" asked Artimus stopping just outside the hatch.

"Sir, it appears that someone has entered these quarters without authorization while everyone was working on the Hangar Deck," explained Morgan.

"Was anything taken?" asked Artimus whose eyebrows rose in surprise. This had been the last thing he expected to happen and so was a little off guard about it.

"No sir," replied Morgan, "but a note was left underneath Miss Ratliff's pillow." Sergeant Morgan held up a small plastic evidence bag containing the note. Artimus took it off him and tried to read what the hand written note said through the transparent bag however he didn't understand the language. "It's old Gemonese," explained Morgan. "I've had one of my men translate it. It reads; I shall help you onto the path for thou art lost and in need of my guidance. It's from an old proverb apparently. It refers to people who have become lost from the Gods."

"I see," said Artimus who continued to examine the piece of paper that had clearly been torn from a book. He turned it over to look at the back. There was a thin line protruding out from the tear at the top that curved around and continued until it reached the tear on the opposite side. It was clearly part of a diagram but it was impossible to tell what it was. Artimus thought he recognized the type of paper although he could not be certain. "This looks like it came from a technical manual, like the type we use for Raptors and Vipers. Of course it could also be a dozen other things but I think the first place to start looking should be the Hangar Deck."

"Ah, on that note," interjected Doral quickly who was looking over his shoulder at Marcus Goldstein and Neveah Ratliff who were talking inside the quarters. Doral then turned back to Artimus in a way that signaled he didn't want anyone else to overhear their conversation. "Um, I would prefer it if we just let this matter rest. Nobody wants to be anymore of an intrusion to you and your fine crew."

"Mr Doral!" boomed Artimus who had no intention of hiding his conversation from anyone. "Someone has gained access to a part of this ship that they were restricted from. Now, regardless of the nature of such an entry this is a serious breach of ship's security and I intend to launch an investigation."

Doral seemed to start backtracking before again he talked in a hushed voice. "I can perfectly understand why you would feel that way and it's commendable. Truly!" As Doral spoke Artimus felt like he was talking to a used car salesman. "But I am asking you to look at the bigger picture here. You see when incidents such as this happen it creates a media storm even when it's something as trivial as leaving a little note for Nev."

"That note," Artimus protested, "implies that Miss Ratliff needs someone's help. Now whoever sent it clearly sees himself as wanting to give that help and that can be a dangerous thing when it is misplaced."

Doral smiled mockingly. "Believe me Colonel, this is not the first time a celebrity has had a note from a fan who wanted to save their soul and ninety nine times out of a hundred it ends with the note. Now let me explain to you the two forces that are about to collide here. Now from Mr Goldstein's point of view this type of publicity for the movie is solid gold. They will play on it just to draw in the crowds for the finished film. But from the Fleet's point of view this could turn into a major embarrassment. Think about it; a breach of security on a Battlestar, worse still on Cerberus with its law enforcement mission. Heads will roll unless we downplay this a little so it doesn't get out of control."

Artimus paused for a moment and thought that Doral was already jumping to the worse case scenario. He had to admit that he was right however. He had seen what happened to good officers when the media got hold of some juicy bit of information. They were relegated to mundane duties or simply discharged because they had become a liability to the Fleet's prestige. That being the case, however, he couldn't just let this go.

"Alright," he said to Doral. "Here's what I am going to do. I'm going to speak to Miss Ratliff and if she feels that she is in any kind of danger then I will proceed with an investigation. If not then I will let it be."

"Thank you," said Doral.

"However," interjected Artimus quickly. "Either way I am going to instruct Sergeant Morgan to increase security in this section."

"I'll get right on it sir," said Morgan.

"Very well Colonel," said Doral. "I will leave it in your capable hands."

Artimus walked away towards Neveah. She was still with Goldstein who, like Doral, was talking with a hushed voice. Neveah seemed to be disagreeing with him about something however.

"Excuse me Miss Ratliff," said Artimus as he approached them. Goldstein immediately fell silent and stood aside. "First of all I'd like to apologize on behalf of the ship's company for any distress this incident may have caused you."

"It's really not necessary," said Neveah smiling politely although he could see it was a little forced.

"You have the apology anyway," continued Artimus sternly. "Now I have already made arrangements with the Master-at-arms to increase security in this corridor for the duration of your stay. However if you feel uncomfortable staying here then I will arrange some quarters elsewhere."

Goldstein tried to accept the offer but Neveah quickly cut him off. "No thank you Colonel. What probably happened was that one of us left the door open and a fan wanted to leave a note for me. I know that some of my activities off camera have been considered inappropriate by the more devout people in our society. I'm sure nothing else will come of it and I'd rather leave it at that if it is all the same."

Goldstein looked genuinely disappointed and after talking with Doral Artimus was certain that the director had conjured up headlines like 'Stalker pursues movie star on Battlestar' or something like that. No doubt he wanted to add the bi-line of 'Colonel proves useless'. Thankfully Neveah was saving him from all that.

"Ok then," said Artimus in a softer and more comforting tone. "Well in that case I shall bid you all good night and once again you have my apologies whether you want them or not." Artimus smiled warmly and Neveah returned the compliment.

"Good night Colonel," said Neveah. "And thank you!"


Artimus Bowman's Quarters
An hour later

The warm water from the shower streamed down onto Artimus as he stood there leaning against the tiled wall with his hands. Normally a shower would make him feel rejuvenated and fresh but today not even the warm cleansing water could ease his mind. He was annoyed that he was being prevented from investigating the origin of the mysterious note left under Neveah's pillow. For him it was a loose end on an otherwise tight ship that he helped run along with Hawker and if there was one thing Artimus Bowman despised it was loose ends. He often likened loose ends to being akin to going on holiday but leaving the front door of your house open. How can you guarantee no one is going to just walk in and take what they want?

He turned off the shower and reached for a towel from the rail before beginning to dry himself. As he went through the motion he couldn't help but wonder why anyone would send such a note. He began going over the evidence in his mind once more. Old Gemonese! The original Gemonese language was hardly spoken anymore except in a few isolated places on Gemenon. The current Gemonese language had evolved into the now universal one spoken on all twelve colonies. In a sense the old language was obsolete. Not even the Holy Scriptures were taught in it any longer.

Dried, he opened his closet and took out a pair of baggy utility trousers which were more comfortable than his duty trousers and began putting them on. As he pulled them up his thoughts turned to the piece of paper the note was written on. At the time he was sure that it was written on a piece of paper torn from a flight manual since the paper was harder and denser than most to help cope with the variable conditions often experienced operating such craft as the Raptor or Viper. Ordinary paper is too fragile and tears easily. In hindsight he began to realize that it was hardly conclusive since that type of paper was also used to make engineering manuals as well as field medical books and a plethora of other applications.

With his trousers on he reached in for a bright red t-shirt that had written across the front 'Abry Military Academy Amateur Boxing Team'. He rolled it up into a ring around the neck before placing it over his head and down onto his torso. His thoughts now turned to the message itself.

"I shall help you onto the path for thou art lost and in need of my guidance."

As Sergeant Morgan had explained it was an extract from an old proverb. The message itself was immediately obvious; someone clearly felt that Neveah Ratliff's eternal soul was in need of saving. The two questions that burned in his mind were who and how? There were many aboard Cerberus who were believers in the Gods. There was no crime in that but who would possibly go to the trouble of trying to 'save' others and have the know-how to get in and out of the room without anyone seeing him? Or her for that matter. There was no definite proof that the culprit was male. His mind drew a blank and while Doral and indeed Neveah herself may have been happy to leave it there he was not but he was forced to comply with their wishes.

He slumped into his chair beside his desk and let his head fall back as he took a deep and cleansing breath silently wishing that this had happened on someone else's ship. He closed his eyes and took in another breath. There was suddenly a heavy knocking on his hatch. His eyes shot open in surprise as he realized he had momentarily fallen asleep in his chair. He quickly composed himself before calling out for the visitor to enter.

The hatch opened and to his surprise and dread he found that his visitor was Major Barry Garner, the Chief Engineer and his wife's brother. As a rule, family members don't usually serve on the same ship but this mostly applied to blood relations. Therefore the two of them found themselves on Cerberus despite their deep loathing for one another.

Artimus braced himself before asking, "Evening Major, what can I do for you?"

Barry Garner had a brown folder in his right hand. He held it up to show Artimus who immediately recognized it as the monthly FITREP for the engineering room. Artimus leaned forward and took the folder off the Major who stood there standing quietly like a statue. This was indeed a unique moment. In all the time that Artimus had been aboard Cerberus he had never had the Engine Room's monthly FITREP delivered by Garner personally.

Artimus opened it up and glanced through it before saying, "I'm surprised you delivered this yourself Major. Usually you send someone down here with it so you don't have to be in the same room as me for more than you have to be."

Garner's beady eyes glared down at Artimus. "Permission to ask the Colonel a question?" he asked in a poisonous and hate filled tone. Artimus threw the folder down onto his desk and looked back up at Garner. He suspected what this might have been about and was frankly surprised this confrontation hadn't happened earlier.

"Depends," said Artimus. "Are asking me as your XO or your brother-in-law?"

"What do you think?" asked Garner gruffly.

"Close the hatch!" said Artimus indicating to the hatch that Garner had left open. This was between them and no one else. Garner obliged and soon the two of them were sealed in the room. "What do you want Barry?"

Garner turned around and said, "The rumor mill has been going haywire with stories about you and this…this actress that's onboard. Neveah Ratliff."

"Really? What do the rumors say?" Artimus chose to let Garner take the lead. Talking to him was just like a boxing match. It was better to wait until Garner was out of steam before Artimus threw in the killer blow as he always had done in previous encounters between the two of them.

"They say you had her in here last night and that the two of you had dinner together. Is it true?"

"Yes," said Artimus firmly. "It's true but I can assure you that nothing inappropriate happened. I would have thought that by now I wouldn't have to justify myself to you?"

"You took my sister away from her family," Garner snarled taking a step closer towards Artimus as he did so. "How could anyone trust someone like you?"

"That's not true Barry," replied Artimus calmly in order not to enflame the situation. "You drove her out, remember? And I have been nothing but faithful to Brooke since the day I met her. I wish you'd understand that."

"Faithful men don't entertain young women in their quarters behind closed doors!"

"Maybe not in your mind but I can assure you that's what happened," continued Artimus.

"What did you talk about?" asked Garner who seemed to be getting desperate to find the answer he wanted to hear as opposed to the truth that Artimus was giving him.

"What do you mean what did we talk about?" repeated Artimus sighing with frustration.

"It's a legitimate question," added Garner pushing for his answer.

"If you must know she mostly talked about her career while I talked about Brooke." Artimus made it a point to stress that they talked about his wife in an effort to convince Garner that he was honest and faithful. "And then, if you can believe it, we talked about Cylons and whether they can feel love!"

"Are you mocking me?" asked Garner whose fists seemed to clench as he heard Artimus explain the main topic of his and Neveah's conversation.

"Oh believe me, I wish I was!" said Artimus who immediately thought back to the moment he heard the ridiculous plot of the movie that was being filmed about a Cylon falling in love with a Colonial woman.

"I suppose Brooke doesn't know about your evening with another woman?" asked Garner who was now desperately trying to pick a hole in the story.

"I have hadn't chance to tell her yet," said Artimus who was now beginning to get annoyed.

"How convenient!"

"You want to tell her? Be my guest. Go on I'll even let you use my own phone." Artimus was almost daring Garner to make the next move as he gestured at the intercom handset. Garner just stood there. Although in his own mind he had a million reasons why his youngest sister shouldn't have anything to do with Artimus Bowman, the biggest of which was the age difference between the two, Garner knew that too much had been said between him and Brooke for her to pay any attention to anything he had to say anymore. In effect he had burned his bridges behind him when he prevented any of Brooke's family from attending her own wedding in protest to the marriage.

For his part Artimus never truly hated Barry Garner. Instead he felt overwhelming sympathy for him. He was so blinded by anger and frustration towards Artimus for reasons that in truth not even he fully understood that he could only ever see the bad in him. Artimus stood up and walked towards Garner who prepared himself for what he thought was the inevitable physical confrontation that the two had been ready for from day one. Instead Artimus kept his hands down and looked at Garner with considerate eyes. Who could blame Garner for wanting to protect his younger sister? It was a trait Artimus truly admired and respected but it had gone too far in this instance.

"Listen to me Barry! I love Brooke more than anything or anyone. She's my life and I would never do anything to hurt her. Now one day you're going to have to accept that we are together and when that happens I give you my word that I will accept you into my family. Let's make a start here. What do you say?"

Artimus held out his hand of friendship for Barry Garner for what was probably the one hundredth time. Barry looked down at it and thought for a moment before looking back up at Artimus and saying, "Frak your family!"

Garner then turned leaving Artimus feeling like a primed nuclear bomb. He was so infuriated that his fists had clenched together so deeply that his fingernails were digging into his palms leaving four deep indentations in his skin. He turned around and vented in one swift move as his hands thumped down onto his desk which banged in protest.

"Bastard!" he said through gritted teeth.


Battlestar Cerberus
Starboard Hangar Deck

Chief Graves was having a bad day with a particularly troublesome Viper. Any Deck Chief who had put in the time will tell you that just like their pilots Vipers are extremely temperamental. Some days they will start first time and do everything you ask it to. Other days it seemed the Viper would do everything it could to make the life of a knuckledragger a living hell. Today, Viper Nine-Seven was doing just that. The port wing missile launching mechanism, a tricky system at the best of times, was causing no end of problems. After trying to get it to properly eject the launch rail without fouling for the eighth time Graves had had enough and pulled the whole mechanism out for maintenance.

The mechanism itself is a scissor like apparatus that is light enough to be carried by a single person. Having grown frustrated with it Graves had declared war and had taken personal charge of fixing it. He carried it off the Hangar Deck and took it into the adjacent workshop before placing it down on the work bench.

He turned around to get the right sized torque wrench from the opposite side of the room when he suddenly froze with fear. There on the ground infront of him was the beaten and bloody body of one of his Specialists. His face was so badly mauled that he was unrecognizable. Having got over the immediate shock of what he was seeing he heard a faint whimpering coming from behind the workbench in the middle of the room.

He slowly walked around the bench with his heart racing and his body filled with adrenalin. Once he reached the other side he saw Aldo Giannis curled up in a ball on the floor sobbing bitterly. He was uninjured but his hands were covered in blood.