DR: We now return to our regular update time-table, after last weeks bonus...
Shadow: Cut it DR, and just tell us what's happening.
DR: Well the main event is one that'll make everyone cringe, but in a good way, while the side plot might spark nightmares.
Zeke: Sounds nasty.
Chapter 15: Arrivals of Good & Bad
Naomi groaned as she sat down on the couch. "I'll be so glad when she comes…"
Brad and Sarah both smiled at her remark. Sarah could remember clearly those last few days before Vega was born, how even the most simple task became such a strain. Naomi was due any day now.
"So, who we up against next?" Stroller asked lazily, his hands linked behind his head. Since Jamie and Pierce's resolution, he'd been able to take it easy.
"Another old foe, the Sun Ray team." Jamie told them, gesturing to the main screen. Displayed on it was the last line up of the Sun Ray's, back when the Blitz were still newcomers to Class S. The two Heldigunners sported compact, short-ranged but powerful weaponry, ideal for tunnelling zoids who could get such weapons into range. The aerial armada was based around a massive Salamander, 'A Pteras on steroids'. Two regular Pteras with missiles racks, a pair of Storm Sworders and a high speed Raynos completed the set.
"Do you think they'll change their line up?" Brad asked, his eyes half closed.
Jamie shook his head. "I don't think so, but they might. As far as I can gather, they also have a couple of Redlers and a third Pteras bomber in their force."
"At least this time we'll be able to engage them in an equal fight." Steve muttered.
"Well, not quite Doc. They are one of the few teams that specialised in aerial warfare, and frankly most of our zoids aren't so good at targeting aircraft." Jamie explained. "We know they have an ECM from our last battle, which means the Panzer armour is useless unless we can get it loaded with missiles that are immune to it."
"Unlikely, since there'd be so many missiles needed…" Sarah sighed. The Panzer armour was her second biggest headache, after Leena's zoid. Both were ammo intensive, more so than any other zoid. Luckily the Panzer armour was rarely used, and Leena over the last couple of months had started conserving ammo to a degree.
Layon had also come through with the blueprints for all three Ultimate X zoids, and the team had made an arrangement with him. In exchange for ordering all their spares for those three zoids from him, he'd only charge them the manufacturing costs. Already the word had gotten out that Layon was supplying parts for the Blitz, and he was able to pick and choose the work he took up. The days of jury-rigging Shield Liger parts to fit the Liger Zero were over.
"Well, I'd suggest this line up for us…" Jamie tapped the console and the image of the Sun Ray's vanished, replaced by a selection of the Blitz teams' zoids. Naomi shifted in her seat as she felt her stomach twist while she looked over the line up Jamie had suggested. While she had not been an active pilot for the last three months, she had kept an interest in the running of the Blitz, always ready to make a suggestion or comment.
Jamie's line-up however looked pretty solid. Both the Raynos and Storm Sworder were there, almost a default choice considering the other team. Brads Shadow Fox, Stroller's Elephander, The Fury, Liger Zero and Leon's Blade Liger were ranked up with the flyers.
Leena frowned. "Jamie, why am I not out there? We're one zoid light…"
Jamie sighed. "I know Leena, but your zoid is possibly the worst at engaging aircraft. The only weapons that would work are the lasers, since the Vulcans would need precise aiming, and none of the other weapons could be brought to bear."
"What about the missiles?" Leon asked. Naomi felt her stomach cramp again, and she began to feel distinctly uncomfortable…
"The Salamander's ECM would short them out." Jamie answered him. "We really need to use lasers or other energy weapons to fight these guys…" Jamie trailed off as he caught sight of Naomi shifting in her seat again, wincing as she did so. "You all right Na'?"
She waved him off. "I'm fine. Must just be a little indigestion or something…" She saw how the others were looking at her, particularly Sarah… "What? You think…"
Sarah quickly stepped across, before laying a hand on Naomi's belly. After a minute, she looked up at her and Brad.
"I think you'd best get down to the hanger Na'. That isn't indigestion. Those are contractions."
x x x x x x
Naomi gasped as another contraction struck her, rippling through her. "How long does this go on for?"
"As long as it takes…" Sarah told her, shaking her head gently.
"Oh great…" After Sarah's surprising statement, the whole team had escorted her to Romeo City Hospital. Once there, the doctors had sent her to the maternity ward, declaring her in labour. Now, eleven hours later, she was still there, in the delivery room. Awaiting her child's birth.
She moaned again as again a contraction shot through her, and she gripped Sarah's hand tightly. While the rest of the Blitz waited outside, Sarah was with her to provide moral support. Having gone through this once before, she could understand and sympathise with Naomi. Brad had looked torn between his desire to be there for her, and his uneasiness at the situation. Luckily Sarah had stepped in for him.
In a way, Naomi was glad it was Sarah who now sat with her rather than Brad. Even just after the two of them had met for the first time, there had been a connection between them. Although Sarah was the most distant from her in terms of age, the two of them shared a similar outlook on life. While Leena and Pierce tended to be more bubbly and active, both Sarah and Naomi were laid back about things. Course, it helped that Sarah had been the one to help her with the discovery of her condition.
Another contraction, the strongest yet, rippled through her, sending chills up her spine. But it wasn't only the spasms that worried her. Soon she would meet her daughter for the first time, and from now on she would be responsible for her. Naomi had been able to put such thoughts out of her mind while her child resided in her. But now…
She looked up again at Sarah as she gently used a cloth to mop up the sweat on Naomi's brow. Something in her eyes must have revealed her fears, since Sarah smiled. "Don't worry. You're going to be a wonderful mother…"
x x x x x x
Stroller sat trying to concentrate on the paper he held, but he found it hard. Brad was pacing up and down the small waiting room so much he was going to wear a hole in the floor. To add to that Jamie and Pierce were talking aerial combat tactics, while Bit and Leena were snuggling together. He looked across at Leon, sat besides his father. While Steve Toros was sitting there remising about the times when he had sat there waiting for his children's births, unaware that no one was listening, Leon was sitting calmly. In fact it looked like he was dozing, except that his eyes were open and he glanced towards the door every now and again.
As Brad began another lap, Stroller snapped. "Could you stop your pacing, you're distracting me!"
"Well sorry, but I'm a little on edge here!" Brad snapped back, glaring daggers at the older man. Brad and Stroller had never fully got along. While they both respected the others skill and courage, they were similar enough that living under the same roof caused friction between them. It had almost become competitive as to who got to read the paper first.
"All right both of you calm down!" Leena called across. "Don't make me get up and separate you two!" Bit smiled at his wife's choice of words. Since she was snuggled into his arms, if she had to get up she would be annoyed. And an annoyed Leena was not a pretty sight.
Clearly both men got the message, as Brad turned away to resume his pacing, and Stroller returned his eyes to the paper before, scowling. In the short time he and the other ex-Backdraft members had been on the team, they had all learned that an angered Leena was not something they wished to meet. Eve help you if she was angry at you… Brad had had that misfortunate once, before Bit had joined the team. It was enough for him.
Across the room Leon smiled slightly. While the press suggested that everything within the Blitz was perfect, the truth was rather less. Pierce's recent troubles, the friction between Brad and Stroller, his father's antics… they were all signs that the people who made up the Blitz were just that, people. Nobody was perfect, and Leon would always be suspicious of those who appeared to be so.
His thought's turned inward again, as he considered Sarah and Naomi. After he had joined Naomi's team, he had come to regard her as a second sister. Certainly there were a striking number of similarities between her and Leena. Both women had red hair, and their eyes were violet, though Naomi's hair was darker, and her eyes were bluer than Leena's. But the differences in their features also extended to, and to an extent matched, their personalities. Naomi was generally more laid back, but she too had one fierce temper. The main difference between her and Leena was that hers was more focused and under control.
Leon felt for Naomi at that moment, since she had been forced out of battling due to her child, and now she was probably going through hell. He was glad that Sarah was with her. Having gone through the same ordeal once before, she could help Naomi prepare for and cope with the pain.
x x x x x x
Several hours later, Steve looked about the room, a faint smile on his face. They had got here almost fifteen hours ago, and most of the Blitz had fallen asleep. Bit and Leena were curled up together on one of the softer couches, her legs pulled up as she half sat on him. Pierce was stretched out across several chairs, her head resting in Jamie's lap. Jamie himself had at first stroked her hair for a while, but then sleep had overtaken him too. Stroller and Vega had nodded off, and even Brad was asleep, his head tipped back. Steve looked to his left at Leon, and saw the spark in his eyes.
"Best thing for them." Leon commented quietly.
Steve nodded. "These things take time. Particularly the first." He frowned as a sudden thought came to him. "Wait, what about our battle with the Sun Ray's?"
"We're okay dad. We've still got over twelve hours before we have to leave for the battle site."
Steve sighed as he sat back, marvelling at how calm his son was acting. True it was not his wife in there, struggling to bring forth a new life, but even so… 'Sandra was always so calm too, even when she was in labour with him. And that was a long labour…'
The sounds of the door opening made both of them look up. Sarah eased the door open enough that she was able to slip through, and then closed it quietly. Steve noted that she looked as tired as any of the others.
"So?" Leon asked quietly when she was close enough.
"Naomi gave birth twenty minutes ago." She replied as she sank into his arms. Sitting across his lap, she leaned against him, her eyelids drooping. "I decided to give her a few minutes to get her strength back before bringing Brad through." She looked over the rest of the team. "How long where we in there?"
"Almost fifteen hours."
Sarah's eyes widened slightly. "That long? Only felt like a couple. No wonder I'm so tired…" She yawned languidly.
Steve sat up. "You rest there, Sarah. I'll tell him."
"Thanks." She replied in gratitude, since now she had sat down in Leon's arms Sarah did not feel like she could get up again.
x x x x x x
Naomi looked down at her sleeping child in wonder. When she had finally arrived, the release had been amazing. Her wails as she took her first breaths of air had been almost stunning. Now she lay asleep in Naomi's arms, eyes closed and breathing regular. Already the wrinkled skin had smoothed out, and her colour had faded to a more natural pink hue. Naomi could already tell that she was going to be quite the lady, with pale skin and a few chestnut red hairs on her head. 'That gene is one persistent little bugger…'
She looked up tiredly as the door to her room opened again. Her face spilt into a warm smile as she saw Brad standing there, rubbing sleep from his eyes. Despite her ordeal, Naomi was able to summon the strength to form words. "Well Brad, don't just stand there, come say hello to your daughter…"
Brad stepped across the room with stiff legs. When he had managed to focus on Naomi he had felt his jaw drop a bit. She was sat up in the bed, her slim figure returned. Her dark red hair hanging down over her shoulders appeared slick with sweat and her face showed how tired she was. Underneath the thin hospital gown she wore her skin was flushed.
But what really drew his attention was the small bundle she held in her arms. Stepping softly so as not to wake her, he sat down beside Naomi to gaze upon the face of their child. Like all newly born, her face was well fleshed, but underneath Brad could pick on hints of a fine bone structure. The thin hairs of her head were already dry and were starting to lift away from her scalp. One hand poked up from underneath the cloth wrapped around her, the stubby fingers curled round together.
Naomi watched as Brad looked at their child, and she beamed as his wonder and amazement showed clear. "She's wonderful…" he whispered, before turning his eyes to her. "Just like her mother…"
"Brad…" He cut her off with a kiss, one hand snaking round the back of her head to pull her to him. The two of them rejoiced at the new life they had created together.
Naomi felt their child shift in her arms, and she reluctantly broke off the kiss to look down at her. Their baby had opened her eyes, and now looked up at them with rich blue eyes.
"Why hello there…" She cooed, gently lifting her a little higher up. Their child clearly got the meaning Naomi had layered the words with, since she smiled and her eyes seemed to dance between her and Brad.
"Yes, he's your father…" Naomi whispered, before glancing at the man in question. "Say hello Brad."
Brad smiled himself, before gently bringing his hand up to their daughter. "Hi little one…"
Almost instinctively, their child's mouth opened a little, and she grasped Brad's little finger in her own hand. Brad found himself looking into those large liquid eyes, almost lost in those rich blue depths.
"She's got your eyes…" Naomi teased him.
"But your hair I see…" Since she still held onto his finger, Brad slipped his other hand down from Naomi's head to cradle their daughters. As she made happy baby sounds, he looked at Naomi again. "Did we ever settle on a name?"
"I prefer Janet…"
Brad smiled again. "Janet Hunter it is then…"
x x x x x x
Far away from Zi, across the depths of space in another star system, a twin disc shape vessel drifted almost lazily towards a barren world. The Base Ships Raider scouts, searching for the humans who had escaped the destruction of the twelve Colonies of Man, had detected anomalous signals coming from this world. A recon in force was in order.
Had the Cylons been organic creatures, they would have felt chagrined at the depth of their mistakes. After they had lost track of the human Battlestar called Galactica, they had spread their Base Ships across the star systems, hunting for her and her fleet. As they had done so, they realised that their fixation on the Galactica had been their undoing. At least six other sets of ships were following roughly in the Galactica's wake, ranging in size from a trio of Colonial destroyers all the way to a nearly task force sized group of military ships and freighters. While the convoy protected by the Galactica was the largest concentration of the surviving humans by far, the truth was that these other elements had been far more damaging to the Cylon Empire. Capable of much greater speed than the main fleet, the small groups of military ships moved back and forth, raiding Cylon outposts and convoys. Their constant attacks had drawn vitally needed Base Ships away from the Galactica, allowing them to slip away.
The surprising destruction of one of their Base Ships by the Galactica itself sent shockwaves throughout the Empire. Up till then the Galactica had done everything it could to avoid Base Ships. By the time another Base Ship had reached the system, the Galactica and her fleet were long gone. One of the planets in that system had evidence of temporary human habitation, showing that the humans had taken the moment to pause for breath before pushing across the gulf that separated their galactic cluster from the main galaxy itself. Shortly afterwards, all the other sightings had faded. Even the Battlestar Pegasus, which had somehow survived taking on two Base Ships at once, dropped off the net.
A task force of eleven Base Ships, plus several support vessels and a number of Destroyers and gunships, was assembled and dispatched after the humans. Their orders were to track the humans down, follow them, and wait. Once the humans stopped and gathered their fleets together, then the force would strike.
Base Ship one-seven-two was roaming ahead of the main fleet, the centre for their recon effort. With two of her Raiders squadrons replaced by a squadron of gunships, she was well suited for long ranged patrols. Even if the gunships were discovered, they were more than capable of looking after themselves.
Now as the Base Ship approached the planet, those same gunships formed a screen ahead of the Base Ship, while the Raiders hung back, awaiting the order to attack. Quickly the powerful scanners of the Base Ship found the source of the signals, a base complex on the surface. The scans probed deeper…
Buried within the base itself, the command unit brought all his forces and fixed weapons to full power. Dispatched here by Helios before he landed on Zi, the command element was far more intelligent than the regular Cybrids, but not at the same level as Helios had been. Its orders were to build up an army, and await either Helios's signal to come forth, or head for Zi and assault the planet if the carrier signal cut off. The signal had died just before the bases sensors picked up the approaching ships.
While the Cylons scanned the base, the Cybrids did the same to the Base Ship. Both sides were confused when no life signs were detected. Neither was sure what to make of this situation. The Cylons were stunned at the possible discovery of another machine race, while the Cybrids had no experience at all with first contact.
But there were protocols, established by man just before Prometheus turned on them. The Cybrids began to transmit a signal on every frequency possible…
Up in the Base Ship, the Centurion responsible for communications turned to face his gold plated superior. "The base on the planet is transmitting data across many wavelengths, primarily Gamma frequencies."
"Analyses the signal for content."
"By your command."
DR: Oh oh, the cylons are coming. Apollo, you'd best clean your blaster.
Bit: But, what's a Cylon?
DR: You'llfind out soon enough... Don't forget to Read & Review people!