Chapter Three: Into the Looking Glass
Monday:
Bridges Funeral Home, Caprica City:
The fact that the casket was closed was a welcome relief to Lieutenant Colonel Artimus Bowman. It was as though looking at the face of Caitlyn Watson one more time would drive home the feelings of guilt that had been circling his heart these past few days. Seated near the front aft of the seats reserved for the family members were William Simmons, Gregory Eaton, Alana Gutierrez, and John Hatfield. Artimus made a point to stay near the rear of the room; he was here to pay his respects to Cate and leave.
The priest, who from what Artimus had heard was from the temple she and her husband attended, stepped up to the podium and began to conduct the memorial service. Artimus listened as the man talked about the loving marriage Cate had with her husband, and how their three children loved and adored her. Artimus knew it was all true but nevertheless he always became inflamed at such services. Who was this person talking about Cate as though he knew her better than anyone? What warranted him to speak on her behalf? He knew that it was only anger and he needed someone to direct a little bit of it.
When it came time to mention her service in the Colonial Fleet Artimus felt his heart beat harder at a faster pace. His mind was taking him back to that fateful day and as much as he tried to stop it he could not. In his mind's eye he was piloting his Raptor and out of the corner he saw the explosion as the Raptor that Cate and Garret Armstrong were in collided with the Raptor flown by Alana Gutierrez.
"I'm sorry Cate," Artimus said softly and he hoped that none of the people could overhear what he had just said. His wife's hand tightening its grip around his indicated that at least one person had heard what he said.
"Brooke, you can go back to work if you need me to. I'll go to the graveside service and head home," he whispered.
"Are you sure?" Brooke Bowman asked before realizing how sincere the look on her husband's face was. She nodded her understanding; there was no need to discuss the matter further.
Caprica City, Quorum Building:
Commander Scott Tolan looked at the imposing marble building and for a moment could not help but wonder how it would feel to be one of the people who carried out their daily business here. The Quroum of Twelve conducted the business of the Twelve Colonies here, not far from where the Executive Mansion was located.
Today would be the initial Q &A session with the Quorum of Twelve, and his mind swirled with questions about just what effects the interview with Fleet Admiral Jonas Stryker would have on his candidacy for flag rank. He had to admit that he felt both bitter and saddened about Stryker's interview. Here was a man who the entire fleet looked up to as a living legend and yet he was criticizing his promotion without the two of them actually meeting face to face.
He entered the Rotunda, where a security guard waited to check him to make sure he was neither carrying something illegal nor some kind of weapon. The walls were decorated with the canvas paintings of many of the past representatives who had served on the Quorum. They all looked down on him with menacing eyes watching his every move as if they were all passing judgment upon him.
Scott checked his watch; he had a half hour to go before he was supposed to meet with the Quorum.
He made his way to the elevator and flashed the guard his Colonial Fleet picture id, which granted him access to the express elevator that led to the private chambers of the Quorum members.
He exited the elevator and stepped onto a hallway that was decorated in a way that reminded him of the old royal mansions he visited on Virgon during his time on the Battlestar Elektra.
Each of the twelve doors down the right side of the hallway led to the offices of the Quorum of Twelve members, each one subdivided into smaller offices for their assistants who handled all of the incoming business from their home colonies.
He reached the one for Virgon and opened the door, the waiting room seemed quiet and for a moment Scott thought it might be a slow business day.
"Can I help you?" a bored receptionist asked from her desk.
He walked over and saw the name 'Renee Nielsen' on the nameplate at the front of the desk.
"I'm Commander Scott Tolan, I'm here to see Representative Woods."
"Representative Woods is a busy man, do you have an appointment?"
"I understand that," he said diplomatically. "Would you please just mention to him that Commander Tolan is here to speak with him, I'm sure he'll make room to speak with me," Scott said as he tried to keep his smile in place. Carlton Woods had been the longtime representative of Virgon on the Quorum of Twelve. He was also the father of Bridget Woods, Scott's close friend and Executive Officer when he was in command of the Battlestar Vanguard.
Nielsen picked up the phone and told Delegate Woods who his unannounced visitor was, "Yes sir, I'll send him in."
"I take it he wasn't opposed to seeing me," Scott said.
"Please go in, Delegate Woods would be happy to see you."
'I'm sure he would', Scott thought facetiously as he entered the office.
"Commander…or should I say 'Admiral' Tolan," Carlton Woods said as he stood up from where he was sitting behind his desk to offer Scott a handshake.
Scott accepted the handshake and promptly sat down, "Well Delegate Woods, I'm glad you could make time to talk to me."
"Please it's 'Carl' when you're in here with me," he said as he took a Caprican cigar from his desk drawer and lit it, "These are a vice of mine, a guilty pleasure I've never wanted to give up."
"I'm sure of it," Scott said.
"Can I uh...tempt you?"
"No thank you, Carl."
"You know it's interesting that you've come up for promotion to flag rank. My office has received letters on the matter when it was announced and now the interview with Admiral Stryker has stirred emotions as well."
"I guess we'll just have to see where you stand on the matter."
"That's the thing. I know I owe you a great debt. After all, you were the one who rescued Bridget's career when it seemed she was going to have to leave the Fleet after that little tryst the two of you had…Gods the fallout from that was felt by everyone involved."
"The question is are you looking at a chance to pay me back for saving Bridget or are you going to punish me for what happened between Robert Reynolds and I."
"Rob is a good man despite what you say about him. The two of us talk, and the allegations that he's intentionally kept Bridget from finding love are ridiculous."
"That's your opinion, the question still remains though…which side are you on."
"I had a challenger for my seat during the primary to get the Federalist Party nomination, an upstart named Claudette Browning, and it was my daughter's proud service to the Colonies as an officer in the Colonial Fleet that made it possible for me to win that close contest."
"I think I see where this is going."
"Indeed. You see, you saved Bridget's career and that helped to save my job as Virgon's member of the Quorum. To show my appreciation of that I'm going to do you a favor and do all I can to get your promotion to flag rank. Perhaps if Bridget gets a command afterwards then I can consider the favor repaid."
"All this talk about favors, I swear this city was built on them. Otherwise the government may fall apart," Scott said as he stood up and turned to leave, "This has been a very enlightening conversation; I want to thank you for all you've done."
Scott left the room and thought better of meeting with the other members of the Quorum, all it would do was put him in an ill mood. He may have been told that the Stryker interview would do nothing detrimental to him, but he wondered if that would really be the case.
CFIS Headquarters, Caprica City:
"I think I found something," Wendi Milone shouted.
"Let me see," CFIS Agent Catherine Odessa said as she walked over to where Milone was sitting.
"You did say anything that seemed remotely off, right?" the junior agent asked.
Odessa nodded her head, "Yes, if there's something here to find, then I want us to find it."
"In that case you may want to check this out," Milone said as she produced four pieces of paper out of the box she was sorting through.
"Care to give me more of a heads-up so I can know what I'm looking for," Odessa said once she walked over and looked down at the pieces of paper.
"These are four statements that were taken down in the aftermath of the accident. One was by Commander Gavin Raymond, the CO of the Daedalus. Another was by Colonel Elisabeth Black, the Daedalus' XO. The third one was by Major Dmitri Baranov, the legal officer who put together an independent report. Lastly we have the words of Artimus Bowman himself, and that is when I really had my sixth sense tingle," Milone said.
Odessa gave a slight nod and began to read over the reports. There were some slight variations among the first three, not something out of the ordinary in light of what had taken place. It was when she read Bowman's report that she began to see some inconsistencies both of the minor and major variety.
"Great work Milone, you're coming with me to bring Bowman here for a friendly chat," Odessa said as she started towards the door with Milone in tow.
She stopped and turned to face the group of agents, "The rest of you are to keep looking to see if you find something else."
Cedar Ridge Cemetery:
Artimus and his Scorpia Sedan made up part of the caravan that made its way to the gates of Cedar Ridge Cemetary, the final resting place for Caitlyn Watson. He once again found himself keeping away from most of the crowd. He wanted to pay his respects to a fallen comrade and the idea of having to face her family knowing that he was the reason why her life was in such a downward spiral was a tough pill for him to swallow. As he stepped out of the car he asked Brooke to remain inside the vehicle which she politely obliged.
He had been to Cedar Ridge on many occasions. This was the place where his great-grandparents were buried. While none would ever accuse him of believing in the afterlife he felt it was important that he come and visit their graves if for no other reason than to pay his respects to their memory if nothing else.
He looked around at some of the prominent headstones in the nearby section of marble monuments to the deceased: Cyrus Xander, Jordan Duram, Michael Burks, Steven and Augusta Bradshaw, Rachelle Jackson, Juliana Martinez, Priyah Magnus, Corey Knapp…what were the stories of these people if they were able to tell the story of their lives?
He saw a black car pull into the horseshoe-shaped parking area where the cars in the procession had parked, were they late arrivals?
He turned his attention back to the casket where the graveside service was about to commence. He walked over, staying at the back at the crowd. He and Gregory Eaton made eye contact; Eaton gave a nod as though he were saying that he understood. He saw a form near the front of the group, it confirmed why he was hanging back the way he was; standing near Cate Watson's husband, and two kids was Jaclyn Armstrong. The last thing he wanted was for there to be a confrontation between himself and the mother of Garret Armstrong.
He turned to leave, better to play it safe, when he saw two women standing near a headstone at a respectful distance. Both were dressed in casual attire, but their jackets were emblazoned with the initials 'CFIS'.
One of the women motioned for him to come to where she was standing. When Artimus got close enough she held up her CFIS id, "Special Agent Catherine Odessa, with me is Special Agent Wendi Milone. We need to have a word with you in private."
"You could at least ask first," he said dryly which failed to produce a response. "What does CFIS need with me?"
"That's something we would be better off discussing elsewhere. Besides, the last thing we want to do is make a scene here at your friend's funeral."
"Can I follow you there in my car?"
Odessa looked as though she was weighing her options, "Agent Milone, take Colonel Bowman's keys and follow us back to headquarters."
"That won't be necessary. My wife can follow us."
"It would be better if she went home," said Odessa.
'This is serious,' Artimus thought as he handed over his keys to Milone.
"You're probably right," said Artimus before adding almost threateningly. "I can't remember the number for my lawyer so she could go get it for me."
"Do you think you're going to need a lawyer?" she asked him.
"Let's just call it a hunch and nothing more shall we?"
Tolan Residence:
"Hey Scott!" Lacey said as she gave her cousin a hug as he walked through the front door of the house he and Emily called home.
"Hey Lace, what are you doing out here?" he asked after she had released her arms from around him.
"Reading up on the stories I have to write reports on for my Canceron Literature class," she said as she sat back in the chair strategically placed as to take advantage of the shade provided by the house.
"Sounds good to me, perhaps when you're done we can hit the tennis court out back and see if you can give your cousin a run for his money."
"I think I can more than give you a run for your money. Sadly, before I can do that I have to finish reading these stories."
"What are you reading?"
"Saga of a Star World, Fire in Space, The Living Legend, and The Young Lords; that's just a small sample of what I have in store for me this year. Jeremy told me that if I hadn't been able to help him with The Man with Nine Lives he'd have been in serious trouble."
'Jeremy Lane if you only knew what you were getting into by trying to date her,' Scott thought before saying, "Well Lace you are going to get into the Fleet Academy for sure if you keep applying yourself like that. I'm going to go see Em, come and see me when you're ready to get beat at tennis."
"Trash talking already Scott," Lacey said with a shake of her head before returning to her book.
"That bastard!" Emily Tolan shouted from the upstairs bedroom.
"This can't be good," Scott said as he walked up the stairs to the second floor of the house.
"Everything alright baby?" he asked as he opened the door to the master bedroom.
"Scott, sorry about that; I thought you were going to be meeting with the Quorum all day," she said apologetically. She was laying down on the bed and looked very much pregnant with the triplets she was carrying.
"Before I ask you who you were calling a bastard, how did the visit from the doctor go?"
"Dr. Copeland told me that she had better not hear that I was taking any trips out to the restaurants of Caprica City. I'm strictly eating at home and sending you out for any restaurant food to bring home. She said you need to make sure I stay on bed rest."
"That was nice of her to say that. At least we have Lacey to help make sure you follow orders."
"Yeah, now as to whom I was calling a bastard. Would you feel bad if I told you that I called Admiral Stryker one?"
"I may not like it but I'm not in a position where I can say something bad about him. This is Admiral Stryker we're talking about, the man's a legend and as a Colonial Fleet officer I can't exactly say something bad about a superior officer. Besides, there will always be the fact that he did save all of us from that little mess of your family's," replied Scott and even though they both knew it was a point that could not be argued he immediately regretted it when Emily shot him a look that implied he would be on thin ice with a comment like that. He hated to admit but perhaps the stress of the past couple of days was starting to get to him despite his best efforts.
It was then that he had the idea to move away from what he had just said, "Did something happen this morning?"
Without saying a word Emily pointed the remote control at the television and pressed the button to disable to the 'Mute' button.
Danya Wright, the host of the show was saying, "…For those of us joining in now on Mid-Day Caprica, we are about to have a discussion regarding the remarks made last night by retired Fleet Admiral Jonas Stryker regarding the upcoming confirmation hearings regarding Commander Scott Tolan."
Wright added, "To debate the merits of this story, we have Carmela Valencia of the Canceron Justice Institute and retired Vice Admiral John Waldron."
The screen then shifted to a three-way where the faces of Wright, Valencia, and Waldron were visible.
"Before I begin I want to thank all of you for joining us today," Wright said.
"Thank you for having me," Waldron said.
"It's a pleasure to be here," Valencia said.
"As the two of you know there were some inflammatory remarks made last night by Admiral Stryker regarding the possibility that Commander Tolan will be promoted to flag rank. Let me start with you Ms. Valencia. What are your thoughts on the matter?"
"I believe that Admiral Stryker was right on the money about Commander Tolan. If you are familiar enough with the history of the Basileus crime syndicate you would know that the proverbial apple does not fall far from the tree."
"For those of us who are not familiar with the Basileus, could you explain the purpose of the Canceron Justice Institue?" Wright asked.
"Of course, the CJI is a group that is composed of expatriate Canceron citizens. We were the ones who left our home colony out of fear of what the Basileus would do either us or our loved ones. From the other eleven colonies we strive to one day bring down the Basileus through the court system."
"You mentioned that the apple did not fall far from the tree. Is there any proof that Commander Tolan is involved with the Basileus? It seems to me that that kind of public statement is almost defamatory without it. I mean it's obvious you believe it or you wouldn't risk a civil suit filed by Tolan."
"If Tolan's family history is anything to go by I think a civil suit would be the least of my worries. But I like many Cancerons refuse to be intimidated by these people. There are rumors that Tolan has maintained some ties to the Basileus. Even recently it was reported that he was on Canceron visiting with his aunt, Lydia Zeresi, who happens to be the leader of the syndicate."
"Wait a minute here," Waldron interjected, "Is it a crime for an officer of the Colonial Fleet to visit his family?"
"It should be if the family is related to Carl Tolan," Valencia shot back. "And if that wasn't enough he then marries into the Graystone family! It was obviously an effort to get his hands on the Graystone fortune, a fortune built upon the creation of the Cylons!"
"Scott Tolan has been an exemplary officer in his Colonial Fleet career. Not to mention he has earned numerous awards and honors from the Fleet for bravery and skill."
"Name one instance of bravery?" Valencia asked.
Waldron appeared to be shuffling through papers but what he was going to say was not to be heard as Scott turned the television off.
"Do you see why I said what I said?" Emily asked.
"Yeah babe I understand. Is there anything I can get for you?" he asked knowing that the last thing he wanted to do was discuss Stryker and the upcoming hearings.
"I'm craving fried pickles for some reason," she said.
Scott turned to leave the room, "As you wish."
"You're the best, I love you!"
He smiled at her, "I love you too."
When Scott returned to the room with a plate of fried pickles for her he saw that she was flipping through a list of movies.
"I'm trying to decide what movie I want to watch," she said after she had taken the plate from him.
"What are our choices?" he asked as he lay down on the bed beside her.
"The Gun on Ice Planet Zero, Murder on the Rising Star, or Lost Planet of the Gods…what are you in the mood for?"
Scott thought for a moment, "Let's go with Murder on the Rising Star, I'm in the mood for a good mystery."
"Are you sure it's not because it's got Joandra Zavia in it?" Emily teased.
"She's a blonde and you know I have an inherent weakness for redheads," he said as he gave her a kiss.
"You'd better," she said as she kissed him back and selected the movie.
"Once we finish this I'll see if Lace is ready for a friendly game of tennis," Scott said as he settled onto the bed next to his wife.
"You do know she's been receiving tennis lessons from Jeremy," Emily said knowing it would get under her husband's skin.
'When this is over I am going to Canceron and Artimus and I will put the fear of the gods into him,' Scott thought to himself. He would have said more but the look of delight on Emily's face was proof that her comment had caused the desired effect.
CFIS Headquarters, Conference Room 5-A:
"First I want to thank you for coming to talk to us," Odessa said as the three of them took their seats in the conference room.
"I suppose 'you're welcome' is the appropriate response but I have no idea why I'm here," Artimus said as he looked at both Odessa and Milone to get an idea as to what was on their minds.
"Well are you willing to proceed or do you wish to wait for your lawyer?"
"I'm willing to test the water."
"Good. We received some information Friday that pertains to an incident you were a part of back on the Daedalus. Do you remember the Blue Raptor Display Team?" Odessa asked.
"Yes I do, it's impossible for me to forget my time there," he admitted. "I also remember the tribunal that followed. The tribunal that cleared everyone involved of any wrongdoing other than being enthusiastic about their work. Don't get me wrong here I regret deeply in my heart what happened and if I could turn back the clock and change things I would. It has haunted me almost every day of my career since then but I can't and it's behind me now."
"Should we take that as a formal statement from you regarding the matter?"
"You can take it how you please," he said
"This person, who wished to remain anonymous, told us that there was more to the story than the official report. I decided to take a closer look at the report and Agent Milone found this," Odessa said as she slid four pages to where Artimus could look and read them.
"Colonel Bowman as I examined them I discovered that there were major discrepancies between your report on the events of that day and the official version," Milone said.
"Our source informed us that you deliberately tampered with the Raptor Garret Armstrong was in. The one that was damaged enough to cost him his life and almost the life of the pilot he was with, Caitlyn Watson," Odessa said and she looked at the Colonial Fleet officer to see the effect the words had on him.
"Whoever said that was sadly mistaken or perhaps it is someone with a grudge against me," Bowman said.
"Why would you say that?" Odessa asked.
"Because I held myself responsible for what happened that day even though I was cleared. Probably someone from the Daedalus or a relative of someone involved in that accident is trying to slander my name by accusing me of wrongdoing. I can't say I blame them for it. I was in command so the burden of carrying it fell on me."
"You truly believe that," Odessa said as she made a few more notes, "I wonder if you are aware of what happened with the rest of the squadron."
Artimus felt a pang of shame as he realized that in all the years since the accident he had not spoken to any of the members of the people from his squad. He simply shook his head instead of saying something.
"Captain William Simmons," Odessa said as she placed a dossier on the table in front of Artimus for him to open, "He did a tour on the Athena and Delphi but he was never the same after the accident. He resigned his commission with the reason being that he had lost his desire to be a pilot. He is now a manager at a Capri-Mart in Umbra City. He has been married and divorced three times, seems he has had troubles stemming from a certain incident, a shame you never bothered to check up on him."
Artimus simply put the dossier back on the desk and waited for the next verbal punch Odessa would throw at him. It was not long before she went with the next dossier.
"Lieutenant Alana Gutierrez would go on to serve on the Stryker but she was not the same as she was before. She revealed to the ship's counselor that every time she got in her Raptor to fly she was reminded of the Daedalus and she simply could not fly without thinking of that incident. She was given a medical discharge from the Colonial Fleet and is now a dispatcher with the Caprica City Police Department," Odessa said and then watched the realization begin to dawn on the man sitting across from her.
"What's the point behind all of this?" Artimus asked. He was beginning to understand that the lives of the squad were ruined by that one accident.
Odessa simply handed him another dossier, "Lieutenant John Hatfield was stationed on the Libran before he was discharged from the Fleet for being intoxicated while on duty a year after the accident. He was treated for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and is now serving as a purser on the space liner Arthington and seems to be well-regarded by the Sharpe Line."
"You must be enjoying this," Artimus muttered.
"Lastly we have Major Gregory Eaton, the only one besides you to remain in the Colonial Fleet. He seems to have been able to use his family connections to keep from having some of his disciplinary problems from coming to back to haunt him. Oddly enough, he has not been stationed on a battlestar since the accident. He's been posted to bases on Aerilon, Scorpia, Tauron, Leonis, before he got a posting to Margam Fleet Air Station in Carthage here on Caprica."
'Looks like even Greg is having issues," Artimus thought to himself bitterly, it seemed their lives and careers had been ruined.
"Not that I want to remind of you of the events earlier today but then there's Caitlyn Watson," Odessa said as she handed the dossier to Artimus, "She left the Fleet as soon as the Daedalus got back into port and tried to rebuild her live on Virgon. She settled in Boskirk and took a job as an administrative assistant with the Baglan Bay Trading Company. When she married Rodolfo Figueroa she kept her maiden name and the couple moved to Caprica to live in Delphi. Her suicide was a sad story; I wonder what darkness she kept inside her that would drive her to such an act."
Artimus did not hear hea. Instead, his mind had gone back to that day on Scorpia when Cate had found him in that hotel room with…her, 'Artimus, what the hell is going on?'
Caitlyn Watson had known the secret he had kept from the squadron and most importantly had kept it from her ECO, Garret Armstrong, could keeping that secret had been what ultimately killed her?
"I'm going to let you go on your way Colonel but if something comes up I want you nearby."
Bowman stood up, "What exactly does that mean?"
"It means that I'm going to recommend you stay planet-bound while I conduct an investigation into this."
"I'd hate to give you something to use against me," Bowman said as he turned and left the room.
Graystone House:
In his study Alfred Graystone had his own little corner of the world that was his and his alone. It was in this room that he kept the one photo the family had of three certain members who had now since passed over. It was a picture of a family by a lake. There was a man, a woman and a teenaged girl. They were Daniel, Amanda and Zoe Graystone and to keep this photograph of them was almost taboo for the stigma that comes from being related to those who created the Cylon race. It was also from here that he conducted his business affairs. One such affair was being taken care of, and was the reason for the phone call.
"Marta I know you and I have history and I appreciate all you've done for me since you made it to the Quorum. I just need to know if I have your support," Graystone said.
"Alfred I am not sure how my constituents will feel about it," Marta Shaw, the Caprica representative on the Quorum of Twelve said.
"I helped you get elected the first time and I have been a solid contributor to your reelection campaigns. You help me out here and I can guarantee you that my contributions will triple from now on."
"You are asking me to ignore the interview with Admiral Stryker and the repercussions from it and simply throw my support behind your son-in-law."
"I know it's a lot but it's necessary. Scott Tolan has those damn blood ties to the Basileus, if it wasn't for all the work I put into moving him up the ranks he'd have already been drummed out of the Fleet."
"Think about what you have just said. You have had to use your influence to get him moved up to where he is today, how can you be sure he's even cut out to be a flag officer?"
"That doesn't matter, it's not like we're going to get attacked anytime soon. This is to simply give him and my daughter more prestige in the eyes of our society."
"You do realize you have a son who is serving in the Fleet as well as a daughter?" Shaw asked.
"Yes I do realize that. Right now Andre is doing just fine on the Hermes and Andrea is doing whatever it is she does on the Solaria that passes for flying. They're both going to be ok without my intervention. Scott is a different story, it's like I'm trying to fix some cosmic mistake the gods made. Emily is too good for him and we both know that, the least I can do is try to make him more acceptable to the social circles you and I run in."
"Just this once I'll do what I can for you and your son-in-law. Give Regina my best," Shaw said as she ended the call before Alfred Graystone could say something. In the time since she first ran for the Quorum seat she had felt a sort of indebtedness to Alfred and Regina Graystone. She was sure it must have burned the man to know that his youngest daughter was married to Scott Tolan and had to deal with the problems that came from an association with the Basileus.
Two Hours and Eight Minutes Later:
Bowman Residence:
Brooke Bowman walked into the living room of the flat and saw Artimus sitting in his favorite recliner nursing a drink.
"You're home, thank the Gods!" she said. "I thought I was going to be seeing you behind a set of bars the way you were talking when those agents showed up."
"It's been a hell of a day," Bowman said before taking a drink, "It has to do with some stuff from my career's early days."
"What kind of stuff?" Brooke asked as she took a seat on the chair next to her husband's.
"It's a long story and I've been reliving it today over and over again. Perhaps we can talk about it later?"
"No…Colonel…We'll talk now. I know you may not want to hear it but maybe it's time to focus on the happier memories or better yet try to make some happy memories here and now."
Artimus tried to smile as best he could, "It may take more than that to get me out of this funk I'm in."
"You, my love, should know I never back down from a challenge."
"What are you thinking about doing?"
"First I'm going to order some takeout Gemenese food and have it delivered here. After that I will have a plan in place that should get you out of whatever funk you're in and put a smile on your face."
"What if I'm not smiling when all this is over?"
"You will either be smiling and in a better mood or you'll die from the effort I'm going to put into this."
"Who am I to argue?" Artimus asked as he could not help but feel that he was fortunate to be married to such a woman.
'Maybe this will get my mind off of the Daedalus,' he thought to himself. He had to admit the meeting with Odessa had weighed greatly on him and only compounded the feelings of guilt he felt. Not only because of what had happened the day of the accident but also because of what had happened before.
Tolan Residence:
Scott woke up and looked at the clock, in bright red letters it say 3:54. Physically his body told him to go back to sleep but his mind was not going to let it happen. Today was the big day, in almost seven hours he would sit before the Quroum of Twelve and begin the confirmation process that would either see him promoted to flag rank or whether he would have to wait for another crack at becoming an admiral.
He thought back to the various ships he had served on during his career. The Galactica, Temeraire, Mercury, Elektra, Atlantia, and Vanguard all served as stepping stones to get him to the goal of any officer in the Colonial Fleet…the stars of an admiral. He got out of bed and walked downstairs to the kitchen. He fixed a drink and sat in one of the chairs that overlooked the large lake that bordered the house. This house had been in Emily's family for some time. He was unaware of the fact that it had once belonged to Daniel Graystone and was where the first Cylon prototype had been designed and created.
He sipped the water in the glass, letting his thoughts wander to wherever it was they seemed set upon going. He began to realize that there was a chance his suspicions about the Graystone family were spot on. His sudden rise through the ranks coincided with his marriage to Emily. It was as though the two events in his life were connected. The only logical conclusion was that Alfred Graystone had manipulated the system to get his newly acquired son-in-law promoted as quickly as he could.
Of course he would never let Emily know that, it seemed best that he pretend that he was ignorant of what was going on around him. Raising the issue with her family would only lead to trouble and he did not need that in his marriage. Especially with her pregnant and on bed rest…no it was best to let things stay the way they were.
Looking out at the tranquil water seemed to do the job as his mind began to slow down and he felt the pull of sleep began to take over. He got out of the chair and put the glass in the sink after downing the last of its liquid contents. Later today he would have the chance to plead his case before the Quorum as to why he was ready for flag rank. For now he would get some of the sleep he was certain he would need.
CFIS Headquarters:
Odessa finished up the last touches on the report she had worked on since Artimus Bowman had left from the Q & A session earlier in the day. She had spent practically the entire day here at Headquarters and despite the coffee she had consumed it was starting to tell on her face that she was tired.
Sure you don't need another cup?" Wendi Milone asked.
Odessa thought about it but shook her head, "That won't be necessary, I've finished up the Bowman report. Once I forward it to Director Medina we'll have to wait and see what goes on from there."
What do you think about him?" she asked.
He's hiding something, I'm just not sure exactly what it is," Odessa said as she attached the report to an inter-office e-mail and sent it to Director Abram Medina.
How can you tell?"
How long have you been with CFIS?" she asked Milone.
Almost a year, mygrandfather was an agent with the old Global Defense Department and law enforcement has sort of fun in the family blood."
Odessa nodded thoughtfully before she said, "If your great-grandfather was here I'm sure he'd say the same thing I'm saying about Colonel Bowman. It's his eyes that give him away; there is something about the Daedalus situation that he does not want us to know about. It's something that makes him uncomfortable."
Milone thought about what Odessa had said. If her grandfather, Bruno Milone, were here then perhaps he would agree with Odessa about Artimus Bowman and the incident they were investigating. Truth was she had known about Odessa before the investigation had begun and her reputation was known in the ranks of the CFIS. When she focused on a case, it was rare for her to let up before she had found her way to the truth of what was going on. When it came to Bowman though it seemed that Odessa was especially focused on finding the truth of what happened on the Daedalus. Her instincts told her there was more to it than the veteran agent was letting on but it was going to take some time before she could find out for sure.
"I suppose he would," she offered.
"I'm done here so go home and get some sleep. If I need you again I'll let you know," Odessa said as she turned off her computer and headed for the elevator that would take her to the ground floor of Headquarters.
Delphi, Caprica:
Brooke Bowman slept soundly as she was prone to doing, Artimus swore that she could sleep through a nuclear detonation if she were asleep when it happened, but her husband was having no such luck.
In Artimus' dream he was back on the Daedalus and it was the last port visit the training battlestar would make before it set off for its deployment. They were docked at the giant shipyard complex in orbit of Scorpia. The Raptor pilots had taken them and their ECOs down from the Daedalus to Fort Autzen in Byromville. The team had gone to Argentum Bay to meet with their friends. It was there when he met Garret Armstrong's girlfriend, the woman he had every intention of marrying, and a woman who would intrigue him like few ever had.
His mind was bringing him back to that day when he first met Valeria Regan, a meeting that would have a lasting effect on his life.
The dream then changed but what it morphed into was more recent and still painful for him. He was two years into the past and trying to escape from the base of the Sagitarron Liberation Army. He, Scott, and a small group were cornered into a room with the SLA troops closing in on them. Four people volunteered to stay behind to hold them off so the rest of the group could escape to the hangar bay where they could board a transport shuttle and escape the base.
The thunderous booms from the shells of the Tenth and Fifteenth Fleet hitting the base were deafening and shook the room as though it were a toy in the hands of an invisible giant. This was time was different…this time he was in the room arguing with Scott about whether or not Galit Malka would stay behind to cover their exit. He argued with him with all the strength he had and it did not good as the others in the group who were not staying behind grabbed him and carried him away. He screamed that they could not leave her behind and finally called out Galit's name as the dream mercifully came to an end.
Artimus' eyes fluttered opened and then quickly closed again. His conscious mind did not register the dream or that he had even awaken from the dream.
Brooke on the other hand heard her husband talking in his sleep and was concerned. Who was this 'Galit' he was calling out to and why was he arguing so passionately against leaving her behind? Perhaps in the morning she could ask him and find out if he remembered the strange dream he seemed to be having, and maybe tease him about dreaming of another woman as well.
While the Bowmans were sleeping in their bed a person was standing outside of the flat putting a letter into their mailbox. It was addressed to Artimus Bowman and when he read it he would know that he would have to deal with a part of his past he would either want to forget or wish had never happened. In the person's mind Bowman had gotten away with what he did back on the Daedalus all those years ago. Now was the time to make things right and make the man face up to what he had done. There was that time when a priest on television had said that the gods would eventually right all wrongs and give justice to those who had been wronged by their fellow humans.
In the eyes of the unknown figure the upcoming mission was clear. Now was the time to become an instrument of justice the gods...an instrument that was to be used against Artimus Bowman.
Inside the envelope along with the letter was an excerpt from a collection of poetry by Caprican poet Chandra Tambaly:
Punishment is justice for the unjust.
Author's Note: I would like to take the time to thank Pam Barker, Tony Wilkins, and Allen Knott for their help with with chapter.