CHAPTER TEN
While Cain was continuing his 'sight-seeing' trip over on the derelict battlestar CEREBRUS, Colonel Tolen was heading down to Cain's cabin in order to drop off some encoded documents. Normally, this would be a job given to a yeoman, but Geoff Tolen had a rule regarding certain classified information: if you want the job done securely, then do it yourself. And as these documents pertained to the disposition of the probes the PEGASUS had dispatched to various sectors, that information was something definitely in the category of 'Commander's Eyes Only'.
As he opened the door to Cain's cabin – as the XO of the PEGASUS, Tolen had a master key – he walked up to the wall safe, punched in a code, and opened the door. Placing the documents in the safe, he then closed the door and locked the safe.
As he turned to walk out the door, he noticed a framed picture laying face down on Cain's desk. Tolen walked over and turned it up. He looked at the picture.
"Ah, the Cain family", Tolen said to himself. It was a picture of Tricia Cain's graduation from the Picon military academy. He saw the image of Garris Cain standing with his arm around his now-deceased wife Cassiopeia. Tricia Cain was standing beside them in her new Ensign's uniform, every image of the proud daughter. There was another person in the picture who was standing a little way apart from the others. Tolen knew who it was, and some of why that person was separate from the others.
"Admiral Cain", Tolen muttered, "Even then, you could barely stand to be anywhere near your brother. Even at something like your niece's graduation".
Helena Cain was a recently appointed fleet flag officer who had risen rapidly to the grade of vice-admiral – though more to having the right political connections and single-minded ruthlessness than anything else – and she had despised her older brother ever since the last Cylon War. Tolen remembered that Helena Cain had placed her flag aboard a brand-new MERC-class battlestar as her intended flagship of a new fleet Task Force. Scuttlebutt had even speculated that Admiral Cain was intending to call that battlestar the PEGASUS.
Tolen remembered when that rumor reached Garris. They were both down in Caprica City having a drink at the 'Golden Arrow' bar.
"That bitch really knows how to make my blood boil", he had snarled to Tolen, "My PEGASUS is not due to be decommissioned for another few months, but that's not stopping my headstrong sister from taking the name beforehand!"
Fleet tradition dictated that only when older ships become decommissioned, could replacement vessels use their names. For Helena Cain to pull that one before Garris' ship was formally decommissioned and stricken from the fleet register was vindictiveness to the nth degree! The fact that Picon Fleet Headquarters had evidentially endorsed the name was a testimony to Admiral Cain's political clout.
"Why does Admiral Cain hate the Commander so much?" Sanders had asked Tolen once.
"It's because the Admiral was jealous of her brother's combat record in the first Cylon War", Tolen replied, "Commander Cain was a hero and a legend, not to mention a multiple-ace while his sister was flying a desk back at the colonies".
Jealously was a very short path to enmity, Tolen knew. Ever since the end of the first Cylon war, Helena Cain had lived in her brother's shadow. She had only recently reached flag rank – thus outranking Garris – because Garris wasn't interested in making Admiral. That, plus Garris' friend Bill 'Husker' Adama – who had been abruptly relieved from command of the MERC-class Battlestar VALKYRIE to take command of the much older GALACTICA – would be retiring soon, and Garris wanted to follow his friend into retirement soon after. The outbreak of the second Cylon War had torpedoed those plans.
As Tolen walked back up to CIC, he wondered how Admiral Cain would have reacted to the Cylon attack. The MERC-class PEGASUS was still being fitted out in dry-dock at the time of the outbreak of hostilities, so the odds were heavily in favor of that ship – and Admiral Cain – being blown to pieces. The MERC-class battlestars were all using the new Baltar-created computer logarithms, which the Cylons had been able to neutralize with such ease.
Just then, his communicator buzzed. Tolen took it out of his pocket and activated it.
"XO", Tolen said.
"This is Lieutenant Cain", the voice on the other end said.
"What's up, Lieutenant?" Tolen asked.
"My flight over here on the CEREBRUS have checked over some of the Mark II's here in the port bay launch tubes", Tricia replied, "We think that we can start flying these out to Home Plate the moment you can get some personnel to man the launch tube controls".
The launch tube controllers – known in fleet slang as 'shooters' – would be needed to launch the vipers into space.
"Your pilots are rated in the Mark II viper?" Tolen asked.
"Give me a break, XO!" Tricia replied in a mock-exasperated tone, "You flew the Mark II in the last war, so you know that it's a snap for any Mark VII Viper-jock to fly".
"Point taken, Lieutenant", Tolen acknowledged with a chuckle, "I'll pass the request along to Captains Syke and Voight, but you better get some of the ground crew personnel to double-check them before you do anything else. They've been sitting dormant on board the CEREBRUS for a long time".
"Some of the ground crews from both wings are here and they have given us a thumbs-up, Colonel", Tricia answered, "so we're good to go".
"Thanks for the heads-up", Tolen said, "I'll pass along the information to the CAG's. XO out".
As Tolen put away his communicator, it buzzed again. Shaking his head, Tolen took it back out of his pocket.
"XO", Tolen said.
"This is Major Sanders, XO", the voice of the other end replied.
"What's up, Comms?" Tolen asked.
"I wanted to let you know that the FLEET AVENGER has just departed the CEREBRUS and is heading back to Home Plate", Sanders replied.
"So they had no trouble in getting the peregrine off from the CEREBRUS", Tolen stated.
"No problems, XO", Sanders confirmed, "the restoration of power to the CEREBRUS' critical systems made it easy".
"Excellent", Telen acknowledged, "oh, and by the way, Lieutenant Cain has reported that the vipers over on the CEREBRUS are cleared for launch, so inform the CAG's to send over Beta watch's Shooters to man the CEREBRUS launch tubes. I want to get those extra vipers on board ASAP".
"Will do, Colonel", Tolen replied.
"I'll be up in CIC shortly", Tolen said next, "so by the time I get up there, I want the CAG's to get those shooters moving. XO out".
Up in CIC, Sanders went over to Core Control and activated the direct line to the CAG's offices on both landing bays.
"Silver Spar CAG here", Syke called on his commlink.
"Black Knight CAG here" Voight called a second later.
"This is Comms up in CIC", Sanders announced, "the XO wants you to send your Beta watch shooters over to the CEREBRUS so that we can start launching the Mark II vipers. Send them ASAP, along with your off-duty pilots. I want to get those vipers on board".
"Will do", Syke replied. Voight echoed him.
"Thanks, guys", Sanders acknowledged, "I'll let the XO know. Comms out".
Over on the CEREBRUS, Tricia Cain was enjoying sitting in the cockpit of one of the Viper II's. This one had the name CAPT. LEWIS CLARK 'CLIPPER' emblazoned on the fuselage immediately below the cockpit. 'Clipper' Clark was one of the highest-scoring aces of the first Cylon war, and Tricia was thrilled to be sitting in that person's viper.
"I see you're sitting in a piece of history, Sheba", a voice from below said.
Tricia looked out and down to see Ensign Vansen looking up at her from the deck.
"Hey, it's not every day that one gets to sit in Clipper's ship, Jet". Tricia replied.
"I just wanted to let you know that both CAG's are dispatching shooters and extra pilots to the CEREBRUS. We should be staring to get these old buckets over to the PEGASUS shortly.
"Well, have some of those pilots coming over take our mark VII's back first", Tricia said, referring to the fighters that she and her colleagues had alighted on the CEREBRUS in, "now that the force fields are activated, there should be no problem in their flying them out and back to the PEGASUS".
"Right, Sheba", Vansen acknowledged. Flipping her a quick salute, Vansen headed out of Tricia's launch tube.
While Tricia was going over Captain Clark's viper, up on the bridge, Captain Engle was supervising the med-techs placing the body of Commander Tyler onto the gurney. The med-techs were being extremely reverential in their handing of Tyler's body, and they made sure that the CEREBRUS' battle colors were draped over the remains.
"Make sure that Commander Tyler is the last corpse to be taken over to the PEGASUS", Engle ordered.
"Will do, Captain", the head med-tech replied.
Engle came to attention and saluted the flag-draped body that was the mortal remains of Commander Tyler. As the gurney was wheeled slowly off the bridge, the other technicians and officers present likewise came to attention and saluted. Engle turned to his command console and activated the P.A. system.
"This is Captain Engle on the bridge of the CEREBRUS announcing that Commander Tyler is departing his bridge for the last time. All personnel please maintain a respectful silence for one minute in the memory of this brave man, and also the people who stayed with him and died at their posts".
The bridge – and the other manned areas of the derelict battlestar - went quiet at Engle's request. Commander Cain – who at that time was in Tyler's cabin – came to attention and saluted the flag that hung behind Tyler's desk, holding the salute for the full sixty seconds.
When the time was up, Engle activated the P.A. again, saying, "Thank you, you may now resume your duties".
While the PEGASUS personnel on the CEREBRUS were rendering honors to the remains of Commander Tyler, the FLEET AVENGER alit on the PEGASUS. The peregrine was quickly elevated down into its hanger bay. After powering down its systems, Hunter and Sims got out of their seats and exited the peregrine once the hanger bay's air pressure was restored.
"Where to now, Hondo?" Sims asked.
"Now that the FLEET AVENGER is back here, I'd like to see about getting one of those Javelin scout ships over here", Hunter replied, "so see about getting the AVENGER refueled as soon as possible, Coffin. We may need to go out again soon".
"Okay, Hondo", Sims replied.
Hunter quickly exited the hanger bay and took a transport that was heading over to the primary docking port. He was really itching to get his hands on the controls of one of those of javelin scout ships on board the CEREBRUS. History aside, he had actually flown one back on Picon. It was one that had been restored and was used as an aviation relic. He loved how the javelin flew then, and he was looking forward to flying one again.
In this way, various people were reliving history as they started their mission of salvaging as much of the CEREBRUS as possible in order to help the PEGASUS along in its mission.
Commander Cain had just exited Tyler's cabin. He saw a marine walking up the passageway and waylaid him.
"Commander Tyler's quarters are to be sealed until further notice from me", Cain ordered in a tone that brooked no questioning, "so maintain a guard on this door. I will arrange your relief soon".
"Understood, Commander", the marine acknowledging, saluting with his rifle.
Returning the salute, Cain headed up the passageway toward the bridge. He would inform the Marine command of his orders pertaining to Tyler's cabin when he got there…