Chapter 25 - Fear
Cassiopeia knew she was busted - big time. She felt like a teenager being caught doing something inappropriate like the time her dad caught her with Curtis Blackstone. She had been locked up in her room after that incident for a couple of months. Dimming the relationship between her and her dad, things had gotten better after some cooling off time between the two. It hadn't help that he was being sent back to his Battlestar immediately after the incident happened, but Cass was sincere with her apology, and things ended up getting better. Somehow, Cass didn't think things would be getting any better now. After a few minutes of waiting, the Admiral appeared with an expression almost impossible to read.
"Admiral -" started Cass, but she didn't know what to say.
"Walk with me," said the Admiral as he headed back to his office.
"I only wanted answers," she said quietly, trying to explain.
"Lieutenant, I have chosen to keep the details of your whereabouts the last two years classified," started Adama. "The only people that are aware of that information are President Baltar, former President Roslin, Lee, Col. Tigh., and Chief Tyrol, who is giving me a rundown of the Raptor you brought back."
"Yes sir," she replied. As he continued walking, he fell silent again. Cass realized if she didn't speak up now, she might not have an opportunity to do so again.
"Sir, my behavior," she started quietly, "I was just frustrated. I didn't know what else to do. I thought she would give me some answers."
As they turned the corner they had arrived at the Admiral's quarters. Cass followed Adama into the dimly lit room and found Col. Tigh patiently waiting for them.
"We'd like to uncover your whereabouts and the events of the last two years," said Adama taking a seat behind his desk and motioning for Tigh and Cass to do the same.
"Don't you think it would be best if the rest of my crew was here?" asked Cass.
"We've already received statements from the others," Tigh said quickly, staring her down. Cass felt more uncomfortable than before. "And you're the only surviving Colonial officer from the mission," he added. Adama patiently waited for her to begin. Realizing that this would be more of an interrogation, Cass breathed in deep, and thought back to the beginning.
"Well, I was on board the Atlantia for my fathers promotion ceremony," started Cass.
"What were your orders at the time?" interrupted Tigh.
"I was on leave from the base on Delphi, Caprica - I served as a test pilot there under Major Connolly," she replied, annoyed that he had already interrupted her report.
"On leave?" he asked with a crafty looking grin - as if he was going to catch her in a lie.
"I was involved in an accident a few weeks before - Major Connolly and Captain Starkman thought it best I take some time off," she replied.
"I remember the incident," said Adam, staring down at his desk at the papers, avoiding all eye contact with Tigh and Meg. "Continue, Lieutenant." He was jotting down notes occasionally as Meg spoke.
"I was to return to Caprica the next day, after the ceremony, but at my fathers suggestion I was scheduled to fly a Raptor to the Sparta outpost in the Priam sector. My father's idea of getting me back in the air," she said trying to explain the circumstances. "He was afraid if I didn't get back into the cockpit soon, I wouldn't fly again."
"And the passengers?" asked Adama.
"Myself, my ECO - Lt. jg Jon Carlisle, callsign Particle," she replied, "then there were the civilian mission leaders, two doctors - Cylons, D'Anna and Simon..."
"The seven and the five," added Tigh quickly, reviewing his own paperwork in his lap. He had copies of the statements from Cortley, Gergone, and Dent.
"The other passengers signed up for the mission anonymously, for their own reasons, through Fleet Medical Headquarters," finished Cassiopeia. "Cortley, Silverton, Gergone, and Dent."
"Cottle confirmed that," said Adama to Tigh." Records indicate that it was approved by a quorum member from Aquaria." He and Tigh were compiling their notes.
"Right," she continued. "We boarded the Raptor only to find that Simon had been waiting on board the ship for some time. He claimed that he was worried about space travel and thought it be best to be familiar with his surroundings. Neither Particle nor I thought anything about it at the time. I only remembered it after speaking with Apollo, when he told me that Simon was a Cylon. We just planned on making a quick run; drop them off, head back to the ship. I plotted the jump, checked it twice, and everything looked fine, but when we executed the jump, there was a navigational error and we came through on the other side to find ourselves being pulled down into a planetary body."
"Where?" asked Tigh. Cass was really annoyed at this point of the questioning - the Colonel was really being a jerk about the entire situation. She was Colonial Fleet and he was treated her like a Cylon.
"An unknown planet - we named it Astrological Body MT-627 - that was the next one in the books, at the time," she replied. "It wasn't charted in the Colonial Fleet records."
"Continue," replied Adama, as if he was in a hurry to get to the next part of her story.
"As I stated already, the jump coordinates placed up in the upper atmosphere of the planet, so we were unable to pull out," informed Cass. "After the crash, we treated initial injuries and started basic survival protocol, you know, set up camp, find water, inventory supplies, etc. Then we waited. Two years later, Apollo showed up - very similar to how we got there. And that brought us here. That's our story in a nut shell."
"The Cylons, did they ever do anything suspicious, or act out of the ordinary in the two years you were on the planet?" asked Adama.
"No sir, they were part of the group, nothing out of the ordinary, until we uncovered the truth that they were Cylons and tried to get away," she replied. "They helped us." The idea was uncomfortable - Cylons helping her survive, helping her continue on in life when they had killed her father. When they had destroyed humanity. It was hard to get a grasp on the idea in her mind. Cass was confused, and the more she thought about it, the worse it was. She realized that for the rest of her life, humanity would be on the run for their survival, and that was a frightening thought.
"Explain to me how you could repair a Raptor in two days?" asked Tigh, not believing that it could be done, and still finding the young pilot suspicious.
"I had nothing to do for two years except work on that darn Raptor. It's been heavily modified," said Cass annoyed.
"You were always handy with tools," said Adama remembering a young Meg playing in her father's garage, only it wasn't playing in the sense that most kids would enjoy, it was modifying the family's truck engine. For the first time since she had returned, Adama sounded almost friendly to her. "Cassiopeia is an amazing mechanic," Adama said to Tigh.
"Pass the word to Colonel Tigh, Colonel Tigh you are need in the CIC," sounded Hoshi's voice over the loud speaker. Adama nodded to Tigh in approval that he was dismissed, and Tigh left quickly to see what the problem was.
An awkward silence fell over the room as Adama continued writing the report.
"Most people would not have survived such an experience. Fear can get the best of you," suggested Adama.
"Admiral?" she asked nervously. "If I may, a question?"
"Yes?" he replied, looking up at her.
"Fear is in the eye of the beholder. What is it that you fear?" she let out quickly, not sure if she was going to get an answer or not. After taking a moment to think about her question, he did.
"The unknown," he said. "The idea that anything can happen tomorrow, and there's nothing I can do to stop it. The future unfolds, and there's nothing I can do to change it and protect the ones that I care about."
Meg held her head down, trying to take in what he said. They were suddenly interrupted by a knock on the door, and the appearance of Laura Roslin.
"Admiral, I apologize for the intrusion, it's only that I recently discovered a clerical error on the census," said Roslin, as she breezed through the entry, a smile on her face.
"No problem at all, Laura," replied Adama.
"Miss Negalla, I was incorrect about your living relatives," started Roslin.
"Excuse me?" said Cass, surprised. Because her only living relative was Cottle, she had not reported any names to be checked in the census when Apollo had asked the others.
"Your cousin, Gianne, she isn't dead; she survived," said Roslin with a smile on her face. "And her son Billy Adams did as well." Cass's mouth dropped open in shock.
"My cousin? You've got to be kidding me," said Cass - then quickly covered when they were confused by her reaction. "I mean, I just can't believe it... You said her son Billy Adams?" Cass asked to verify, piecing together that this was about Lee's son - who he didn't even know existed. Roslin held out a typed sheet of paper under the heading Aerlon Drifter - Caprica, Tauron, and Sagittaron.
"Yes, Adams," she replied pointing to the name. Cass knew it was a typo - it was supposed to say Adama - not Adams.
"I wasn't aware you had other relatives in the fleet, Lieutenant," said Adama questioningly. Cass didn't answer as she continued to stare at the name - Billy Adama.
"Thank you, I really appreciate you taking the time to find this information for me," said Cass knowing that she would have to deliver the news to Apollo.
"Well, I can see I interrupted something important, I won't take up anymore of your time," said Laura, turning back to the hatch. "Admiral," she said nodding, and then left as quickly as she came.
After a moment of awkward silence, Cass was ready to leave.
"I expect your full report on my desk tomorrow," said Adama. Apparently he was satisfied with their conversation as well.
"Yes sir," she replied. As she was halfway out the door, his voice caught her off guard.
"Lieutenant, what is it that you fear?" he asked her. She replied without a moment's hesitation.
"You."
Next: Chapter 26 - Trust