CH 6
Lucy sat in the 'Throne room' the people of Japan insisted she have. Located in Tokyo not far from the Emperor's palace, stood the newly built classic Endo style palace that was made for the Queen of the World. Above ground, the structure bore the sweeping roof and inside, rooms with statues and artwork consistent with the Endo period. The golden throne in the long room was unoccupied. Lucy sat on a mat on the floor with the new Colonial President, Lee Adama, and Gina's representative, Shelly Six. The security guards, blue suited UN, black and gray Colonial, and a half dozen Centurions, lined the walls straight and still as the statues themselves.
Casting a smirk at Lee, Lucy said, "I knew you'd become President of your people some day."
Lee returned her grin. "Yes, it just seemed … the right thing to do. Our relationship with the Cylons is not the very best, but still a whole lot better than it was."
"Mr. Adama has been very cooperative with us, and we with him," Shelly said as she gazed in reverent wonder at Lucy. "Gina apologizes for not arriving herself. She is very busy." Shelly had also coaxed Gina to let her go on this political mission. Not being selected to meet God's Own Hand when she came to Caprica, Shelly had longed to see the divine Queen. When she arrived, she'd wept with joy just to been in Queen Lucy's presence.
Lucy nodded and said, "That is good. It makes me happy you are working together. Are you having any difficulties?"
Lee and Shelly glanced at each other. "There is a small matter," Lee conceded. "That's why we came to get your opinion."
"Yes," Shelly agreed. "The planet Tauron has a large human population. They wish to rule themselves, and want Colonial support. Gina has most of the White Robes there to help keep the peace, and they are."
"I've talked with Gina," Lee added. "I can fully understand why the Taurons want to be … aligned with us, and in a strong way, I agree."
"We do have a critical manufacturing plant there, and several cities where our people have settled into," Shelly added. "Hence, the conflict."
Lee raised and flopped his hand in frustration and said, "We have worked at options, like letting the colonials there have sections to the planet that is theirs, but that hasn't worked out the best," he said with a wince. Gina and I have gone back and forth – with good intentions, but we can't agree. The one thing we did agree on, was seeking guidance from you, Queen Lucy. We know you will make a fair decision."
When Lucy had made peace with Cylon and Colonial, she never thought they would be coming to her with problems like this. This was a downside of being a God to these people. "A question, why is there not a Tauron representative here?" she asked.
"The Taurons picked me to represent them," Lee told her.
"Queen Lucy!" came a cry. A stricken Lady Himari came running in.
As she ran over, Lucy stood up and asked, "What is it?"
In a shaky voice, Lady Himari clasped Lucy's hands and said, "The science ship, UNS Endeavor that was sent out to the Delta quadrant has been destroyed! A supply ship just brought the news in. Apparently it is a total loss, very few survivors."
"WHAT!" Lucy asked in a breath.
"Yes, A single recon vehicle arrived at Newhome to gather help. A hospital ship and a cargo ship that were in the area were dispatched for a rescue mission. Suzanne and her family was on that ship! So far, we have no word on them," Lady Himari explained.
This was the last thing Lucy had expected to hear. She clasped Lady Himari's shaking hands tighter. "Do we know what the cause was?" she asked.
"They were attacked. The first attack, they survived, then more ships attacked and destroyed the Endeavor. That is all we know for certain."
Shelly stood up and announced, "Give me the order, Queen Lucy, and we will take our base star to assist them."
Lee got up and said, "Pegasus is standing by for your orders."
Lucy held up a hand to quiet everyone down, then hugged Himari. Pulling back, she took a deep breath and asked, "Do we know where the survivors are?"
"Within a few light years of the point the rescue ships folded to. That is all we know at the moment," Lady Himari explained.
"All right," Lucy said as she thought. "From what I understand, the ship Suzanne's family is on is tough, and has good weapons. If they had a chance to defend themselves, I am sure they made the attackers pay, and they are surviving. I want to know what their situation is now, before we go charging out there with a large fleet. Inform the UN Space Command General I want two recon squadrons out there to find out what is going on. I expect a full report ASAP."
"I'll see to it," Lady Himari said, and hurried out.
Lucy took another breath to collect herself and convince herself that her grandchildren were alive and well. Still having doubts, she turned to Shelly and Lee. Choosing her words carefully, she said, "Mr Adama, Miss Six, I ask you stay in orbit until we know more about the situation."
"Of course," they chorused.
"Now, about your difficulties," Lucy said, trying to return to the problem at hand. "To properly come to a resolution, I believe we need to meet with representatives from the cylons and humans on the ground, on Tauron, as well as myself, Gina and Mr. Adama here. We need to hear both sides completely before anything is decided."
.
Following the loss of communication with four Devastator battleships, the Katan 2nd fleet Admiral send a fast scout out along their track to see if they could find out what happened to them. Behind the scout was the rest of the fleet, seven more Devastators, 15 Quickstrike cruisers, and four of the new Hardstrike gun ships bristling with projectile and energy weapons. The Hardstrike ships were made to deliver punishing blows on a planetary scale. All the 600 guns and 800 lasers meant over half the ship was packed with ammunition and power sources. They needed much more support than the normal deep space ships. Six cargo ships accompanied the fleet to keep the Hardstrike gun ships supplied.
Going passive, the scout came upon multiple signatures of 'Bug' craft – their enemy. Coming as close as he dared to the ships, he used maximum power on the scope cameras to see part of what looked like it might be the remains to a Devastator battleship. The Bug ships were all over it. The scout kept recording as he slowly turned away. A couple ships pinged him with active energy. The scout fled the area and warped back to the fleet with what he found.
The Fleet Admiral, upon hearing only part of one of his battleships survived, and seeing the mass of Bug ships around the wreck, ordered an immediate attack.
.
Xzan's crew now had a good idea of the direction in the small alien ships went. Plotting habitable planets they knew of along that route, only three were within 50 light years of the track.
A mental cry of "Katan!" went up. The sensors showed a whole fleet of ships coming at them, a rain of projectiles was leading the fleet, and coming in fast.
"Warp now!" the captain cried. The science ship warped out as the incoming projectiles hit other ships.
They escaped the battle that quickly grew.
.
Suzanne took her turn at the panels on their patrol. Eddie was cleaning up in the sonic shower, Diane came up to Suzanne with a hot cup of soup. "Here you go, Suz , sure you don't want me to sit for a while?"
Suzanne took the cup. "Mmm," she hummed, smelling the delicious soup. "You start your turn in another twenty minutes. I can wait."
Suzanne got one sip in, and a ship appeared on her radar.
"Falcon here, two squadrons of Space … I mean Earth recon ships are incoming for escort and information. Word from the Admiral is Queen Lucy wants information ASAP about what's going on out here."
"Falcon, this is Captain Keaton. Thanks for the heads up and send in the squadrons. We'll have a compiled data cube by the time they can land."
"Roger, Captain. Falcon heading back out to send them in."
Listening to the radio, Suzanne raised an eyebrow. "If Gramma Lucy is getting involved, someone's going to have a really bad day."
"Sure is. I hope we're not put on that hot seat," Diane agreed.
"Shower's free," Eddie said as he came out and got dressed.
Suzanne and Diane looked back at Eddie. "It would be a rotten shame to see that great ass burned," Suzanne said with a smirk.
"Huh?" Eddie asked, confused.
.
The moment the squadrons arrived, they were directed to the cargo ship. The first one to land, Captain Keaton took the data cube into the landing bay and handed it to the crew. They left again for Earth as soon as the bay doors were opened.
Having more ships available, Kay organized more patrols farther out. Six ships in three pairs patrolled the edges of the system. Another four were sent back to the point where the last jump had ended in case more ships came. Loaded with the wounded, the Hospital ship folded back to Newhome.
.
The battle against the Bugs was short. Many of their ships warped out right after the first shots were fired. The return shots from the few Bug warships were too spread out to do much damage. The four Hardstrike ships blew one Bug ship into pieces and another into a spiraling wreck as flame and debris erupted from it. A third was destroyed as it tried to warp out. Before the Katan ships closed in around their stricken warship, the Bug ships had either fled or were lifeless wrecks.
On the Admiral's ship, the Sensor Officer said, "Sir, that wreck isn't one of ours."
"Bugs are copying our ships?" the Admiral asked.
"No Sir, it's not Bug. It's … unknown. From the recordings of the scout, I think the Bugs found it and were studying the wreck after they destroyed it. It appears the Bugs took out our battleships, as well as this one. There is a debris field drifting away from this location."
"Get boarding parties over there. I want to know where that ship came from."
.
Once one good translator was functioning, many more were made. Zhena was happy she could now talk directly to these mammals called humans. With their voices coming out of the box that lay on their chest from a strap around their neck, she spoke, and the box told the human she was speaking to, what she said. In her ear devices, whatever a human said came out in Katan speak.
Khal was pleased his wife was happy talking to the humans. He was even more conflicted about whether they should risk allowing the humans to take them home. The human technology was amazing, and these were friendly people. Still, there was the Imperial Order, and he wasn't comfortable about an alien race knowing where their home world was.
Sitting down with the Captain of this ship and the blond woman who was second in command, he voiced his concerns. "Captain, we appreciate the assistance you have given us. I have thought hard and although you humans have been kind to us, I cannot give you the location of our planet so we can be returned home."
"Then, where will you go?" Kay asked. "The planet you were on is getting closer to the sun and will be very hot soon. We can't let you stay there." she pleaded.
"Can you give us a frequency to transmit on?" the Captain asked. "You can send a signal to your people. We'll stay here until they come and get you."
Khal lowered his head in thought, then said, "The Bugs might pick it up. We are at war with them. Bugs are nasty creatures. They can … get inside your head if they are close enough. Make you do things for them. I do not want to risk that."
"How about if we have ships go out and look for one of yours?" Kay asked. "Each one takes a Katan with them. Then if they spot one of your ships, the transmissions will be local. Then they can come and pick up the rest of your people."
Khal considered it. "That may work," he agreed. "Meeting a ship randomly in deep space is a very rare event. It may be cycles before one is found."
"It's a chance," Kay said.
"A very slim chance," the Captain agreed. "Unfortunately, right now, that's all we got." Looking at Kay, he said, "XO, talk to Captain Keaton. We have plenty of recon vessels, ask her how many she can spare to start searching."
.
Designated 'Search group 1' that Suzanne was the leader of, Porcupine, Phoenix, Scorpion and Leopard sat in their bays, waiting to depart. Each ship had a Katan on board with a translator. In Porcupine, Khal sat in the electronics console seat with a radio headset on for when they made contact. As they waited for the air to be pumped out of the bay, Suzanne explained, "We are heading back out to the last raptor jump point. We'll backtrack the jump points to the area the remains of the Endeavor is at. From there, we will start the search towards the galactic center in small folds in a search pattern of one square light year. Phoenix will be to our left, Leopard below us, Scorpion will be below Phoenix. After 24 hours of searching, we meet back at the Endeavor and if nothing is found, we pick another direction to search in.
"How long are we keeping this up?" Diane asked.
"Until we find a Katan ship, or someone meets us at the Endeavor and calls off the search," Suzanne told her. "We have to try our best to get these people home."
Suzanne's group launched and made it to the last jump point to meet the pair of Tanks there station keeping. They backtracked through three jump points. Settling in at the first jump point, Diane called, "Got a signal! Far away at three O clock, high, but it's there."
"Eddie, head for it. All other ships, keep an eye on us," Suzanne ordered.
Eddie used a short fold to close the half a light year distance. "Got it. 730 K out, we should be getting a visual soon."
Suzanne noted the point the other ship was at and used full magnification on it. It was only a dot, but she did see it.
"Energy readings growing weaker, looks like they are trying to hide, " Diane said.
Soon Eddie got them close enough that Suzanne was able to make out the oval shape of the science ship they had met before the battle. "Science ship, not Katan," Suzanne announced. "Eddie, head back to formation."
"What is it?" Khal asked. "It is Bug?"
"Don't know. It's not Katan," Suzanne told him.
"It might be Bug," Khal insisted.
"Even if it is, it's not what we're looking for," Suzanne said.
Khal shifted in his seat. "If it's Bug, it may be looking for us."
Suzanne looked back at him and said, "We get you home first, then we worry about the Bugs."
Eddie flew back to the other ships and they Folded back to where the Endeavor's last position. Upon coming back into normal space, the sensors lit up.
"Contacts, we have multiple contacts around the wreck!" Diane announced.
Suzanne noted these were Katan ships. "Khal, we found your people. Radio them before someone shoots!"
.
"We have incoming!" the sensor operator shouted.
The Captain of the Katan ship perked up. "Direction, distance and type!" he snapped.
"Small craft, not Bug that we know of. 50 K out."
"We're receiving a hail from a Senior scientist, Khal Aktar."
The captain barked, "Put it on my receiver. Second, find the name Khal Aktar in the registry."
His second in command typed away, looking as another transmission came in.
"I repeat this is senior Scientist Khal Aktar, come in."
The admiral came onto the bridge as the captain answered. "This is Captain Hak Naran of the Hardstrike ship 'Impervious'. What ship is that you are on, Aktar?"
"Those ships are slowing, Captain," the Sensor Officer reported.
"This is a hu-man ship, Porcupine," Khal reported. "It is a multifunction scout. Hu-mans found us stranded on a hot class H planet. They have offered myself and my crew a ride to find other Katan so we may go home."
"Have him," The second reported. "Khal Aktar, senior science officer aboard the 'Curiosity'. The ship hasn't been heard from in six haklars."
"Aktar, what was your ship's name?" the Captain asked.
"Curiosity' We crashed on a planet. Hu-mans found us and have fed my crew and offered to get us home."
The Admiral spoke up. "Guide them to a cruiser. Less damage possible in case this is a trick."
"What is a hu-man?" the Second asked.
.
The Porcupine crew listened as Khal talked to the ships. They understood what Khal was saying, but the translator wasn't fixed to the radio.
"Understood." Khal said, then looked at Suzanne. "The Admiral wants you to land on the cruiser that is coming. One ship at a time."
"Got it," Suzanne said, then got on her radio. "All ships, there is a Katan ship coming to us. We will land one at a time. Porcupine will go first. After we take off again, Phoenix will go next, followed by Leopard then Scorpion."
Her ships replied. Eddie announced, "We are being targeted."
"Stay alert," Suzanne told him. On the radio, she added, "Nobody shoots unless they do first."
More lizard speak went over the channel. Khal chuckled and answered, "I will tell them." To Suzanne, he said, "The Admiral thinks you are very brave and agrees, no weapons release unless you do, first."
Suzanne was glad to hear it, though she were still wary. The cruiser came closer and slowed to a stop. Eddie maneuvered over to it, Khal pointed out the white light he was to head for. To Eddie, it looked like a simple docking bay, plenty large enough for Porcupine. He also noted that after the bay pressurized, lizards with guns accompanied a few officer-looking lizards in black uniforms into the bay.
"Wait until they get positioned, then open the hatch," Suzanne told him. She and Khal got up and went to the air lock.
Khal got off first, holding his arms up in surrender. Suzanne followed suit, only moving to the edge of the airlock. The lizards talked, then Khal came back up. "This ship will take my crew. The captain requests to escort you back to your cargo ship to retrieve my whole crew."
"Tell him that will be fine. I'll give him a map of where we are at, since our coordinate system is most likely different," Suzanne said.
Khal relayed the message. He then walked back to Suzanne and told her, "I will stay on board to ensure we arrive. Your other ships may unload the crew that came." After a pause, he added, "In case I do not see you again, thank you for your assistance."
"You are welcome. Stay safe, Khal."
"You stay safe, Suzanne."
.
Suzanne gave them the celestial map with the one star circled in red and their present position circled in black, then left. The other ships landed one by one and let off their passengers. Formed up again, They Folded back to the planet and let the cargo ship know a Katan ship was coming to transfer the rest of Khal's crew.
The transfer went well. The Katan cruiser lined up their exterior hatch to one on the cargo ship. During the transfer, Khal and the Cruiser Captain talked with the cargo ship Captain. They agreed that Katan and Hu-mans were friend species. Suzanne was surprised when Zhena made a point to find her and give her a hug before she left. Other Katan came to hug Eddie and thank him for the 'feast' he provided.
Something bothered Suzanne about the aliens they met out here. According to the first aliens they met, Katan were brutal warriors. She was sure now that the Katan called them 'Bugs' and Khal hinted that they used mind control on the Katan.
Was the war between the two a gross misunderstanding, or was there something sinister behind it. From her experience, the Katan were not bad people. Even so, the 'Bugs' were afraid of them and the Katan hated the Bugs.
It was a shame that right after the Katan ship left, all scouts were brought on board and the cargo ship left for Earth. Suzanne was eager to know more about both species.
.
Eddie piloted Porcupine down to land at Kennedy Space Port in NYC. Traffic control people in orange jackets and carrying the long red coned flashlights guided them into the hangers set apart for the 32nd. Drifting in slow, their ships were lined up in the hangars side by side.
"All ships, this is Captain Keaton. We are grounded until further notice. This hangar will be under lock down. Crews, be sure to take your personal belongings and leave all hatches and doors open. Once we depart, no one will be allowed in the hangar except Naval investigators. Everyone ensure you stay available for questioning. Gather your belongings and depart your ship to the hangar side door."
Suzanne turned to her mates. "Let's grab our packs." Knowing they would be kicked off their ship upon arrival, their backpacks were stuffed with their belongings. They got their packs on, shut the ship down and walked out across the hanger floor with the other crews making their way out.
At the side door a line had formed. An officer had a clipboard and was checking off each person who was leaving.
"I hope they don't eat all our food," Diane grumbled as they walked to the bus that would take them to their hotel.
"Or mess up the ship," Suzanne added in a huff.
"Suzanne Warren!" a black suited man called. Suzanne looked. The man came over and said, "There is a limo waiting for you and your family over here."
"We're not taking the bus?" Eddie asked.
"You have different accommodations," the man explained.
Diane looked over at Alex, who frowned at her. Diane shrugged and went with the man.
The limo took them to a five star hotel that was guarded by Secret Service personnel. Inside, they were ushered to the top floor into large penthouse suite where they found their family waiting for them. A relieved Lady Himari hugged each one tight, as did Bill, Chika, and Mariko.
"Lucy and Kouta are out, but they will be back later," Lady Himari explained.
"So, how bad was it?" Bill asked.
"A disaster," Diane said with a huff.
Chika spoke up, "We really aren't suppose to talk about the Endeavor events until you're summoned," she reminded everyone.
"Can we tell you about the Katan, the aliens we met?" Suzanne asked.
"Please do!" Chika said eagerly.
"Aren't they related to … what happened?" Eddie asked.
Suzanne winced and said, "Yeah, kinda. So are the Bugs."
"Bugs?" Yoko asked with a wince. "Did you step on them?"
.
At first, they were glad to be home. When not involved with their family, Suzanne, Diane and Eddie went and saw the sights of the city. Suzanne was called to give testimony for an afternoon. She related the events as they happened. She was stopped a few times to clarify who was in command at that moment, then told to continue. By how fast her testimony session was, she figured the investigation would be over fairly quick.
One month dragged into two. The only news they got on the case was from TV news stations tracking the 'horrible loss' of a space ship. From Space Command, there was no news. Suzanne figured they would at least be required to call in or report for flight quals, but there was nothing. Suzanne finally called to find out that until the UN investigators released the 32nd, they were to remain available to the courts.
It wasn't until 95 days after they had been grounded, did the investigators release the 32nd for duty except for 'key' witnesses. Later that day, Captain Lansky called to say they were mustering outside the hangar for duty at 0700. Clean and pressed parade uniforms required. Theirs were still stowed away in Porcupine. Who would have thought they would need them?
Thankfully, the hangar was open now so they could get their uniforms.
It was an awards ceremony complete with news cameras and reporters. Suzanne and her mates lined up with the rest of the crews to face the platform where a UN rep with an Admiral from Space Command and his Officers stood. To the side, cameras and reporters watch the ceremony.
Captain Keaton was the first to go up and receive a 'Extraordinary Valor' medal, a Royal Medal of Honor, and promotion to Major for leading the 32nd under harsh conditions without support. Every ship commander received a Medal of Honor, and all crews got 'Meritorious unit' awards. Major Ford's mother received his posthumous awards. The Royal Medal of Honor and a purple heart. Once the Admiral had given out all the awards, he stood and addressed the 32nd.
"Members of the 32nd Recon squadron, on behalf of myself, the UN, and Queen Lucy, I commend you all on your performance under very difficult circumstances. It is because of you that anyone survived the disaster on the Endeavor. The grave errors in judgment you suffered from due to command personnel are being looked at with the highest scrutiny. Be assured that those responsible, will be punished to the full extent of the law for the travesty they created. In our investigations, we have found not only was the 32nd going above and beyond the call of duty, but for a new squadron of mostly young personnel, you performed brilliantly. God bless every one of you."
The Admiral then saluted them. Snapping his salute down, he announced, "Dismissed!"
Right after the Admiral left the stage, the reporters began shouting questions.
Avoiding the press, Porcupine crew sneaked back into their ship, as did a few others. Major Keaton wasn't quick enough and was swamped with questions.
Since their flight quals had expired, flight qualified 'monitors' had to be on board to get the ships into the air. Proper communications also needed to be followed, which caused a few minor problems. Eddie forgot how many times he forgot to reply to Suzanne with repeating the order followed by "Aye, Captain",not "You got it, Suz." Diane was a bit better, though she mostly called out possible hazards and coordinates. Suzanne was almost as bad as Eddie. She knew the voices of each ship, and had to remember to say the ships name, and not, 'Nova' or 'George'. Although their communications were in need of improvement, their flying was not. It helped that the monitors knew they had engaged in the only battles Space Command had ever seen and were being touted as heros. The whole squadron has their flight quals restored.
Although the Recon section of Space Command was high in their glory, the Explorations division was beaten with a hammer. The Admiral who had selected Captain Styles as Captain of the Endeavor was brought up on charges of criminal negligence. Another was discharged as well as anyone who recommended Captain Styles for the job. A few high ranking officers were also booted out of the service. It was strongly impressed upon those who survived the purge that there would never be another 'Captain Styles' if careers were valued.
Once the investigations were over and the trials began, Suzanne was again praised for attempting to ensure the safety of the Endeavor. The only one who wasn't happy with Suzanne was Lucy. In two sentences, Lucy admonished Suzanne with, "Next time, if you feel the need to take charge, just do it. Do not rely on unreliable people even if they are in a senior position over you."
By the time they got orders to report to Mars Base 1, Suzanne and her crew were glad to be leaving Earth.