Kronus' compound, Virgon

Sparky opened his eyes to see Aurora standing over him. Having been unconscious since getting hit back in Spica City, he was unaware of the people that now were in his sight. Not seeing Ortega or Deitra, he was getting nervous.

"Tell Kronus that Lieutenant Giles is awake." She told someone who only nodded then left the rock burrowed room.

"Where am I and who are you?"

"I am Aurora Sykes and you are safe, for the moment." She picked up a scanner and began doing tests on him. "You should make a full recovery, provided you take an easy."

He felt his bare chest, the bandage covering his wound. "And my companions?"

"They went to Panna on a scouting mission."

"Panna?" He sat up to quickly and his mind became a fog. She helped him lie back down. "The Cosmodrome?" Giles asked after a moment. What other reason could they have had to go there if not for a means of escape.

"Yes. We intend on leaving Virgon."

"We?"

"Hello Lieutenant." Kronus had entered, followed by Charka and Damon. "I trust that you are feeling much better."

"Commander Kronus..." Giles tried again to get up but Aurora, this time, placed a gentle hand on him to keep him on the bed.

"I'm glad to see your health has improved, Lieutenant." Kronus was as imposing as Giles assumed he'd be. He remembered seeing him speak at the Academy years ago and for those green cadets, it was like getting a visit from a superstar.

"Yes...Yes Sir." Was all Giles could say as he was momentarily starstruck. It only occurred to him after glancing at Aurora about the fate of his colleagues. "Commander, I would like the use of a vehicle to get me to Panna. With so many Toasters kicking around, I'd feel a whole lot better knowing they're okay."

Charka was going to object; it was in his facial muscles and tense hands. Kronus either decided to ignore the man's opinion or simply never noticed and made his view known. "I understand. The Cylons are already in the valley." The veteran paused. "They could be upon us in less than 24 centares."

"He's in no condition to go anywhere." Aurora interjected. Her eyes darted between the former and the current warriors.

"I'll be okay." Giles winced. "If the Toasters are coming, then I'm better utilized helping Ortega and Gedrin get a transport than lying around here."

This time Aurora didn't try to prevent him getting up though the look of concern was still evident. She exchanged looks with Kronus before folding her arms knowing there would be no solid front in keeping the warrior in bed.

"I need to get to Panna." Giles slowly stood up, grabbing his flight jacket and with some difficulty pulled it on. He refused Aurora's help as he continued by strapping on his gunbelt.

"It will be harder now that the Cylons are in the valley..."

"But not impossible." Sparky had interrupted the first war veteran.

"No, not impossible. It will take longer to avoid them with the spinner if you go through the hills. However, Panna does have a Cylon presence, how many, well only the Lords of Kobol could answer that."

"I'll go with him." Piped up Damon. Charka had remained unusually quiet but Aurora was about to volunteer as well but Kronus interceded.

"I need you here, Aurora. If their plan succeeds, we'll need to evacuate quickly." There was no point stating the obvious if they did not. "Give him an anti-rad shot. The radiation levels, as you can imagine, are much higher in the cities."

"Fine." Giles nodded to Damon before Kronus shook his hand for luck. The two men did not speak as the younger warrior headed outside.

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Panna

Deitra had her hands and feet bound. Although there was the odd sexual innuendo, their captors did not abuse her, at least for the moment. Ortega, still unconscious, was also bound and remained lying on the floor where they had deposited him.

The captors were armed with the warrior's own pistols which gave them a lot more confidence than simply brandishing blunt instruments such as the pipe used to strike Ortega.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked through gritted teeth. If she wasn't tied up...

"Perhaps you haven't noticed but the Red Eyes have taken over the fraking planet. We aim to take this ship and get as far away as humanly possible." Answered Athan, the leader. He was slim with high cheek bones, long dark hair and stubble that offered a patchwork across his lower face.

"What about everyone else? You just going to leave them?" Deitra glanced around the Bridge to see how far these clowns got to getting the vessel space worthy. Some screens were active but if they had any sense, it would all be on minimal power so as not to be detected by the Cylons.

Athan had ignored her a moment while watching the heavyset Julian, the other captor, going from console to console. "Do yourself a favor, lady and just shut the frak up!" He pointed his weapon and for a micron, it looked as if he just might discharge it. However, he regained control of his emotions and slowly lowered the pistol. "If you behave, I might let you live. After all I need somebody to do the cooking and cleaning." He added with a smirk. Julian busted out laughing.

"Frak off." She growled though this time, Athan did not only raise his stolen weapon but shoved the barrel against her forehead.

"Shut up." Athan lowered his eyes as his free hand began to unfasten her trousers. A broad smile creased his face as he knew that he could do whatever he wanted and she couldn't do a damn thing to stop him.

She glared at him, her eyes never leaving his and the reaction of fear and trepidation he expected from her was not evident. As he grabbed a hold of her trousers, even as she struggled, he was interrupted by Julian.

"We got a problem with the LP pump."

Athan glanced between the two but finally replied. "And?"

"We can't jump until it's fixed."

The would be rapist kicked a chair before barging out. He knew full well that Julian needed to stay here in order to recalibrate the systems, something he simply didn't know how to do.

Deitra let out a deep breath, promising herself that when she had the chance, Athan was going to die.

Julian would look over at her from time to time which made her increasingly uncomfortable so she pulled her knees up to her chest. She turned to Ortega but he was still unconscious not that it would have made a difference, him being as bound as her.

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Giles looked through the visual enhancers and didn't like what he saw. Cylons were massing in Panna to deal with what pockets of resistance that were left after the earlier orbital bombardments. The lieutenant didn't think there would be much fight left among the human survivors, more a massacre than a battle.

He saw Deitra and Ortega's spinner or what was left of it as smoldering debris. Closer inspection would determine if his fellow warriors had escaped or not. On the tarmac was another example of Cylon brutality as thick black smoke rose up from a heavily damaged starliner. Humans were noticeably absent.

He could see the city's skyline which surprisingly was still standing. The planet had been hit by nukes, that was a fact but what the evidence before his eyes were saying was a totally different matter. It then occurred to him. "Neutron bomb..."

"The radiation levels would have to be significant, at least 80 Gy in order to incapacitate everyone." Damon responded. "Physics Major." He added with a shrug.

"Incapacitate is a political correct way of saying murder then that's what it looks like. I just don't understand why they would bother to leave the buildings standing." Giles was intrigued but had to put the thought out of his mind for the moment in order to see if his colleagues were even remotely counted among the living. Taking one last look at the Cylon position, and feeling confident enough, he hunched down and slowly made his way toward the destroyed spinner. Damon followed a quarter maxim behind.

Giles used a scanner to pick up biological traces but it came back blank. No body parts were mixed with the twisted remains of what once was a spinner. Deitra and Ortega were not inside when it was destroyed. He had to consider that the two may have been captured, executed or detained elsewhere – possibly even to the orbiting basestar. Damon had offered no words of hope so the lieutenant had to make his own.

The scanner's range and scope was simply to small to try detecting them in the hanger or anywhere else nearby.

"We should go back, tell Kronus that the starliner has been destroyed." Advised Damon. "Your fellow warriors...I'm sorry."

"Don't bury them yet." Ortega snapped. "Those hangers could have a usable starliner."

"It will be too risky-."

"The Toasters aren't massing here for a picnic. Those patrols in the valley will only increase in size. All those survivors at that compound of yours won't survive an attack...And trust me, it's going to happen. Let's go."

Damon reluctantly followed the warrior as they approached the hanger, using the sparse brush as cover whenever a Cylon paid any attention to their general area. Ortega was hoping that these machine soldiers were confident enough in their strength as not to even give credence to any human infiltration.