Chapter 22 of The Phoenix and The Wolverine.
Battlestar Galactica; meeting room...
For several moments; Ensign Billy Rogers floated in darkness.
He had to be dreaming. He did not just pass out in-front of his superior officers, the president and the vice president and the two representatives of the Thirteenth Tribe.
Please let this be a nightmare.
Then he started hearing voices, he opened his eyes and suddenly wished he could shut them again.
Several people were staring down at him with very concerned expressions.
The young ensign prayed for the hard metallic floor to swallow him up.
Surprisingly; Captain Logan was kneeling on one knee beside Ensign Q Junior.
The Admiral, the CAG , President Roslin and vice president Zarek were also looking down at him.
"Ensign Rogers, are you okay ?" asked Admiral Adama.
Rogers swallowed nervously, feeling his face turn red with embarrassment.
"I...I'm okay," he tried to sit up and almost passed out again when he felt sharp hot pain in his left forearm.
"You don't look well," said Logan calmly; he looked at the Admiral.
"Ensign Q Junior could do a quick diagnostic...with your permission."
Rogers looked at the hologram who had a puzzled look on his face; then Q turned to the Admiral.
Adama simply stared at the captain of the Xavier.
"Sir," called a familiar voice. It was Gaeta; he had a small hand device next to his right ear.
"Doctor Cottle is in the midst of surgery...it will take a while."
Rogers concentrated on the grave look on the Admiral's face and he suddenly knew the senior officer was going to decline Logan's offer.
Somehow, Rogers knew that would be a bad idea.
"I accept to be treated by Ensign Q Junior...he took care of us coming back from Hera's planet sir," said Rogers as quickly as possible.
The Admiral stared at him, his face still very blank.
For one second; Rogers was sure the admiral was going to refuse.
"Very well."
Logan looked at the hologram and nodded.
Q removed small objects from his bag; the Admiral's gaze sharpened as the objects were placed close to Ensign Rogers.
As if hearing their unspoken thoughts he began to describe each object.
"This is a tricorder, a non-invasive diagnostic device," he looked at Rogers who nodded silently .
Q Junior continued speaking. "Ensign Rogers; what symptoms have you been experiencing ?"
"Pain in my left forearm."
Q's eyes moved to the cast covered upper limb.
"When did you break it?"
Everyone in the room knew when it had been broken and how it occurred but Rogers answered the question.
"Roughly a day and a half ago."
Q Junior's face had a thoughtful frown. "Any numbness in the fingers? Pins and needles? Difficulty in moving your fingers?"
Rogers thought for a moment. "Yeah to all three questions. It's been occurring for the past couple of hours."
Q's eyes narrowed; he seemed oblivious to the way everyone was staring at him.
"I need to scan your left arm and forearm."
"Go ahead," said Rogers. On the outside he appeared calm but deep down he was a bit apprehensive but somehow he knew that the hologram would not harm him.
There was complete silence as Q passed the device over Roger's left upper arm and forearm. It took only a few seconds before the hologram spoke.
"You're got acute compartment syndrome of the left forearm," the serious expression on the hologram's face had Rogers going very pale.
What in the name of Hades that? Thought the ensign.
"What is it and what's the treatment?" asked Admiral Adama in his gravelly voice.
Q Junior looked at him. "Admiral, this condition occurs usually after a fracture or deep penetrating injury. Due to the ruptured blood vessels and muscle fibres; there is a build up of fluid and pressure in the compartments in the affected limb.
Treatment is immediate release of the pressure, in the old days it meant fasciotomy...which is surgery."
Rogers felt cold sweat form on his brow.
"But nowadays; all we need to do is use a combination of a dermal and vascular regenerator to release the compartments; heal the blood vessels and increase blood supply to the damaged muscle fibres.
It will be a non-invasive procedure."
"Maybe we should wait for Dr Cottle," said the CAG. He was not bothering to hide his suspicion as he looked at the hologram.
"We do that and Ensign Rogers will lose the use of that hand," said Logan with a dark look on his face. Everyone turned to him.
"I have seen this before...and delaying treatment is not an option," continued the captain of the Xavier. He turned to Rogers.
"Besides...it's your decision ensign."
Rogers looked at him for a long time; the loss of his left hand would affect his ability as a pilot.
"I trust Ensign Q's treatment."
Q looked at him; he could see some grudging respect in his eyes.
"Fine...first you will need some analgesia...it will only numb the pain and not knock you out."
Rogers nodded; ignoring the dark looks on the CAG and the vice president's face. The president and Admiral Adama had slightly anxious expressions.
Q junior placed a small cylinder like device at the left side of his neck and everyone heard the soft hiss as the painkiller was administered.
Instantly Rogers felt the dull pain in his left forearm reduce to nothing.
"How do you feel?" asked President Roslin when she saw the surprised look on his face.
"I don't feel the pain anymore," said the ensign in a stunned voice.
"We're not done yet," warned Q " I need to take the cast off so that I can externally release some of the pressure before using the regenerator.
I will use my fingers to get into the cast and break it apart."
He waited for Roger's nod before continuing.
Under the watchful gaze of everyone, Q placed both hands on the cast. He bent the fingers until the tips were directly in line with each other and he began to phase into the cast.
Rogers ignored someone's shocked gasp as he stared open mouthed at Q's hands.
Q's hands moved in opposite directions and the cast broke with an audible 'cracking' sound, then he removed the ruined cast.
Roger's expression turned to one of alarm when he saw the swollen and badly bruised left forearm.
"Rogers, you okay ?" asked the CAG with narrowed eyes.
"Fine sir," said the ensign without looking away from his left forearm "I'm still not feeling any pain."
"I'm about to use the dermo-vascular regenerator," said Q as he passed a slightly bigger device over Roger's left forearm.
Exactly a minute passed and Admiral Adama found himself blinking. It looked like the swelling is going down.
"What exactly is happening ?" asked Roslin in a hushed voice.
Q junior answered without looking at her. " The fluid is been re-distributed into the rest of the body while the damaged blood vessels and torn muscle fibres are healing at several times their natural speed.
This device is also used for uncomplicated fractures, which is what caused the compartment syndrome in the first place.
However; it will be at least one to two weeks before Ensign Rogers can arm wrestle anyone. He will need another review in less than 24hours to check if a second treatment is needed."
Everyone remained silent as the hologram continued the treatment for a few more minutes. He stopped when the left forearm appeared to be the same colour and size as the right one.
"Can you move your fingers now?"
Rogers tentatively tried to do so and could not help but grin in amazement when he succeeded in making a fist and flexing his left elbow.
"Easy son," said Admiral Adama with an anxious voice.
"I'm okay sir...it feels like I never broke it!" said Rogers.
Logan looked at Q Junior. "Well done ensign."
To everyone's surprise; the hologram seemed to go a bit red at the praise.
Rogers tried to stand up and Q Junior and the CAG who were nearest helped him up. The colonial ensign turned to the hologram.
"Ensign Q Junior, thanks for your help," he stuck out his right hand.
Q hesitated briefly then shook hands with the young man.
"You're welcome."
"Hello; please pardon the interruption."
All the colonials turned to stare at Logan; the oddly familiar feminine voice seemed to be coming from him.
The captain of the Xavier was staring at the 'X' emblem on his chest.
He tapped it once. "Dr Grey, you okay?"
"We're fine...we just wanted to check in on you...
Logan resisted the strong urge to roll his eyes. "We're fine, Q was just helping out Ensign Rogers."
"So we heard," Dr Grey replied in a wry tone "however; since Ensign Rogers will need a second review in 24hrs; that can be arranged and done above the Xavier."
Stunned silence met her words.
Admiral Adama noted the raised eyebrows on Captain's Logan's face; he had not expected that.
"You sure Jean?" asked Logan in a calm low voice.
Aboard the Xavier, Laura looked at Jean and shook her head solemnly. The telepath smiled as she answered.
"Absolutely Captain, Starfleet Medical Regulations state that current patients who need early reviews are best observed on board a Starfleet facility where the Medical Officer in charge of the case is present.
Since Ensign Q Junior, who is also a medical personnel..."
Everyone stared at the hologram.
"...has started Ensign Roger's treatment; he will be in charge of his review...unless Admiral Adama and President Roslin wish to rescind his assignment and replace him with another colonial officer.
Even if this is done...the offer to continue his treatment on Xavier or on the Galactica is still open."
Q junior could actually hear Logan grinding his teeth in frustration as he thought of a suitable calm answer.
Admiral Adama and Roslin stared a thoughtful look; Ensign Q Junior was back to looking anxious while Zarek was staring at Logan suspiciously.
Lieutenant Sharon Agathon looked very hopeful.
Back on the Xavier, Laura slid an epadd to the telepath.
On it was written; "the captain is gonna be pissed!"
Jean just smiled mysteriously at her as she waited for the answer.
"Jean," started Logan slowly "Ensign Rogers was just recently injured; he may need to recover first..." then he caught sight of the deeply disappointed look on the ensign's face.
Then Logan found himself saying the next sentence without thinking it through.
"Unless he is ready to assume the post of ambassador...provided his superior agrees."
The Admiral could not hide his surprise. Ensign Rogers turned to look at him with a mixture of anxiety and hope in his eyes.
Adama thought that what Logan was proposing was a good idea but he had to take into consideration that Rogers had just collapsed a few minutes ago and that he, as his superior officer had been blind to his junior officer's condition.
What kind of man was he to send him into uncharted waters ?
The Admiral opened his mouth to rescind the assignment; but Dr Grey spoke first.
"If there is any concern about Ensign Rogers performing his duties while being treated on board the Xavier; then a second colonial officer may be ideal...Lieutenant Sharon Agathon would be an excellent choice."
Logan's eyes narrowed as he noticed the shock and hope on the cylon's face and the barely hidden surprise on the Admiral's face and then he knew.
Jean was using the CMS again.
"Dr Grey...is that really okay with you?"
He actually wanted to ask if she was okay and warn her to stay away from the device but he knew this was the wrong place to have that conversation.
"Absolutely," answered Jean in a firm strong voice.
Logan was certain she had an idea of what he was thinking of at the moment.
"Em...Dr Grey, its President Roslin...you wish to have Lieutenant Agathon on your ship?"
"Yes, is that a problem?"
"No, it's not. I accept," said Sharon immediately; she did not bother to hide the hard light in her eyes as she looked at the president.
"That is not your decision to make Lieutenant," snapped Zarek. Then he looked towards the ceiling as he ignored the steely look she sent his way.
"Dr Grey, while Ensign Rogers is ideal for this diplomatic mission...we have other better qualified personnel who would be better for this mission than Lieutenant Agathon for this mission. I..."
"I have no problems with Ensign Rogers and Lieutenant Sharon Agathon being on my ship," cut in Logan in a calm, firm tone.
"So far; they are the only two colonials that I have met who have not treated my crew and ship as if they were the enemy."
Q Junior stared at him in surprise.
Logan gave him a silent look; then turned back to the fuming vice-president.
For Jean to suggest the two colonials come back to the Xavier...meant that she knew something important that concerned these two.
"So; what is your decision?" asked Logan calmly as he turned to the Admiral.
Adama stared at him for a long moment.
"If the two officers are willing..."
"Yes we are sir," chorused Rogers and Sharon at the same time; they stared at each other in embarrassment before looking away.
Logan could not help but smile dryly and was relieved to see a similar expression on the Admiral's face.
"Then; they are to be our ambassadors to the Xavier...with your permission."
Zarek opened his mouth to protest but the dark looks he was getting from the president and the CAG kept him silent.
"Then we are in agreement," said Logan calmly.
Before anyone could say anything else; the door opened.
"So what's the damn emergency?" growled Dr Cottle still in his surgical scrubs.
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Starbuck found herself releasing a sigh of relief when Q Junior and Lee helped Ensign Rogers up from the floor.
When the young pilot had collapsed; the marines in the other room had been unsure what to do.
Go in or let the senior brass handle it ?
Helo had helped them make the decision by immediately calling the medical bay for Dr Cottle.
Unfortunately; he was in theatre with two medical staff assisting him.
Then Captain Logan asked if the hologram would assess Rogers.
"What the frak did he just say?" asked one of the stunned marines.
To everyone's astonishment; the Admiral agreed.
At first the colonials in the next room could not see what was being done until some smart individual remembered to switch to the hidden camera that was close to where Rogers had fallen.
It was done in time for them to see the impossible happen.
Kara had seen it before; when Jean healed the injury in Cally's leg but she was still amazed. She dimly heard some of the marines swear softly and one actually began to pray aloud.
Then Rogers was helped up and everyone got the living daylights scared out of them when they all heard Dr Grey's voice from nowhere.
In all the excitement; they had forgotten that the remaining crew of the Xavier were monitoring the meeting.
Kara had felt her lower jaw drop when Sharon was also picked for as an ambassador at Dr Grey and Captain Logan's insistence.
Anders shared a silent look with his wife; their crazy plan may work after all.
Kara's mind returned to the present when she heard Dr Cottle's voice; she looked up in time to see him practically barge into the meeting room.
"What the frak! I thought he was still operating," said Tyrol.
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Logan looked at the newcomer as Admiral Adama introduced him.
Dr Sherman Cottle; Chief Medical Officer.
And a heavy smoker from what Logan's sensitive nose could detect and apparently he had just left theatre.
According to the doctor; the operation was still ongoing however he had gotten past the tricky part and his capable assistant was closing up as they spoke.
"So who got injured again?" asked Cottle abruptly once the admiral stopped speaking.
"Eh...that would be me sir...and I just collapsed because of eh...compartment syndrome of my left forearm," said Rogers hesitantly.
Cottle's eyes narrowed when he noticed the broken cast on the table.
"What the frak happened to your cast?" he demanded in a voice fit for a drill sergeant.
Beside Rogers; Q Junior raised his right hand a bit hesitantly. "Eh...I took it off to reduce the pressure and to administer treatment sir."
Cottle stared at the two ensigns for a long moment.
"What were the symptoms?" he asked ignoring the large group of people watching him.
Q Junior was speechless for a few moments then squared his shoulders, straightened his spine and answered crisply.
Logan relaxed as the Q Junior confidently rattled off the definition of acute compartment syndrome; the symptoms ,signs complications and the subsequent treatments. He did take time to stress on the ancient method of treatment and the current method of treatment according to Starfleet Medical Sciences.
Cottle glared at him for good measure when the ensign was done talking but though Q Junior's face turned red, he did not drop his gaze.
The old doctor nodded. "You'll do."
He turned away from Q Junior's puzzled expression to face a slightly anxious Rogers. "He obviously did okay but I would like to take a look at your left ulna and radius. It would be great to do an xray now and compare the film with when it was actually broken."
Then he turned his eagle gaze on Captain Logan.
" You're the one with all the metal, captain ?"
Admiral Adama was obviously alarmed by the doctor's abrupt question while President Roslin looked like she was about to have a heart attack.
"Yeah; that's me," said Logan in an easy tone. For some reason he could tell this man was harmless and usually spoke his mind; not caring who or what he was speaking to.
"Interesting," Cottle had a curious look in his eyes " wonder how much you weigh...anyway enough of that.
Rogers, get your ass to the infirmary and by the way is it possible for Ensign Q Junior to work with me in the wards ? We could use his help."
Everyone stared at him.
"What?! I thought we were working together !" snapped Cottle when he saw the mulish expression on Zarek's face.
"Dr Cottle ; this may not be the time..." started Zarek.
Maybe it is," countered Roslin; she ignored her vice president and turned to the Admiral.
"I think in view of all the excitement; we need a break...with your permission."
Adama looked at her for a few moments. "I agree...maybe a tour of the medical bay would be in order. It will give Ensign Q an opportunity to ask Dr Cottle some questions."
The colonial doctor had a curious look on his face as he turned his attention back to the ensign.
"What questions?"
"The amount of nutritional supplements needed for the whole fleet, sir," answered Q Junior.
Cottle stared at him. "Certainly more than your tiny ship could provide."
This time the ensign grinned confidently. "You would be surprised at what the Xavier is capable of sir."
Most of the colonials in the room looked at each other at Q's words.
"Yeah; whatever," Dr Cottle rubbed his hands in glee " well; since this tour is starting in the medical bay, Ensign Q Junior can tell me on the way his medical training and past medical experience."
Q Junior's confident smile slipped as he looked at his captain.
Logan smiled dryly. "Ensign Q will be glad to help."
Q swallowed nervously and followed the grinning doctor out of the room; he had no idea that Dr Cottle was hardly ever this excited about anything.
For the colonial doctor this was a once in lifetime opportunity; a mobile intellingent hologram who was a medic ?
Unbelievable!
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The Xavier; the bridge...
Jean sighed with relief as she watched Logan and Q Junior leave the meeting room to begin a tour of the Galactica.
The tiny cameras within the 'X' emblems on Logan and Q's clothing was giving very good video and audio quality of what was going on the Galactica.
"Okay Jean; please explain why we have two colonials coming on board the Xavier?"
Jean looked at the female teen beside her; she was not smiling.
Earlier on when the meeting started; Jean and Laura had been watching the proceedings.
Then they noticed how nervous Ensign Rogers and Lieutenant Agathon appeared.
Jean warned Laura before using the CMS to 'see' what was really going on.
What she had seen briefly in the colonials minds was astonishing.
The telepath was silent for a few moments before answering.
"Sharon is seriously considering killing herself."
Laura stared at her in surprise. "Why and should we care?"
Jean was a bit taken aback by her attitude but part of her understood the reason for the questions.
"It's not what you think...Sharon feels if she kills herself she will end up on a resurrection ship and rescue her daughter.
However the obvious flaws to that plan is that she is unaware if there is such a ship in range and she does not have a plan B when she gets there.
The 'suicide plan A' is her last option...if we do not help her...that's why she wants to be on the Xavier."
Laura was silent for a long time.
"And the other guy?"
Jean could not help but smile at her. " I believe we just found our first colonial mutant."
Laura's lower jaw dropped. " You have got to be kidding."
Jean shook her head. "Oh no; I'm not. Logan is going to be so surprised when he hears this. Especially when I inform him that Ensign Rogers may just be discovering his abilities for the first time."
Laura looked at the screen with a strange look in her eyes.
"Do his superiors know?"
Jean's expression changed to a thoughtful frown.
"I doubt it...the poor boy thinks he's actually going mad...that's why he has not told anyone."
"What kind of ability are we talking about?"
"I think he's an empathy with some precognitive ability."
Laura nodded. "Pretty good skills for a pilot; especially the second one."
"I agree; but he needs to get on board here where I can test him with his permission."
Laura turned back to her. "You're worried about him; why?"
The telepath was silent for a long time.
"Back when I was a teacher in the Xavier's school for the talented...we had a lot of students who were brought by their parents or who ran away to come to a place where they were understood.
A place where they could find explanations about their abilities and were also taught that they were people and not freaks."
She stopped as if steeling herself against certain memories.
"But there were the ones...who did not know of such sanctuary.
They only knew ridicule, hate and being hurt. Those ones either made their own rules of how to deal with the situation...or they ended themselves."
Laura was silent for a while. "I get it; so become a criminal or suicide."
Jean winced at her blunt but accurate analysis. Trust Laura not to sugar-coat anything. She wondered if she had realized how similar her attitude was to Logan's.
"Yes...I don't think Rogers is the kind to kill him-self but..."
"You never know, everyone has a breaking point," completed Laura softly as she stared at the screen.
Jean looked at her and said nothing.
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Somewhere in space...
The two cylon scouts had been waiting for hours for a reply from the base.
They eventually received a long transmission with new directives.
After a few minutes of breaking down the message; the two ships waited for the intermittent signals they had been tracking.
It came half an hour later and then all the two cylon scout had to wait for was the reinforcements.
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Cylon Basestar, Cavil's quarters...
The Number one stared at the screen for a long time.
Finally he knew where those 'colonials' were; now on to his second big problem.
How do you incapacitate a ship of the Thirteenth Tribe ?
Contrary to what most of his brethren believed; he did not want to destroy them completely...well at least not right away.
He wanted to learn their technological strengths and most importantly their weaknesses.
He already knew of one weakness.
Their apparent reluctance to kill.
True; one small ship had destroyed a single basestar with one missile.
But why stop at one basestar; why not destroy the second one while you had the chance ?
Was it compassion or arrogance that had made them stay their hand ?
Well; he was only too keen to teach them the error of their ways.
Cavil quickly sent out new directives; then stared at it before sending it.
"Await reinforcements; then locate the colonial refugees and the Xavier. Attack the Xavier on sight ; transmit location and attempt incapacitation of the Xavier with the viral package."
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The Basestar; weapons development facility...
Aaron Doral ran the stimulation again and swore when he got the same disappointing results.
Increasing the nukes yield by 50% did not produce any advantage what so ever. The problem was the shield; if there was a way to get beneath them he bet he could do some damage.
But then again; he had no idea what the hull plating of the Xavier was made of.
If only he could get on the damned ship.
"Aaron; a moment of your time."
The number Five sighed impatiently before turning round to face Leoben.
"And how can I help you today sir?" asked Aaron sharply " I do have a lot of work to do as you can obviously see."
Leoben let the sarcasm wash over him.
"You need to speak to Cavil; attacking the Xavier is not the way to go about this."
Aaron looked at him with a puzzled expression on his face.
"Excuse me; did you not see how we were so royally and totally frakked by their ship?"
"Yes; but it was not without cause. We attacked them first.
They could have destroyed us completely; but they did not.
That shows a level of maturity that is lacking in the colonials...and dare I say it in us as well."
Aaron stared at the number Two for a long time.
"Sometimes I wonder whose side you're on."
Leoben felt his lower jaw drop. "Excuse me?"
"You talk as if we're not at war with the entire human race. They brought this upon themselves."
The number Two rolled his eyes in exasperation. " For the love of God; listen to yourself. We nuked 12 planets and caused the deaths of 20 billion humans.
Is that not enough ? We practically destroyed their civilization; this has to end now before we destroy ourselves as well!"
Aaron's expression was set in stone; he was clearly not convinced by the cylon's reasoning.
"Leoben; it will never be enough...until Earth is also a smoking ruin like the 12 planets we destroyed."
Leoben stared at him in despair; at loss for words.
The sound of slow clapping had him turning round to see Cavil entering the room.
"Bravo Leoben; what a eloquent and pathetic plea...you would have made a certain female colonial viper pilot exceedingly proud."
Aaron's smirked at the red angry expression on Leoben's face.
Cavil was not finished. " Did Caprica send you ? That's just typical ; leaving the dirty work for her underlings to do."
"No one sent me," said the number Two through gritted teeth " but she's right. Attacking them again may lead to insurmountable losses."
Cavil raised an eyebrow. "You're so afraid of one ship ?"
"Not one ship," corrected Leoben "of Earth. A colony that has been out of contact for the past 4 millennia! We have no idea of their military capability. They may even have colonies that we have no idea about."
Aaron had a thoughtful frown on his face but Cavil snorted in derision.
"I sincerely doubt that Earth has any colonies; the historical accounts stated they stayed on only one planet."
Leoben stared at him; he was clearly puzzled by Cavil's confident reply.
"How can you be sure? And what historical accounts do you have that I haven't seen?
Even the colonials thought Earth was a myth until desperation forced them to look for evidence !"
Cavil had a smug smile on his face. "Leoben...take my word for it. They are on one single planet."
Aaron gave Cavil a slightly puzzled frown; then shrugged apparently not bothered. "Well gentle-cylons; unless either of you are about to give me any help in increasing the yield of our nukes...I would suggest you both get the frak out of my lab."
Both male cylons stared at him.
"Fine...have it your way," said Leoben in a cold voice which masked the despair he felt.
The number Two quickly left the lab.
Aaron watched him walk away and turned to Cavil.
"That goes for you too Cavil."
The number One looked at him with a wry smile. Of all the models ; Aaron was clearly not afraid of him.
Oh Caprica could shout at him all she wanted but he could always detect the slight fear that she so carefully hid behind her snide remarks.
Boomer was clearly reluctant to cross him which made him wonder what had recently given her the guts to vote against him when they lost a basestar to the Xavier.
Simon knew his place and kept to it.
D'anna was very cautious around him; never directly challenging him like Caprica did. Maybe there might be some fear there afterall.
Leoben; the peacemaker...clearly an idiot but smart enough to never challenge Cavil directly.
Definitely scared of him then.
Cavil allowed his thoughts to return to the present.
"Aaron; from your obvious tone of frustration...I believe you are no closer to discovering how to get beyond Xavier's shields."
"And?" asked Aaron sharply.
"How would you like me to show you how that can be done ?...and also we could add a...little something to our current nukes that would increase the yield by more than 200 percent."
Instead of looking pleased; Aaron looked even more angry. "Lose the riddles old man and tell me what it is you know."
Astonishingly; Cavil found himself smiling at the Number Two abrupt words.
"As you wish," he withdrew a small epad from his jacket and handed it to the Number two.
Aaron took it and began to read the file on the screen.
Five minutes later he looked at Cavil in shock.
"This...this is..."
"Brilliant ? Genius ? Well what can I say ? I do try," said Cavil with a shark's grin.
"Well...yes; but the risk involved..."started the stunned Aaron again.
"Will be so worth it...besides cylons will not be risked only the raiders and whoever is piloting them," cut in Cavil.
"I know...but the last time we tried this..."
"Yes, yes it was a disaster," interrupted the Number One waving away Aaron's feeble protests " come now; you are a man of science and must realize that for us as a civilization to move forward we must be ready to take risks."
Cavil pointed to the epad in Aaron's hand. " And that is certainly a risk worth taking...that is if you are up to the task."
The number One saw the indecision leave Aaron's face to be replaced by fierce determination.
"Of course I can do this," he said heatedly.
Cavil smirked inwardly; the old tactic always worked. Tell a psychopath like Aaron that he was not strong enough or smart enough to do something and he would die trying to prove everyone wrong.
"I have no doubt that you can; my dear brother," said Cavil with a cold smile.
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The Galactica; medical bay...
After the meeting; President Roslin, her vice-president and her PA excused themselves from the excursion. Logan suspected they were having a private meeting to discuss what had just happened. Roslin had not looked happy with Zarek.
Good thing there was a break; Logan was finding it hard to tolerate the suspicious vice president.
Meanwhile; Logan was regretting coming to the medical bay; for several reasons.
One was the smell and the memories it brought.
The earliest that Logan could remember of his life was October 12th; 1979. However soon after that he quickly realized he must have been a soldier; and he took several jobs.
Some were normal everyday jobs but quite a number had been in the mercenary category.
The Galactica medical bay was almost identical to a field hospital he had being to in Laos; in the 1980s. Logan had joined a group of mercenaries who had been looking for American prisoners of the Vietnam War.
It had been a brutal mission and many of them had not made it back.
The second reason was the looks of hope and fear that were cast in his direction.
When he and Ensign Q Junior had entered the medical bay with Dr Cottle and Admiral Adama, Ensign Rogers, and Lieutenant Sharon Agathon; everyone that could stand had stood up and taken notice.
Hell; Logan had half expected them to start saluting him; but thankfully that did not happen.
Then Ensign Q Junior started helping Dr Cottle and that was when the expressions on their faces turned to near worship.
A quick glance at Q Junior showed that he was clearly very uncomfortable but he did his work professionally.
Logan had been worried at one point when a huge marine entered the medical bay and quickly approached the slightly built ensign.
Q Junior looked up at him and seemed to recognise him but was not alarmed.
Logan's keen hearing picked up their short conversation.
"Sergeant Tyler; glad to see you looking well," said Q Junior calmly.
"Not as glad as I am to see you Ensign...many of us would not have made it back without your help. On behalf of them I thank you." Sergeant Tyler stuck out his right hand.
Q Junior looked at it for a few seconds in surprise as everyone stared at them.
The ensign who looked like a young child shook hands with the bigger man.
"You're welcome sergeant; I was only doing my job."
Logan felt relief flow through him. Thank God that at least a few colonials were grateful.
Then he wondered if many of the colonials knew what Q Junior was.
Something told him that the Admiral and the President would not be so free with that piece of information.
Logan let his gaze sweep over the rest of the medical bay.
It was cramped and clearly some of the equipment needed to be changed or discarded but he could tell they had very few supplies and they had to manage with what they had.
Yeah. Just like the Lao field hospital; they hardly had enough for the wounded; no wonder so many of them died.
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Beside him Sharon watched his expression; a part of her wondered what he was thinking when he looked around the medical bay.
She had been wholly aware of how understaffed and poorly equipped the medical bay was before she saw the medical bay on the Xavier.
Sharon was sure Dr Cottle would have a heart attack if he saw what the medical bay of the Xavier looked like.
"This is the only medical bay on the ship?" she heard Logan ask the Admiral.
"Yes it is," answered Admiral Adama in his gravelly voice "it's not enough."
Logan nodded grimly.
The Admiral looked at him for a few moments. "We could go to the CIC while Ensign Q Junior helps Dr Cottle."
Logan stared at him. " The CIC ?"
Adama hid a sigh; he had forgotten that Logan was not a member of the colonial forces.
"The combat information centre."
A look of understanding appeared on Logan's face. "The bridge as we call it on the Xavier."
Adama nodded at the simplicity and hidden meaning in that word. "I can see the similarity."
"I would appreciate seeing the CIC," but Adama could detect hesitation in Logan's tone. Then he saw him look towards where Q junior was scanning the left knee of a nervous looking colonial civilian.
It was clear that he was worried about the hologram's safety.
Admiral Adama had seen how the 'ensign' went through the airlock doors and tackled marines who were much bigger than him. He was more concerned about the safety of everyone else around the 'ensign'.
"I will assist him, Captain Logan."
Both men turned to face Sharon Agathon.
Logan looked at her for a long time. "That would be...helpful."
Sharon knew he was placing a lot of trust in her...which was scary. From the reports she read and from what Anders told her; it was obvious that the hologram was a very important member of the Xavier crew.
There were a lot of theories as to why that was so; but she doubted the captain or Dr Grey were going to tell them why Ensign Q was so important.
"Let me speak to him first," said Logan before approaching the ensign.
Q Junior had a questioning look on his face when his captain and Sharon got nearer.
"The admiral has invited me to see the combat information centre...a.k.a the bridge of Galactica."
Q Junior looked at him with some anxiety. "You'll be okay , captain?"
Logan could not help but smile at the fact that Q Junior was worried about the his safety.
"Sure; Lieutenant Agathon will be assisting you while you're here in the medical bay."
Now Q Junior frowned a little as he looked at the female cylon. "I don't n..."
"She'll introduce you to the patients; that may be useful."
Q Junior stared at him for several moments. "Yes captain."
Logan nodded at Sharon and went back to the Admiral.
"Fine; let's see the CIC Admiral."
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Private meeting room...
Once Roslin and Zarek left the large group they headed for one of the private rooms close to the CIC. Both remained silent until they reached the room.
Roslin ordered a stunned Tory Foster and the marine escort to wait outside then she and Zarek entered the room.
The door had barely closed before Zarek started.
"You're sending a fraking cylon to spy on the Xavier? Are you insane?!"
She gave him an icy glare. "
"We wanted more than one colonial officer on that ship. Adama was this close to preventing Rogers from taking that post when he collapsed.
It was only when Dr Grey intervened and suggested having a second colonial officer...specifically Lieutenant Agathon; that we got two colonials on that ship!
Would you prefer if Captain Logan refused us completely ?
Do recall that having his daughter and ensign shoved into an airlock has not endeared us to them at all!"
Zarek snorted. "You will always blame me for that...I never gave the order..."
"But you sure contributed to the frakking situation!" hissed Roslin. Zarek's obstinate manner was fraying her nerves.
"We are in a very delicate phase of negotiations and the first impressions we made on them have not been favourable!"
"I am very aware of that," said Zarek through gritted teeth "that does not mean that we should welcome them with open arms."
"So your alternative is extreme hostility?!," shot back Roslin. She stopped and took a deep breath. What she really wanted to do was yell at him.
But she did not have the energy to do so.
She sat down; then motioned for him to do the same.
Zarek stared at her for several moments before claiming a seat.
"I know we do not agree on everything...but you must see that we need Captain Logan and his crew."
The vice president frowned. " We just need the co-ordinates..."
"We need more than that," said Roslin in a quiet voice.
Zarek's eyes narrowed. "You want them to heal you."
Roslin said nothing but the redness that came into her face was the answer he needed.
"I...I don't trust the hologram that much, Zarek."
"So you trust him a little?" asked the vice president in an surprised tone "look; I admit the way it...healed the ensign's forearm was very impressive.
But you must ask yourself...what else is it really capable of ? It retrieved the captain; his daughter and the doctor. From where? And for what?!
It clearly has military and medical training; why would Starfleet give it so much autonomy?"
Roslin raised a placating hand. "Those are questions we may never have answered...but having the two colonials on the Xavier might help us find out a bit more about them."
Zarek's lip formed a thin line of disapproval. "Rogers may be...alright but Agathon is not a good choice. Believe me when I say this will come back to haunt us."
The president sighed wearily and Zarek could see the lines of fatigue around her eyes.
"Zarek...we don't really have a choice; do we?"
Her vice president was silent for a long time.
"You're right...we don't."
Roslin nodded. "Then let us figure out what we need Rogers and Agathon to look into...and how they will report back to us.
Please get Tory in here."
Zarek nodded; both knew a temporary truce had been declared.
There was a lot at stake and a mountain of work to overcome in too short a time; they might as well get started.
He stood up and went to the door to get the PA.
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The colonial fleet's current position...
Lieutenant Margaret 'Racetrack' Edmondson glanced at the ship she flew beside.
The Gemenon Traveller; it had been quickly changed into a transport vessel for tylium; the precious fuel that was needed for all colonial ships.
And at that moment; it was carrying a lot of that fuel.
Which was why it had 6 vipers and 4 raptors accompanying it.
At first; Racetrack had demanded for more until the CAG called her and told her in firm tones that they could not spare anymore.
Well; at least thank the Gods; nothing happened on the planet where they got the fuel from.
"Racetrack," she turned to look at Skulls.
"We're approaching the Xavier."
Racetrack noticed the almost revered way in which he called the ship.
She didn't blame him; it wasn't every day that one came in contact with members of the Thirteenth Tribe. She had only seen them briefly in the flight bay when a good number of the officers crapped in their pants when they own weapons were turned against them.
She even understood why the captain and Dr Grey had been so mad.
If that child had been her daughter...she would have nuked the Galactica straight up. No questions asked.
She had heard rumours; they had cylons of their own...she prayed that was just a rumour.
Even when she spoke to Hotdog and Starbuck; they said nothing.
Someone up high had ordered them to keep their mouths shut.
It had taken her a long time before she had accepted Sharon...then again the crazy cylon pilot had saved their hides more times than she could count.
So...in her mind; Racetrack could easily forget she was a cylon.
"I'll speak to Dr Grey."
Skulls' relief was so obvious that Racetrack struggled not to laugh.
She took a deep breath and started transmitting.
"This is Lieutenant Margaret Edmondson; we are returning to the Galactica with the Gemenon Traveller."
A few seconds passed before there was a reply.
"Good day Lieutenant; Dr Grey here...I hope your mission was successful." The female voice was calm and soothing.
Racetrack saw Skulls' relax and shook her head. The guy was already half way in love with her.
"Yes it was ma'am."
"Please; it's Dr Grey; not ma'am," said the doctor with a sigh.
"Yes ma...I mean Dr Grey," corrected Racetrack quickly. Beside her Skulls was covering his mouth in attempt to hide his soft laugther.
She glared at him for good measure.
"Well Lieutenant," continued Dr Grey "have a safe trip..." her voice trailed off; that stopped Skull's laughter and the change in her voice made the two pilots realize something was wrong.
"Lieutenant; get your group back to the fleet at once; Xavier's just warned me that some ships are coming...possibly cylon."
Racetrack's heart raced at the urgency in the woman's voice.
"There's nothing on the DRADIS," said Skulls as he scanned the screen; then before he could say another word; twenty dots appeared on the screen.
Cylon signatures.
And they were between them and the rest of the fleet.
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The Galactica, the CIC...
Logan listened carefully as the Admiral explained what the CIC was for; he noticed the blank expression the CAG's face as he watched them.
Commander Lee Adama was clearly not pleased to see him; the colonial pilot had left them earlier when their small group went to the medical bay.
Apparently the CIC had been the CAG's destination.
"Your CIC seems rather well run."
"Do you have a similar number of staff?" asked the CAG.
Fishing for info are we? Thought Logan.
"Of course not; my ship is a lot smaller than the Galactica...so we don't need as many crew," said Logan with a straight face.
Lee turned a bit red when he realized he had asked a stupid question.
Even a few nearby colonial officers seemed to look like they were trying to control their expressions.
Logan turned to the Admiral to ask a question but a brief expression of stunned surprise passed over the colonial's face.
The mutant was quick to realize that Adama was looking at someone over his shoulder.
He caught a whiff of alcohol before he heard a familiar voice.
"Admiral Adama; the Gemenon Traveller is returning to the fleet."
Logan turned round to see a man who was identical to Paul Tighris; except that he had a right eye patch.
The man's face was slightly flushed due to the effect of alcohol; but he stood ramrod straight with a blank expression but Logan could also smell the tightly suppressed fear.
"Captain Logan, this is ...Colonel Saul Tigh; the executive officer of the Galactica," said Adama in a calm but resigned tone.
The silence was only broken by the noise of the computers; everyone waited for Logan's reaction.
He stared at the man before him; so many thoughts crossed his mind.
Laura and Q Junior being shoved into an airlock; the old holographic recording and how different the two men appeared.
Paul Tighris had lost his world; but his wife had still been alive. In that recording he appeared bowed but not broken and it was obvious his wife was his whole life.
But Saul Tigh; the man standing before him was possibly trying to drink himself to death because he felt he had nothing more to live for. His wife; Ellen Tigh was dead, possibly killed by the cylons.
That did not make Logan feel sympathetic. Displacing one's aggression on two kids was inexcusable.
However for some strange reason; Logan did not want to split him in half.
Maybe because such a death would be too quick; the alcohol would certainly kill him slowly and painfully.
Quite appropriate if anyone asked him.
"I see," was all Logan said calmly as a faint sheen of sweat began to form on the XO's brow. The captain of the Xavier turned away from the XO to face the Admiral.
Adama released a slight sigh of relief.
"Captain Logan," called Saul Tigh in a calm tone.
The CAG closed his eyes in despair; the one-eyed idiot was a dead man.
Logan froze; then turned back slowly to face the XO. He did not look pleased.
Saul Tigh swallowed nervously and spoke in as calm a voice as possible.
"I gave the order for your daughter and the ensign to be put into an airlock..."
"Saul; this is not..." started the Admiral in alarm.
The XO spoke over his superior's voice. " I regret the decision I made; the Admiral and the president was not aware of what I was about to do.
I apologize for the harm caused to your crew...I was only trying to protect the fleet."
The light in Logan's eyes could only be described as feral; however his voice was deceptively soft but those watching could feel the anger beneath it.
"It is fortunate that they are both alive...otherwise we would not be having this conversation."
Saul Tigh paled at the implied threat; but Logan was not done.
"Your admiral; and one of your crew have already apologized on your behalf."
Rogers felt his face heat up as people looked at him.
"Yours took a while...but nevertheless it has been offered. I...accept...but will not forget," said Logan in a cold hard tone. He ignored the look of disapproval on the Admiral's face.
Logan was no diplomat and could care less if he hurt anyone's feeling. They should try switching places with him and let's see how they dealt with the situation.
Saul Tigh still looked very pale but he answered in an even tone. "I understand Captain."
"Glad to hear it," said Logan curtly before turning back to the Admiral who was watching them with narrowed eyes.
Around them; there seemed to be a collective sigh of relief; even the CAG looked quite faint.
The Admiral opened his mouth to speak.
"Sir," called Dualla in a troubled voice " DRADIS contact...cylon signatures!"
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Hi everyone! So sorry about the wait; this past week has been very stressful. Sorry about the ending; however I'm already working on the next chapter and will put it up long before xmas! Everyone please read and enjoy.
Happy Holidays!
