Chapter Four: Breaking and Entering
Three Years before the Fall:
Delphi, Caprica:
Artimus Bowman sat the journal down and rubbed his eyes. For the life of him he could not comprehend all that his grandfather had done on Canceron, and was still in shock at the people he had met. He remembered the first time Archibald Bowman had met Scott Tolan, he had said that Scott looked a bit like someone he had met a long time ago. His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door, which brought him away from pondering about his grandfather and back to the present. He knew nobody wanted to disturb him so who was it at the door. He was a bit irritated by this, and was going to give whoever it was a firm talk about disturbing him at what was becoming a late hour. Perhaps it was his father coming to have another one of those famous talks of theirs that would end in a blowup of nuclear proportions. He would bet several hundred cubits that was the case, and he mentally prepared himself for battle.
He flung the door open ready to launch himself into a verbal battle. His fury quickly subsided for standing there holding a portable phone was Emily Tolan.
"Well I'd hate to imagine if I was someone you didn't want to see," she said to him teasingly having watched his face drain of his hostility.
"Uh...What do you mean, Em?" Artimus asked innocently.
"Don't give me that, I saw the look on your face when you first opened the door. You looked like you were ready to lash out at someone," she arched an eyebrow in a manner that dared him to say otherwise.
"Would an 'Ooops' do in this case?" Artimus asked in an attempt to lighten the mood.
"From you sweetie it will do nicely. As for why I'm here, there's a phone call for you that came all the way from Cerberus," Emily said gesturing with the phone in her hand.
"Is it Commander Hawker?"
"Try Neveah Ratliff, it seems she bribed a Petty Officer Teuton to call here so she could talk to you."
'Remind me to have a long talk with him about this,' Artimus thought to himself before asking, "Just what did she bribe him with?"
"It seems this actress friend of hers by the name of Joandra Zavia who broke up with her boyfriend, an actor named William Corry, and she promised Petty Officer Teuton that she could set him up with Miss Zavia if he could get her in touch with you," Emily said trying to keep a straight face considering how well Artimus was taking the news.
"This will be a short conversation I'm sure," Artimus said as he took the phone from Emily.
She turned off the 'hold' button and handed him the phone while mouthing the words 'Be nice' to him. Artimus shook his head but a look from Emily finally got him to nod his head. She gave him a look that was familiar to him; it was one that Brooke had as well. It was the look both women got when they had gotten their way. Artimus couldn't help but smile momentarily following yet another playful encounter between the two of them. Emily took a lot of pleasure in teasing the quite conservative Artimus. To the casual observer such behaviour might have seemed inappropriate given that he was in mourning for his grandfather but the truth was Artimus was grateful for her acting normally around him. At times like this it's important to try and continue onwards as best you can by sticking to what was familiar. Emily knew this and she knew that he appreciated it. Before answering the phone he quietly thought to himself, 'Scott, you got a hell of a girl there'.
"Colonel Bowman!" he announced into the mouthpiece of the phone.
"Uh hello, sir," said Petty Officer Teuton's crackly voice, a result of the long range wireless connection to the Cerberus which was still in orbit around Leonis. "I have Miss Ratliff on the line. She'd like to speak to you. I-If that's ok."
"It is this time," said Bowman sternly. "But you pull anything like this again and I'm going to demote you so far down the ranks that they will have to invent a new one below the rank of toilet brusher. Understood!"
"Y-Yes sir!" replied Teuton nervously which amused Artimus somewhat. The line crackled as the call was transferred before a woman's voice uttered, "Hello?"
"Hi Nev," said Artimus. "How are you doing?"
"I'm good, thank you," she said. "How are you doing?"
"Coping, how are you after everything that happened earlier this week?"
"I'm good. If it's ok I don't really want to talk about it."
"Of course," said Artimus. "So how's the movie coming along?"
"We're finishing up the last few scenes," she explained. "It's not been easy."
"I can understand that."
"Hang in there Artimus, know I'm keeping you in my thoughts."
"Thank you Nev, don't let Goldstein drive you too crazy," Artimus said as the trace of a smile played on his lips.
"Will you Colonel, know that I'm even doing a proper salute on that one!"
"At least you're trying to do it right I'm sure. Thank you for calling Nev, I'll see you when I return to Cerberus."
"I look forward to it," Neveah Ratliff said as the line went dead.
"I'll take that from you," Emily said as she walked back into the room.
"Not a bad idea, I'm still not ready to start answering the phone. Though Scott did manage call me not too long ago."
"Really, what is the latest from Picon?"
"Oh he is currently up to his 'brass' in paperwork and there seems to be no end to it. He has no idea when he'll be able to be here," Artimus said as he looked down at the open journal.
"You know he'll be here it's only a matter of time," Emily said as she walked up and gave his shoulders a short massage.
"Are you sure you should be doing this?" Artimus asked.
"Do you realize how tense your muscles are right now? Let me work some magic on you and get rid of this tension," Emily said as she used her fingers to loosen up his back muscles.
"You…you know what you're doing," Artimus said as he began to feel his back loosen up and now feel quite as painful.
"Scott never complains about this, I think it's one of the things he looks forward to the most when he comes home from work."
Artimus had to admit, there was a sensual side to Emily that was there yet not as strongly stated as to give a person the wrong idea about the type of woman she was.
"I can see why, you know I'm really glad you're here," Artimus admitted.
"You're one of the most important men in my life, there's nowhere else I should be besides here with you and your family," Emily said as she finished the massage and put her arms around him for a quick hug.
"The price we pay for to wear the uniform. Em, that felt really nice Em but if you don't mind I'd like to finish this entry from Granddad's journal,"
"Sure thing," Emily said as she gave him a kiss on the forehead before leaving the room. She knew he was probably embarrassed by it, being the reserved person he was but he oddly felt relieved to have someone who was trying to give him comfort but not so much that it felt forced or even smothering.
With the door closed Artimus turned his attention back to the journal and began to read.
Forty-Two Years before the Fall:
Iopolis, Canceron:
The limo that had brought Tolan and Zeresi to the Tolan mansion was now taking them back into the city of Iopolis. It was perhaps the only major city on the Colony that had yet to fall to the Cylons, the result of a determined effort by the military. When the Cylons had revolted they were forced out of Iopolis and since then they had tried to force their way back into the city only to be repulsed. Because of this it was not an unusual sight to see a limo making its way to one of the many skyscrapers for a party that was taking place. Bowman sat across from where Lydia Tolan and Vincent Zeresi were sitting. The two were engaged in quiet small talk, with an occasional laugh at a funny comment from Zeresi. Bowman cringed inwardly when he saw Zeresi reach over and hold Lydia's hand for a moment before releasing it. He remembered the warning he had been given by Stryker earlier in the day, and he would have to be on his guard to make sure Zeresi did not do anything foolish with Lydia. He thought of Carl Tolan, and just what would happen if the man discovered that his daughter had slept with one of the men who were staying at his mansion.
"Captain Bowman, is the air conditioning making you cold?" Lydia asked, taking her attention away from Zeresi for a moment.
"No Miss Tolan, why do you ask?"
"You may not realize this, we just saw you shiver," Zeresi said before Lydia could speak.
'Knowing you, Govie, can you blame me?' Bowman thought to himself before saying, "No, I'm fine. How much longer until we arrive at our destination?"
"We'll be arriving at the Zacaula Tower in about fifteen minutes, it's going to be a party none of us will forget. Thank you so much for coming with me!" Lydia smiled at both men, and when Zeresi picked up her hand and kissed it again she smiled and blushed a little.
'This can't be good,' Bowman thought to himself.
Lydia and Zeresi returned to their quiet conversation while Bowman looked on wondering just what the night held in store for them.
Lydia Tolan was surprisingly accurate, about fifteen minutes later they pulled up on the curb of Callaghan Street in front of the black steel edifice of the Zacaula Tower. Neon lights bathed the base, causing it to shine in a briliant cascade of colors. In places such as this it was difficult to realize there was in fact a war on.
Bowman was the first out of the limo, followed by Zeresi, the latter offering his hand to Lydia Tolan to help her out of the vehicle.
"Impressive," Zeresi said as he looked up towards the sky.
"Wait till we're inside then you'll have quite the view," Lydia said as she linked arms with Zeresi and they began walking towards the entrance.
None of them said a word as they walked to a bank of elevators, Bowman pushed a button and a minute later the doors in front of them whooshed open and they stepped in.
"Floor 97 please," Lydia said sweetly to Zeresi who smiled at her and pressed the button.
The high-speed elevator wasted no time in getting them to their destination. The door opened up and they were hit by the sound of loud bass-pumping music.
"This is it boys, let's get in there and have some fun!" Lydia exclaimed, squeezing Zeresi's arm for added effect.
They walked up to the door man, who flashed them a smile before letting them in.
"We're hitting the dance floor Firefly; you don't get into any trouble!" Zeresi said as he led Lydia to the dance floor and melted into the crowd.
Bowman made his way to the far end of the room, where a large open-air balcony looked out towards the ocean. He looked out and watched the waves roll up onto the beach before heading back into the ocean. It was so calm and serene, a stark contrast to the party that was taking place inside.
"Hello there, you're looking lonely out here," a woman said as she walked up with two of her friends.
"I just got here, thought I'd get some fresh air," Bowman said with a smile he hoped would look genuine enough.
"I'm Rachael Carr, and these two ladies," she said with a nod of her head to the two women with her," are Saraya Morgan and Stéphanie Gagnon."
"We're friends of Lydia's, we go back to our days at the Galbraith Academy before we went to Williams-Sabus University on Scorpia," Carr said as her and her friends exchanged handshakes with Bowman.
"I take it the Cylons helped to convince you to return to Canceron?"
"When they landed in Port Talbot we heard reports they were heading northeast towards Byromville we got on the first transport shuttle we could to get back home," Gagnon said before Carr could speak.
"Not bad idea, my family back on Caprica told me it took a massive push by the Marines to keep the toasters from advancing on Delphi." Bowman said, looking the three young women over and noticing that Morgan seemed a bit withdrawn.
"Listen, we're going to leave Saraya here with you Captain. There's a couple of cute guys over there trying to get our attention," Carr said as she and Gagnon walked away and back into the room where the party was going full swing.
When they were gone Bowman and his new friend found a small table near the railing and sat in the two chairs.
"What were you majoring in at the university?" Bowman asked in an attempt to break the ice.
"Yeah, I was majoring in Theater with a minor in Education." Morgan said as she looked out towards the ocean.
"I know Caprica has some nice beaches, but the ones here on Canceron are a sight to behold," Bowman said as he turned his attention to where she was looking at.
"It's hard to concentrate on what's all here, my mind is usually on what's going on out there among the stars," Morgan said as she looked up towards the star-filled night sky.
"Because of the Cylons?" Bowman asked.
"That's part of the reason and the other is this," she then raised her left hand showing a diamond ring on her ring finger, "my fiancé is a Viper pilot, and he's out there in harm's way."
"Congratulations on the ring, where is he stationed?"
"His name is Caden Douglas, he's a lieutenant assigned to the Battlestar Athena. I was friends with his younger sister, Jenelle, during my freshman year at Williams-Sabus."
"Where's she at now?"
"Well…" she said with a voice that was trailing off, "she stayed on Scorpia and went to a town named Neidhart and was there when the Cylons destroyed the town during an orbital bombardment."
"I'm sorry," Bowman said knowing that his words might seem hollow but it just felt like the right thing to say to him.
"Thank you, the girls thought bringing me here would help to get my mind off of her death and Caden's deployment. I still worry that I'll hear that the Athena has been destroyed by the Cylons or that he was killed in battle."
"Don't think too hard on it, that's the kind of thing that will drive you crazy. I know my wife has told me that she always worries about me, especially in my line of work."
"What is it that you do?" Morgan asked.
"I am a Combat Search and Rescue Pilot, I'm the guy who pilots the Raptor to pick up pilots who have been shot down by the Cylons or lost their Vipers during an engagement with the toasters."
"What made you want to do something like that?"
Bowman shrugged his shoulders," Just repaying a debt to the pilots who rescued me on Caprica."
The rest of the evening went like that, Bowman and Morgan both sat there and talked about life and other topics until their respective friends pulled them away. On the ride back to the Tolan mansion Bowman realized his worst fears were confirmed. Vincent Zeresi and Lydia Tolan were in the backseat with their arms wrapped around each other engaged in a marathon kissing session. He supposed he should do something to stop them, but it would have undoubtedly caused a fight and his conversation with Saraya Morgan had reinforced that he was missing the life he had back on Caprica before he was needed to fight the Cylons.
When they arrived at the mansion and they were all out Bowman decided he needed a word with Zeresi.
"Hey Lydia, do you mind if Govie and I hang back and have a word?"
"Sure thing, Captain. I'll see you inside Govie," Lydia said as she walked into the mansion.
When she was away, Zeresi walked over to Bowman, "If this is some kind of pep-talk you can save your breath. I can assure you I know what I am doing. Actually I think it should be me giving you advice. You only fly solo these days."
"Listen Govie, I know you always like to find a 'friendly port' whenever we're planet-side but you might want to reconsider this time."
Zeresi looked genuinely stunned, "Right, do you think I try to sleep with every woman I meet?"
Bowman said nothing, the look he gave Zeresi said all that needed to be said.
"Alright, look, I promise I won't try to add another notch to my belt this time."
"Just be sure you do. This isn't some farmer's daughter on Aerilon we're talking about here. Let's go get some sleep," Bowman said as he and Zeresi entered the Tolan mansion.
The two friends barely said a word as they went up the staircase to the second floor. They went down the hallway and arrived at the rooms that Carl Tolan had provided for them.
"Goodnight Govie and get some rest. There's no telling what Carl Tolan has in mind for us," Bowman said as he opened the door to his room and when he closed the door behind him he let out a long sigh. He looked around the room and when his eyes fell on the chair sitting in the corner he realized he was not alone…
Govie turned around and walked down the hallway to where his room was located. He stopped at his room and looked down to the stairway. From behind a corner at the landing Lydia Tolan appeared with a wicked grin on her face.
She walked up to Zeresi and kissed him on the lips, "I thought he would never go to bed."
"I'd have never pegged you for being impatient," Zeresi said with a smile as he reached behind and turned the doorknob.
"Only for certain things Govie," Lydia said as she pushed Zeresi through the open door and into the room…
Archibald Bowman's Quarters:
"I'm going to ask this nicely, what are you doing here?" Bowman asked the young woman who sat in the chair.
"I'm here for you Captain Bowman, complements of Carl Tolan. You look tense," she said as she walked over to him and tried to slide his suit jacket off his shoulders.
Bowman was stunned, and once his suit jacket had been removed he managed to come to his senses, "That's enough Miss…"
"Denise Halliday, please don't turn down this generous gift from Mr. Tolan."
"The suit was enough of a gift. Besides, you've got to be only…what sixteen," Bowman said as he guessed the girl's age.
"I'm eighteen."
"Liar," Bowman said with a gaze that let her know he was serious.
"Seventeen then, but I'll turn eighteen in four months then Mr. Tolan swears he'll let me out of my parents' debt."
Bowman was furious, "What the hell is it with a deal like that?"
"Let's not talk about that shall we?" she cooed as she tried once again to remove his jacket for him.
"No, what do you mean?" persisted Bowman.
"My parents were killed when the Cylons occupied Hades, Mr. Tolan took me in and said that I had to work off my parents' debt. I offered to do housework for him but he said this was the only way I could bring in the money he was owed."
Bowman felt sick to his stomach, "Listen Denise, I'm not mad at you. I just find this whole business sickening."
"Actually if you knew exactly why I was here you'd be mad at me," Halliday said with a look that showed she had just said something she should not have mentioned.
"Oh really, and why is that?" Bowman asked, a feeling of hatred starting to form in his gut. Not towards this young woman who had no business being in her situation but towards the man who had put her there. There was something in her tone that he felt was trying to warn him. He caught hold of her by the arms and tugged her. "What do you mean?" he demanded.
The girl became frightened by his sudden move. As he looked at her he suspected she was used to being afraid around a client.
"Four of us were assigned to you and the people who came with you. We're to seduce you and let the cameras in this room film you so Mr. Tolan can use it to blackmail Admiral Stryker for more favorable negotiating terms."
"How do you know this?"
"Some of the girls talk and when they hear something like that, word gets around."
"So right now there's a girl trying their best to seduce Stryker, Corman, and Zeresi?"
"Yes, and they're su-suppose to use any means necessary to do it."
Bowman reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, "Do you have some family somewhere who can take care of you. At least any of them now on Canceron?"
"I have an aunt and uncle who live in Oasis on Caprica."
"Here's what you're going to do; this is three hundred cubits. That should be enough tog et you a budget seat on liner off-world. Buy you a one-way ticket to Caprica. My wife lives in Delphi, her name is Claire Bowman, and she can help you find your family in Oasis."
"I can't take that," Halliday said automatically but Bowman could tell by the look in her eyes that she was wanting to.
"Yes you can, and you will. Now get going before someone knows you're missing."
"I will," Halliday said as she took the money, "thank you so much Captain Bowman, I won't disappoint you!"
"I get the feeling you won't Denise," Bowman said as he walked over and opened the door which she quickly ran out of.
He closed the door and felt like he had done something completely and totally reckless. He had to do something though, even if it was saving one girl from a life of prostitution. That feeling in the pit of his stomach crystallized into a feeling of hatred for the Basileus and Carl Tolan in particular. He could not be done with this mission and this colony fast enough for his liking.
Meanwhile across the hall a standoff was taking place in Vincent Zeresi's quarters.
Vincent Zeresi's Quarters:
"For the last time, get your skanky ass out of here!" Lydia Tolan hissed at the woman who was waiting in the room for Zeresi.
"I have a job to do, and you are interfering with it," Harrah Sarver said as she stood near the bed.
"Ladies, is this cat fight really necessary?" Zeresi asked in an attempt to diffuse the situation.
"Stay out of it, Govie," Lydia said as she kept her eyes locked on the other woman in the room.
"You don't get it, your father arranged for me to be here to spend the night with our friend 'Govie'. The best thing you can do, princess, is go back to your college girlfriends and let me do my job," Sarver said as she came closer to where Lydia stood.
"You can take my father and go frak each other to death for all I care," Lydia said as she took hold of the woman's hair and opened the door. With a quick movement she threw her into the hallway and closed the door behind her.
Zeresi watched as Lydia Tolan locked the door immediately before walking over to him, "I hope that didn't kill the mood."
"Are you kidding me? That was the hottest thing I've seen since those twins on Leonis!"
"Good, now let's have some fun…" Lydia said with a wicked smile on her face.
Archibald Bowman's Quarters:
Bowman paced around the room wondering what his course of action would be. He wanted to go to each room and warn the others of Carl Tolan's plot. He fought with what he thought should have been a simple enough of a decision. He finally gave in and walked down the hall to where Zeresi's room was. He went to knock on the door when he heard a woman moaning followed by Zeresi saying something he could not quite make out.
If his ECO was just now getting busy with the prostitute in the room then it was too late to warn Stryker and Corman, he would simply have to wait until the next morning to see what happened.
Carl Tolan's Residence, Guests Dining Room:
It was the next day, and the four officers were sitting in a small lounge area that had been turned into a small dining room for the visitors. For the initial few minutes none of the men spoke, as if something was on their minds but they could not quite bring themselves to speak of it.
Finally it was Stryker who spoke, "Did anyone have any visitors last night?"
"That would depend on one question sir, just what would qualify as a 'visitor'?" Corman asked after taking a bite of a breakfast pastry.
"A 'lady of the evening' who is normally paid for said evening, is that clearer to you Mr. Corman?" Stryker said.
"Yes sir, there was such a woman waiting for me last night," Corman admitted.
"Alright then, did you take her up on her 'generous' offer?" Stryker asked.
"Well sir, I almost did but I thought better of it," Corman said before sending Zeresi a look when the Lieutenant chuckled.
"Mr. Zeresi, I take it you slept with the woman who was in your room?" Stryker asked in a tone that stopped Zeresi's chuckling.
"No sir, I did not sleep with a woman matching that description," Zeresi said before wincing in pain from a kick to the shin from Bowman.
"Anything you'd like to add to this conversation Captain Bowman?" Stryker said as he turned his attention to the only person in the group who had yet to be addressed.
"No sir, just that I had a similar encounter but promptly sent her away from my room."
"Very good, it seems we all avoided falling into a trap set by our gracious host. Finish up your meal, Mr. Tolan had requested a meeting with all four of us in half an hour," Stryker said as he took another bite of food.
Carl Tolan's Office:
The men arrived at Carl Tolan's office twenty-five minutes later and were shown in right away. Tolan was waiting there for them with two of his people who didn't look like his security. One of them was a middle-aged woman of medium height with a business-like expression her face. The other was a man who seemed unimposing when first looked at, but the men knew in their minds that Carl Tolan would never hire a man to work for him who could not serve some function to benefit him.
"Gentlemen, I thank you for your promptness in arriving," Tolan said with a smile that would have seemed genuine to an outsider.
"Considering you mentioned how important this meeting was, how could we be late?" Stryker said as he tried to hide his growing irritation with the man.
"First allow me to introduce you to two of my people, a third will come in momentarily. To my left is Ava Ludolph, she's a member of the Vice Squad of the Iopolis Police Department. To my right is Matthias Lee, he's a man who wears many hats for me and his reason for being here is not relevant at the moment," Tolan said as he stood up with a remote control in his hand.
"I have video evidence that one of you fine officers spent the night with a woman who was, shall we say…paid for her services. Now there is nothing wrong with that per se but when the woman in unregistered prostitute well that then becomes illegal. Officer Ludolph is here because as a concerned citizen I could not let an illegality go unnoticed," Tolan said as he turned towards a large video screen on the far wall. He pressed a button and in walked a young woman who looked to be not far out of college, "This is Maiara Sayen, my Director of Public Relations. She got this evidence from a reliable source, and I'm here to share it with you."
Tolan intentionally made sure he did not look at the video, after all he needed his shock to be genuine and beyond question. When Ludolph had done her work, the Colonial Fleet would undoubtedly do whatever they could to keep this embarrassment out of the public. A scandal of any sort involving the legendary Admiral Jonas Stryker would be something that would only end badly.
Sayen handed Tolan a hexagonal green disk that he put into a nearby computer, the video screen flickered and then came to life. What was on the screen was something most of the people there did not believe they were seeing. Everyone in the room was witnessing Vincent Zeresi and Lydia Tolan having sex…
Tolan quickly turned off the screen and looked around at the group of officers. Bowman had his hand over his face in embarrassment, Corman looked too stunned for words, Zeresi looked like he was about to have a heart attack and seemed unsure as to what to do or say, and Stryker looked ready to explode in anger at the officer.
"Well Officer Ludolph, I believe there has been a misunderstanding of sorts. You're free to go, no crime was committed apparently," Tolan finally said. Ludolph quickly excused herself and left the room
When she left Tolan cut off any attempt by the men to talk, "I let you into my house, treat you with all the courtesy that can be afforded a guest. Even in these hard times when the Cylons are trying to kill us all you abuse my generosity and one of your officers takes it upon him to sleep with my daughters."
"Nice way to change our tune there Tolan," Bowman spat the words at the crime boss with a contempt for the man he did not even think he had in him towards a fellow human.
"You are on thin ice as it is…Admiral, I suggest you control your people," Tolan warned.
"Captain Bowman, the best thing you can do right now is stay quiet," Stryker warned, his voice leaving no room to doubt.
"Aye aye sir," Bowman said.
"Your two flyers will leave in fifteen minutes for the city of Hades on that little favor I asked of you. They are to fly to 4824 Wohlsen Avenue and from there they are to enter the house at that location and retrieve the Orem Mask. It was a mask of gold crafted from the death mask of King Orem of Anastasion. You will bring that here in two days or else you're friends here will see what happens when I don't play nice," Tolan said with a menacing tone.
"Very well, I'll have a word with Captain Bowman and Lieutenant Zeresi and then they'll leave for Hades," Stryker said with an amazing calm for having just been threatened with death by a crime boss.
Tolan waved his hand towards the door in a gesture to let the men know it was time to leave. When they left the office waiting area Stryker turned to Bowman and Zeresi, "Get in your flight gear and meet me in my room."
" I wonder just how pissed he is right now?" Zeresi asked.
"About as pissed off as I am Govie," Bowman said as he tried to hold in his anger at his ECO.
Stryker opened the door to his room and motioned for Bowman to enter.
Jonas Stryker's Quarters:
"Sir, about Govie," Bowman began but Stryker put a hand up to silence him.
"Listen Captain, I believe you did all you could to stop it from happening. It seems that Lieutenant Zeresi has managed to put us in an awkward situation though," Stryker said as he paced the length of the room as though he were pondering something.
"I agree with you sir, I wish I had known he was going to sleep with Lydia Tolan. Especially after I warned against doing it in the first place, he's a brilliant ECO but there's times when he pushes his luck outside of the Raptor."
"I'm inclined to agree with you on that one, but we're just going to have to play the cards we've been dealt and make the best of it. I do want you to try to keep Zeresi out of trouble for the rest of these negotiations, there's no telling how Carl Tolan is going to spin this to his advantage."
Bowman nodded his head, "I agree sir, and I promise that Govie will not cause you any more headaches."
Stryker chuckled, "Bowman, I haven't worried about headaches since I helped to forge the Colonial Fleet. After that, everything else seems minor in comparison."
"When I put it that way Admiral, I can see your point of view."
"Thank you Bowman, you may leave and send Zeresi in…you might want to find some ear plugs or go to the other side of this mansion."
When Zeresi entered the room he closed the door, and stood at attention in the middle of the room.
"Sir, it was mistake that will not happen again," Zeresi said knowing that nothing he said would or could make things better.
"Damn right it won't happen again or else the next thing you fly will be a trash transport. You are fortunate in once sense, I don't know whether to drop you out of a high-altitude Raptor or simply launch your sorry ass into space. I'd ask you if you have any regrets but it would just put you even more in my doghouse!"
"It was a lapse in judgment sir," Zeresi said.
"Go find Bowman and the two of you get to your Raptor and get to Hades so we can get back on Carl Tolan's good side…that is if he even has one."
Zeresi turned and left the room as quickly as possible. He found Bowman standing at the bottom of the stairway, and there was nothing said but a shared look that acknowledged that all was not quite well between the two of them. They walked out of the mansion's door to find the same limo that brought them to the Tolan residence waiting to take them back into Iopolis.
Tolan Mansion, Exterior:
"Great day for flight gentlemen," a voice said behind the two men.
"I suppose so," Bowman said to Matthias Lee. A man whose job description neither of the men knew.
"What's it to you?" Zeresi asked, transferring some of the anger he felt at himself to this member of the Basileus.
"Mr. Tolan wants me to come with you to Hades for this little jaunt we'll be taking. If you have a problem with it you can take it up with Mr. Tolan though he's not in the best moods," Lee said with a casual friendliness that could have put most people at ease.
"In that case Mr. Lee, please join us for this trip we're on," Bowman said as he opened the door of the limo for Lee to get into.
"Please call me either Matthias or Matt, I answer to both," Lee said as he got into the limo.
"It's going to a long flight," Zeresi said low enough for only Bowman to hear.
"Don't get me started," Bowman said as he got into the limo followed by Zeresi.
An hour later the men had arrived at Fort Teuton, they'd have been there sooner but a Cylon Raider had crashed into the Iopolis suburb of Sheridan. The resulting traffic jam and detour took up a valuable amount of time, but ultimately the group had reached the fort.
"Let's see how your Raptor is doing and then we'll be off. It is called a Raptor…right?" Lee asked once they were out of the limo.
"You're right, it is a Raptor," Bowman said before starting off to the fort's entrance, "Follow me and we'll be flying out of here soon. If either of you irritate me in the slightest I'll have you walking home, understood?"
"Aye aye sir, let's get going then!" Zeresi said, for the fist time wondering just what kind of fix he had gotten them into because a night of passion with Lydia Tolan.