Chapter 12: I'm going to bed
I had barely had time to finish my meagre portion of cooling food and tepid water when the word seemed to percolate through the compartment like soap bubbles on a windy day; the Cylons have found us.
I turned to stare at the speaker. "We've got time to finish the meal," I said, pulling him back to his chair. He'd started to get up. "If they were going to attack, they would have already. More likely they're waiting for us to come out of the storm."
He stared at me, colour draining away. A refugee, I could tell from his clothing. "How can you be so calm? Do you have ice water for blood or something?"
"I'm too tired to panic." I finished my drink. "If there's going to be a fight, we'll be given warning. I need some sleep." My arms were aching. I'd done so much heavy lifting, far more than I was used to; the pain would probably keep me awake. I went to my room, but found it full of sleeping children with a mother watching over them.
"Don't wake them," she hissed.
"I won't," I promised. "I just came for my things." I hastily packed a bag of durable clothes, keepsakes and toiletries. Things I'd need, things that were mine. "Sorry," I told her and left. I found a storage closet full of mops and the like that had a centre aisle clear and lay down to sleep. It wasn't warm or comfortable, but it was better than nothing.
I had only about an hour of sleep before the intercom woke me up.
"This is the Captain," Holloway announced as I rubbed my eyes. I had slept with my glasses on. "In five minutes we will be leaving the ion storm and jumping to another destination. Galactica will buy us time. All crew, report to your duty stations. Everyone else, please stay calm and keep out of the way. Thank you." I got up out of my closet and headed down to the nearest engineering station. I saw the flash of Kumiko's purple hair.
"I can lend a hand," I offered, not sure how to phrase it. She took one look at me, shoved me a breather and a bunch of hull patches and told me to go up a level and wait. Patching crew work was scut work, but bitterly necessary.
It seemed an eternity, those five minutes, standing there with a bag at my feet for lack of somewhere else to put it and waiting to die. But there was movement, then no chop, then we jumped. I couldn't hear communications chatter. I had no idea what was going on. I wanted to know how many other ships were making it, if we were being shot at…
If my Vipers were coming home…
But I heard nothing, saw nothing, and then we jumped, and we waited for a few more minutes, then the Captain's voice came on again. "This is the Captain. All ships in the convoy are here. Repeat, all ships in the convoy are here." I slumped against the bulkhead. "Everyone return to normal duties. Repeat: the battle is over."
It felt too easy. Far too simple. The human race gets obliterated, and in a few minutes it's over and we don't need to look over our shoulders.
It couldn't be over. I knew in my heart that the Cylons wouldn't stop hunting us. We'd be running all our lives, even if we stayed in one place. We had food, water and fuel for only a little while. We weren't even close to out of the woods yet.
I wandered through the ship. Jesse and his brother were bunking down in his cabin, with some of the girls next door. I had been saved a bed, and I was grateful.
"There's a memorial service being held in a few hours on the Galactica," Jesse told me. "You want to stay up for it? It's being broadcast."
"I've never found any comfort in religion," I said. "And I shan't start now. I'm going to bed." There was nothing more to say. He had been my best friend, and I left him standing in the hallway.
One day of war changed everything. Even me.
Another day like that and I'd see a stranger in the mirror.
Wars last a lot longer than one day. All this in one day.
Just one day of war.
I had barely had time to finish my meagre portion of cooling food and tepid water when the word seemed to percolate through the compartment like soap bubbles on a windy day; the Cylons have found us.
I turned to stare at the speaker. "We've got time to finish the meal," I said, pulling him back to his chair. He'd started to get up. "If they were going to attack, they would have already. More likely they're waiting for us to come out of the storm."
He stared at me, colour draining away. A refugee, I could tell from his clothing. "How can you be so calm? Do you have ice water for blood or something?"
"I'm too tired to panic." I finished my drink. "If there's going to be a fight, we'll be given warning. I need some sleep." My arms were aching. I'd done so much heavy lifting, far more than I was used to; the pain would probably keep me awake. I went to my room, but found it full of sleeping children with a mother watching over them.
"Don't wake them," she hissed.
"I won't," I promised. "I just came for my things." I hastily packed a bag of durable clothes, keepsakes and toiletries. Things I'd need, things that were mine. "Sorry," I told her and left. I found a storage closet full of mops and the like that had a centre aisle clear and lay down to sleep. It wasn't warm or comfortable, but it was better than nothing.
I had only about an hour of sleep before the intercom woke me up.
"This is the Captain," Holloway announced as I rubbed my eyes. I had slept with my glasses on. "In five minutes we will be leaving the ion storm and jumping to another destination. Galactica will buy us time. All crew, report to your duty stations. Everyone else, please stay calm and keep out of the way. Thank you." I got up out of my closet and headed down to the nearest engineering station. I saw the flash of Kumiko's purple hair.
"I can lend a hand," I offered, not sure how to phrase it. She took one look at me, shoved me a breather and a bunch of hull patches and told me to go up a level and wait. Patching crew work was scut work, but bitterly necessary.
It seemed an eternity, those five minutes, standing there with a bag at my feet for lack of somewhere else to put it and waiting to die. But there was movement, then no chop, then we jumped. I couldn't hear communications chatter. I had no idea what was going on. I wanted to know how many other ships were making it, if we were being shot at…
If my Vipers were coming home…
But I heard nothing, saw nothing, and then we jumped, and we waited for a few more minutes, then the Captain's voice came on again. "This is the Captain. All ships in the convoy are here. Repeat, all ships in the convoy are here." I slumped against the bulkhead. "Everyone return to normal duties. Repeat: the battle is over."
It felt too easy. Far too simple. The human race gets obliterated, and in a few minutes it's over and we don't need to look over our shoulders.
It couldn't be over. I knew in my heart that the Cylons wouldn't stop hunting us. We'd be running all our lives, even if we stayed in one place. We had food, water and fuel for only a little while. We weren't even close to out of the woods yet.
I wandered through the ship. Jesse and his brother were bunking down in his cabin, with some of the girls next door. I had been saved a bed, and I was grateful.
"There's a memorial service being held in a few hours on the Galactica," Jesse told me. "You want to stay up for it? It's being broadcast."
"I've never found any comfort in religion," I said. "And I shan't start now. I'm going to bed." There was nothing more to say. He had been my best friend, and I left him standing in the hallway.
One day of war changed everything. Even me.
Another day like that and I'd see a stranger in the mirror.
Wars last a lot longer than one day. All this in one day.
Just one day of war.