Leonis:

Svalin:

Twelve Minutes Later:

General Hyde seemed intrigued by the Ostarsis Mission, but didn't have much to contribute otherwise. She asked Kronus if he had a problem with her returning to her ship for some rest. He gave her his permission, and then waited until he heard Commander Arrington report to him that the General had left the Svalin.

"Commander, I have a request for you." Kronus said, looking at the sheet of paper he had written down the notes from his meeting with Hyde.

"Of course Admiral, what can I do for you?"

"I want you and Lt. Sullivan to dig through the Ministry of Defense database and see if you can verify the story General Hyde told me."

"Yes sir," Arrington said with a confused voice, "Do you have a reason to think that she might be lying to you?"

"Not really, I'm going on gut instinct on this one. I couldn't help but feel as though she's holding something back, and if she is then I intend to find it out. Also, I want to know which ship has the group of rescued Colonial Army soldiers. When you find that out send them to meet with me."

Arrington told him that she would have it done as quickly as possible. After hanging up the receiver he walked over to the small bar located at the far end of the room. He filled his glass with water and took a drink. He was wondering what would happen once they returned to the Eastern Alliance base and gave General Maxwell the news of the soldiers they had discovered. He was partly amused and frightened at a pissing contest between the Army and the Marines.

Victorious:

Scott Tolan navigated his way through Officer's Country, located on the same level of the ship as the officer's wardroom, to the cabin that Larsen Banks shared with Jamie Hamilton. He knocked on the door and a few moments later Tolan was face-to-face with a very tired looking Magic.

"Admiral, what can I do for you?" Banks asked before yawning.

"Careful Magic, don't you know that's contagious?" Tolan said half jokingly.

"The medics gave Jamie a sedative so she's going to be out for a while."

Tolan gave an understanding nod, "I was worried about her. Don't worry though; I'll make sure she gets all the help she'll need."

"Thank you…" Magic said before changing the topic, "Is that the reason you came to see me?"

Tolan shook his head, "No I actually have some news to give you."

Magic stepped to the side and motioned for Tolan to come in. Once they were inside (the room with the door closed), Tolan sat down and handed Magic the report he had been holding, "This will give you all the information you need to know."

Tolan studied Magic's face as he read the report. He didn't say a word as he saw the man's expression change as he took in the information on the pages.

"Cubit for your thoughts?" Tolan said when Magic finished reading and sat down the report he had been given.

"This is one of those times when I'm actually speechless…it's horrible what happened to Spartan…then you have Andie being accused of the crime. I know she can be a bit reckless but she's no killer…" Magic was lost in thought but he finally asked, "What does this have to do with me?"

"You're my new CAG." Tolan said.

"I'm your new…" Magic's mind then fully processed what he had been told, "I'm the CAG?"

"You think I would come in here and lie to you about something like that?"

"No sir. What about Jones, Bibb, or Baldwin? I only have a basic understanding of how to pilot a viper. They're the leaders of our other three squadrons." Magic wasn't doing that great of a job at hiding his disbelief.

"They are Lieutenants, while you're a Captain. After Spartan you're the highest-ranking pilot on this ship. You'll do fine, after all your call sign is 'Magic'."

"You know the only reason I got that name was because my squadron commander on the Columbia thought I was a lucky charm."

Tolan reached over and gave Magic a pat on the shoulder, "Perhaps it's time for you to be your own lucky charm." He saw the look on the young man's face and had a good idea as to what he was thinking, "I wouldn't have made you my CAG if I didn't think you were up to the challenge. Get that thought out of your head."

Magic looked awestruck, "How did you know I was thinking that?"

"I'll give credit for that to Dr. Hood's Psychology class." Tolan said before turning around and leaving the room. His body began to let him know that he needed to head to his quarters and get some sleep.

Ostarsis:

"How are you doing Angie?" Lamont Evans asked as he walked into the room.

"I'm fine Lamont, thank you for asking." Angela Rigel said distractedly. She was sitting on the side of her bed looking down at the number tattooed on her arm. The Cylons had given that to her when she had first arrived on Ostarsis. The end of her processing involved the tattooing of the prisoner number on the underside of her forearm.

"If you need to talk to someone you have either the Commander or me. I just heard that Cornell's men just rescued a group of our Marines from one of the prison camps."

"That's great news…" Rigel was silent for a few moments then asked, "Which ones were rescued?"

"Leta Barrett, Lakeisha Cooley, Tyler Hamilton, Blake Mack, and Avery Bond" Evans said. He couldn't help but notice that Rigel didn't quite seem like herself. A part of him wondered if the past seven months were starting to get to her.

"I'm going to get some rest and then I'll meet with them. Thank you." She kept her eyes focused on her prisoner number. There was a part of her that hated the sight of it and the other part saw it as a symbol of all she had survived.

"You're welcome; if you need anything let me know." He left the room and closed the door behind him. He couldn't shake the feeling that there might be something wrong with Angela Rigel. Maybe it had to do with the discovery of her great-grandfather's battlestar, the Achilles, but he hoped she would be able to move past whatever it was that was bothering her. If it didn't he might have to mention it to Commander Woods and see what would happen.

Victorious:

"So let me get this straight…" Andre Graystone said, "Your sorority roommate was a gymnast and one night you and your sisters got her drunk. Once this was done you had her do back flips to see how many she could do while drunk."

Stadra Ah-Mun's face turned a bit red with embarrassment, "Yeah we thought it was something that we'd all get a laugh out of."

"Sounds like you didn't get the laugh out of it you thought."

"Well actually it was funnier than we had intended, but we never did it again." She leaned in and asked, "I've told you a drunken story from my youth now it's your turn."

"I think that as the XO I don't have to say anything relating to this topic." He jokingly told her.

"Oh that… well did you know that Admiral Tolan said I was the most powerful person on this ship." She couldn't help but grin.

"I can't wait to hear this."

"It was earlier in the day before he found out about the attack on Captain Pittman. There was a reporter onboard by the name of Vincent Pearson. He saw the admiral and asked him how it felt to be the most powerful person on the Victorious."

"Knowing Scott the way I do, I'm sure he had a great response to that."

Stadra nodded, "He told her, 'There is an ensign on this ship by the name of Stadra Ah-Mun. Every morning she hands me a sheet of paper that tells me what I'm going to be doing every fifteen minutes. In my opinion that makes her the most powerful person on the Victorious.'"

They both started laughing, the sound reverberating off the walls of the Officer's Mess.

"Well then Ensign Ah-Mun, I bow before the most powerful person on the Battlestar Victorious." Andre said, raising his arms up and doing a mock bow with his upper body.

"Thank you Andre." Stadra said. Her expression had suddenly turned serious.

"What's there to thank me for, why the sudden drop in formality?"

"Because this isn't Ensign Ah-Mun thanking Colonel Graystone, this is Stadra thanking Andre. This time that we've been talking…I've been able to forget about the worries on my mind and be a normal person."

Melete:

Hendrix had mulled the decision for hours trying to find a way out of his dilemma. He had just murdered a man, and the fact that it was done in a drunken rage didn't do anything to make it more acceptable.

'Iron' Luke Hendrix was sitting in his quarters squeezing his hand grips furiously. He thought he had an idea, but wasn't sure if it was something he needed to do. It took a few more minutes of deep thought before he accepted the reality of his situation. He was going to have to silence the four technicians before they could bring him down.

Helios:

Chris Alonzo stepped off the raptor and onto the hangar deck with a feeling of uncertainty. He was relieved that Carter had burned the photographs but he couldn't get over the man's actions. It was as though the admiral was expecting him to fail now that he didn't have anything hanging over his head.

He had mentioned to Breeze that he would meet her in the Officer's Club for drinks when he returned from the Atlantia. He wasn't sure if he would do that now or later, there was part of him that wanted nothing more than to get some rack time. He also wanted to tell his mom about Lacey Tolan. Even though his dad was hated by Admiral Tolan, he hoped that wouldn't get in the way of a relationship with the man's cousin. One day in the near future he would have to work up the nerve to have that conversation with him.

He walked by the area of the hangar reserved for the viper squadron he belonged to. The deck gang was at work with the scheduled maintenance. He noticed Specialist First Class Emmett Rivers applying a plaque to the side where his nameplate would have been. His curiosity got the better of him and he walked to where his viper was at.

"What do you have going on here Rivers?" He asked as he glanced up and saw what the old man was doing.

Where it had originally read 'Lt. Christopher Alonzo/ School Boy' now read 'Lt. Christopher Alonzo/ Adonis'. Chris smiled at the change, it looked a lot better in his not so humble opinion.

"I see that smile Lieutenant, but you'd best be careful." Rivers said. He had served in the Colonial Fleet for forty-one years and was heading to retirement once the weapons tests had been completed. Sakura, with Tolan's blessing, had offered him a chance to retire and live on the Olympica. He had refused, claiming that he would stay in the fight for as long as he was needed.

"Why's that?" Chris asked curiously.

"There is something about changing a name. It works the same for ships as it does for pilots. There was an escort battlestar back during the First Cylon War. When launched it was named the Isis. At the time there was a new class of battlestars being built and it was decided to use the name 'Isis' for the class. Because of that the name of the ship was changed from 'Isis' to 'Eris'." Rivers paused to see if he still had Chris Alonzo's attention.

When he was certain that he did he continued the story, "So the Eris is deployed to provide viper support for the warstars during this attack on a Cylon tylium refinery in the Octavio Sector. Not long after the battle begins a Cylon raider is shot by one of the vipers and it does a suicide dive onto the Eris. The raider manages to crash into one of the fuel tanks on the top part of the hull. A one-in-a-million shot but it happens, and because of that the Eris exploded and took all hands with her."

Chris said, "Interesting story Rivers but what does that have to do with me?"

Rivers finished attaching the nameplate then got down from his ladder.

"The fact is Lieutenant it is considered bad luck to change the name of a ship or a pilot, and when that happens there is something unfortunate that will take place. I just wanted you know that since you agreed with the name change."

Chris patted Rivers on the shoulder, "Thanks for the concern but I'll make sure that I don't get blown up by a Cylon raider."

He was walking away from his viper when he heard someone shouting his name. He turned around and saw Admiral Kimmel running towards him.

He snapped a salute then asked, "What can I do for you sir?"

Kimmel returned the salute then said, "I need you to pilot a raptor for me. There have been threats made against the lives of your mom, your sister, and yourself."

"Of course sir, but who made these threats?" Chris asked, more worried about his family than himself.

"A group on the Olympica, they lost loved ones in the riots and blame your father for it. We need to get them off of the ship and then take them to a safe location."

Chris nodded, "Let's get moving then, I don't want anything to happen to them!"

Three Hours Later:

Hector Alonzo's Baseship:

Hector and Sasha were in the process of getting dressed when there was another knock on the door to his room.

"I'm beginning to think that Daniel might be some sort of stalker." Sasha said, in the process of putting on her bra.

Hector had just finished zipping up the front of his suit pants, "The Cylons seem fond of using him as an errand boy. At least it gives him something to do, even if he's really nosey."

They both laughed and finished getting dressed. When they opened the door they were met with a very excited Daniel Warren.

"Come with me Mr. President, your family is here on the ship!"

Hector was puzzled, "What are you talking about Mr. Warren?"

"The Cylons brought your wife and kids from Tolan's fleet. They arrived about nine minutes ago."

"That's great, but how did they pull it off?"

"Their admiral convinced them to join him in a raptor. He said he was taking them someplace safe to protect them from a militant faction that was hostile towards you. He then brought them to the ship and their now with us."

They walked in silence through the many corridors of the baseship. Finally they arrived in what appeared to be some sort of waiting room.

Gloria and Louise were sitting on a sofa, and Chris was nowhere to be seen.

"Daddy!" Louise exclaimed as she ran up to Hector with her arms raised up. He picked her up and held her to him.

"It's great to see you my dear, your daddy's missed you!" He kissed her on her cheek and put her back on the floor.

He noticed Gloria was standing but the look on her face held none of the warmth and joy that Louise had.

"Gloria, I know this is a lot to take in…" He said as he walked up to her. He didn't get to finish as her left hand smacked him across his cheek.

"You bastard!" She yelled at him, seemingly uncaring about the fact that her seven year-old daughter had to witness this outburst of anger.

"I understand you're upset Gloria, but this is for the best. I did this all for you…"

"Don't you dare! This is just like everything else you've done since we've been married. It's always going to be about you. It will never be about Chris, Louise, and it sure won't be me…no it's always about the great Hector Alonzo!" She wasn't holding back her anger though Hector figured she was probably acting out of fear as well.

"In time you'll see that I did the best thing for you and the kids…" Hector had a sudden epiphany…"Where is Chris, wasn't he brought here as well?"

"Three wanted to question him about the Colonial Fleet. He has knowledge of Tolan's fleet that maybe of use." The voice belonged to a dark-skinned man who stepped into the room.

Hector looked and realized that this was the admiral in Tolan's fleet and he knew exactly who he was.

"Oh my…" was all he could bring himself to say.

Hector finally realized what was going on. Chris was now an officer in the Colonial Fleet, and that made him a military asset. It would only be natural that he'd be questioned…

"I don't think that's necessary. He's not that high on the list of officers and I doubt they'd even let him know vital information." He said to Kimmel. He realized that he had to try to keep Chris from being hurt.

"The seven of us have already talked it out and the vote was unanimous for interrogation." Kimmel said as he walked up and put his hands on Hector's shoulders. "If your son is smart he'll give us the information and no harm will come to him. Three won't go further than she has to in order to get information. When she has finished talking to him he will see things in a different light."

"You don't understand. He had no desire to join the Fleet that was all my doing to try to get some votes in case I had to run in another election. Can't you just leave him alone and wait to capture another pilot?"

Kimmel shook his head, "I'm sorry but it's already begun and Three won't stop until she's taken the information that she is looking for." With that said Kimmel turned and walked away followed by William Arnold.

Hector couldn't help but feel guilty. He had led his only son into a dangerous situation, and the fact that he was an officer in the Colonial Fleet didn't help him.

Melete:

Luke Hendrix had ordered Specialists Larry Carson, Quentin Romero, Salvador Duran, and Meagan Prince to meet him in Flare Locker One to assist him with what he had described as a routine inspection. The four members of the deck gang had been leery of being alone with him, considering his actions that resulted in the death of Chief Macias. Despite their feelings he was their commanding officer and they were essentially bound to follow his orders.

They walked together to the flare locker and found that Hendrix was already there waiting for them.

"About earlier with the Chief…" Hendrix said with an attempt to appear sorry about what had happened.

"While we were trying to decide what to do his body was found by Valens. We haven't had the chance to give a statement yet…" Prince said keeping her eyes locked with Hendrix's.

"I know what you think you saw, but it really didn't happen the way you might have imagined it." Hendrix said. He wanted to make sure that they would just let Macias' death be assumed an unfortunate accident.

Romero spoke up, "You murdered him and there's no way we'll let you off the hook for that. You're a tyrant as far as we're concerned."

Hendrix bowed his head and slowly shook it back and forth, "You're right Romero. Justice needs to be served here and I have to take responsibility for my actions. Since we're already here let's get this locker inspection done and then I'll turn myself into the Master-At-Arms. Fair enough?"

The four specialists looked at him as though he was a liar; they had no intention of doing anything for him.

"I swear on the souls of my kids, as soon as we finish this I will turn myself to face a court-martial." Hendrix appealed to them, hoping they'd believe his sincerity.

They were facing a decision here as to whether or not to believe Hendrix. There was the realization that there had been video cameras installed in the forward flare locker of Hangar Bay 1 during the last refit when the Melete had been converted into a training ship. This had taken place before Hendrix had taken command, during the shakedown cruise the Melete had been commanded by the well-liked Commander Josiah Fisher.

They huddled and discussed their options. If they refused to go along with Hendrix then he could charge them with mutiny and they'd face the death penalty. They hoped that if something happened to them the cameras would catch Hendrix in the act.

"Alright Commander, we'll do this for you and then you are going to turn yourself in to the proper authorities." Salvador stated.

"As I said before, I swear on the souls of my children."

Hendrix then opened the door to the flare locker and he motioned for the four to enter. When they were all in he handed them a sheet of paper.

"This is a check list we will have to sign off on while we're doing the inspection. I want you to pair off into pairs and each take one side of the locker. When you're through with that I'll take the rack of flares on the far wall and inspect the crates we have in here. Start at the end and work your way towards the door." Hendrix watched as the four paired off and went to end of the racks at the other side of the locker.

It was then that he put his plan into action; he pulled a magnesium flare out of his uniform jacket and pulled the string. He heard the familiar popping sound and threw it into the locker where it would ignite the rest of the flames.

He quickly shut the door and dogged it so that they would be unable to escape. He heard screams inside and the sound of their fists banging on the door.

"I'm sorry, so very sorry. I just can't let you take my ship away from me."

He heard Prince shout, "You swore on the souls of your children!"

He then said with a very sad voice, "About that…my wife and I never had children."

He then walked off down the corridor making sure that nobody saw him. He had gone up a couple of ladders on the way back to his corridors when he heard the alarm claxons go off.

"Attention all hands, attention all hands. Fire in the Forward Hangar Bay, all damage control teams report immediately. Set Condition One throughout the ship." The voice belonged to Lt. Sanford Alston, the Officer of the Deck.

Hendrix sprinted up to the CIC. He had to take charge and lead his crew. After all it was his ship…

What Hendrix didn't realize is that he had already been caught by one of the ordinance handlers. Amber Hudson hid behind a crate in the corridor leading to the flare locker. She was going to check and see what was going on but when she saw Hendrix pull the flare out and light it she became concerned. She saw him throw it in and close the door. At that point she jumped behind the crate and hid as best she could. Hendrix actually rushed past her but his eyes were so focused ahead that he didn't even notice her.

She ran to the door and could still hear screams though they were sounding weaker. She tried to open the door but Hendrix had jammed it hard and she could feel the heat beginning to radiate from the fire inside. She knew what had to be done. She ran to sound the alarm. Looking behind her, she saw that the fire was beginning to cause the door to glow with its heat. In the back of her mind, Ashley knew the fire was going to melt through the door and begin to spread.

Hector Alonzo's Baseship:

Chris Alonzo's brain was fighting to put together any kind of coherent thought; the pain was just so great. The woman began by asking him his name, rank, and the ship he was assigned to. When he mentioned the Helios and the battle group she became more interested. He tried to be as vague with his answers, but all that got him was a jolt from the torture chair he was strapped to.

"Let's move on then lieutenant. Do you know the Tactical Voice Radio Call for the Helios, Victorious, and Sphinx?" She asked in a very patient tone.

"What makes you think I know that information?" Chris said trying to keep his voice from betraying the pain he was feeling.

"You're a pilot. I'm sure you have some idea what the ships are called. It keeps us evil Cylons from knowing which one you are talking about." She walked behind the chair and stroked his black hair with her hand.

"Even if I knew I would never tell you. You should move on to your next question."

She didn't say anything. All she did was pull hard on his hair and used the chair to send a wave of pain through his body. He screamed loudly but she kept it going longer than she had before. His body writhed and he found himself starting to cry from the agony he was feeling.

"Are you with me Chris?" She asked after putting her mouth close to his right ear.

"Lacey is that you?" He asked with a voice that was weak from the torture.

"Yes Chris it's me, Lacey…I wanted to talk to you." She wanted to play along to see where this would lead. She had read the report from Admiral Kimmel alerting that Scott Tolan's cousin Lacey had been rescued from Picon.

"Anything for you…all you have to do is ask." Chris' voice wasn't anywhere near its usual tone. He seemed almost in another world.

"Scott wanted me to test you, to see if you have been paying attention to the details of the other battlestars."

Chris slowly nodded, "Yeah…ask anything you want."

"He wants the tactical call signs for the battlestars in our group. Can you tell them to me so I can let him know how you're doing in that department?"

"Yeah…I'll tell you the Helios, the Sphinx, and the Victorious in that order. Will that be ok?"

Three smiled to herself, now she was getting somewhere. "Go ahead Chris, I'm listening."

"Kiss…Myas…Toaster…those are the call signs."

"Kiss…Myas…Toaster, are you certain?" She wanted to make sure before she ended this session.

"You need to say them faster though; it helps to remember them that way…"

Three shrugged and said them faster, "Kiss…Myas…Toaster…"

"Good but you need to say them faster."

Three said them again but this time she realized exactly what he was saying. "Kiss my ass toaster…"

Chris nodded his head, "Very good Lacey, you got it right!" This time when he looked up at her his demeanor was the opposite of what it had been before.

Three walked around and belted him across the face, "Alright then have it you way. You are about to experience pain in a way you never thought possible…" She then turned the power up on the chair and kept it running while she beat him with her fists.

Svalin:

The more Kronus read the file Arrington sent to him the more he had to wonder about General Alice Helene Hyde of the Colonial Army. The woman was known in the Army for getting results, and she seemed to use whatever means necessary to get the job done. It seemed that under the fine Caprican upbringing was a ruthless side he wouldn't have thought she could possess.

The research had dug up a story set five months before the Cylons had attacked. There had been a huge protest on Sagitarron over the perceived abuses the colony had suffered at the hands of its fellow colonies. President Adar had made it his mission to downsize the Colonial Fleet, and there had been rumors that the other branches would follow suit when the Fleet had been taken care of. Despite this aversion to the military Adar wasn't afraid to use it to enforce his will.

The events in the article occurred in the Sagittaron city of Iambe. Hyde's army group had been sent to put an end to the protests and restore order. She at first attempted to meet with the leader of the protests, a man by the name of Tod Jensen. He had asked her if there had been any terms offered by President Adar to help put an end to the protests. From the accounts of those present, Hyde had made it clear that the only offer to end the protests peacefully was to stop immediately or else risk punitive action.

Kronus took a moment to let it sink in. He then turned his eyes back to the report and read the rest of it. Jensen had rejected Adar's terms and let Hyde know that the protests would continue until the President agreed to meet with him and hear the grievances of him and the other Sagittarons.

The protestors had camped out in front of the Iambe Council Building in the heart of the city. The large numbers had served to disrupt traffic and slow parts of the city to a crawl. At the late hour of the evening most had settled down to rest, and very few were milling about. Nobody took notice of the soldiers being stationed at the street entrances, encircling the protestors and affording them no chance of escape.

General Hyde had told Adar of the meeting with Jensen and he ordered her to remove the protestors by any means necessary. In the early morning hours she did just that. She unleashed the full power of her army on the protestors, leaving over twelve-thousand civilians dead in the wake.

Kronus looked at the pictures that accompanied the report. The press had received orders from President Adar not to print them and they had complied. The photos showed the devastation that had been visited on the Sagittarons; he hadn't seen this kind of carnage since his days in the First Cylon War. He finally put the pictures down and turned his attention to the report underneath.

General Hyde had been assigned to accompany a deep space colony expedition. In the northwest sector of the Cyrannus system near the red line a large habitable planet had been discovered. Adar approved a group of Tauron colonists whose goal was to turn the newly discovered planet into a viable colony. In an attempt to get her out of the public's eye until the anger over Iambe had cooled down, President Adar had selected Hyde to lead her army group with the colonists to provide protection.

At least he knew how she had missed the Cylon attack. Now he needed to get to the bottom of the story, and this time it would be without any of the deceptions she had used on him during their first meeting.

He picked up the phone that was sitting on his desk. Commander Arrington was given her orders once she answered. She was to take four Marines over to the Gelanor and bring General Hyde to him. If she refused then Arrington was to use the Marines to arrest her and transport her to the Svalin.

Hector Alonzo's Baseship:

Hector had taken Louise on a tour of the baseship, at least the parts the Cylons had allowed him access to. Now it was just Gloria Alonzo and Sasha Evans. The two women had always been cool to one another. If Gloria had ever known about Sasha's affair with Hector she kept it to herself.

"I see you haven't changed Sasha. You always were the opportunist." Gloria said, her eyes glaring at the younger woman her husband had always had a soft spot for.

"I wouldn't say I'm an opportunist, I just know when to join the winning team."

"So is that why you're busy frakking my husband? I hate to break it to you but he's not on a winning team right now."

Sasha laughed, "He's working with the Cylons. Trust me when I tell you he's on the winning team right now."

Gloria walked closer to where Sasha was standing, "Have you forgotten what they did? They killed our friends and family, not to mention they were trying to kill us!"

Sasha shrugged her shoulders, "I can get past that. I'm looking at the big picture, the Cylons have the power and we should be trying to work with them instead of dying in a useless struggle." She thought for a second then asked, "Do you know why I'm even having this 'affair' with Hector?"

"Because you're a woman who can't keep her legs closed for any man who comes her way, Gods how sorry I felt for your husband. He was way too good for you." Gloria thought she saw a flash of anger in Sasha's eye but it quickly faded.

"My whole life I've been attracted to money and power. Hector had both when he was the mayor of Caprica City. Now he is working for the side that's going to win this war. He has so much power that I can't help but want to be with him. You're going to see this as well in time."

Gloria looked at her skeptically, "Hector and you chose your sides, and mine is on the human side. The two of you can frak each other's brains out and help the Cylons, but I will do no such thing."

Sasha walked closer to her and leaned in so that only Gloria could hear her, "You may want to rethink that."

"Why would I want to do that?"

"Think of Louise. I'd hate for that sweet little girl to have to learn to call another woman 'Mom'. Wouldn't you? I know if I were in your place I'd make sure I didn't make any waves for Hector. Most importantly you'd want to make life easy for your son since he is technically an enemy combatant." Sasha let the threat hang in the air. Gloria was a smart woman and she'd easily get the hint.

"Yeah…" Gloria said, knowing that she had been defeated for the time being. As much as she wished nothing but harm towards Hector and Sasha she couldn't go against her maternal instinct to protect her children. She didn't want anything bad to happen to Chris or Louise.

"Smart woman…" Sasha said with a hint of haughtiness to her voice, "Now follow me and I'll show you to your quarters."

They were walking towards their quarters when Hector and Louise came up to them.

"Alright sweetie, you go with your mom and be a good girl for daddy." He said as he put her down gave her a kiss.

"It's good to see you Hector." Gloria said. She had to force herself to give him a pleasant smile.

"See Gloria we can be happy here with the Cylons." Hector said. He was pleased his wife's demeanor had changed since he had seen her. He noticed Sasha smiling though he wasn't quite sure why.

"I have to go meet with Mr. Arnold. I'll tell you about it when we're through." Hector went and kissed Gloria on the lips. When he had parted from her Sasha came up and gave him a kiss on the lips, the type they had been sharing during their trysts in his quarters.

Hector was worried about Gloria's reaction but when he looked at her she didn't seem fazed by it. In fact she smiled and told him to take care. Suddenly all of his fears were put at ease. He assumed the girls must have talked things out and decided to do what would make him happy.

Baseship Control Center:

Hector couldn't help but feel stunned by the announcement from William Arnold.

"You're telling me that we're going to take our five baseships and attack Cosmora?"

"Actually Mr. President we're going to draw Tolan's group out of the Pallas Nebula and once we're through with them we'll enter the nebula and wipe up the remnants."

"What about Carter's four battlestars and Kronus' warstars? Tolan has the smallest battle group but we should be worried about the rest."

"We practically destroyed those ships and Kronus only has three warstars and our raiders can handle them easily."

"Let me ask you this. We have your left over older model Cylons and raiders on board and only a few of the newer ones. What if they board us?"

Arnold laughed, "We have them on the ropes, and they wouldn't be able to board us even if they wanted to."

"I'll go with it. However, I want to offer Tolan a chance to surrender to me. I'll come up with some peace terms he would have a hard time refusing."

"Alright but why would you want him to offer him the chance to surrender, wouldn't it be best to blow him out of space?"

Hector clapped his hands and rubbed them together, "Because there is nothing I would love more than to humiliate Scott Tolan. He made this personal a long time ago."

Arnold nodded, "Very well Mr. President, we will be jumping within the hour."

Victorious:

Lacey Tolan was lying on the sofa in Scott's quarters reading a book from his collection. The mystery novel 'The Streets of Delphi' was one of the books written by Arnold Silva that she hadn't read yet. She was so deep in thought that she didn't hear the door to the room open and the sound of footsteps coming up to the sofa.

"Cadet Tolan how many viper squadrons are there on a Mercury Class Battlestar?" Andrea Graystone barked in her best 'Angry Officer' voice.

Lacey instinctively jumped up and said, "A Mercury Class Battlestar has up to eight viper squadrons, Sir!"

"Great to see you Lacey, I heard you were onboard!" Andie said in between her fits of laughter.

"Two years at the Academy and it's like I'm a trained dog!" Lacey said as she finally started laughing.

"It's alright that's how they want us to act. We're supposed to be able to give any information asked for at any given time." Andie walked up and gave Lacey a hug. "I know Scott is thrilled that you survived."

Lacey nodded, "Yeah it's a miracle any of us survived the Cylons. I was lucky enough to be up in the mountains doing high-altitude physical training when Picon got hit."

"It's been a while since I last saw you, I think it was…" Andie was trying to remember exactly when.

"The day before I reported to the Academy, you came with Scott and Emily to see me off at the station for the Picon Shuttle." Lacey sat back down on the sofa, and Andie sat on the other side of it.

"Did you have any boyfriends?"

Lacey shook her head, "There was a cadet who made my life there miserable, and word got out that I'm the granddaughter of a gangster. The kind of guys that attracted were definitely not my type."

"At least you knew to leave them alone; I always seemed to draw those types of guys. My dad said I went looking for them without even realizing it." Andie decided to steer the conversation away from her relationship with her father, "Any guys you've met since you've been rescued?"

Lacey blushed a bit, "Well there is this one guy I met. He's a pilot on the Helios. Really sweet but I have no idea if he is really that way or just putting on an act."

Andie smiled, "Well just between us girls…what's his name?"

"Do you know a Lt. Chris Alonzo?"

Andie nodded slowly then said, "Oh…him…well I heard about his actions on the Sphinx and then when he was transferred to the Helios. Then you want to know something that Scott may have problems with."

"Can you tell me everything you know?" Lacey asked, knowing that this was one of the ways she could learn more about Chris.

"Let me tell you first about Hector Alonzo. He's Chris' father…" Andie then began to tell her everything she knew about Chris and the background between his father and Scott.

Ostarsis:

"Have you heard anything else from our friends?" Darius James asked.

"There hasn't been any traffic lately on the comm. I'm not getting worried though. I know Scott will come through for us." Bridget Woods said. The two of them were sitting outside of the deserted hotel they had used as an alternate base. The Cylon patrols rarely came out here, and the Resistance had hid their existence well enough to not be suspected. Here they were at night sitting on a bench looking up at the sky. The colony of Libris was visible, though they both knew that it was probably uninhabitable by now due to the radiation from the Cylon nukes.

"I know the stories you've told me about him and Tyrone Carter Tell me what would happen if they were to have a fight in a bar?"

Woods laughed, "It'd be fun to watch. I know if there was a Dance held after this rescue mission I'd want to see them two have a boxing match. There's money to be made from that match!"

"I'll be glad just to be off this rock. I just hope the Cylons don't get us before the Fleet gets here."

Woods gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, "Scott said he'd rescue us and he wouldn't just abandon us."

James smiled at her, "Has he ever given you a reason to doubt him?"

Woods shook her head, "Not once. I spent a little over four years serving with him as his XO. He taught me a lot of what I know about command. I also knew him personally and he is not the type to give his word and then go back on it."

"If you don't mind me asking, just how well did you know him 'personally'?" James asked. He knew Bridget would catch on to what he was implying.

She looked away from the sky and at him, "Let's just say we had our moment and that's all there is to that story."

"Only a moment…I sure hope it was a good one." James said as he laughed.

"Oh yeah, it was one of the best." She wasn't going to elaborate more on that particular subject. "I'm going to head down to the caves and get some rest. I'll see you after your rescue mission tomorrow."

He bid her farewell and she left while he stayed sitting on the bench. Her mind went back to the night she first met Scott Tolan. Her friend Monique had her eyes on Robert Reynolds as long as she had known him. The only problem was that he was engaged to Bridget. Monique plotted to end the engagement and had succeeded with flying colors. After the confrontation at Scott's condo things fell the way Monique had intended. Robert had called off the engagement and Bridget ended up looking like some kind of harlot to her friends and family. Monique stepped in and ultimately married Robert. She even sent Bridget a note thanking her for 'taking one for the team' that night at Club Tavares.

As for Scott, he endured a small scandal because of what happened. He did manage to make a lifelong enemy of Robert. The man wanted to ruin the Colonial Fleet officer professionally and he began to circulate rumors that painted Scott in the most unflattering light.

Eventually Scott got Robert to stop his attacks, but only because he brought Emily into the whole mess. When Emily had her miscarriage and almost lost her life, Robert told authorities that there was a good chance that Scott had abused her and caused her to lose the baby. Scott didn't know anything about this until his very upset wife called him in tears telling him what had happened.

If there was one thing Bridget knew it was that messing with Emily Tolan was a surefire way to get on Scott's bad side. She had heard that Scott and Robert had a meeting on Caprica and worked out their differences. From the way Monique told her friends the story it came out that Scott had threatened him at gunpoint. He apparently told the man that he could talk trash about him all he wanted but if he mentioned anything about his wife again or caused her any kind of anguish he would regret the day that he was an itch in his father's pants.

Bridget finally reached her room and got in bed. As she drifted off to sleep he couldn't help but wonder if Monique and Robert had survived the attacks.

She chuckled and said aloud, "If they're in the fleet with Scott then may the Gods have mercy on their souls…"

Victorious:

Counting the CAG there would be seven other squadron commanders in the wardroom for this meeting. However, the battles with the Cylons had costs the lives of Lieutenants Colette Sharpe and Broderick Stevens. Their two squadrons had been decimated during the Battle of Carillon and the remaining vipers had been absorbed into the four remaining squadrons temporarily. It was hoped that in the future, once the other battlestars had been returned to full strength with their viper squadrons, the two squadrons on Victorious could be reformed.

Now it was up to Captain Larsen 'Magic' Banks to meet with the four surviving squadron commanders to let them know that he was the new CAG until Spartan had healed from his injuries.

"Why did the admiral decide to make you the CAG instead of one of us?" Alexis Baldwin asked. Her face was showing a cold resentment over not being promoted.

"Well that is easy to explain. I have a higher rank than the three of you and I also have some basic knowledge of handling a viper. Therefore it made sense to Admiral Tolan that I get the promotion until Spartan has recovered from his wounds." Banks said.

"It doesn't make it right. We're viper pilots, you just fly a raptor. We're the leaders of the remaining squadrons here on the Vic. You don't belong out there with us." Tyler Bibb said. The man was doing his best to show his disdain for the Banks' promotion.

Alexis Baldwin put in more of her opinion and it proved to be the one that used up the rest of Banks' patience, "He's got a point. The only connection you have to us is Cashew, and she's barely a viper pilot."

Banks slammed his hand down on the podium he was standing at, "Alright then have it your way. The fact is that I am a Captain in the Colonial Fleet and while you Lieutenants man not like it the fact is that you will give me the respect that I am due. If you have that much of a problem with me as your CAG then you can take it up with Admiral Tolan himself or I can just go ahead and ground the three of you until further notice. Have I made myself clear enough?"

The three squadron leaders nodded their heads vigorously. They seemed to suddenly be very contrite and eager to hear what all the CAG had to say.

Leonis:

Svalin:

Admiral Kronus was sitting down at the desk in his flag quarters waiting for his guest. He had received the report that General Hyde went with his people willingly and didn't try to put up any kind of fight. He had used his time to put together the many questions he had for her.

The door opened and in stepped Alice Hyde. Her face had a neutral expression, making it impossible to get a read on how she might be feeling.

Kronus motioned towards the chairs in front of his desk with his right hand, "Have a seat please. We have a lot to discuss and this time I want you to tell me the truth…"

Olympica:

Alton Mathis had pulled it off. He had killed another Colonial Fleet officer and this time he remembered to leave his Eastern Alliance knife with the victim.

He had followed the young woman from a distance as she navigated the halls of the First Class section of the Olympica. After several minutes she entered the Olympica's movie theater, and he followed suit. Sitting in the darkened theater watching the movie 'The Last Oracle', Alton made sure he got a seat next to the young woman. During a scene that seemed to make most of the audience scream with fright Alton plunged the knife into the woman's heart. He held onto her and leaned her body towards his as though they were a couple and she was too scared to look at the screen. With the movie mostly taking place at night he was able to close her eyes, lean her head back so that she appeared to be sleeping, and left the theater. He felt certain that nobody had seen him. Maybe at last he could ignite a shooting war between the Eastern Alliance and the Colonial Fleet.

The idea that the Alliance would ally themselves with the Fleet was a thought that made him sick to his stomach. Better to fight a hated enemy to the death than to try to make nice. Maybe it was his time living on the fringe of Colonial society but when he thought of the Cylons he was of the belief that the enemy of his enemy was his friend. If they couldn't live with the Cylons, then the Eastern Alliance would get by just fine on their own.