Chapter Four: Collision Course

Kyros Station, E-Deck, Special Projects Section:

Fleet Admiral Scott Tolan followed Major General Audric Gauthier through the blast doors, and with a loud whooshing sound they closed behind them.

"They automatically seal when people pass through them; it's another measure to keep out unauthorized personnel," Gauthier said when he saw the look on Tolan's face.

"Whatever you have here must be something out of a movie," Tolan said as he began to wonder just what it was he was going to discover on this station.

"You could say that; it's going to be more obvious when you see what we have here," Gauthier reassured him as he led the way down the corridor.

Tolan looked and noticed that there were doors that were closed and looked as though they had been securely locked. "What's behind these doors?"

"Storage rooms," Gauthier responded.

"Why do you need storage rooms locked up with those types of locks?" Tolan asked.

"It's all about security on this base," Gauthier said before turning a corner and calling for Tolan to follow him.

"So you have added security measures inside your tightly secured area. I think my aunt was less paranoid than whoever put these measures into effect," Tolan quipped as he caught up to Gauthier.

"Ah yes, the famous Basileus paranoia. Tell me, how has that worked out?" Gauthier asked.

"It kept my aunt alive until she died from natural causes. So, you and your people here really have no idea of what's been happening these past eight months?"

Gauthier shook his head. "This base is almost completely isolated, apart from the regular transmissions we received from Gray."

Tolan nodded his head understandingly. The Ministry of Intelligence, headquartered in the city of Gray on Picon, was notorious for its secrecy. He had heard rumors that President Adar was becoming less fond of the agency but he had always attributed that to simply being the result of the political rumor mill.

There was a silence between the two before Tolan spoke up, "The Cylons came back with a vengeance. They damn near wiped out everyone in the Colonies."

Gauthier was quiet as he digested the information. "Just how bad was it?

Tolan exhaled. "I have maybe a half million survivors. I've heard that there are still small pockets out there but after eight months there's no telling how long they've been able to stay alive."

"If the Cylons are as thorough as you're making it sound then I wouldn't hold out too much hope," Gauthier said before adding, "I suppose our extreme secrecy has worked to our advantage."

"It certainly worked in your favor, if it hadn't have been for a blind jump we might never have discovered this place."

"Are you sure it's not the work of divine intervention?" Gauthier asked in a tone that smacked of cynical amusement.

"Right now, I'm not even trying to pretend to know what the higher-ups are thinking; my focus is on staying alive to fight another day. If the gods intervene on my behalf I won't complain. If they don't, then I'll just do what I can to make my own luck."

Gauthier let out a chuckle. "Spoken like a man who's had to carry the weight of the worlds on his shoulders."

"Feels like it, but it is a part of the price to be paid for wearing the uniform."

The two stopped at another set of blast doors. Gauthier inserted a keycard into a slot and pressed a series of letters and numbers on the keypad. "Admiral, if you weren't with me, the people guarding this room would shoot, and then ask why you were here."

"It's that serious here," Tolan said.

"Yes it is," Gauthier responded as the doors opened and he led Tolan into the main research area.

Tolan looked at the object in the center of the room, stunned by what he saw; it was unlike anything he had seen in his life, "Gods…"

Kyros Station, Shuttle Bay 1-C:

Lieutenant Valencia 'Val' Warrick was in the process of going through her list of pre-flight checks. She would have normally been content to sit in her pilot's seat, but with the arrival of Commander Bridget Woods and Major Darren Clay it seemed prudent to let them have their conversation in private. She was not sure what was going on with Admiral Tolan, but if she needed to have the Raptor ready to fly at a moment's notice then she was determined to not let him down. She had not been too sure what to expect when they found themselves in their current situation, but so far the admiral had proven himself to be resourceful enough to keep them alive and that had to count for something.

In the cabin of the Raptor, Woods and Clay sat still in the middle of their conversation. In the time since they had met on the Libran moon of Ostarsis they had talked strategy and how to share joint command of their resistance forces but there had not been much time to have a conversation more meaningful than one along those lines.

"So you and Admiral Tolan have some history," Clay said as he broached a subject he had wanted to discuss deeper.

"You could say that; I spent a few years as his XO on both the Vanguard and the Victorious before I got my own command. I've been able to enjoy being his friend and colleague," Woods replied.

"That's the official line, but there's something more with the two of you," Clay pressed.

"What makes you say something like that?" Woods said slightly defensively.

"There's a comfort level with you and Tolan that goes beyond being just colleagues. I get along well with my troops on and off the field but there's no look in our eyes that comes to close to what there is with the two of you," he said.

Woods wanted to deny what he was implying but a part of her mind told her it was not going to be much use. "We had a fling back in the day."

"So the leader of the Ostarsis resistance was involved with a married man?" Clay asked in a manner that was more akin to teasing than judgmental.

"He wasn't married then, but at that point in our careers it was just not meant to be. It was a slight scandal because of who his family is and because of who my family is. The daughter of the Quorum of Twelve's Virgon delegate becomes intimate with the heir to the Basileus crime syndicate. Scott was able to weather the scandal but it could have ended my career," Woods said.

"Care to explain how it could have ended your career?" Clay asked as he began to digest the information he had just been told.

"You can't tell me the Army doesn't have its political factions. Gods know, the Colonial Fleet does and if you're not careful you can find yourself blindsided," Woods explained.

"Of course it does, but I tend to be the guy who can be friendly to others and not trust a single one of them," Clay said.

"This overconfidence of yours, is it some sort of inherited family trait?" she asked, more teasing than serious.

"My dad was very good at his job and one of the things he taught me was that I should always strive to be the best and make no apologies for being that way."

"I think it's safe to say you learned your lesson well," Woods muttered.

The conversation in the Raptor died off as the two officers eventually got lost in their own thoughts as they waited for the rest of the group to return.

Clay decided to ask her another question. "So, Woods, was it ever hard for you on Ostarsis…you know, before I came in and saved the day so admirably."

Woods shook her head but she answered, "Truthfully, sometimes it took all the strength that I had. As for you being my salvation on Ostarsis, just because you want to believe something doesn't make it true."

"Ouch, she tries to land in a zinger yet again," Clay said as he clutched his chest as though he had been shot, "Good thing I'm bullet proof and impossible to kill."

"Press the wrong button with me and the Cylons won't be the only ones testing that statement," she teased.

"I'll try not to give you a reason to do just that; I'd rather you see my skills in use against the Cylons."

"Are you always like this?" she asked before adding, "It's great that you have all of this self-confidence but after a while it's like you're some kind of action hero wannabe. Do you ever have moments when you're at least somewhere close to an actual person and not some caricature?"

"I do get these occasional urges for stability in my life, but with what I do it makes it impossible under most circumstances," he said.

"Let me guess, it's because of the demands of being a Special Forces super soldier?"

"It could be that I was the ideal candidate and they knew it," he said.

"They probably got something like a few hundred applications, why'd the Special Forces pick you?"

Clay shrugged, "I always assumed that if it wasn't for my skills as a soldier then it was for my body. I'm sure you've noticed that by now."

"No comment," she said shaking her head.

Frigate Hagan:

Commanding Officer's Quarters:

Commander Jerrod Stokes sat on the small couch and gazed off into the unknown. He knew he needed to rest and get some sleep before he was due for his shift in the CIC but a part of his mind just refused to shut off. The arrival of Admiral Tolan and the Colossus was a game-changer. If the reports that had been sent over from the battlestar were any indication, then life as he knew it was very much over. Now it was going to be a game of survival against what he knew was overwhelming odds.

"At least I don't have to worry about my record anymore," he said as he thought about the incident with the Erebea that resulted in the banishment of both him and his crew to this top secret MoI base.

The door to his stateroom opened and was quickly followed by a knock. Stokes looked to see who his visitor was.

"You have that look you get whenever you're way too deep in thought," Colonel Darren Ellsworth, Stokes' friend and XO, said before stepping into the room and closing the door.

Stokes motioned to the files that were on his desk. "I've been reading through the files the Colossus sent over."

"I take it there's more bad news than good," Ellsworth said as he took a seat in a nearby chair.

"You could say that; looks like the Erebea did us a favor when they shut down our ships and got us exiled," Stokes said.

Ellsworth laughed and shook his head. "If she were still alive I'd have to take Cinta Melati out and for dinner and drinks."

Despite the sense of gloom that had fallen over him Stokes had to laugh too. The thought that his XO would take the woman who led the Erebea out for a night on the town was kind of funny, especially when he thought of all the things that Ellsworth had said about her that would never be friendly to print.

"If she survived all this I'm going to remember you said that," Stokes finally said as he sat the reports down onto his desk.

"If she survived this, she deserves to keep living. I'll take back every bad thing I ever said about her," Ellsworth said.

"Yes, I don't think you'd want to introduce her as 'that pirate bitch I want to strangle'. It really doesn't have the sentimental feel to it."

"I may have been a little angry when I said those words…and maybe a little drunk as well," Ellsworth said in an attempt to defend himself.

"A little drunk, eh? You had downed almost an entire bottle of Ember's finest whiskey," Stokes said with no attempt to not sound incredulous.

"Enough about my pirate queen, what do you think about Admiral Tolan?" Ellsworth asked as he attempted to change the subject.

"That's the interesting thing, it appears we are going to be serving a new master and this one has made flag rank," Stokes said. He found it interesting that he had gone from working under a Ministry of Intelligence officer to working under a Colonial Fleet flag officer with blood ties to the Basileus Crime Syndicate.

"This one at least feels more legit; working for those spooks never gave me a feeling of peace," Ellsworth said.

Stokes shook his head even though he shared his friend's feelings. "I don't think they like being called 'spooks' but your point is taken. I always thought we'd be either shot or lost in an unfortunate accident when this project was all over."

Ellsworth gave him a quizzical look. "Then pray tell, fearless leader, why you decided to take this job when it was offered to you?"

Stokes shrugged his shoulders. "It was the lesser of two evils; it was either this or desk duty until it was possible to send me packing. At least this way I got to lay low and still get to command a ship."

"You know we have this thing called the merchant service where you could have commanded a freighter or even a passenger ship," Ellsworth said.

"Not the same and you know it. If I'm not commanding a warship then it's not something I'm interested in," Stokes said, perhaps more heatedly than he had intended.

"I suppose we have a flag officer now, we're a part of a fleet again," Ellsworth said in reference to Admiral Tolan and the Colossus showing up.

"One frigate and one battlestar, it's not much of a fleet but it's a start," Stokes said.

"Just remember that beggars can't be choosers," Ellsworth said as he turned to leave the room. He knew Stokes would probably spend the next few hours in deep thought. Over the years he had learned that did not make him the best source of conversation.

Kyros Station, E-Deck, Special Projects Section:

Tolan's mind went blank and the words were all but impossible to find at first. He looked at Gauthier and the general simply nodded his head in silent understanding. He then turned his attention back to the item that had caused his stunned silence. Sitting in some sort of hardened plastic containment structure was a device that looked like it was decidedly Cylon.

Gauthier waited a moment for a word from Tolan and when none came he said, "About three years ago, a strange craft crashed on the moon Larunda in the DMZ; an MoI monitoring station had picked up the impact and sent a team to investigate. The ship was about the size of a Colonial Fleet patrol craft and was piloted by what the team discovered to be ten Centurions. Those models showed us just how far the Cylons have evolved since the Cylon War."

Tolan finally found his voice. "So you're telling me that the Ministry of Intelligence knew the Cylons had returned to Colonial space but said nothing?"

Gauthier thought best about how to phrase his answer. "We did pass the report to headquarters. The higher-ups at Gray decided it was best to inform the Colonial Fleet and then leave well enough alone so this incident would not cause a panic. The Colonial Fleet must have sat on the information too for the same reasons. After that the ship and the Centurions were taken to this location for study in case we could learn something that could aid us in developing new technology. We've brought an expert onboard who has been helping us to understand the Cylon tech."

Tolan's mind was numb at first, but he began to feel a feeling of anger start to come over him. The Ministry of Intelligence and the Colonial Fleet knew the Cylons had entered Colonial space, but had instead held this information back from the public. He thought of all the people who could have still been alive if this had reached the right people. How could the Colonial Fleet have not been prepared for when the Cylons struck?

"Think of what would have happened if this had been some isolated incident?" Gauthier countered. When he saw the look of disbelief on Tolan's face he pressed on, "You have the advantage of hindsight plus the fact that you've spent the last eight months either on the run from the Cylons or fighting them."

He felt the rage building inside of him, the kind he was sure he had inherited from the Tolan side of the family. "You could have done something. Instead, we were caught with our pants down because some damn bureaucrat decided to keep this secret. I only hope that whoever was responsible for it was killed in the attacks after having time to regret the decision."

"I know you're upset," Gauthier began.

"With all due respect, you've never seen me when I'm upset," Tolan said but he began to get his emotions under control. Losing his temper was not going to bring back all those that had been lost.

"True, and I suppose I can see why you would feel the way you do," Gauthier said in an attempt to be more conciliatory.

"We're not going to get far if we keep going like this, what have your people discovered?" Tolan asked.

"Come with me and I'll show you around more of the facility," Gauthier said motioning towards a nearby staircase, "We have more personnel in the lower levels of this area.

"Lead the way," Tolan said as he still tried to wrap his mind around the recent revelation.

"General Gauthier, there's a Priority One communication coming through the channel. You are requested to answer it immediately," a woman's voice announced over the station's speaker.

"If you'll excuse me," Gauthier said as he left Tolan and bolted over to a nearby communications console.

Tolan watched as Gauthier entered a code at the console and picked up a phone receiver. While he could not read lips he could tell that Gauthier and whoever he was on the phone with were having a decidedly animated conversation. He decided that it would look better if he did not appear nosey so he looked around at other parts of the research laboratory.

When Gauthier finally returned he looked like he was still a bit flustered, "That was my boss, and he says he needs you off this station for now."

"The MoI never changes, does it?" Tolan asked.

Gauthier shook his head. "This isn't the MoI that's asking for this. This comes from CMI…while we were touring this facility word was sent to a secret CMI station on Sagittaron that you were here so that they could decide exactly what needed to be done with you. The head of that station just sent me a message and we talked over a secure line just now. I was told to assure you that after this meeting you can come back to this station and I can show you around more."

"So you expect me to believe that this secret CMI station on Sagittaron has managed to avoid being found by the Cylons after eight months?"

"The Cylons have for the most part pulled back from Sagittaron and now they only keep a token there so there's a good chance that you can get through to them without any problems arising," Gauthier said.

"Forgive me if I'm a little hesitant to believe you," Tolan said.

"I know the Ministry of Intelligence tried to have you killed, but I think you're holding onto that grudge a little too strongly," Gauthier said.

"Because I need to know what's going on here I'll play your little game, but I want to let you know something first," Tolan said with his tone growing more serious.

"What would that be?" Gauthier asked unsure of whether or not he really wanted to hear what the admiral had to say.

"I want to make this very clear to you…if you are trying to lure me into a trap, then do yourself a favor and kill me now. Because if this is a trap and I survive then I promise you I will end you the first chance I get."

Gauthier's eyes did not break contact with Tolan's. "Admiral, I give you my word that this is legitimate. If it wasn't then you'd be justified in feeling the way you do."

"Now that we understand each other, I guess you'll need to show me out," Tolan said and then a thought came to him, "Just who told this person that I was here?"

"Lieutenant Colonel Munemori took it upon himself to inform our superiors what was going on. From what I just heard over the phone it sounds as though they're quite eager to meet you," Gauthier said.

"I'll let you lead the way," Tolan said. He did not particularly feel like carrying on the conversation with Gauthier.

The two officers silently made their way out of the research area and back to the hangar bay.

Colossus:

Lower Hangar Deck:

On the upper walkway that ran the length of the lower hangar deck Sophia Tolen stood and looked down at the refugee camp. She was off duty now but she oddly did not want to go to the two-person officer stateroom she had been assigned to. A part of her felt the need to come here and see from a distance how life was for the prisoners who had been rescued from Ostarsis. These were the people who had not been a part of the military before and were for now not chosen yet for conscription into either the Colonial Fleet or the Marines.

Her mind went back to the time on Ostarsis and how she had coped not only with hiding from the Cylons but making do with the conditions they had found themselves in until they had been rescued.

'It's funny how your mind can play tricks on you when you're trying to survive,' she thought as she gazed onto the lower hangar deck of the Colossus.

She looked away from the camp and saw not far from here were two men, one of them in a blue officer uniform and the other was in civilian clothes, and she recognized one of them as Wilfred Parker. She had spoken with Parker, the chaplain of the Colossus, about her feelings towards Admiral Tolan and the man had tried to steer her toward the direction of not having such a hardened heart.

She started walking closer and she began to hear the conversation taking place between the two men…

"May I quote Scripture?" she heard Parker ask.

She heard the other man chuckle and say, "Not unless you want to put me to sleep."

"I'm sure he hears that often," Tolen said as she got to where the two men were standing. It was then that she noticed that both men were smoking cigarettes and the distinct odor of the smoke hit her and she coughed.

"Hello, Ensign, I wasn't expecting company up here," Parker said in his usual polite manner.

"Just thought I'd come up here to get my thoughts together," she quickly said.

"Fair enough, allow me to introduce you to Skeeter; he's one of your fellow escapees," Parker said with a nod of his head towards the person he was talking to.

"Ensign Sophia Tolen," she said as she shook hands with Skeeter.

"My name is Mike, but everyone calls me Skeeter. I may not be as connected as the chaplain here but if I can do anything for you just let me know."

"Can you stop staring at me like a hot-fudge sundae?" she asked.

Skeeter held his hands up in mock surrender. "Sorry, I'll try to tone that down."

Tolen realized how she must have sounded. "I'm sorry, Skeeter; it's been a long day and I'm sorry if I'm being bitchy."

"Word's gotten around that the Cylons put something on the hull and it can't be taken off just yet," Parker said.

Tolen nodded. "Yeah, and it's proving to be a pain in the ass to get rid of. I hope my distant cousin is having better luck over on the station."

"Wait, you're related to Admiral Tolan?" Skeeter asked.

Tolen gave him a slight smile. "Yes, my family and his family have had somewhat of a feud dating back to before the Cylon War. His side created the Basileus and my side has had to live with the consequences."

"Well, I'm going to make it a point to stay on your good side," Skeeter said and he hoped it sounded like he was teasing her in a good-natured manner.

"Right, well if you don't mind me being too nosey," Tolen said before asking Parker, "I heard the Colossus was on a secret mission before the Cylons attacked. Is it true?"

"This ship was on a secret mission?" Skeeter asked.

Parker was silent for a minute as he got his thoughts together. "This ship was on a mission along with the rest of a colonizing fleet. Those of us who signed up for it knew we'd be gone for a while and I was happy to volunteer for it."

"You volunteered for the mission, why'd you do that?" she asked.

"Even priests do penance, Sophia," Parker said.

"What made you decide that?" she asked.

"I was stationed planet side on Aerilon. An incident happened and the person responsible came to me to confess and get forgiveness, the authorities asked me to reveal the confession but I said I couldn't because it violated the sacred confidentiality. What's said between a person and their priest is considered sacred and private. As much as I would have liked to have helped I couldn't. It got to me more than I thought it would and I prayed for guidance. After that, I felt the gods telling me to leave my position and get away as a way of doing penance."

"How'd you know they wanted you to that?" Skeeter asked.

Parker smiled at him. "Because I asked them for guidance."

"No offense, but I have a hard time wrapping my head around that," Tolen added.

"The gods can always hear you but you have to listen very carefully for their response," Parker said.

"That's an interesting way of looking at it," she said before turning her attention back to Skeeter, "So, Skeeter, what did you do back before the Cylons came and blew everything up?"

"I was on Sagittaron running my own business and making the best of life in Freedom," Skeeter said proudly.

Tolen arched an eyebrow at him. "You were a business owner?"

"I was the proud owner of my own garage; you'd be amazed at the amount of work I had fixing cars. Maybe in a few years I'd have even started a towing business on the side," he said.

'Well that explains why his hands felt so rough,' she thought.

"Must have been fun for you to be your own boss," Parker said.

"You certainly weren't going to get fired," she finally said.

"It was the best job I ever had, and it was nice to be able to take a long lunch if I wanted. I think I was the best boss I ever had," Skeeter said and he laughed at the joke he had made.

"I hate to cut this short, but I'm going to get a shower and hit the rack," Tolen said then she gave Skeeter a look, "Now if you have a mental image of that then I'd rather you not let me know."

"You don't ask, and I'll make sure I don't tell," Skeeter said, then added, "You get some, Ensign; it might do you and your sunny disposition some good."

"Remember, Sophia," Parker said, "My door is always open if you ever need to talk to me."

"It's sweet of you, Chaplain, and if for some odd reason I need guidance I'll take you up on it," she said before turning to walk away from the two men.

Both Parker and Skeeter looked at each other after she had walked away and it seemed as though both were unsure as to what to say next.

"Well," Skeeter began, "she's not someone you'd forget about."

"Indeed," Parker said, "I just fear for her heart. I worry about how hardened it has become."

"I'm sure after everything we've all be through because of the Cylons a lot of people would be like that," Skeeter said.

Parker shook his head. "No, Skeeter, her heart was already like that long before the Cylons showed up. Even if it's too late to change her I have to at least try."

Twenty-Four Minutes Later:

Colossus:

Admiral's Conference Room:

The four people at the conference table looked on in shock at the revelation that Tolan had just dropped on them. From the moment the Raptor had touched off the deck of the hangar bay he had been quiet except to say that he needed Clay, Woods, and Warrick; they had been joined by Major Esteban Torero.

"You're serious about this?" Clay asked.

Tolan nodded his head. "Whoever is running this station from the CMI side of things is headquartered on Sagittaron and until I meet with this person we are barred from coming near the station or we will be fired upon."

"Don't you just miss the days when someone just invited you over politely if they wanted to see you?" Woods mused.

"If only it were that simple," Tolan said with a chuckle, "I'm willing to go to Sagittaron but I'm going to take some precautions beforehand."

"What do you have in mind? We still don't know if the FTL drive is ready to go yet," Woods asked and she remembered to remind Tolan about the fact that their FTL drive was still not completely repaired from the damage that it had taken during the Battle of Ostarsis.

"We'll have to make sure that Chief Engelhart has it ready and is comfortable with us using it. The sooner we can get to Sagittaron the better," Tolan said.

"Where on Sagittaron are you supposed to meet these people?" Clay asked.

"A small city called Canisteo. There's a CMI outpost out there named AO-99," Tolan said.

Torero chimed in. "I had a friend who told me that Colonial Military Intelligence likes to give their places names like that to make them harder to find or something along those lines."

"Major, you had a friend in CMI?" Tolan asked.

Torero nodded. "I had a friend who pulled guard duty with them when he was due for planetary duty."

"I haven't had many dealings with them but it makes sense. Most of my dealings have been with the Ministry of Intelligence and we don't exactly have the warmest relationship with each other," Tolan said.

"May I ask why you're not feeling so warm and fuzzy towards them?" Clay asked.

"I helped them on a secret rescue mission, and after that someone in the hierarchy tried to have me killed. They came close to pulling it off," Tolan said with a shake of his head at the memory.

"I think I know why you have me here," Warrick said.

Tolan looked at her and nodded. "Lieutenant, I want you to be the one to fly me down to the surface. I could probably do it myself, but I'm more comfortable behind the controls of a Viper instead of a Raptor."

Warrick nodded her understanding. "I understand, sir. I promise I won't let you down."

Tolan smiled at her. "I never had any doubts that you would."

"I take it you have the rest of us here for a reason as well," Torero said.

"I've had time to think about this," Tolan said before continuing with, "When we do jump to Sagittaron, Lieutenant Warrick is going to fly us to the planet. Major Clay, and two of his soldiers are going to accompany me."

"What about Major Torero and me?" Woods asked.

"Commander Woods, you're going to command the Colossus while I'm away. Major Torero, you're going to have your Marines ready to repel boarders in case the Cylons do show up and board the ship again," Tolan said.

"Permission to speak freely," Clay said.

"Granted," Tolan replied.

"Good solid plan I think, but if you want my opinion…well it could be that you are going into a trap that most officers would know enough to avoid," Clay said.

"I appreciate the honesty, Major, but I can assure you this is the best plan we can go with considering the circumstances. Do you think you could come up with something better?"

"Give me enough time and I probably could, but I suppose for now I can go along with it and if I think I can improve on it I'll let you know," Clay said.

"As soon as I know when the FTL is up and running I'll send word to prepare for the jump. If any of you need me I'll be in my office," Tolan said to dismiss the meeting.

"Admiral, if I may ask…who's that with you in the photo?" Clay asked when he saw the framed photo of Tolan with an attractive young woman in a Fleet Academy uniform.

Tolan turned and saw the photo. "That's my cousin Lacey. That photo was taken when she started attending the Fleet Academy."

Clay took in the sight and asked, "That is your cousin?"

Tolan was quick to respond. "Major, choose your next words carefully."

When the four officers had started going their own ways once Tolan had closed the door Woods caught up to Clay.

"You're doing that thing you do," Woods said.

Clay gave her a look. "What do you mean?"

"That thing you do when you want to give a harsher critique; what you said in there wasn't even as critical as I know you can be. So, what gives?"

"I guess I can tell you this much, going by what I've seen so far and taking this plan into consideration Admiral Tolan is either the best flag officer I have ever seen, or the absolute worst. I really can't make up my mind right now," Clay admitted and he expected to see Woods' face flush red with anger at his pointed remarks.

"I see," she finally said, "Well, just remember that whether you want to admit it or not, he's got us this far and we're still alive. Whatever he found on that base is enough to make him go along with this meeting."

"Here I was thinking you were going to go into this impassioned speech about how cruel I'm being and that I'm such a bastard for even suggesting that the great admiral doesn't know what he's doing."

"You're half wrong then…you really are a bastard though," she said though the tone sounded more teasing than it did serious.

"Where are you heading to now?" he asked.

"To the CIC to relieve Lieutenant Evans, I have to brief the department heads and make sure this ship is ready to fight. What about you?" she asked.

"Heading to berthing compartment where the rest of my team is. I have to pick two to come with me and get the rest ready to stay here to back up the Marines because when the Cylons hit, those jarheads are going to fold like tissue paper and my guys will have to pick up the pieces and save the day," Clay replied as he turned the corner while Woods kept walking straight.

Colossus:

Main Engineering:

Tolan had left word with his Chief of Staff that he was going to be in Main Engineering in case anyone had come looking for him. He stepped onto the deck where the main entrance was to Engineering. The two Marines that guarded the door saluted and opened the entrance for him.

He navigated his way through the passageways until he reached the office of his chief engineer. Chief Engineer Gustav Engelhart was in the process of talking to a group of his snipes when he saw the admiral standing at the entrance. He quickly dismissed the group with a series of orders for them to follow then he motioned for Tolan to enter the room.

"Admiral Tolan, welcome to my kingdom," he said with a sweep of his hand around the office.

"I'm assuming you mean more than just this office," Tolan joked as he closed the door behind him after entering the room.

"Naturally," Engelhart said with a laugh, "Though if I may say, considering you're here to visit me, must mean I've either done something incredibly good or you are about to give me an impossible job to do."

"If you can tell me that our FTL drive is up and working properly then I'll give you nothing but the highest praise," Tolan said.

"I've had my people going over it to make sure there won't be any hiccups whenever we need to use it," Engelhart said.

Tolan took that info in and thought it over before he said, "I'll give you another half hour and then I want it ready to work."

"May I ask why?"

"We're going to take a little trip to Sagittaron and I need to know that not only can the Colossus get us there but also get us back when the time comes."

"In case the toasters pay us a visit and we find ourselves in another Ostarsis," he said.

"Exactly," Tolan said before asking, "So, will the FTL be fully functional if I give you another half hour to get the bugs worked out?"

Engelhart smiled. "Admiral Tolan, I think you may doubt my abilities. I could make sure the FTL is ready in half that time. I see you need me to prove my abilities to you.

Thirty-Five Minutes Later:

Admiral's In-Space Cabin:

One of the features of the Titan-class battlestars was the addition of small cabins for the commanding officer just off the CIC and the flag officer located off of the Flag CIC that comprised the CIC's upper levels.

Tolan was going over some last-minute paperwork when he heard a knock on the door. He looked up to see Woods was standing there.

"Hey, Bridget," he said with a smile.

"Just so you know, it looks like the Cylons aren't in orbit around the planet," she reported as she walked in and closed the door.

"So far so good; I'll take some good luck at a time like this," he said.

"Just between us, I'd feel more comfortable if I were the one going down there with you," she said.

"I know, but I need you here to command the Colossus. There's no reason for you have to any doubts; you can do this," he said.

"You do remember what happened the last time I commanded a ship, right?" she said. She had taken command of her first ship, the Battlestar Kios, not long before the Cylons had attacked and her ship had fallen victim to the CNP backdoor.

"This is a different situation and you'll be able to handle it, if you couldn't then there's no way I'd have put you in this situation," he said.

"Would you have said that to Artimus if he had any doubt about taking command of the Hermes?" she asked.

Tolan knew what she was talking about. Other than Bridget, two of his closest friends were Commanders Zane Phelps and Artimus Bowman. He had been friends with Phelps since their days at the Fleet Academy, but Bowman had been his friend for almost seven years now. When the commander of the Battlestar Hermes had retired after a scandal, it was Tolan who had put Bowman's name forward to take command of the ship.

What she could not have known was that Bowman at the time was preparing to leave the Colonial Fleet and take a job as a civilian pilot. He had to convince Bowman that the Hermes was an ideal job for him and that despite his doubts and reservations he would make an excellent commander.
Phelps had not needed Tolan's assistance with getting his name moved up the ranks for command. He had taken command of the Battlestar Illustrious and had never had any doubts that he would be able to handle the job.

Thinking of them brought back the fact that he did not know for sure whether his friends had survived or not, all he knew was that the more time went by the more likely it was that they may have very well not made it.

"I'll remember that, but you remember to watch yourself down there," she said.

"Why do you think I'm bringing Clay and two of his men?" he asked with an amused tone in his voice.

"Because he claims he's this amazing Special Forces badass who could destroy the Cylons with a skillet, toothbrush, and a pyramid game ticket," she said trying not to laugh at the mental image.

"I know he's arrogant but he is Special Forces; and if he's even half as good as he seems to think he is then I'll be okay down there," he said as he put the paperwork he had been going over away and started towards the door.

"I guess I'll see you when you get back," she said as she gave him a hug.

He returned the embrace. "I'll see you when I get back."

Opening the door Tolan headed toward the corridor to make his way down to the hangar deck while Woods descended the stairs that would take her down to the CIC.

Eight Minutes Later:

Hangar Deck:

Tolan stepped onto the hangar deck and saw that Warrick's Raptor was being put into position to be raised up onto the flight pod. He could see through the glass canopy that Warrick had suited up and was patiently waiting behind the controls.

Clay and his two soldiers were standing by the entrance to the Raptor apparently waiting for him.

"Admiral Tolan," Clay said before motioning to his two soldiers, "Allow me to introduce Second Lieutenant Adan Ismael and First Lieutenant Demarcus Hayes; they'll be helping me to keep you safe down there on the surface."

Tolan was curious as to the change that seemed to have come over Clay. The arrogance he had seen while the man was onboard the Colossus was gone now; instead he looked very businesslike and professional. Perhaps underneath that exterior of his was the years of Army training that had allowed him to become a commanding officer in the Special Forces.

"I know the three of you will do an excellent job. I have the utmost faith in you and your abilities," Tolan said.

"Sir," Clay said in acknowledgement.

The four got in the Raptor and took their seats on the rear bench. Tolan noticed that the ECO was also there at his station.

"Admiral Tolan, it's a pleasure to have you flying with us, sir," the man said and then introduced himself, "Ensign Duane Townes."

"What's your callsign?" Tolan asked.

"My callsign is 'Downtown'; what about you, sir?" Townes asked.

"My first posting was on the Galactica, and my callsign was Crime Boss but it got changed to Orion," Tolan said.

"That's rare, how'd that happen?" Townes asked.

Tolan chuckled. "It's a long story, but if we make it back from Sagittaron I promise I'll tell you."

Minutes later the Raptor had taken off from the Colossus and was making its way towards the surface of Sagittaron and the secret base that Colonial Military Intelligence had kept there.

Tolan tried to appear as calm as he could even though in his mind he could not help but wonder if he was heading into a trap. If this was not a trap though, just what was he going to find down there when the Raptor landed.