Thirteen
Chapter Nine
Reunions and Revelations
When the dozen Cylons stepped off the heavy raider, Starbuck expected to see D'anna Biers, Six, Aaron Doral, Leoben Conoy, Simon, and another Sharon Valerii. She also saw three others: the assassin who had tried to take out members of the new Quorum of Twelve back on the Cloud Nine ship, Valance; a cinnamon skinned female who said her name was Adriana Dais, and who looked in her early 20s; and another female, this one a redheaded female in her mid-30s named Lauren Ross.
But it was the last three that made their jaws drop, as Clarissa Cally, Felix Gaeta and Billy Keikeya stepped off the ship. They looked different than their Galactica counterparts: more confident, more arrogant, and more evil. Starbuck and Helo didn't talk to them, as the Earthforce Special Ops operatives, along with the Rangers, hustled them onto one of the Whitestars that had landed near the high school.
"Well, that's a real kick in the balls! I always figured that it was Tom Zarek or Gaius Baltar who were one of the human models. But those three? I never would have suspected it!" Starbuck said, still baffled at the revelation.
Helo shook his head, adding, "What's the chief going to think that his right hand deck specialist is a fraking Cylon? With what happened with the other Sharon…this may be too much for him!"
President Hollifield walked over to them with Samuel Anders, accompanied by General Ivanova. He checked a gauge that measured radiation, grunted, and said, "Not as bad as we feared, but I don't want to stay here any longer than we have to. I've been talking things over with our newfound friends here, and we've found some candidates for liberation. We're going to launch an attack on Caprica City as well as Delphi to tie up the Cylons so we can hit the farms hard and fast. Some Earthforce Marines jumped in on one of our ships, as well as more Rangers on board more Whitestars. We'll spend the night here, then head out tomorrow for the raids."
"What do you make of the new models we found, sir?" Starbuck asked the president.
Hollifield shook his head, "I don't know yet. Outside of the ones we knew about, I don't recognize any of them from anyone I know on Earth. They'll be photographed and documented on board the Excalibur, then they'll head back to Babylon 5 as soon as we're done here. I guess they'll have to keep an eye on those three on board Galactica and check the fleet records to see if they spot anyone else matching the other three."
"The blond haired male in the leather coat…his name's Valance. Someone unknown on board the Cloud Nine luxury liner murdered him during a conference. The other two I haven't seen before." Starbuck added as they began to head back to the high school.
Their guests had brought plenty of supplies with them, and the remaining resistance fighters, numbering a little over 50, were happy to know that they would be getting off Caprica and rejoining the fleet. They were a little wary of the grub that the Earthforce Special Ops had brought along, but dug in when their leader pronounced it edible. Anders dug into some Swedish meatballs and said, "This reminds me of something I had once on Tauron when we were playing the Turbos. Don't remember what it was called, but it was good."
"An old friend of mine once said that every highly advance culture had a dish similar to this one. To his race, the Narn, it's called breen. To us, we call it Swedish meatballs, after a country on Earth." Hollifield replied.
"Of all the places I thought of to send people to rescue us, that would have been the last one. I wasn't much for religion growing up, but I had heard of the myth of it. So what sports do you play on Earth?" Anders asked.
"Oh geez, where do I start? There's so many of them! We'll there are a few prominent ones. The two most popular are called football and basketball. Football is known as soccer where I am from, which is the North American continent. I'll save that whole debate for when you get there. It's a sport where you have eleven players to a side, and you try and kick a ball into one of the nets on either end of the field. It's an outdoor sport. Basketball is primarily an indoor sport, played on a court with two baskets on either side of it, and backboards set behind the baskets to aid wayward shots. It's extremely popular where I am from." Hollifield said.
One of the Earthforce operatives, a bald, muscular white guy named Steve Johnson, piped in, "Well, the real football is played in America. That European stuff with the goals and round ball isn't that tough. It's a little complicated to explain here, but I'll show you some vids when I have the chance."
One of the Rangers, an Australian named Miranda Peters, took exception to the comment. "Now wait one second, Rattlesnake! Gridiron's not nearly as tough as Aussie rules footy, as well as rugby league and rugby union. I went to a few AFL Grand Finals as a kid, and I can tell you that Aussie Rules is the toughest sport around."
The debate continued for a while, and Starbuck could see Anders trying to comprehend terms like first down, three point shot, icing, and so on and so forth. "You want to skip desert and get to the good stuff?" Starbuck purred. Anders smiled, picked up his tray, and followed Starbuck back to his bunk.
In the moonlight shining in from the window, Starbuck lay beside her lover, running a finger over the landscape of his toned torso. "I never thought I'd ever see you again, alive at least. I'm really glad I was wrong."
"I know. When I saw you depart, I figured that you weren't going to be able to come back. I didn't doubt you'd try, though, but with the way things are…"
Starbuck kissed him and snuggled up closer to him. "It'll probably be a while before we get a chance to be alone again. Better make the most of it." Anders smiled and Starbuck climbed back on top of him to make more love that night.
The next morning, Anders' people climbed on board a Whitestar instead of using the trucks they were more accustomed to. They marveled at the interior, running their hands along it and wondering about its construction. The Rangers answered where they could, but they also kept them focused on what they needed to do.
The first raid took place at an abandoned hospital just outside of Delphi. Anders and Starbuck could hear the sounds of battle coming from the Colonial military base nearby, and it sounded as if the Cylons were being thrashed. The Earthforce Marines attacked the facility from three different directions, taking out the Centurions with PPG bazookas as well as thermal grenades. PPG bazookas fired off a massive burst of plasma energy that melted the metallic skin of the Centurions, and it wasn't long until the ones guarding the outside of the perimeter were laid waste. Starbuck threw a few thermal grenades and took out some of the toasters as well, and she felt ten feet tall doing so.
The Cylons, human and Centurion alike, fled the facility, clearly overwhelmed by the overpowering force. Marine medics and civilian medtechs hustled those women and men who had been captured by the Cylons aboard the military heavy transports the Marines used and ascended to space as soon as they were full. Reports from other raids told of similar success. It wasn't enough to free all of the survivors of the nuclear holocaust, but it was a start.
Anders clapped a hand on the back of the president as they strode along the interior of the Independence and said, "If you only knew how grateful my gang is to you and your people…"
"Don't mention it. When we found out what happened, and Starbuck told me about you guys, I knew we had to come here and get you guys."
"Why?" asked Anders.
"Because we intend to liberate these worlds from the Cylons. You may not have been born on Earth or in its allied colonies, but you're human, and I guess you can say I feel like I have a duty to help you guys out. I've spent my life putting it on the line to protect humanity. Why stop now?"
"But why us? I mean, my guys are just a pyramid team who only got what we knew about fighting from movies and such. We're not professional soldiers!"
"No, Anders, but you guys could be part of the Rangers if you want. It'll take a while to mount the kind of offensive we'll need to take these worlds back for you, but we'll do it. Your human cousins on Earth are stubborn bastards!"
Anders chuckled along with the president, then grew serious again, "But Starbucks says that there are less than fifty thousand Colonials left! How do you rebuild the Colonies of Kobol from that?"
"I don't know, Anders. I wish I had an answer for you. But we'll damn sure try. We'll come up with a working arrangement with my government that'll create an alliance between the Colonies and the Earth Alliance, yet retain your independence. And to think I was thinking of not running for another term…" Hollifield shook his head and laughed without much humor.
"How old are you, anyway? You look like you're in your mid-sixties, yet you seem to have the energy of a man half your age." Anders asked.
"Clean living. Seriously, I have no idea. It's a long story, and either Starbuck or myself will fill you in on the rest. There's another reason I'm here, and it's rather complicated."
They entered Anders' assigned quarters, which happened to be right next door to Starbuck's. Anders found this out when Starbuck emerged from her room, sent a sultry smile his way, and walked off with General Ivanova. "So how did you know about us?" Anders asked.
"Well, she did tell me that she had a thing for you. And I don't blame you for having a thing for her." Hollifield winked at Anders, and the two men entered the room to converse some more about future plans.
"He's a handsome fella. If I were younger, of course, you wouldn't stand a chance!" Ivanova said.
Starbuck playfully mocked her friend by wiggling her fingers at Ivanova, who laughed and threw a mock punch back at her. The officers and enlisted men were looking at the two in surprise, because they were used to seeing the general as a hard ass. The two had grown close since the discovery, and it started off with a moment that happened shortly after Starbuck's Blackbird was picked up.
She lay in the hospital bed, bored but curious. She felt safe, or as safe as you could be flying around in a tricked-out tin can. Dr. Franklin came in with what looked to be a handheld computer, glanced at it for a moment, then turned his attention to his patient. "How are we doing today?"
"Better. When can I get out of bed and back to my ship?" Starbuck answered.
"Soon. You're like someone I know." Dr. Franklin said as he laughed. "She never liked being in a medical bed for any reason. She'll be here shortly to debrief you and to find out more about these 'Colonials'. While you were out, we did a full work-up on you."
"Work up?" Starbuck asked, then noticed an older brown haired woman in a dress uniform similar to the one that Franklin wore.
"Yeah, we do it to check for any infectious diseases that you may be carrying. My day job is head of the Xenobiological Institute back on Earth, but I am also the presidential physician, so I happened to be along with him when we found you." Franklin turned and noticed General Ivanova had come in. "Lieutenant Thrace, this is General Ivanova. She's the chief of staff for our military forces, and she asked to speak to you when you were able to do so."
"General." Starbuck said, nodding to Ivanova and the general nodded back. "So is there anything else, doctor?"
"Yeah, just one thing. I was curious about your fingers." Franklin said, and Starbuck began to get that same feeling she had back when the Cylons had captured her. Oh no, not this again! Starbuck thought as she fought back the memories of the abuse she had suffered at the hands of her mother. "They seem to be broken in the same places on each finger. I was curious as to how that happened…"
Ivanova could sense Starbuck's distress with her latent telepathic abilities, but she could also see it in her face, as a mask of fear began to emerge on it, as if she had been through this before. Ivanova coughed to get Franklin's attention, saying, "I'm sure it's not a big deal, doctor. Besides, my questions are somewhat more important. If you'll excuse us…" She sent him a look that said Get the hell out of here or you'll be sorry, one that Franklin knew all too well. He made as graceful an exit as he could, leaving the two women alone.
Starbuck sighed relief and said, "Thank you, General. You don't know how grateful I am."
"Don't mention it. I saw the look on your face and I figured that Franklin was going into some rough territory. His bed manner's usually better than that." She pointed to her fingers and said, "I figure that you didn't get it rock climbing or playing a sport."
Starbuck shook her head and said, "If it's all the same to you, General, I'd rather not go into it."
Ivanova nodded, saying, "I understand. If you ever want to, though, I'll be glad to help you out. I can't imagine what you're feeling right now, with all that's gone on."
"Yeah, it's a bit overwhelming to say the least. I never expected to run into anyone from Earth out here."
"Indeed. Now, let's get down to business so we can get this over with and we can get you settled in…" Ivanova and Starbuck debriefed for a long time, and talked for even longer than that.
Starbuck had no idea how she bonded with the general, as it seemed as if they were polar opposites. Ivanova seemed to be the pillar of military discipline, while Starbuck bucked it every chance she got. However, as they had found out through their long talks, it was a lot more complicated than that. Starbuck had told her all about her abusive mother, who had been a Colonial Marine, and a musician father who hadn't had all the oars in the water. Ivanova had told her about her mother committing suicide because of the "sleepers" she had to take to suppress her telepathic abilities. The bond between them wasn't exactly mother-daughter, but it was emerging to all who knew them that Starbuck had been taken under Ivanova's wing.
On Caprica, the Imperious Leader sighed as he walked over the wreckage of one of the facilities. His face was impassive, and he could tell that the human Cylon models were nervous around him. He wasn't mad or upset at the raid, as he knew of the capabilities of the ships, unlike his creations.
He sensed something, then smiled. One of the Cally models came up to him and asked about the expression on his face, which was a curious smile.
"My dear Cally! As I told one of the Shelly models, irony is the only constant in the universe. I could feel his presence, and I can tell he intends to stop us."
"Who, Imperious Leader? Who will try to stop God's will?" Cally asked.
"Why, my grandson, of course. He doesn't know it, but he'll find out soon enough about his pedigree." He focused even further, and laughed out loud as he recognized something. "Well, it looks like he's got more to him than I realized! I guess Natasha would understand what I mean if she were still alive."
"Natasha? Who's Natasha, Imperious Leader? If I may be so bold…" Cally asked cautiously.
Imperious Leader smiled at Cally and said, "Her name was Natasha Alexander, and she was my assistant long ago. She would know about Fiona Dexter and her son, Stephen. Wouldn't the president be surprised to find out that Stephen and he were related? They didn't have the same grandmother of course, because Hollifield's not a descendant of my dear love Ninon from so long ago.
"No, I had a brief fling with a married woman who worked for me long ago. Wasn't the proper thing to do, I suppose, but even I have my weaknesses. Lorrie had such beautiful eyes…"
On board the Independence, Starbuck, Anders and Hollifield were chatting in the president's room on board when Starbuck noticed a picture on the desk. "Who is that woman in the picture frame?"
Hollifield smiled and said, "That's my grandmother Lorrie MacPherson. She used to work in Geneva back before my mom was born, then she met my father and they moved to his native North Carolina. She died when I was in college…"
On Caprica, Imperious Leader took out a similar photo, which had writing on the back. "To my dear Kevin, Love Always, Lorrie" it said, and he smiled and put it back in his wallet. He smiled at the irony that he only knew, and wondered if Alfred Bester and Garrison Hollifield had any idea that they were related.
Another picture in the room was that of the legendary Earth Alliance senator Lee Crawford, who was with Kevin in the picture. "Senator Crawford, along with his aid, Kevin Vacit, confers during a meeting of the Senate Oversight Committee for the Metasensory Regulation Authority." It was the very meeting that saw Desa "Blood" Alexander die at the hands of Daria Beaudoin, a renegade telepath who was a double agent for the telepath resistance.
Vacit thought to himself, The dream that I had for telepaths long ago was really the dream of the Vorlons. Now, with them gone, I have even greater dreams for my children. I want to unite them and create the ultimate human race: telepathic Cylons. And no matter what those Colonials and Interstellar Alliance fools do, I will prevail. Because God has selected a chosen people, and I will be their Moses.
And this time, Moses will make it to the Promised Land: Earth.