Chapter 9: Take the Achilles
ACHILLES:
The hangar bay was a dark and quiet place; the only source of light came from the flashlight the marines had attached to their rifles. The place looked much like the hangar bay on Athena, only slightly less advanced. Around them were the bodies of the crew that had not been vented out into space when the Cylons took Aft Damage Control. Even though there were no lights on, it seemed that the artificial gravity still functioned somehow.
General Otus Maxwell had figured it to be something the Cylon boarding party had done so that they wouldn't find themselves trying to float around the ship. The voice of Colonel Jake Krulak came over the wireless set, "General Maxwell, we have secured the starboard hangar bay and are setting up our command station. There are no signs of any Cylons nearby." His voice carried a tone of quiet caution, and Maxwell began to wonder just where the Cylons were located.
"Very well Colonel, I want you and your people to set up a defensive perimeter for the time being and scout the nearby corridors for any ammo or supplies that may still be on board. If you encounter any Cylons, shoot first and try to draw them to the hangar bay. There was never a clear number of how many Cylons boarded this ship, so we could either have a huge numbers advantage or we may need to call in reinforcements from the Victorious." He looked over the plans for the ship that Admiral Tolan had provided for him. The decision to take the plans for all battlestars built was a brilliant move, and one that was going to be very useful.
"Colonel, cancel that order. We are both to begin working our way towards sickbay. We will set up our command center there, and then we will make our way to Aft Damage Control and Auxiliary Fire Control." He realized that they would need all the medial supplies possible if the Cylons outnumbered them, and there would be no better place to find those than in sickbay.
His marines loaded up their gear and took a corridor that was on the far right of the hangar bay. It had been obscured by a couple of vipers thrown up against it during the atmosphere vent the Cylons did when they took the ship. He hoped they would not encounter the Cylons anytime soon, one hit to their suits and they would lose their precious oxygen. After ten minutes of walking towards the aft portion of the battlestar, they found a hatch that if his plans were correct would open into Broadway, and give them a direct route to Aft Damage Control. Once they arrived there they could restore the atmosphere to the ship.
The door opened up with a loud clank, and it was Private Tyler Anderson who peaked through into the corridor. He turned his head to the right looking in the direction of Broadway that went parallel to the path they had taken, and then he turned his head to the left. Maxwell saw the reflection in the glass faceplate of his suit; it was a bright red dot that moved back and forth. Anderson was frozen in fear as the Cylon raised a gun and shot him. He fell backwards onto the marines, and then the Cylon was standing in the doorway. He was one of the older model ones, the kind that resembled the walking chrome toasters they had heard so much about. He raised his gun to fire at the group, when one of the marines started shooting away with a machine gun. The Cylon went down in a hail of gunfire, as the other marines got their weapons and began firing. The red light went back and forth a couple more times, then finally stopped altogether and dimmed away.
Maxwell heard more footsteps coming down Broadway, and realized it was the rest of the boarding party. He ordered his marines to close the door and make sure they couldn't get through it. They did that, and not even a minute later there were loud bangs as the Cylons began to beat on the hatch in an attempt to open it. He wasn't sure how much time they had before the door gave. Looking at the plans for the ship he tried to locate a spot to retreat to so they could fight. He saw that the firing range was located not too far away from where they were. He gave the order for them to follow him and they made their way to the firing range. They went to the target area and set up there ready to fire once the Cylons came into range. While they were doing this his wireless set crackled with the voice of Colonel Krulak, "Sir we have just reached engineering, and are attempting to repair these power relays so we can power the ship up. It looks like the Chief Engineer must have sabotaged the relays as soon as the jump was completed. We found him nearby wearing a breathing apparatus. He knew the ship was doomed, and he made sure the Cylons stayed here."
Maxwell spoke to him about what to do next, "Great job Colonel, but do not turn the power on until I give you the word to. We have 3000 marines onboard right now, and I do not want to lose them because we powered the ship up without taking Aft Damage Control and Auxiliary Fire Control from the Cylons. Get your technicians working on the relays, keep some of your marines there to guard them, and then you and the rest of your marines head to Auxiliary Fire Control and take it from the Cylons." It was then that he heard a loud crashing sound and the loud thud of metallic footsteps as the Cylons came through the doorway. "Alright marines hold your ground and do not fire until you see the red of their eyes!" The thought came to him of the need for possible hand-to-hand combat with these toasters. "Marines, fix bayonets! Let's open us up some tin cans when they come to visit us!" As they waited, the sound of the footsteps came closer and closer to where they were.
Krulak had taken the other marines from Maxwell's group with him on the way to Auxiliary Fire Control. Maxwell had taken a hundred and fifty of his best marines with him to scout out Aft Damage Control. The rest were still in the hangar bay waiting for orders. With 2000 marines at his disposal, Krulak easily defeated the 100 or so Cylons that were waiting at Auxiliary Fire Control. They had to engage in hand-to-hand combat at times, but when the smoke had cleared they had regained this part of the ship. He relayed the information to his technicians in engineering, and they began to work on turning the power back on. He went to contact General Maxwell, but found out his situation was grim. His force was pinned down in the Firing Range, and the Cylons at least two-to-one outnumbered them. He ordered part of his force to stay there and guard Auxiliary Fire Control, another part to sweep the ship for any rogue Cylons and the rest went to go with him to the firing range to save General Maxwell and his group.
His bayonet found its way into the chest of the toaster that tried to kill him, another one was down and there were so many to go. His marines had held out as best they could, and the Cylons kept coming for them. He gave his group credit; they were making the toasters pay dearly for every inch of the firing range they tried to move them from. He had taken casualties of about fifty people, and he hoped the rest could hold out until Krulak could get here. The Cylons pushed their way into the Firing Range despite the withering gunfire of the marines. One came and charged for him, Maxwell was out of ammo now and raised the bayonet on his machine gun to take down the frakking machine. Instead, the Cylon barreled into him and sent him flying against the bulkhead. His back hit hard and he felt a searing pain the middle of his back. He reached for his gun, but the Cylon put its foot on his arm. He looked into its red eye, wondering if it could feel any emotion. The Cylon raised its gun to shoot him in the head, and then its head exploded in a shower of sparks and electronic parts. The rest of the men cheered as Krulak arrived with his squadron of marines. The Cylons had been trapped and all went down as the marines finished them once and for all.
Krulak walked up to General Maxwell and offered him a hand to help him up; he had no qualms at all about taking it. Once he was up on his feet, Maxwell saluted the colonel and shook his hand. If it hadn't have been for him there was no doubt the Cylon would have killed him. "Great work Kulak, let's finish off the Cylons and get this ship working again."
Five hours later, every inch of the Achilles was Cylon-free and they had the battlestar powered up and working properly. The repair dock Neosho came over and, in much the same way Vestal had taken in Atlantia, the Achilles was secured and waiting for inspection and any repair work.
There were over two thousand dead on the Achilles, the Colonial Marines lost in the battle to retake the battlestar and the crew that wasn't vented out into space when the Cylons took over Aft Damage Control. The memorial service was held on board Achilles, which had been allowed to leave the Neosho for this occasion. Admiral Tolan spoke first, taking the time to praise Commander Rigel and crew for their selfless sacrifice. He commented how they sacrificed themselves so that others may live. He ended with thanking those who lost their lives in the battles with the Cylons, and how every person in the fleet owed them a debt of gratitude for making the ultimate sacrifice so that everyone could live to see another day. He then walked to the flag covered body of Commander Dominic Rigel, and pinned a Colonial Medal of Valor to the flag so that it would travel with him when he made his final journey into space. He saluted the commander then turned and walked to the stage where the other dignitaries were sitting.
After a blessing offered from Adrasteia, the bodies were loaded one-by-one into the airlock and sent out into space. There were four pallbearers assigned to each of the dead. The Colonial Fleet crews were given pallbearers selected from the crews of the five battlestars while the marines were given pallbearers from General Maxwell's Marine Expeditionary Force. Commanders Tyrone Carter, Charlie Watts, Naomi Sakura, and Tim Nash carried Commander Dominic Rigel's body to the airlock. With the ceremony over, Achilles was moved back to Neosho and powered down for the time being. The fleet then jumped to a nearby nebula that Astrometrics had detected; there they would hide from the Cylons while they elected their new president.
Chapter 10: Say Hello to the New Boss
VICTORIOUS:
The kids were asleep, and soon Emily would be sleeping as well. For Scott Tolan sleep was harder to come by. He felt he should have counted himself fortunate; he had managed to gain a new battlestar and solve one of the most enduring mysteries from the Cylon War. Yet he couldn't make himself feel totally at ease with everything. In the back of his mind, however, he knew what it was. The possibility that Hector Alonzo could be elected to the Presidency shook him to his core. Alonzo never really tried to consult him on matters, and whenever he brought up any ideas to the former Caprica City mayor he would be told that the matter would be discussed with Admiral Kronus.
He had mentioned these concerns to Kronus, and the answers were disturbing. Tolan had learned just how little regard Alonzo had for him. In the eyes of Hector Alonzo, Admiral Scott Tolan was a man who got his rank by making a marriage of convenience. In other words, it was the same line he heard from those in the fleet who were skeptical of his abilities to lead. He felt compelled to ask Kronus just what might happen if Alonzo were to win the election. Tolan wondered if Alonzo would sack him and put Kronus in complete command of the Colonial Fleet. When he mentioned it to the Admiral, he was told that Alonzo would be crazy to do such a thing. He had even advised him against making such a move, and had mentioned in the past that Tolan was more than able to handle the position of being an admiral.
It was all too familiar to him, the doubts people had about how deserving he was of being an admiral. He always believed he got by on his own merits; he neither asked for nor wanted the influence of the Graystone family. He got the feeling that Kronus supported him, and that was a relief in more ways than one. They worked well together, and he was due to have his own battlestar group once the Atlantia was back in service. He wouldn't say he idolized the man, but he respected John Kronus for the experience and insight he brought to the table. When one was running from the Cylons for all they were worth, one didn't turn away any possible help that could be had.
SPHINX:
Commander Tyrone Carter busied himself in his quarters with the stacks of paperwork he had allowed to pile up. He somewhat did it on purpose, with the election going on he would need a way to help pass the time by until they had a new president. He stood a height of six feet and six inches, with the build of a pyramid player. He had been a star athlete in school, going so far as to almost have a full scholarship to the University of Gemenon. It was his senior year when he was the victim of a dirty hit in a school Pyramid game. The man in question had laid a late hit on him after he had scored the winning score for his school. The from-behind hit caused Carter to completely tear his ACL and MCL in his left knee. While he would recover from it, the speed and elusiveness he possessed were now gone forever. The University of Gemenon withdrew their scholarship and he had no real hopes after school of going to college. He could have gone into the grocery business his father owned, but instead he joined up with the Colonial Fleet and was accepted into the Viper Training Program. There he learned how to fly, and found the same kind of rush he experience whenever he played a Pyramid game.
The other bad thing that came out of the injury was his attitude and temper. He felt such extreme bitterness at losing what he thought was his true calling in life. Because of a sore loser on the other team, he couldn't take care of his family the way he wanted and now he had to find a new direction in life. His attitude had become one of being mad at the world, a case of feeling that everything was owed to him. When he finally arrived at the Academy he and his fellow freshmen were greeted by a group of seniors who gave them a proper 'introduction' to the school and it's sacred rite of passage for first year students. He made up his mind to strike the first senior who grabbed him, and he did just that.
The right hook connected squarely on the man's jaw, sending him back and leaving everyone in the vicinity looking at him in stunned silence. He mouthed off that none of them were going to lay a hand on him and that was all there was to it. He turned around facing each of the seniors and giving his best angry glare. When he turned around to look down at the senior he had punched, he had a brief glimpse of the man off of the floor with a fist coming straight for his face. The punch knocked him unconscious, and when he woke up he was laying on a bunk.
Sitting in a chair by the bed was the senior he had struck, looking at him with an amused look on his face. "Cadet Scott Tolan at your service let me tell you newbie that you are probably in a world of trouble."
Carter shook his head to get the cobwebs out, "What do you mean a world of trouble, all I did was give you a right hook and you gave one back to me."
Tolan let out a hearty laugh, "You struck a senior, one of the rules of the Academy here is that you show respect to your upper classmen and you never under any circumstances strike a superior. I'm all for rules and regulations, can't even imagine how our society would function without them. So therefore, going by the rules I am supposed to turn you over to the Commandant of the Academy so that you can be properly punished and dealt with." He paused briefly before he spoke again, "However, I am willing to give you the benefit of the doubt here and assume that you have some deep-seeded anger issues dealing with your parents, brothers, sisters, or just the world in general. In that case I advise you to go find a priest and get some counseling. I won't turn you in this time, but the next time you strike me or anybody else for a reason other than self-defense I will make it my personal mission to get you drummed out of this school faster than I knocked you out earlier. So shape up newbie and get you're head on straight, it's the best thing you can do.' He got up to leave, and then turned around to speak again. "You don't know much about military protocol do you? You are supposed to salute a higher ranking officer or upperclassman."
Carter saluted him, and Tolan returned the salute. It was then that he noticed something different about his hands, particularly your fingers. "Damn it man, what did you do to my fingers?" He looked at them in horror, what kind of man was he dealing with?
Scott Tolan's face registered a surprise as though he had forgotten something very important, "Oh, that!!!! Well Tyrone, I wanted to leave you with a little present to remember your first day at the Academy so I took it upon myself to give you a reminder. I borrowed my girlfriend's hot pink nail polish and now you have the prettiest nails in all of the freshman class. I can assure you, that won't come off easily. Granted I'm not one to paint my nails but it might even take a few days actually before you can get it off." He must have seen the angry look that came over him because he also added, "One more thing Tyrone, if you think that's bad then consider the fact that I almost borrowed her lipstick and mascara. Granted she would have had to apply it to you, but once I told her what happened she was more than willing. Have a great day newbie, don't forget take whatever is making you angry and promptly get over it." With that said he turned around and left the room.
He had worked out his anger, and stayed a model cadet throughout the rest of his time at the Academy. After graduation he was posted to the Triton and after a few years he was posted to the Mercury where he would serve along with the battlestar's CAG, Scott Tolan. They had gained a respect for one another, and over time had become friends. When the commander of the Sphinx was promoted to the Admiralty, it was Tolan who recommended him for the posting. They didn't want to give it to him, but Tolan vouched for him and put his reputation on the line. Now with the Cylon attack over with, he now owed Tolan his life. He wanted to go charging into battle with the rest of the fleet at Virgon, and if he had done that he would have died with everyone else.
His door buzzed and in walked Colonel Megan Domra, his XO for as long he had been in command of the Sphinx. Her skin was dark like his, and she kept her hair fairly short. She was good at her job, and had never given him a reason to doubt she'd make a great commander. "Sit down Megan; I need a word with you."
She sat down and they exchanged pleasantries, and then he got down to the point of his visit. "Megan, as you know they have the Achilles in the Neosho's dock undergoing a refit and modernization. I've spoken with Admirals Tolan and Kronus about it, and they have agreed that you are to be promoted to Commander and take command of the Achilles immediately." He took out a small box, and handed it to her. She opened it and inside of it were the commander pins she would need for her uniform. "Congratulations Commander Megan Domra, I know you'll make me and everyone else proud." He held out his hand for her to shake, and she did but once she wiped the tears from her eyes she wrapped her arms around him.
"Thank you Tyrone, this means so much to me. Why was I chosen to command Achilles? What about Colonel Omega, Colonel Barton, Colonel Kimmell, or Colonel Cordova?" The tone of her voice was one of curiosity; she must not have thought that she would have been chosen for command.
"Oddly enough Megan, they agreed that you could pick your own XO even if you pick one of the people you just named. As for why you were chosen, you have the experience with the battle group and you have all of the qualifications. Omega was just recently promoted to XO. Barton and Kimmell were promoted when Athena and Ares were brought back into service. As for Cordova, he was made XO of Helios once Sakura became commander. She didn't become commander of Helios until shortly before we left for the weapons test and that was only because Commander Gates died of a sudden heart attack. Out of everyone that I felt could step up as a commander, you were the best choice and I tried damn hard to convince our two admirals that you were the right one for the job." He smiled at her, and his answer seemed to put her at ease.
"Before you leave though, I would like for you to go over these folders here and pick out your XO. The two of you will then take up residence on Neosho and oversee the restoration of Achilles." He handed her a drink and she found a seat and began leafing through the folders he had for her to look through.
It took her about two hours of reading and note taking before she finally reached her decision. "Commander, I want you to let Admiral Tolan know that I am requesting Travis Omega to become my executive officer. He did say that I could have my pick of anyone in the fleet, and it's Omega."
He nodded his head and let her know that it would be so, and then she left to go get her possessions ready to go over to Neosho. Once she had left he set about the paperwork he had to finish. He turned out his wireless set to hear about the election results. The news commentator mentioned that Hector Alonzo was in the lead, with Michael Fowler and David Rush not far behind in a dead heat for second. He had heard rumors that Alonzo would try to get rid of Tolan if he should win. He thought of how Alonzo should be careful with Admiral Tolan, lest he wake up from a bout of unconsciousness with his fingernails painted hot pink.
24 Hours Later:
Tim and Gianne had joined Scott and Emily for dinner aboard Victorious. The three kids had gone to bed after dessert, and the four of them sat in the flag quarters talking over the wireless reports of the election. It was Gianne who spoke up first after they sat down, "Tell me Scott and Emily, how did the two of you meet? I don't believe even Tim knows the story." Tim shook his head, confirming that he had no idea.
"Well we met at Croadan Beach on Caprica. I was there as a contestant in the Miss Caprica pageant, one that I would eventually win. I was taking a stroll on the beach when suddenly this ball comes sailing by my head. Next thing I know there are six men running in my direction. They had a small pyramid court set up and apparently one of them had thrown the ball way out of bounds. They come my way, and one of them pushes the guy at the right end into me. We both start to fall, and he maneuvers his body so that he takes most of the fall and I land on top of him. After I got my wits about me, we talked for the longest time. I found out that he was a pilot on the battlestar Mercury. I told him who I was and what I was doing there and he gives me this serious look and says, 'Honey, right now if I were one of the judges you'd have my vote!' I gave him my thanks and was going to be on my way. He asked if he could see me again, since he was on leave for three more days. We met again during some of my breaks during the pageant and that was the beginning of our relationship." Once she finished she kissed Scott and took another sip of her drink.
"Breaking news: We have now confirmed that the elections are over with Hector Alonzo winning the Presidency. Coming in second, and filling the office of Vice President, is Michael Fowler. Barely missing out on second place is David Rush, and behind him is Jasmine Deitra. I repeat: Hector Alonzo has won the Presidency, with Michael Fowler winning the Vice Presidency." The voice of Jane Kinsey then switched over to one of the political commentators.
Tim Nash spoke up next, "Well Admiral I think we'd best get on the phone and give our congratulations to President Alonzo and Vice President Fowler." Tolan nodded and Nash went to the wall and asked Ensign Jennings to put him through to Alonzo.
"Congratulations Mr. President, it was a well run campaign and a hard fought victory. Give my regards to Vice President Fowler as well. Where am I at sir? I am on the Victorious with Admiral Tolan. You would like to speak to him, yes sir." He motioned for Tolan to come over and he did. "The President would like to speak to you sir."
He took the receiver and spoke, "This is Admiral Tolan Mr. President, I would like to give you my congratulations."
He listened more to what Alonzo was telling him, "The Atlantia is scheduled to be formally commissioned in two days sir, she is still to be commanded by Admiral Kronus…yes sir I will speak to you after the commissioning ceremony. Goodnight Mr. President." He hung up the phone and went back to sit with his wife and their company.
"President Alonzo would like to speak with me in two days once we have formally put Atlantia back into commission. He says it is an urgent matter." His voice betrayed the doubts he had about just how urgent the matter was.
"Admiral, from the reports I've read it sounds like Atlantia is still not ready to leave Vestal or is at least not battle-ready just yet." Tim was a commander of a battlestar, but not quite as in the loop as the two admirals were.
"Atlantia has had all of her equipment installed and we have managed to build the squadrons of vipers she will need. By all accounts she can be brought back into commission. The problem is loading her up with fuel, ordinance, and getting her a crew that is trained up to the standards of the Colonial Fleet. Right now all Atlantia has in terms of personnel is Admiral Kronus and Colonel Graystone. That's only a commanding and executive officer." He finished his drink, and then announced that he was ready to call it a night.
After Tim and Gianne had left, he laid there in bed with his arms around Emily. They had just had a memorable love making session; the kind that left him feeling as satisfied as a man could hope to feel. As she slept in his arms, he thought of her and their family. He also thought of President Hector Alonzo, and just how much dislike that man seemed to have for him. In two days he would have his answer as to what the urgent matter at hand was.
Elsewhere on Victorious, there were developments taking place among the pilots. Daphne "Cassiopeia" Sari stood outside the door to the bunks for the raptor pilots. With her was Jamie "Cashew" Hamilton, they had spoken with Artemis and had a very long talk about what to do concerning the situation between her and Magic. Jamie was ready to go through with the plan, she just kept telling herself to not screw up and really wreck things with her and Magic. After all, they were still assigned to a raptor together.
Larsen "Magic" Banks sat alone among the racks of his fellow raptor pilots. His squadron had been put on some sort of raptor training assignment. Andrea "Artemis" Graystone had found they were all in need of some extra time in their raptors. Everyone except for him and Cashew, but he hadn't seen her for quite some time. They still flew together but there was some awkward tension between them. He heard the door open and in walked Jamie, he said hello to her and turned around to pull the sheets back so he could get some rack time.
He felt her grab his shoulder and he turned around. When he did that she pressed up against him and gave him a kiss that was full of passion and desire. He didn't fight it, and more than returned the kiss. They went onto his rack and off went their clothes. He wasn't sure how long they went at it, but it was for quite some time. When she finally said she had to go, she gave him a kiss and began to put her clothes back on. He looked her up and down and said, "You know Jamie, and things aren't going to be the same between us." He gave her one of his best smiles; pleased with the turn his luck had taken.
She smiled back at him, "I know and I wouldn't have it any other way." With that she walked out and closed the door, feeling as though she had finally managed to put the ghost of her fiancé behind her.
Once she closed the door, Jamie saw that Daphne was still standing against the bulkhead across from the door to the racks. "Alright Jamie, I've just spent the past Gods-know how long listening to you two going at it like there was no tomorrow. Not to mention me keeping any of the other pilots from going into there in case Artemis called her exercise off early. Now there are two things I need…" She stopped talking as a sly smile came to her face, "One are details of course, and the other is a really cold shower!"
Chapter 11: Standoff
The dock of the Vestal was still enclosed as it had been since Virgon, but it looked regal compared to the past months. Commander Richard Hill and his crew had cleaned up the dock in preparation for the commissioning ceremony of Atlantia. The battlestar gleamed and looked as good as new, which she essentially was. Months of hard work salvaging other battlestars and using those parts to rebuild the wrecked Atlantia had paid off considerably. She was bigger now, they virtually had to strip her down to frame and go from there. Under Chief Billy Ayers, who would now be taking over as Deck Chief for Atlantia, the battlestar now boasted missile turrets, more rail guns, extra guns for defense, and more guns for flak attacks. It was all of these vast improvements that led to Atlantia getting a new name, she was now known as "The Monster". Each of the seven battlestars had earned their own nickname, one example was of Athena: "The Relic".
"Admiral John Kronus was seriously injured and was greatly suffering when in command of the Fourth Fleet when he thwarted the Cylon offensive at the Battle of Cosmora Archipelago. Yet despite being seriously injured in the battle, he kept his mind strong and refused medical assistance until the task at hand was accomplished." The words of President Hector Alonzo resonated in the metallic confines of the Vestal's dock. He had begun the commissioning ceremony of Atlantia with an announcement that he intended to honor the battlestar's commanding officer, Admiral John Kronus. "I have not one award to give to this great Colonial hero today, but instead I have two awards to hand to him!"
As if on cue, the Colonial Fleet's anthem began to play and Admiral Kronus stepped up the podium where President Alonzo stood. He saluted him, and Alonzo returned it. "On this day Admiral Kronus I am pleased to present you with The Distinguished Service Medallion for all of your hard work since the Cylon War ended and for all you've done for the fleet since the fall of the Twelve Colonies. This next award has only been awarded posthumously and was only awarded to those who died during the Cylon War. To you Admiral Kronus I now award The Star of Kobol!" A roar of applause filled the dock as Alonzo bestowed the ultimate honor that any in the Colonial Fleet could ever hope to attain. When it was over, he saluted Kronus again and then the admiral returned to his seat among the dignitaries.
Among those seated with him were crewmembers that would take up the vital positions on Atlantia, the other battlestar commanders, and the Quorum of Twelve delegation. The only person missing from this was Admiral Scott Tolan, Alonzo told him that he needed him to lead the other battlestars from Victorious in case the Cylons by chance showed up and tried to attack. Tolan figured it was a lie but didn't press the issue. Besides, he felt right at home in the CIC of a battlestar and not mugging in front of the camera for a great photo-op.
The ceremonies were over, and Atlantia had been given a blessing by the priestess. Alonzo threw a switch nearby, and the lights dimmed in the dock and for a second there was total blackness. A loud gasp left those caught off-guard by it, but then the lights of Atlantia came on and illuminated the enclosed dock. It was then that Alonzo stepped up to the microphone. "It is now my pleasure to welcome Battlestar Atlantia into the Colonial Fleet. So say we all!"
Once everyone had returned to their vessels, the stage was taken down and the crew of Vestal went back to work on the Atlantia. Now that she was back in the fleet, Kronus could take up residence on her and start on getting his crew trained. They would be a mix of people from the different vessels of the military and a large dose of civilians who both volunteered for the assignment and those who were allocated here once they signed up to join the military.
Kronus turned the command over to Colonel Andre Graystone for now, he needed to go over to Olympica and have a word with President Alonzo. There was something odd about not having Admiral Tolan at the ceremony today, and especially not awarding him any of the medals. If anyone can be held responsible for their having made it this far, it was Tolan more than anyone else. He knew how Alonzo felt about the man, but it didn't make much sense. It reminded him of the way President Adar acted when he couldn't get him to agree with his downsizing of the Colonial Fleet. Now more than ever the civilians and the military needed each other if they hoped to make it to Galactica or a new home world.
He was standing in the situation room going over the information he had received from one of his raptors. It looked as though they had found a habitable planet with a rich supply of tylium deposits. Tolan needed to get more tylium for the fleet, they had plenty of supplies in the tankers but there was no telling how far they would go until they found a new source. The only downside was that it seemed the Cylons were in the area and attempting to build a tylium processing plant on the planet's surface. That could be problematic at best. His thoughts were interrupted by the voice of Ensign Jennings; she had opened the door and walked into the room with a piece of paper in her hand. "Admiral, I just received a message from the Olympica. It's from President Alonzo." Her left hand, the one with the paper, was shaking and her face looked ashen as if she had just seen a ghost.
"Are you alright Ms. Jennings?" She didn't answer right away, and he knew something was wrong. "Jessica, come here and tell me what is going on with you." He had to make it sound like an order to get her to walk over to him. Once she made it to him, she started sobbing. Tolan put an arm around her to comfort her, and with his free arm he took the paper she was holding and began to read it.
TO: Admiral Scott Tolan: Commander Battle Group 66
FROM: President Hector Alonzo: President, Twelve Colonies of Kobol
Admiral Tolan,
As of now I am using my authority over the military to relieve you of command of Victorious immediately. I am assigning Admiral Kronus to the position of Commander-In-Chief of all units of the Colonial Fleet and you are to retire to a civilian ship of your choice along with your family. Do not think this is a slap in the face to you, I know you hold your abilities to command in high regard. The fact is that I do not have the same faith in your abilities to lead that you do. We are at war with the Cylons Mr. Tolan, and John Kronus is a man who has faced down the enemy and defeated them decisively. This is a hard decision for me to make, but I feel it must be made. The time has come for you to, as a great man once put it, ''Go the way of all old warriors, and fade away into History.' I know you have pegged Captain Benjamin Adar to take over as your Executive Officer. I expect you to inform him that he is being promoted to Commander and that Major Anton Pontiere is to be promoted to Colonel. They do not know this yet; I will trust you to handle this. You are a good soldier Scott Tolan, I know you will do your duty and make this as painless as possible for all those involved.
Sincerely,
Hector Alonzo
President of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol
PS: Once you and your family have left Victorious for a civilian ship please pass the word along to my press secretary. I have much to do and not enough time to do it all. I know you will understand.
Tolan made sure that Ensign Jennings was calm before he assured her that he would fight this. When she asked how, he told her it was going to be dangerous. The President thought enough of him to dismiss him by letter and not do a face-to-face meeting. He tried to channel the rage he was feeling, if Hector Alonzo had been in front of him he would go down as the President with the shortest time in office before being assassinated.
They left the Situation Room and made their way to the CIC, where Benjamin Adar was serving as Officer of the Watch. "XO, I want you to launch all vipers and raptors immediately. Ensign Jennings, I want you to get me a secure line with President Alonzo. Major Pontiere, I want you to wait for my orders at Tactical." He gave the orders in rapid-fire succession.
"Admiral Tolan, vipers and raptors will be airborne shortly." Adar announced before walking up to Tolan. "Sir, with all due respect what in the name of the Gods is going on here?"
"Colonel, I have just experienced a power grab from our President. He has just dismissed me from the Colonial Fleet and banished my family and I to some yet-to-be-named civilian ship while Admiral Kronus assumes command of all Colonial Fleet Vessels. This is an unacceptable situation, especially since I played a large role in saving his ungrateful ass." He spoke quietly with an edge in his voice that probably chilled Adar. "You are to take command of Victorious from me, so I will ask you right now and you have only one chance to answer. Are you with me or against me?"
The smartest thing Adar could have done was not hesitate and he answered right away, "I'm with you Admiral, the Gods know that I feel safer with you here than without you."
Tolan nodded his head, "Good choice Ben, I'd have hated to have had you arrested and thrown in the brig for mutiny."
Ensign Jennings reported that she had the President on the secure line. He smiled and thanked her before picking up the phone. "Mr. President, I'm so glad you can take the time to speak me." He kept the anger out of his voice, though it was a nearly impossible task.
"Mr. Tolan…" Hector Alonzo began, not even trying to conceal his annoyance at being disturbed. "I am a busy man, why am I being harassed by a civilian or at least a rogue admiral who can't take a hint?"
"Well Mr. President, I have read your orders and I respectfully ask for the chance to speak to you and see if we can work out this situation between us…" He couldn't finish his sentence when Alonzo became livid.
"I do not have to take orders from you Scott Tolan, you do not deserve to wear that uniform nor do you deserve the rank that the Greystone family obviously allowed to be given to you. Let me explain something to you and I will try to make myself clear. You are related to the Graystone family and that is the only reason why you were even an admiral in the first place! You bought your commission by marrying a Graystone woman whose only talent is probably knowing how to work the pole…" He took a pause but those in the CIC saw the shade of crimson that Tolan was turning and probably made the connection that it wasn't going well. "I had to run against a Graystone in my election campaign, and I know all too well how evil and manipulative you people are. I have an admiral who is a bona fide hero and deserves to command the fleet again. You have to follow my orders and you will do so. You are not qualified to command a battlestar, and the only reason you have one is because of your in-laws. You can claim all you wanted to that you saved the Olympica. Well the truth is we would have been saved even without the help of you and your precious battlestar! So get off your frakking ass and get the hell off of my battlestar. Do you understand me!?"
Tolan spoke, but it wasn't to Hector Alonzo. Instead he spoke to Major Pontiere, "Mr. Pontiere, load launch tubes 1 through 5 with Sundowner missiles. Target the Olympica for me."
Anton Pontiere froze and didn't move a finger for a few seconds. It was then that Tolan turned to him, "Mr. Pontiere is there a reason why you are not following my orders? If you have any reservations at all about this, I can have you think your priorities over in the brig and bring in someone who is willing to follow a command from a superior officer." His tone was emotionless, yet it had a terrifying effect on Pontiere. His fingers began flying over the tactical console and he reported that the tubes were loaded and ready to launch.
Once that was confirmed he picked up the phone, "Are you still there Mr. President, you seem to have gone strangely quiet?"
"Tolan you can't do this, you are going to kill over 6,000 innocent civilians as well as my wife and kids. You're not some kind of monster, come to you senses!"
"Very well then Mr. President, rescind your order and have a face-to-face meeting with me. I have worked my ass off to get to the rank of Admiral, I am not going to let a politician like yourself get rid of me in such a demeaning and humiliating way."
"Absolutely not Tolan, you are a Graystone and I can't trust you with our security. This is the only way to make things right. I can't let you act like a madman and threaten us. Like I said earlier, you don't want the blood of over 6,000 innocent people on your hands do you?" His voice was somewhat pleading, but still held that air of contempt from earlier.
When he spoke again his voice still held the emotionless edge to it, "Hector I am willing to destroy ten Olympicas if it means I can save the Colonial Fleet from the grasp of a power hungry megalomaniac like yourself. You have three minutes to make a decision. Either you can meet me and work this out, or you will have to explain to your family just why you sentenced them to death. Your call, Mr. President."
"You're a madman Tolan, no way you would be willing to commit murder…" His voice was becoming more desperate.
"Try me Hector, you just try me. By the way, you have two minutes to go now. Clock's ticking away Mr. President." The phone was silent as the second minute went by, "One more minute Hector and then I terminate your presidency. What's it going to be, Mr. President?"
"Alright, alright I'll do it Tolan. I'll meet you on the first shuttle I can. I'll see you on the Victorious, now please call off your missiles?" His voice had the sound of a desperate plea by a desperate man. "Very well then…" He signaled to Pontiere who then ended the countdown, "I will send word for when I am ready to meet with you Mr. President, I hope we can have a very meaningful and fruitful talk." With that he motioned for Ensign Jennings to cut the connection.
With that done he turned to face Major Pontiere, "Anton the next time I give you an order and you do not obey it I'll do more than just send you to the brig. Do you understand?" Pontiere nodded and all in the CIC let out a collective breath.
It was then that Benjamin Adar walked up to him, "Admiral I just want to say that I never want to play a game of cards with you. I've never seen anyone play a bluff like that before."
Tolan smiled, a genuine one as opposed to the grim one from earlier. "You know what the secret to a good bluff is Colonel Adar?"
Adar looked stumped as he thought about it, "No sir, I can't really say."
Tolan patted him on the shoulder, "The secret to a good bluff is to not bluff." With that said he turned and walked out of the CIC to go back to his quarters.
OLYMPICA:
Hector Alonzo put the phone down, and saw just how badly his hand was shaking. He took several deep breaths, and turned around to find Admiral John Kronus standing there looking at him with thinly veiled rage. "Admiral, it's so great to see you! Just how long have you been there?"
Kronus took a step towards him, a rather menacing step. "Long enough Hector to hear that you tried to do to Admiral Tolan what President Adar did to me. Not only that, but you almost got you and myself killed because you pushed Admiral Tolan and he pushed back hard."
"Listen John, I was thinking of you when I did that. You are the true hero of the fleet. Without you, we have no chance against the Cylons…"
It was then that Kronus decked him with his left hand, sending him flying over the couch in his suite. "You did that to soothe your bruised ego and wounded pride from trying to beat Joseph Graystone in the Caprica City election. That punch wasn't for insinuating that Tolan bought his commission."
He reached over the couch and pulled Alonzo up by his shirt. "Sit down Hector, I won't hit you again. I promise." With that Alonzo sat down and Kronus glared at him. "Emily Tolan is a fine lady, I've met her while she was here on the Olympica with her three kids. Loving mother and wife, actually is very well informed about the news and politics, not to mention that she is a good and decent woman. I don't have a problem with you telling Scott how you feel about him; he is a man who can take care of himself. I do draw the line at you telling him that all his wife knows how to do is 'work a pole', and when you go meet with Admiral Tolan I want you to look his wife in the eye and apologize to her. Can you do that for me?" Alonzo nodded and said that he could.
"Good Hector, now one more thing I plan to do. You see, I came here to tell you that you should leave Admiral Tolan alone because him and I work well together. He's good for this fleet and believe it or not we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him. Now that I've had the chance to hear how you really feel, that and the Richard Adar stunt you just pulled…" He stood up and took off his rank insignias as well as the two medals that Alonzo had bestowed upon him. "I am resigning from the Colonial Fleet, you only want one admiral in charge now you can have that. I would rather serve honorably as a civilian than live in shame under a president who does not appreciate the military assets he possesses."
He sat the medals down on the table in front of the couch President Alonzo was sitting on. "Goodbye Mr. President, I wish you the best."
Alonzo watched in horror as Kronus walked out of the suite and probably back to his cabin. He had wanted revenge against the Graystones and thought he was getting it by sacking Tolan. Now he had created a bigger mess than the one the fleet was already in. It was at that point that he resolved to himself to meet with Admiral Tolan and make things right, and somehow convince John Kronus to stay with the Colonial Fleet and not retire once again to civilian life.