Fleeing the cylon tyranny: A saga of a star family
by
Shawn Scialo
Battlestar Bulletin Board on Facebook
Synopsis
Aeneas is a retired military transport pilot with an affinity for antique star ships and spending time with his family. But when the inhuman Cylons break the armistice and launch the most devastating sneak attack in the history of warfare, Aeneas must recall his Warrior training and lead a group of shell-shocked villagers that includes his wife, 3 children and a trio of green cadets from one side of Caprica to the other. Their goal is a rendezvous with the only man capable of escaping the holocaust. However, first they must survive a night of terror as they traverse what was once their homeland but is now nothing more than a devastated, charred landscape behind enemy lines.
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Prologue
There are those who believe that life here began out there, far across the universe with tribes of humans who may have been the forefathers of the Egyptians, or the Toltecs, or the Mayans—that they may have been the architects of the great pyramids or the lost civilizations of Lemuria or Atlantis.
Some believe that there may yet be brothers of man who even now fight to survive somewhere beyond the heavens…
[Chapter 1] — Escape from capricaMaia's light brown skin soaked up the Caprican sunlight beaming through the window of her childhood home. Her supple, curvaceous figure welcomed the warmth as she pressed against the glass of the window. She rubbed her very pregnant belly gently and allowed herself to drift off, to another place. When a deep sigh escaped her mouth a little louder than she had expected, her daydream of Bow was suddenly interrupted.
"He'll be here Maia. Be patient child", said the calming voice of her mother, Phoebe.
Maia snapped herself away from the fantasy and glanced down at her stomach, smiling at her unborn child. She had not even realized what she was doing, staring out the window while obsessing over the pending arrival of her husband.
"I don't know what's gotten into me. I can't get over this feeling of dread mother", lamented Maia as she crossed the kitchen to help her mother set the dinner table.
She opened a drawer and was not disappointed to find the same utensils, trays, and cutting knives that the family had been using since she was a little girl. Her family was hardly poor, but her parents were frugal. The kind of folks who let nothing go to waste. Thus, they tended to hold on to things longer than most.
"Dread? Why would you feel dread at this moment? Bow is on his way home; your little blessing is almost due, and the war is over. This should be the happiest of times", laughed Phoebe without looking up as she continued to set the family table.
"Which is why we are having a feast of Thanksgiving!" exclaimed Aeneas as he bounded into the kitchen.
"Father! Where have you been?" asked Maia.
"Yes, I'd like to know as well since you're the cook in this family!" Phoebe sneered. "And is that ambrosa I smell?"
"I may have indulged in a glass or two with the neighbors."
"Oh, for frak's sake", sighed Phoebe though she still planted a loving kiss on his cheek.
"Well, you're home now so the kitchen is yours. Maia and I are going to sit on the porch and wait for everyone to arrive."
Sitting on the porch of their modest homestead, Phoebe and Maia delighted in watching the continuous parade of revelers go by as villagers celebrated the coming armistice gleefully. Umbra, the small agro-community on the edge of a thorn forest, had never seen the likes of an observance like this one. Entire families filled the streets laughing and embracing, occasionally firing off a grog induced laser volley into the sky. It was quite the scene. A scene no one could have imagined possible even a yahren ago.
"Count Baltar. Who would have guessed it?" Phoebe sighed with a shake of her head.
"Not me that's for sure. I wouldn't trust that self-proclaimed 'count' one bit. He's just a smooth-talking salesman that one", Maia said.
"But who else could go to the Council of the 12, offer themselves up as the liaison to the Cylons with a plan that would end a 1,000 yahren war?!" said an incredulous Phoebe.
"And not get laughed out of the chamber!" added Maia.
"Exactly!"
Maia stared at her mother, as beautiful a woman as Maia had ever seen though she was bias of course. Maia observed how her mother's long brown hair was the perfect accessory to her light olive skin and soft feminine features. Yet, feminine or not, no man or woman would cross her as she was as fierce as she was beautiful. Maia was proud to call her mother.
"What's wrong momma? Seems you are the one giving off a vibe of dread now?"
"I'm fine. It's just every time I think of that man's smug face and that felgercarb eating grin of his it just makes my skin crawl."
"Oh, my gods!" shouted Maia as she sprung from her chair and raced across the lawn, having spied the love of her life.
Phoebe looked up to see that Maia's husband Bow and his two lifelong friends Cree and Shields had just exited the hover-taxi parked on the street. All three young men were in full regalia, and the famous brown of Colonial Warrior uniforms. They were throwing their bags of gear over their shoulders when Bow dropped his after spotting his pregnant wife running to meet him. He opened his arms to meet the embrace of Maia and kissed her passionately. The kind of lover's kiss that only comes after the passage of significant time and distance apart.
"Bow! Where have you been? You're late!"
"Hey, the spaceports are a little busy right now if you haven't noticed", Bow answered with a smile. "You know there's this little Peace Conference thing going on right?"
Sometime later the entire family and their Colonial Warrior Cadet guests finished their Thanksgiving meals and began to share their thoughts on what the new, post-war worlds may look like. Phoebe was sitting at one end of the long table with her husband Aeneas at the head across from her. She smiled as she listened to him tell the 'kids' tall tales of his time in the Colonial Fleets. Aeneas was a tall, handsome black man that stood out, larger than life in most crowds and she loved him for it. His smile was as contagious as it was genuine. She turned her attention to her children as Maia, her oldest, was shouting to her husband Bow so she could be heard over her father's baritone bellowing. Abella was ogling her longtime crush Cree across the table, and her baby boy Lucas—who was now all of 16 yahrens old and the spitting image of his dad, was listening intently to his dad's boot camp stories.
Phoebe, a very humble person by nature, could not help but revel in her children; they were all extremely attractive, intelligent, and talented individuals. She felt a warmth rush over her as she took in the moment, so blessed to have this group here celebrating the first Thanksgiving of the end of the 1,000 yahren war.
The three Warrior Cadets now enjoying Phoebe's dessert mushies had been part of their extended family for as long as Phoebe could remember. They were neighborhood boys who grew up with her kids in the Village of Umbra. They had just completed Basic Training when the historic news of the armistice broke. What a relief to their families, and expectant mother Maia, that they would be peace-time Warriors. However, they were only going to be home for a secton before heading to the Caprican Space Academy. So, this time spent would be precious indeed. The boys had made a pact, as young boys are wont to do, that they would one day serve together as Viper pilots. That time had arrived. A blessed Thanksgiving this was to be sure. The boys were not siblings, but they absolutely were brothers. They even looked alike, all with pale complexions, slight builds, and brown hair.
"She's on!" Lucas shouted out excitedly.
Everyone quickly got up from the table and entered the great room where Lucas was already sharing Inter Colony Broadcasting's feed from his hand- held device to the home's wall monitor. Young Lucas had a huge crush on the Colonies most accomplished and famous newscaster, Serina. He never missed any of her broadcasts.
Aeneas had been the last to leave the dinner table for the great room. It seemed the gravity of the moment had affected him. Outside in the streets he could already here the celebrations intensifying, like a New Yahren's Eve but bigger. Much bigger! He took stock of the moment and the people in his home. He was proud of all of them and elated that these young people would build lives within a civilization that would not have the toxicity of impending doom looming over their daily lives. He, his wife Phoebe and their grown children had made the most of their war-time predicaments. All of them worked in the family business as space-ship mechanics and diagnostic engineers. Their shop was always the go to for citizens of Umbra and the surrounding areas. Even Abella, the budding Med-Tech, and Lucas who had yet to decide a career path, worked the family store.
Serina's voice boomed throughout their home and Aeneas squeezed his wife close.
"Serina here, at the Caprica presidium, where preparations continue as they have continued through the night for Ceremonies that will commence when the long-awaited announcement is beamed here for the Peace Conference", the stunningly beautiful celebrity reported.
"I almost forgot Serina's on the other side of the world. It's pre-dawn there!" said young Lucas before being shushed quiet by his sisters.
"Even though it's early dawn here, large crowds of people have gathered all around the Presidium complex. Anticipation is growing as Caprican's ready themselves to usher in a new era of peace. So far, details of the armistice meetings are not coming in as we had hoped for because of an unusual electrical interference blocking out interstellar communications", reported Serina as she walked along the mall in a striking, purple dress.
Upon the news of electrical interference, Phoebe and Aeneas shared a glance, both trying to hide concern from the others that something may be wrong.
Serina continued, "We've not yet even received official announcements regarding the rendezvous with the Cylon representatives. However, as soon as information is available you will see the first pictures of what has been described as the most significant event in all of human history. Certainly, since the migration from mother Kobol we have never-"
When Serina stopped speaking mid-sentence, everyone in the great room began to fidget. A loud boom followed by several smaller noises that sounded like explosions shook the home's speaker systems.
Serina's supporting crew must have been shaken as the camera began to lose and then regain focus while also dancing around from side to side. It was hard to make out what was happening. All could see that Serina was beckoning her crew toward her while still addressing the camera.
"Excuse me, somethings happened. I don't know what it was, but it sounded like some kind of explosion. Perhaps some sabotage from dissidents, anti-peace with the Cylon extremists. Listen to that crackle of glass. There is broken glass everywhere now."
"What's happening?" asked Lucas. "Is this part of the event?"
"No. Somethings wrong son", answered a grim Aeneas.
"Dad, we don't know that", said Abella.
Two more explosions rocked the cityscape where Serina was transmitting from. Now the screams from civilians could be heard loud and clear and the camera was catching people running in all directions.
"Two explosions! You saw them on camera! People are beginning to run in all directions, but nobody seems to-"
Clear as day a Cylon fighter, a Raider, flew past the view of the camera shooting bursts from laser weapons into the crowd. Everyone in the room gasped aloud!
"Ladies and gentlemen, the city is being bombed by Cylon fighters!" shouted Serina before the monitor went black for good.
"Ok, everyone stay calm", cautioned Aeneas.
Suddenly, sirens rang from loudspeakers throughout the township. The revelers outside were no longer cheering, rather there were shouts and screaming. Aeneas led everyone out of the house to the front lawn. It was chaos. People running in every direction.
"Look!" shouted Cree as he pointed to the horizon.
In the distance, the unmistakable silhouettes' of Cylon fighter craft against the Caprican sunset could be seen. They covered the entire sky. Hundreds of them.
"Lords of Kobol!" cried Phoebe.
"Something's wrong", said Aeneas. "Somethings' very wrong".
"Why aren't our defense batteries activating?!" shouted Bow to the heavens. "C'mon! Activate! Open fire! What are those frakker's waiting for?!"
"Where's the Vipers?!" shouted Shields. "Orbiting Defense Platform 8 is directly above us."
"And Kronus Base is like walking distance! Where's our defenses?!" Cree snapped.
"Don't we have orbiting carriers and defense satellites? How can these Raiders be so close?!" exclaimed a now hysterical Maia.
"Everyone get to the bomb shelters!" shouted Aeneas as he quickly herded his family and guided them in the direction of the Temple of Kobol.
"Get to the shelters everyone! Go to the church!" shouted Phoebe to shell shocked neighbors and townspeople pushing past her.
Aeneas led his flock towards the church at the end of their street. Yahrens ago it's deep underground chambers and basements had been retrofitted into a bomb shelter for just such a nightmare scenario as they were experiencing right now. He kept a close eye on all in his charge. He witnessed Luca's trip and fall but Shields was right there to pick the boy up before he would have been trampled by the panicked townspeople charging towards the Temple of Kobol.
As the family rushed through the great doors of the temple an explosion that was far too close for comfort knocked them all to the ground. Dazed but otherwise ok, the group got back to their feet. Behind them just smoke and debris. Aeneas regained his bearings and continued to push his family forward toward a stairwell at the back of the church that led to the shelter. Lucas was trying to look back toward the entrance, or at least where it used to be. But Shields was doing a good job of keeping the boy moving forward. The adults were certainly aware that for a blast to be that close to knock them all off their feet, many of their neighbors and friends had surely just perished.
Aeneas pushed to the front, opened the door and waved to the others to hurry down the stairs. Other families and townspeople followed suit. When everyone in the building had passed him, Aeneas raced down the stairs to meet back up with his loved ones. When he reached the base of the stairway, he saw that the lights had just flickered on. In the dusty, dank chambers he would quickly make out that about two dozen or so 'survivors' had made it. He recognized many, but not all of the faces. On the far side of the chamber, he saw his family and made his way through the groaning, shell-shocked villagers of Umbra.
"Is everyone ok?" Aeneas asked, addressing his whole family and the cadets.
"We're ok", answered his wife Phoebe.
"Dad, is this the end of the world?" groaned Lucas through quivering lips.
"Steady son. Everything is going to be ok."
More explosions, albeit seemingly in the distance could be heard. The temple shook slightly as dust shook free from the ceiling, covering the group in a soot like substance.
"Aeneas! You were in the service! What do we do?" came the cry of man from across the room.
"Try to stay calm everyone. Just be glad you're alive", Aeneas answered while his eyes darted around the room to take stock of their situation and surroundings. "We need to take inventory of the supplies and our resources down here."
"We have injured people here!" came another plea from a woman in the corner, kneeling over a man, possibly her husband.
"I can help!" said Abella. "I'm training to be a Med-Tech."
"Go ahead Abella. Help them", urged Aeneas.
Bow stepped forward, "What can we do to help?"
"Bow, you stick close to my daughter!"
"Yes sir", nodded Bow.
"Boys", said Aeneas as he addressed Shields and Cree. "At the end of that hallway is an office. There should be an emergency broadcast system unit in there. Get it fired up and listen for relevant com-traffic. Take Lucas with you."
"Will do sir", declared Cree. "Let's go Lucas. You're with us!"
"And boys, no transmitting. We don't want to give our location away to the tin cans. Surveillance only. Report back to me with any intel. You copy?"
"Yes sir!" Shields chimed in.
Aeneas watched the boys move away and though they had displayed the same fear and panic as everyone else initially, he sensed this little mission had kick started their military training. They were moving confidently now and with a purpose.
Suddenly, a series of very loud explosions shook the chambers violently. Screams and cries pierced the dust filled room.
"Everyone stay down. Crouch down in a tucked position!" Aeneas shouted. Bow held tight to Maia while Phoebe pulled at her husband's hand to follow his own directive to get down. Several centons passed before the bombing abruptly stopped. The lights continued to flicker. Muted weeping could be heard throughout the chambers. "Is it over?" stammered Maia.
"I don't know", Bow replied in a whisper.
"Let's just sit tight everyone", said Aeneas, addressing the entire group. "Let's be sure."
And sit tight the group did. Centons passed into Centare's. A group of diverse survivors checking wrist chronometers throughout the night, thankful that the bombs had stopped, but waiting desperately to hear anything from the outside world. The Warrior cadets had gotten the old Emergency Communication Unit functioning but had little luck in receiving any communications other than the disturbing, hysterical and generally garbled ramblings of terrified Caprican's across the globe.
Every centar or so Lucas would trek down the hall to update his father on the ECU transmissions. Most trips he would walk into a solemn room with intermittent crying throughout. One time he arrived to find a funny old man entertaining the group with his toe-tapping style of dancing. The trips down the hall were becoming routine, but Lucas started to appreciate that he had a purpose, something to do. Then, as night turned into dawn, he entered upon a very different room. One with a lot of activity.
"What's going on?" he asked his sister Abella.
"It's first light and they are discussing whether to go topside or not and take a look around", Abella answered with a yawn.
Aeneas approached with the answer. Lucas had never seen his father look so tired and distraught. Clearly, he didn't get any rest last night. Really, how could anyone sleep?
"We're going topside to take a look!"
Moments later, the whole of the group of survivors minus the more seriously injured or elderly, stepped out into the pre-dawn light of Caprica. Gasps and shrieks of utter despair permeated the group as they laid eyes on the devastation left behind by the Cylon bombs. For as far as the eye could see, nothing but rubble where homes had once stood. The church that had protected them throughout the night had lost one side entirely, yet the structure still stood. A miracle from the Lords of Kobol themselves.
"It's gone. It's all gone!" cried a middle-aged man.
"What do we do now?!" another man exclaimed.
Phoebe held tight to Aeneas' arm as their children pressed in close for a family embrace. Maia and Abella held tight to Lucas who stood between them. Together, the family sobbed, mourning the loss of their home, the devastation of their township and the countless dead strewn about like ragdolls.
Maia felt a gentle hand press on the small of her back. It was Bow. She turned and embraced him. Bow was out of breath. Cree and Shields were right behind him. It was obvious to Aeneas that the boys had something to report this time. It was also obvious that Bow was reluctant to share his news within earshot of the rest of the group, so Aeneas pulled away from his wife, grabbed Bow at his elbow and led him several steps away.
"What is it Bow? What's happened?" Aeneas whispered.
"Sir, we picked up some com-traffic. Outside Caprica City limits", gasped Bow. "Something about a Quorum member. It was mostly garbled. But I definitely heard a voice say that a Viper had touched down outside the 'Adama' compound".
"Commander Adama's residence?" asked Aeneas as he tried to process what it all could mean. "Was there anything else?"
Bow appeared dazed as he glimpsed back at his pregnant wife. The man was exhausted and distraught, as they all were. He was also beginning to focus in on the ruins and dead bodies all around them. It was overwhelming.
"Cadet! Snap out of it", Aeneas said with authority. "Did you make out anything else? Anything at all?"
Cree stepped forward and answered on behalf of his friend, "I heard that there were survivors gathering at the Adama estate".
"Yes, sir", added Shields. "The voice was somewhat hysterical, but they were definitely going on about gathering at the Adama's. One voice said an entire squadron of Viper's had landed there and a counter offensive was being staged. Another disputed that claim. Personally, I don't think either one of the broadcasters I heard had a clue."
"Anything else Shields?"
"Yeah. I heard it's a complete loss. Every base, satellite, installation on Caprica. All destroyed."
Aeneas turned away from the boys to gather his thoughts. Surely, confusion and contradicting reports were to be expected following such a decisive and globally devasting sneak attack by their inhuman, Cylon enemies. But what could the com-chatter of vipers outside Caprica City mean? Everyone on the planet knew Adama, his wife Ilya, and their offspring Apollo, Athena, and Zac. They were like Caprican royalty to millions, a political and military nest of nepotism to many others. Whatever thought Aeneas. None of that mattered. What did matter was that Commander Adama was not only the Caprican representative to the Quorum of the Twelve Colonies, but he was also the Commander of the Battlestar Galactica. And if Adama and his family were still alive then it was a good bet that the Caprican fleet's flagship was nearby. Instinctively, Aeneas knew he had to get his family to that gathering at Adama's homestead. And fast. No telling how long those Vipers would stick around. But being near Adama and his family would be the safest place for Aeneas and his.
"We have to go! Right now!" Aeneas exclaimed as he tore off to round up his family and the others.
"Go? Go where?" came a voice from the crowd.
Aeneas took Phoebe's hand with some urgency and motioned to the rest of the family to follow. Acting swiftly, even though they were not entirely sure what Aeneas had in mind, the three cadets began to bark orders to the group of survivors to follow Aeneas. Once everyone had complied and was moving down the street, Bow, Shields and Cree ran back to the church to collect those that had remained behind to nurse wounds and the like.
"Aeneas, by the Lords of Kobol, where are we going?" pleaded Phoebe.
"To our shop. It's tucked in close to the hillside and thorn forest. There's a chance it survived the attack", he answered as he continued to pull her along.
"The shop? What for?" asked Lucas.
"The Shuttle-Scout!" offered an enlightened Abella.
"That piece of junk?" Maia chimed in, gasping for every breath to keep up with her father. "Does it even fly?"
The Shuttle Scout currently occupying the back garage of the family parts store had been a long-time labor of love for Aeneas. It sported a standard civilian shuttle frame, but with customized gun turrets topside and in the rear. Aeneas never did secure the permits for the retrofit, which is one of the reasons he had never flown the thing. He was just a military and guns enthusiast, a collector of sorts. The Shuttle Scout was his hobby.
"It's our only chance! And it has a cabin that can accommodate everyone in this group!" Aeneas said.
Stealthily, the two dozen survivors followed the lead of Aeneas and crept through one devasted neighborhood after another. Most did not know or understand where they were going. No one voted Aeneas their leader. Yet Aeneas had always had strong leadership attributes and those in the community that knew him well followed him now without question. The rest were probably just following the herd. What other choice did they have?
Every so often a loud crackle or noise of some kind would startle the group. Collectively, their nerves were frazzled and fear of a second wave of Cylon attackers was on all their minds. All too often, the group would stumble on horrific scenes of death and parents would quickly cover the eyes of their children. What a nightmare. Only once in their trek did they encounter other survivors but when they tried to reach out the man and woman shrieked and ran the other way. Must have been in shock. Then, just when some folks were beginning to whisper complaints of fatigue and the need to stop and rest, Aeneas could be heard from the front of the group announcing they had arrived. And the building was intact! Aeneas, their de-facto leader, opened the door to his shop as the rest of his family shepherded the group inside as quickly as they could. No sooner had all found refuge within the building then a twig snapped behind them, startling all.
"It's ok!" Maia announced. "It's Bow!"
Bo, Cree, and Shields emerged from the shadows and entered, each carrying an elderly or injured survivor. Two other Caprican's were right behind them. Probably relatives of the disabled.
"You made it!" Maia cried as she kissed Bow.
Abella surprised herself, and Cree when she ran into his arms and kissed his cheek. "Thank the gods", she said.
"Let's go!" Aeneas urged in a commanding tone. "Everyone go through the store, into the garage and board the ship. Now!"
Once again, without any questioning of leadership, the colonists quickly and quietly made their way through the building. The children of Aeneas, following their dad's lead, took up positions on either side of the entry ramp to the ship and guided their friends and neighbors on-board. In short order, everyone was seated and buckled up within the main cabin. The Warrior cadets then joined Aeneas in a cockpit that, conveniently, seated four. There was a seat for a pilot and co-pilot with 2 more seats directly behind them.
"Opening garage door now. Stand by to launch", said Aeneas.
Slowly, the garage's launch-bay door opened above them revealing the Caprican sky. Once completely open, Aeneas took a hopeful breath and flipped the ignition switch. Immediately, though with a groan that seemed to convey the ship's own reluctance, the engines sprang to life.
"Thank the Lords of Kobol", said Shields as he breathed a sigh of relief.
Skillfully, and as if it had not been ten yahrens since his last flight, Aeneas piloted the Shuttle-Scout out of the garage bay and into the Caprican sky. Once at the appropriate altitude, he banked the ship sharply and punched the desired coordinates into the console. The craft came out of its bank and leveled out.
"Well done sir", said Bow from the co-pilot seat beside Aeneas.
"It's been a while", Aeneas sighed. "Like riding a Turbine, I guess."
"You flew transports during your tour of duty?" asked Cree, who was seated directly behind Aeneas.
"Yes, that's right. They were flying crates really."
"Just like this one", chuckled Bow.
Shields was sitting directly behind Bow, his eyes never leaving the scanner screen stationed before him.
"Aeneas, sir, can you share the plan? Where are we going", asked Shields?
"Based on your reports, something must be going on outside Caprica City. Not to get political, but the powerful and entitled amongst us will surely have resources, a plan, or a means to survive all this", answered Aeneas.
"So, you think the Adama family has means to escape all this?" asked Bow as he gestured towards the forward viewport.
"I don't know. But it's worth a shot. Based on what little we know, Caprica appears lost", insisted Aeneas. "And I'm not willing to risk my family waiting for the other Colonies to come to the rescue."
"Do you think this attack was unique to Caprica?" Cree blurted out.
Aeneas did not answer immediately. He surveyed the skies ahead. Snuck a peak at the scanners. "I don't know. I've known nothing but war with the Cylons my entire life and I've never seen anything like this boys."
Aeneas turned his attention back to the skies ahead. He kept a close watch on the scanners, for enemy fighters, and on his instrument panel for guidance. After all, he hadn't flown at all in yahrens. And he was flying the old crate dangerously close to the hard deck, that is the prescribed altitude to safely navigate the topography.
"Flying low? Trying to stay beneath their scanners?" asked Bow.
"That's the idea. I'm assuming the chrome domes may have landed and set up listening posts. Flying low won't help us from scans from above, but it will help us evade ground to air detection", explained Aeneas.
"And if we are detected, flying low allows us to use the terrain as part of our evasive maneuvers", gushed Shields. "A great plan sir".
"We'll see."
"Permission to go aft sir?" said Bow.
"Go ahead son. Check on all of them please. Send my love", said Aeneas in a whisper. He knew his family had to be terrified. Everyone had been through hell.
The occupants of the Shuttle-Scout exuded a somber mood throughout the main cabin. Families held tight together. Tears flowed freely. From time to time an exasperated shriek would escape someone's mouth. One young man who had barely been holding it together since the ship took flight let out a chilling scream that they were all going to die. It was the end of the worlds! To Phoebe, sitting across from the mere boy, it appeared he was alone and without family. She unbuckled her safety strap and rushed to his side.
"We're going to be ok. We're not going to die", Phoebe said in a soothing voice as she took the young man's hand.
Slowly, the boy stopped hyperventilating. He took Phoebe's hand in his own and accepted her hug as well. Just as he was calming down another voice rang out. Then another. The survivors were coming out of their state of shock. They wanted answers. And as if on cue, Aeneas' voice boomed over the sound system. He explained their destination and his rationale. He left the passengers with an ETA of 30 centons. More shouts of anger. More doomsayers cried out. Phoebe took her seat next to Maia, Abella, and Lucas. By now Bow had joined them as well and was kneeling before Maia, gently stroking her hand. Maia kissed Bow's hand. She then stood and made herself visible to all.
"We must not give up! We must have hope!" she exclaimed, addressing the entire compartment.
"We're doomed!" cried a young woman near her.
"No. We're not. I don't believe that. We must have hope that life will go on."
"How can you be so sure?" asked the woman as she choked back tears.
"It's what I choose to believe", comforted Maia who was now rubbing the Kobolian medallion hanging from her neck. "I'd like to pray with all of you if that's ok?"
The reaction was not overwhelmingly positive, but no one vehemently objected to Maia's offer. So, she led the survivors in prayer. Many repeated her words back to her. Her siblings and mother beamed with pride now. Bow stood beside her and held her tight as she finished the prayer. Phoebe saw something different in her daughter as she prayed. It was just last night, before Thanksgiving dinner, that Maia was having feelings of dread. Now, just 12 centares later she was standing here evangelizing the doctrine of the gods to two dozen survivors. She was instilling hope in this rag tag group.
"And I'll leave you with this. It just popped into my head. Something my father always said, one of his favorite passages from the Book of the Word; The greatest tragedy in life is not death, but a life without purpose. Peace be with you", said Maia before returning to her seat.
"I'm very proud of you Maia. That was beautiful", whispered Phoebe.
"Thank you, mother. I don't know what got into me."
"It was the spirits of the Lords of Kobol", interjected an old woman seated across from them. "I felt it too."
Abella couldn't help but notice that her brother seemed to be elsewhere, in a daydream.
"You ok little brother?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I was just thinking about all those bodies on our street."
"I know. This is all so surreal."
Lucas glanced down at his sister's hands. They had blood stains all over them.
"You really wanted to be a Med-Tech?"
"You know I do. I've always wanted to help people, especially Warriors returning from combat."
"I have a bad feeling that you're going to get lots of practice."
Without warning the ship vibrated violently, perhaps from turbulence was surely the instant hope of all aboard. However, microns later, the light show outside the viewports on either side of the cabin informed all aboard that turbulence was not the culprit. It was laser fire.
"We're under attack!" exclaimed Bow as he raced toward the cockpit.
When Bow arrived in the cockpit, closing the hatch behind him, Aeneas, Cree and Shields were all talking over one another.
"Where did he come from?" shouted Cree.
"I had nothing on my scope!" growled Shields.
"Stow it you two! Focus!" ordered Aeneas.
Bow jumped into the co-pilots seat and strapped in. Clearly, his peers had been arguing about who should have spotted the Cylon Raider that was now trying to blow them out of the sky.
"That Raider is damaged", Aeneas observed. "Must have been hit on one of its bombing or strafing runs."
"Good luck for us?" deadpanned Cree.
"Might just level the playing field", replied Aeneas. "Cree! Shields! Directly beneath your stations console is a firing control panel. Unlatch it!"
Both cadets complied and out from beneath their dashboards, a control stick and firing button slid into place.
"Cree, your station controls the rear turret. It's just a single laser gun. Minimal yield. But good distance."
"Yes sir!"
"Shields, your control connects to the topside laser mount. Yours packs a little more punch but it's not fully charged. Pick your target carefully", Aeneas shared confidently.
"The Raider! He's coming back around!" warned Bow.
"Bow, bring electronic deflector shields to max power!" said Aeneas as he pointed to the control circuits.
"This old crate has shielding?" said an astonished Bow while completing the ordered action.
"What can I say? I'm a military enthusiast!" cracked Aeneas with a smile.
Laser fire exploded all around the outside of the ship's cockpit as the Cylon Raider zoomed by so closely that Bow swore he could see the sweeping red eyes of its' pilots inside.
"You got a shot now Cree! Take it!" shouted Aeneas.
Cree lined up the Raider on the green-screened, targeting system as best he could and depressed the firing button. Laser fire shot out of the rear gun and singed the portside 'wing' of the Raider, but the enemy banked away seemingly unfazed.
"Frak! I missed", gasped Cree.
"No, you nicked him good. On his damaged side too!" said Aeneas. "Those robots are doing all they can to stay in the air I promise you."
As he had alluded to earlier, Aeneas was using the hard deck to their advantage. The Cylon fighter was struggling to get a good shot at them as the Shuttle Scout seemingly skimmed the treetops of Caprica.
In the main cabin, the passengers were being tossed about pretty good. Phoebe held Maia's hand tight as Maia held her free arm instinctively across her pregnant belly. Lucas clung closely to Abella with his eyes shut tight.
Within the cockpit, the warriors worked their controls furiously to find their targets while Aeneas tried to recall and execute every evasive maneuver he had ever been exposed to. With each pass, the Raider seemed to regain more of its' navigation controls and was working closer and closer.
"He's coming straight at us!" Aeneas warned.
"Firing!" shouted Shields.
Laser fire from Shields' front facing, top side turret erupted all around the oncoming Cylon but ultimately never found its target. The invader swooped around and pivoted, midair as soon as it zoomed past the shuttle.
"Cree! He's on our tail! He's going to get a lock on us! Take it out now! Now-now-now!" cried Bow desperately.
"I can't get a lock", shrieked Cree with terror in his voice.
"Just fire Cree! Keep firing!" yelled Aeneas.
Cree pressed the firing button and never let go but the Shuttle-Scout's energy beams could not find their target. Unfortunately, one of the Cylon Raider's deadly beams did.
A small section of the shuttle's hull, mid cabin, ripped open sucking several passengers out. Emergency oxygen masks deployed from the ceiling. Phoebe shouted over the roar of the breached hull for everyone to get their masks on. Abella quickly got her mask on and helped her shell- shocked brother do so as well. Maia was rendered unconscious, having taken a small piece of shrapnel to the side of her head. She was bleeding profusely when Phoebe finally got a mask over her lifeless daughter's face.
Aeneas was trying to keep the ship from falling out of the sky. Obviously, they were losing cabin pressure and one of the main stabilizers was destroyed. They were going down. And the Cylon still lurked.
"There!" shouted Bow. "He's coming right for us!"
Aeneas glimpsed his instruments where he found no good news to share. This was it.
"Shields! Your battery is at critical. You've got two bursts left. Make them count son!" he growled.
"Lords of Kobol, hear my prayer", whispered Bow as Shields pressed the fire button until his ammo was gone.
The Cylon fighter exploded spectacularly in the dusk lit skies of Caprica. A cheer filled the air in the main cabin, so loud that the cockpit occupants could hear it through their hatch.
"Nice shooting Shields!" exclaimed an exalted Cree.
"Thank the gods. Thank you, Lord Zeus", whispered Bow to himself as he fought back tears.
"Excellent work Warriors. We made it", said Aeneas with some pride as he pointed to a hilltop ahead.
The command crew inside the shuttle cockpit turned their full attention forward. They followed Aeneas' finger as he pointed to a non-descript hillside. Then, they saw it. Hundreds of people descending upon a partially destroyed manor of some kind. Not too far from that structure sat a Colonial Viper! A Viper was the sleek star-fighter flown by battlestar space jocks. The military must be nearby!
"That must be Adama's place. But I only see one Viper", Bow stated with some disappointment in his voice.
Aeneas sighed but kept his composure in front of the young cadets. He too was disappointed to see a single fighter. But not entirely surprised.
Aeneas continued to fight with the damaged controls to the best of his ability, but his ship was failing. He needed to find a free patch of land to set down immediately. He found one on the opposite side of the hill. The landing was rough, but the ship, what was left of it was intact. Another cheer rose from the cabin. Aeneas gave each of the 'boys' a hardy pat on their warrior jacket shoulder pads. All three had performed admirably. Then he opened the hatch to the main cabin and was horrified to see a hole in the side of the ship where passenger seats used to be. He scanned the cabin desperately looking for his family. Passengers were already disembarking, which made it difficult to focus as they obstructed his view. When he finally spied Abella holding a blood -soaked bandage on Maia's head, his heart sank. He ran to his family.
"Maia!" he gasped.
"She's going to be ok, dad", said Abella confidently. "She will need some stitches asap. Possible concussion too. But she'll be ok."
"I'm ok", Maia said in a rather groggy manner with her eyes barely opening.
Aeneas kissed Maia's forehead gently. He then shared strong embraces with both Abella and Lucas before turning to Phoebe and pulling her close.
"Are you ok?" he whispered.
"No. No, I'm not. But I'm not injured", she whispered back.
As the long- time couple held each other tightly, a ruckus was starting to brew outside the downed Shuttle-Scout.
"Sir! I think we better go. Somethings going on", reported Cree.
Bow pressed forward through the group and picked up his wife in one motion.
"Let's get the frak out of here!" Bow commanded.
Once again, as they had done the night before from the Temple of Kobol, Aeneas and his band of survivors trudged along a road laid to rubble by Cylon guns. They labored up one side of a steep hill and then down the other towards the Adama family compound. They soon found themselves at the back of a large crowd of people near the Colonial Viper they had spotted from above. Something was happening at the center of the crowd.
"You can put me down Bow", said Maia. "What's going on?"
"I'm not sure, but something seems to be happening up there", answered Bow as he gently lowered his wife.
"Let's go. We've got to get closer", said Aeneas.
Once again Aeneas led his flock through a throng of tattered survivors. They pushed past these exhausted people easily. Finally, they reached the epicenter of the ruckus to see what could only be described as a mob, a group of Caprican's who had a Colonial Warrior pressed up against his star fighter.
"Where were you when they were killing the rest of us?! What were you doing boy?!" shouted a large, mountain of a man as he pressed against the Warriors chest.
"Wait! Let him talk", said a stunning woman in tattered purple robes.
"It's Serina!" gasped Lucas.
"Wow. She's even more beautiful in person", gushed Cree.
"Shhhh", snarled Abella in Cree's direction.
"I'd like to know where you were as well. All of you. We waited. We watched and prayed. But you never came", said the clearly distraught celebrity reporter.
Suddenly, Aeneas recognized the young man being threatened by this angry mob. That was Adama's oldest son.
"That's Apollo", Aeneas whispered to his family.
"Most of us are dead. The fleet is all but destroyed", Apollo said as he was clearly trying to catch his breath.
"But you're here?" quipped Serina.
"From the Battlestar Galactica", Apollo gasped.
"It survives?" Serina said with some desperation in her voice now.
"Yes."
"But what of the President and the Council of Twelve and all the other Colonies?" Serina pleaded.
Aeneas saw him before he heard him. His heart rose- up into his throat. He had seen the impressive man on Inter Colony Broadcasting many times. But to see him now in person, especially under these circumstances was surreal to say the least.
"All destroyed", said Commander Adama in his gravelly baritone voice.
"Commander Adama! Then it's true then. We are defeated. Doomed!" exclaimed Serina.
Lucas ripped away from his family, his lips quivering, with his arms flailing about as he tried to break free of the throng. He couldn't take anymore. Aeneas and the others all quickly surrounded their youngest member.
"Lucas! It's going to be ok son", said Aeneas.
"What about the other Colonies? We can fight back, right dad?" the boy cried.
"I'm sure we can", offered Abella. "Twelve planets united for hundreds of yahrens."
"Our combined strength", added Phoebe. "Surely it cannot be defeated?"
"That's what we were all taught, what we all learned from the cradle", stated Bow bluntly.
"We were wrong", interjected Aeneas sternly. "We were dead wrong."
"Baltar! That mother-frakker!" mumbled a still dazed Maia. "This has to be his doing. He betrayed us!"
"That's enough. Let's get back within earshot. We need to understand what's happening", said Aeneas.
The group pushed their way back to their original perch. A little boy was running about. He appeared to be with Serina.
"Commander, we must fight back!" was the first thing they heard from Serina after regaining their station.
"Yes. We are going to fight back", said the Commander to Serina. Adama then turned to address the entire crowd of survivors. "But not here. Not now. Not in the Colonies. Not even in this star system."
"What the frak?" whispered Shields to the group.
"Not in the Colonies?" Lucas added with a whimper.
"Shh. Listen", said Phoebe.
"Let the word go forth to every man, woman, and child that has survived this holocaust. Tell them to set sail at once in every assorted vehicle that will carry them. And when you have gathered in the stars, the Galactica will lead you and protect you until you are strong again!"
After Commander Adama's stunning speech everything that followed was a blur. Chaos reigned. People heading off in every direction. At one point Apollo spotted the three cadets in uniform, and he summoned them over. Shortly thereafter, the boys returned to the family to report that they had a mission! The Star-liner Rising Star was docked nearby and was picking up survivors to rendezvous with Galactica. Bow had shared a headcount with Apollo of the number of members in their group. They would be assured passage on the Rising Star. Their mission was to get these coded transmissions and coordinates to the Captain of the Rising Star asap.
"Ok listen up!" shouted Aeneas to his family and all his neighbors that had made the trip across the planet in the Shuttle-Scout. "We've got transport off world. It's a chance to survive. The Rising Star is two metrics east of here. I know you are all tired. Exhausted. We all are. But this may be our only chance to survive."
Surprisingly, there was no resistance. No cries of outrage from this group. Had they lost all hope and fight within them? Or did they believe in Adama's dream?
"Ok. Then we go. It's just a short 12 centon walk from here but we've got to move now", said Aeneas. "Let's go!"
Once again, much like they had before on the other side of the planet, the group made its way across a world they no longer recognized. Caprica had been idyllic. The crown jewel of the Twelve Worlds. Now it was mostly charred and burned to the ground. Fortunately, the walk was as advertised, short. They arrived at the Star Liner Rising Star docking bay in just over 12 centons.
"Wow. What a beauty", said Shields.
"I always wanted to take a romantic cruise on this elegant ship", Phoebe whispered, mostly to herself. "This is so surreal."
The group made its' way through the makeshift checkpoints quickly before being stopped by a Warrior, a Lieutenant at the final gate.
"Is there a problem Lieutenant-", stuttered Aeneas.
"Ortega. And yes, there is a problem. I don't show you or this rabble that's with you on my manifest", said the blonde- haired Warrior in a challenging, unpleasant manner.
"Look, Lieutenant Ortega, my boys here have orders from Captain Apollo and Commander Adama himself. We were told our families would be allowed on board", said Aeneas, doing his best to keep his cool.
"And as a token for passage, he provided us with the authentication codes and coordinates you will need to rendezvous with Galactica. So, let us through!" exclaimed a suddenly agitated Bow.
"Who do you think you are…Cadet?!"
"Please, Lieutenant. Check the authentication codes here", Aeneas soothed trying to defuse the situation.
Reluctantly, Ortega scanned the codes, and they were indeed authentic, so he allowed the group to pass.
"I'll be keeping my eye out for you Cadet", Ortega sneered in Bow's direction.
Maia took her husband's hand as they all moved on. She pulled him close.
"What in the name of Zeus has gotten into you?" she whispered.
"Maia, you and the baby are my responsibility! I'll do whatever I must to ensure your safety! Do you understand?!"
Maia would not respond.
The passengers were being herded through the bowels of the ship like farm animals. To no one's surprise, being late additions to the manifest and all, they found their assigned lodging to be in the steerage section of the Cruise Ship. The group settled in as quickly as they could, forging a makeshift 'camp' of sorts for their brood. Aeneas and Cree had separated from them to hand deliver Galactica's coordinates to the Rising Star executive officers. Meanwhile, Phoebe, Maia, and Abella all made themselves as comfortable as possible within their stop-gap compartment. Lucas was about to settle in with them as well when he noticed his celebrity crush and her little boy. Abella followed his faraway stare across the room.
"Wow. Didn't think we would see the rich and famous down here!" gloated Abella.
"Yeah. What's Serina doing down here in the Lower Levels?" said Shields.
"You see, Lucas? Your celebrity crush is just like us. She's just a person", chided Phoebe.
"I think she is a goddess", gushed Lucas as he closed his eyes.
Phoebe and Abella both let out a giggle as Lucas drifted off. He hadn't slept since the attack. Surely, he was going to have pleasant dreams now.
Aeneas and Cree returned and with the good news that the Rising Star would soon be under way. The Cruise ship's captain seemed genuinely appreciative of Aeneas and those in his charge for double timing it down to the docks with the critical intelligence. Apollo had entrusted the cadets with the secret codes in the hopes this would increase these Caprican's chances of survival. Rather than having to wait on some interplanetary encrypted message like the other 11 worlds were going to get, those that were here to experience what was already being called the "Let the Word Go Forth" speech of Adama, had a distinct advantage in expediting their escape.
"So, what are we waiting for?" asked the fidgety Bow.
"Sire Uri and his entourage are still boarding. At least that's what we overheard on the bridge", Cree recounted.
"Uri? The billionaire?" Maia blurted out. "Great. Well, with the aristocracy on board I expect we will be stuck down here in steerage for the duration."
Before the family could delve deeper into the abyss that was politics and socio-economic classes, the Captains' voice crackled over the loudspeakers.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats and strap in. Our escape vector is going to include a faster, steeper ascent than normal as we try to minimize possibility of detection. For those of you without seats, please grab on to anything you can and hold on tight."
"That's comforting", chortled Abella.
The three cadets gave up their seats to a trio of elderly folks that had been milling about in a daze. Bow sat at the feet of Maia and held tight to her chair. Abella grabbled Cree by his jacket and pulled him into a similar position by her seat. Shields had found a nearby pillar with handles to hold onto. And of course, Aeneas held tight to Phoebe. Lucas continued to snore away, which provided a light moment of amusement for the group.
"Let him sleep", Phoebe whispered.
"Maia, how about a prayer?" suggested Aeneas.
Maia nodded in agreement. She took a few moments to consider an appropriate verse. A woman seated directly behind her reached over and handed Maia a bible.
"Say a prayer for all of us", the woman said.
Maia smiled and accepted the holy scriptures. She opened the Book of the Word and quickly found a blessing.
Those within their group or within earshot now bowed their heads as Maia led them in prayer. Aeneas and Phoebe were situated as such that they had a perfect view of a large viewscreen hanging on a nearby cabin wall. On the screen was the docking bay they had passed through to board the Rising Star. There must have been thousands of people packed outside the gates. They were jumping up and down, screaming, pleading for a chance to come aboard. A chance to live. Aeneas looked to Phoebe and squeezed her hand a little tighter. Phoebe returned her husband's pained expression, two -fold. The scene outside was heart wrenching, unbearable.
Suddenly, they felt the ship taking off from the ground. They hadn't even heard the engines fire up. Life on a cruise ship. Idyllic. Maia continued to pray. The wall monitors now displayed an outside shot, probably from somewhere on the hull of the ship, the camera was in and out of focus, but Aeneas could see a dozen transports lifting off in the distance. Then he felt his weight shift as the ship tilted up severely.
"Wow. That's some angle of ascent!" quipped Bow as he held tight to Maia.
"Yeah, that pilot wasn't kidding", added Cree.
Maia ignored her husband and Cree as she raised her voice over the intermittent chatter throughout the cabin and amongst her family. Aeneas continued to watch the monitor as clouds rushed by and day quickly turned to night. For a moment, everyone could feel weightlessness, that is until the ship's gravity controls kicked in. They were in space. A cheer filled the cabin. Lucas continued to sleep.
"…we thank you o' Lords of Kobol. Peace be with us."
"And peace be with you", several passengers replied in unison.
"That was beautiful Maia", said Phoebe.
For the next two agonizing centars the anxiety of passengers and crew of Rising Star was palpable. Aeneas couldn't be sure, but he figured most cruise ships carried approximately 6,000 passengers. Rising Star was definitely 'over-booked' for this flight to the stars, brimming full. Based on what he witnessed back at the Caprican shipyards and had experienced being herded through the corridors of the ship, he would guess that there must be at least 9,000 souls aboard this vessel. It struck Aeneas that the 9,000 people aboard Rising Star had nothing to do right now but wait. Wait to die. Wait to live. Wait for some sort of absolution for whatever sins they must have committed to deserve this day of infamy.
"Cylons!" a voice cried over the loudspeakers.
Immediately, it was pandemonium within the passenger cabin. It was hard to hear anything intelligible with all the screaming and crying all around. Aeneas was disoriented for a moment. Why would the command crew bark such a thing over an open channel? Perhaps the switch was flipped accidently. Regardless, now all aboard were an audience to a drama playing out in real time with all their lives at stake.
"He's coming straight for us!" screeched a high- pitched voice.
"Evasive maneuvers, for what it's worth!" shouted a voice that Aeneas recognized as the Captains'.
"It's no use! They have us locked on target!"
Another swell of hysteria from within the passenger section. Time stood still for Aeneas, one by one, he surveyed each member of his family. Each of his loved ones was sobbing now. How could it end this way?
"Holy frak! Where did that Viper come from?"
A click and dead silence signaled to all that the com-link had been switched back off. Several moments passed. They hysteria within the cabin subsided. The Aeneas clan held tight to one another. Another click and a squawking sound that indicated another announcement was coming.
"This is the Captain. Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for that scare. We were pretty terrified up here as well, but the Cylon is gone."
More cheering from everyone in the room.
"A Viper swooped in out of nowhere. Must have been damaged because it did not fire on the Raider. The warrior rammed the Raider. I hope he or she is in a better place. We owe that Warrior our lives."
Dead silence throughout the cabin. Once again, long, anxious centons passed before the Captain spoke again.
"Attention! I wanted to draw your attention now to your cabin monitors located throughout the ship. Ladies and gentlemen, we have visual confirmation-we made it!"
It took the monitor a moment to clear of static. But when it did a deafening cheer exploded from the room. There on the screens for all to see-the Battlestar Galactica.
The roar of the crowd jarred young Lucas awake. Stunned and disoriented, he nevertheless accepted hugs as the family celebrated raucously. Bow pulled Maia close. They both held a hand on her stomach, thankful their child would have a chance at life. Cree, in an uncharacteristic move, took the initiative with Abella for once and leaned in for a kiss that she did not resist. And Shields was locking lips as well, having found a lovely stranger nearby that was more than willing to celebrate with him.
Sometime later in the quiet of artificial night, Shields, Cree, and Bow joined the Aeneas clan for a moment of silence and thanksgiving. They formed a tight circle and shared their worries and hopes for the coming days. Each was emotional yet poignant. Collectively, their hopes were understandably low. Aeneas was the last to go.
"No matter how much it hurts. No matter how dark it gets. No matter how far you fall. You are never out of the fight."
"I'm not familiar with that verse father. Is it from the Book of the Word?" asked Maia.
"No Maia. That was something my drill instructor shared with me, one on one, back in my basic training for the academy days. Just with me. During an evaluation."
"What does it mean, dad?"
Aeneas did not answer Maia immediately. He looked each of them in the eye. He put his arm around Phoebe and kissed her gently on the cheek.
"It means never give up."
THE END!
NEXT EPISODE (CHAPTER): THE NOVA OF MADIGON