Hi everyone; sorry this is late and a bit short, hope you like the chapter.
I do not own Star Trek or Battlestar Galactica or the Xmen. Please read and enjoy!
CHAPTER 41 of The Phoenix and the Wolverine
Romulus, the Emperor's palace…
D'Terr Tal Aura, ruler of the Romulan Empire ignored the silent salutations of the palace guard as he made his way to his spacious chambers.
He had a lot on his mind and was in a very bad mood, the cause of which was the recently concluded council meeting with Praetor Neva D'Lan, a few highly placed government officials and one very secretive senior Tal Shiar who had remained mostly silent for the entire meeting.
As expected once the meeting got underway, the topic which dominated it was the mystery of the disappearing wormhole on the Romulan-Neutral border. The Dominion war wasn't so long ago so it was only natural that there was a lot of concern surrounding the now absent wormhole.
Concern that only grew when it appeared that the wormhole kept coming back and disappearing. None of their scientists knew what to make of it and from the reports, it had seemed like the Federation was in a similar situation.
But that view changed when Major Nveid Solius sent a detailed message stating that Rear Admiral Janeway had accompanied the USS Prometheus to the border before the starship left with the USS Dunkirk and the IKS Y'tem for an unknown destination.
Of course; Starfleet had been kind enough to inform the Romulans that they had left in order to locate the origin of the wormhole but they neglected to give the co-ordinates to the Romulan ships at the border!
D'Terr was certain that the Federation knew a lot more than they were letting on, he could still remember when his cousin stated that Janeway had claimed the 'mysterious' Q Continuum were a part of the wormhole mystery.
But D'Terr refused to believe the 'Q continuum' actually existed, as far as he was concerned it was just an elaborate , ridiculous lie made up by the Starfleet to hide what the Federation was truly up to. He didn't think the Federation created the wormhole, far from it but they knew something about it.
The problem now was trying to find out what that was.
Certain officials at the meeting had actually criticized the absent Major Solius for not insisting that a romulan ship or two accompany the USS Prometheus and it's tiny abysmal fleet to the unknown co-ordinates. Even the Praetor had stated that maybe the Federation actually knew who created the wormhole and were probably trying to get that information for themselves.
But the mostly silent Tal Shiar who had been present had responded with a very logical explanation of how the wormhole had emerged at the very moment when Janeway left thus leaving Solius barely any time to press on the matter of a Romulan ship accompanying the Prometheus.
The answer had not satisfied Praetor Neva who continued to state how the matter would have been handled if she had been in charge.
D'Terr had abruptly ended the meeting when his patience began to wear thin, they were to convene in a few days' time but the emperor doubted they would have made any headway before then.
The emperor's mind returned briefly to the present as he passed the huge ornate, delicate lavender crystal fountain that was in the centre of the covered circular courtyard close to his private chambers. It had been carved from Blaetiron crystal which was from a very distant extremely uninhabitable Class O ice planet which had been abandoned when it took too long to terraform.
The fountain's unique beauty failed to ease his mind today.
The two guards stationed outside his bed chamber bowed their heads respectively as he put his hand against the gold palm print depression, the security systems powered down as the imprint recognized his DNA and D'Terr strolled into his rooms. Other alarms systems stayed dormant as they registered that only the Emperor had entered the area.
If anyone else apart from him approached his private quarters unauthorized; the guards would respond immediately and terminate the intruder. The Emperor's security was rumoured to be even better than that of the Head of the Tal Shiar.
D'Terr took his heavy ornamental dress cloak off as several thoughts ran through his mind. Despite the stupidity of his council officials, they had a valid point in that Solius should have sent a romulan ship with Janeway. It would have been the perfect opportunity to do some essential recon work and find out more about Starfleet technology. There were worrying rumours that since the Dominion War, the military arm of the Federation had been secretly making more powerful weapons and ships.
As if they were expecting another war very soon.
But with who? D'Terr wondered if Romulus was a target for the Federation in the near future. He had seen reports of what the 'mutants' had been capable of during the Dominion War, imagine their destructive capability if Starfleet finally decided to use them as living weapons of mass annihilation.
With that thought on his mind, D'Terr finally reached a decision. He was going to order three romulan ships to go after the Prometheus, the Dunkirk and the IKS Y'tem.
Their main mission however was to find out what or who was creating the wormhole and if possible; get the knowledge or the creators before Starfleet did.
"What a stupid idea."
D'Terr froze for a moment before turning round to face a female romulan who had somehow managed to enter his highly guarded chambers without the alarms going off. The young looking slim female with jaw length midnight hair was dressed in a close fitting red and black leather outfit which appeared to be a combination of the Tal Shiar uniform and that of the Romulan combat shock troops.
D'Terr's mind screamed 'assassin' a nano-second before he started yelling for the guards. Part of his mind also registered that his elaborate security system had failed to go off when this intruder entered his chambers.
The young female Romulan grinned lazily at him as he continued to shout for his elite guard who should have entered his chambers by now.
"Don't bother, they can't actually hear you…and that's because they are frozen in time and space," she began to approach him slowly like a stalking feline creature.
D'Terr froze for a second before running to the doors which to his immense relief slid open as he reached them. He turned in a panic to the guards at the entrance and to his surprise they were still standing in their posts as they stared off into the distance.
"Did you not hear me?!" he reached out for the nearest one and his surprise turned to numbing shock when his hand touched the shoulder of the male guard on his right.
For it felt like he was trying to move a ton of lead.
D'Terr was no lightweight and did his own fair share of physical sparring in order to remain fit. For to look weak in the Romulan Empire was to invite assassination; especially if you were the leader of his people.
He tried touching the guard's shoulder again and almost jumped a feet into the air when he heard a now familiar feminine voice.
"Astonishing isn't it?" he whipped round to see the mysterious female romulan in the disturbing red and black leather outfit was now somehow beside the guard on his left. D'Terr hadn't even heard her approach.
She was staring into the guard's immobile face.
"I'm sure that by now, your feeble mortal mind is still trying to catch up with what has happened in your so called secure sanctuary," her voice was dry and mocking.
D'Terr turned his back on the frozen guard as he tried to secretly remove the disruptor that was still in the sentry's holster.
"Who are you? Are you here to kill me?"
The intruder turned her head to look at him with one eyebrow raised. "You still haven't figured out who I am?"
In reply, D'Terr finally pulled the disruptor out and pointed it at her. "It doesn't matter; for you die today," he pressed on the trigger as he spoke.
Words failed him as the weapon inexplicably refused to fire. The intruder in front of him laughed softly.
"Let me properly introduce myself," she snapped her fingers, disappeared in a flash and appeared right beside him.
"You may address me as Lady Q, I am as my name implies a member of the Q Continuum…now does that ring a bell?"
Though she smiled; the light in her eyes was extremely cold.
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The Q Continuum…no…they…it didn't exist; they were an elaborate lie made up by the Federation, thought D'Terr as he struggled not to collapse from disbelief. He began to move backwards away from the mysterious person in-front of him, he almost fell as he tried to keep his eyes on her.
Lady Q gave him a pitying look. "So sorry to shatter such 'well founded' assumptions," her voice sounded anything but sympathetic "but the existence of my people is the least of your concerns, what you should be more worried about is the ridiculous idea you had a few moments ago."
This…this is a dream, I must be having a nightmare. Thought D'Terr as he tried and failed to ignore the person who was before him.
Lady Q began to look irritated; she quickly walked up to him and tapped him three times smartly on his left cheek. D'Terr knew he should be incensed that anyone would dare touch him but he had realized by now that the 'person' before him was not mortal.
"Wake up and smell the adath you stupid mortal!" without looking , she flung out her hand towards the lavender crystal fountain and it shattered spectacularly and turned into a dark, swirling mass.
"Why don't we take a short trip ?" before D'Terr could say a word, she grabbed his right arm and easily flung him into the ominous aberration. It was when he was engulfed by it that the Emperor of the Romulan Empire remembered to scream.
(*adath means romulan coffee=I just made up the word!*)
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A million thoughts passed through D'Terr's mind as he fell through a dark nightmarish tunnel. The most prominent one was that this was the day he would lose both his mind and his life.
The fall seemed to last forever; then without warning he came to an abrupt stop on a dark floor with reddish hues. He braced his landing with both hands and knees and was still in that position when the female Q flashed into existence beside him.
Unlike him; she was on her feet. Lady Q gave him a disdaining look before turning her back on him and walking towards a crystal arm chair in the middle of the strange chamber.
D'Terr stood up shakingly; sure that at any moment his knees would fail him and send him crashing to the floor. He had never been so scared in his whole life. He quickly looked around and saw only the reddish dark walls and the crystal throne-like chair. Apart from the mysterious Lady Q; there was nobody else in the room.
"I'll make this short and simple," said the female Q as she sat down on her throne. She gestured at a corner of the chamber and that simple act made D'Terr shudder for he knew not what future psychological torment this strange sentient being had in store for him.
Lady Q ignored him as the corner she was pointing to disappeared and showed twelve romulan birds of prey facing three Federation ships.
"You know where that is?" asked Lady Q impatiently.
D'Terr looked at her perfect feminine Romulan features and somehow found the strength to answer.
"T...the Romulan-Neutral border…"
"Good," cut in Lady Q sharply " for one moment, I was afraid our little short trip may have scrambled what few brain cells you actually possessed.
Now in case you have forgotten; just before I popped into your domain, you were actually thinking of sending three romulan ships after Janeway and her friends."
That caught D'Terr's attention, this…entity knew Janeway? How ?
Lady Q gave him a cold look as if she could read his mind. "Yes, yes, I know her," she waved her right hand dismissingly "just like I know a hundred trillion other sentient beings who have existed and will exist in times to come. She, you and they are all the same; barely intelligent insignificant mortals destined to die after so brief a violent lifetime. Now that I've answered that question, may we please return to the pressing issue at hand?" Her voice could have cut through glass and had D'Terr trying and failing not to give in to the numbing fear that had him frozen in place.
Was she a goddess from the ancient Romulus pantheon ? He found himself trying to recall the banned ancient texts as he mentally struggled to give an appropriate answer.
He nodded. "How may I…what do you want…?" He was finding it hard to form the words.
"You are not sending those ships after Janeway and her allies," simply ordered Lady Q.
D'Terr stared at her. "Why?" he almost clamped a hand over his mouth as if shocked at his insanity.
Lady Q titled her head to one side and raised an eyebrow as she smiled slowly and D'Terr suddenly found himself comparing the entity before him with his departed grandmother Empress Al'taira. She had made her enemies and allies quake in their boots when she smiled like that because it always meant someone was going to die, slowly and painfully.
"You ask why?" said Lady Q as she slowly got up from her chair and walked towards D'Terr who was trying very hard not to shake at her calm but menacing tone.
"The answer is of course very simple. If you send any ships after Janeway in order to investigate the origin of the wormhole…there will be devastation on a scale that you cannot possibly imagine."
Lady Q stopped in-front of him. "It will start with the destruction of your Royal House, followed by the entire annihilation of the Romulan Empire." Her last words were delivered with a hiss which had D'Terr backing away.
"And all you have to do to prevent such widespread devastation, is not to send those ships and to ensure the Tal Shiar don't either," she paused " do you doubt my ability to follow through with my threats?"
D'Terr blinked. "You…you would destroy Romulus?"
Lady Q's soft laugh had a mocking edge to it. "I have seen countless tiny insignificant empires like yours rise and fall; what difference does one more annihilated kingdom make apart from being a forgotten footnote in the annals of history?"
D'Terr looked into her eyes and quickly turned away; there was unspeakable knowledge there and the strong feeling that this Lady Q was truly immortal and extremely powerful. For the first time in his adult life; D'Terr lost control of his bladder and wet himself.
After what seemed like an eternity Lady Q turned away.
"It's time for you to return to your sanctuary and please, don't forget what we've discussed, because the consequences will be everlasting."
She snapped her fingers before he could say a word and he vanished in a flash of light.
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Lady Q sighed and snapped her fingers again before changing into her human form dressed in the more comfortable red and black uniform of a Starfleet Admiral. She saw the small offensive puddle a few feet away, Lady Q frowned in disgust as she snapped her fingers and the small wet patch of urine disappeared.
Slow clapping had her turning to face two male Qs, her husband and General Q. The person clapping was her husband.
"Nicely done," said Q as he continued clapping "a bit brutal but executed perfectly…"
"Was that entirely necessary?" interrupted an obviously disapproving General Q.
Q rolled his eyes. "Trust you to find something wrong with that!"
Lady Q looked at the older male Q. "You ask if it was necessary? Absolutely, I find the fastest way to get a message through the thick cranium of the paranoid, back-stabbing, war-mongering secretive Romulans is to scare the living daylights out of them, especially when it comes to their rulers.
Right now, the last thing we need is to have some Romulans adding fire to the already explosive mix. If we let them increase the number of ships going towards the Xavier and the colonials; the entity behind the wormhole will do something worse.
My instincts have never been wrong and you'll do well to remember that."
General Q looked as if he was about to retort then sighed. "You're right…but would you really have followed up on your threat to destroy the Romulan Empire ? I hope you remember that we have rules not to directly intervene of affect the mortal realms."
The younger male Q gave him an exasperated look. "You still don't get it , do you? We're battling with something that is clearly not following the rules, what chance do you think our son will have against this entity if it decides to target him?"
Lady Q followed up on her husband's question. "We let more ships join Janeway's tiny fleet and that might get it's attention, in Q Junior's current state he won't stand a chance against it."
General Q's expression changed to one of alarm. It had taken three full grown Q's to stop the entity behind the wormhole, a greatly depowered child Q would be no match for this mysterious entity. To put it simply; whatever this thing or person was could kill Q Junior.
However , there was still one question pressing on his mind.
"But would you actually destroy the Romulan Empire if D'Terr ignores your orders?"
Lady Q steadily looked at him for a long time. "You have no idea what a parent would do to protect their child."
General Q quickly looked at Lady Q's husband and the same resolute look was in his eyes. These two Q were ready to destroy an entire species to protect their offspring.
He swallowed hard. "You're right, I have no idea."
They really had to find that entity fast before things really got out of hand.
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D'Terr's eyes were squeezed shut when he reappeared in front of his private quarters.
Thus he was spared the sight of two of his guards who almost shot him before realizing who it was. The two shell-shocked romulans shared a terrified glance before rapidly lowering their disruptors.
"Your highness!"
On hearing a voice, D'Terr cautiously opened his eyes to see two very pale guards staring at him…and also at something behind him.
He turned slowly, and what he saw made his heart skip a beat.
The delicate immense crystal fountain had been utterly destroyed and was now in a pile of broken fine crystal pieces.
So…it hadn't been a dream after all.
As if from a distance he heard the alarm being raised, more guards rushed in with drawn weapons but since there was no obvious intruder; all they could do was stare stupidly at each other and around the place.
D'Terr ignored their anxious expressions; the guards were probably worried about being executed for apparently not doing their jobs properly.
One of the guards who was clearly braver than the rest approached the Emperor cautiously.
"Sire…do you require assistance?"
A long moment of silence followed before D'Terr answered, still not taking his eyes off the pile of shattered irreplaceable blaetiron crystal.
"No, I don't require assistance. However, I want every piece of crystal collected and put under guard."
The romulan soldier struggled not to gape at the Emperor's strange order. "Yes, sire. It shall be done at once." He bowed his head quickly to hide his stunned expression.
D'Terr barely noticed as he turned away and walked back into his room. Once the doors slid closed; he felt his knees go weak, his breathing quicken, a tightness in the centre of his chest and his vision blur.
Fortunately for him there was a chair nearby, he collapsed into it as he tried to arrange his thoughts and bring his delayed panic attack under control.
Though he wished with all his might that he ignore what had just happened, he knew in his heart and mind that he could not deny the existence of the Q Continuum.
More importantly he had to take Lady Q's threat very seriously.
The Q were very real and also quite powerful from what he had just seen…and the Romulan empire hardly had any information on this immortal race.
D'Terr looked at his trembling hands as he recalled how he had laughed when he received reliable intel stating Starfleet Academy taught a course based on the 'Q Continuum.'
Well, he wasn't laughing now and he really needed to change his soiled clothes.
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USS Dunkirk, Ten-Forward, 2130hrs shiptime…
Lieutenant Benedict .C. Harrison walked in and as expected due to the lateness of the hour, there were very few people in the mess hall. After looking round quickly he saw the person he was supposed to meet.
Repressing a sigh of irritation he made his way towards his target.
Who happened to be Lieutenant Commander Telev Shran. The andorian was seated facing the door and must have seen him but at the moment, the senior Starfleet officer was casually sipping a yellow drink.
As Harrison walked , he took note of who was present in the mess hall; only 5 people apart from Shran, one of them being Lieutenant Commander Shila Atavi. She appeared to be concentrating on her epadd in-front of her as well as making notes. She didn't even indicate that she noticed the Intelligence officer.
Harrison found himself slightly bothered by her lack of interest; which was odd because one of the reasons the Intelligence officer never had a meal in the mess hall was because of the variable number of people coming and going.
At another time and place it would have been the perfect place to take note of everyone on board the ship but for this mission he had a lot of sensitive work to do and the mess hall wasn't the place to obtain intelligence updates from fellow agents.
Shran eventually looked up as Harrison approached the table. The andorian had a polite smile on his face.
"Mr Harrison, so glad you could join me, please have a seat." He indicated a nearby chair. "If you wish; you could order a meal or a drink before we get started."
The Intelligence officer stared warily at Shran as he sat down slowly; with his back towards one of the view ports so that he could keep an eye on the entrance to the mess hall.
"Why did you want to see me?" asked Benedict abruptly. He had no intention of eating at the moment; he had too much to do.
The tactical officer serenely sipped his drink before answering.
"To discuss a few things concerning this joint mission we're on and lay down a few rules." Shran's voice was calm but something about it made Harrison feel on edge.
"Rules?" repeated the intelligence officer with a suspicious look on his face.
"Oh yes, I recognize how valuable obtaining reliable intel is for your department, however I would much prefer if you left detailed debriefing of the crew of the Xavier to my division." Shran's friendly voice was at odds with the hard light in his eyes.
Benedict leaned back in his seat; he stared at the andorian for a long moment. In the end he was the first person to break eye contact.
"Ensign Kadretti reported that my debriefing was harsh?"
Shran smiled thinly. "On the contrary, I reached my own deductions by watching the file you gave me. I'm yet to discuss the matter with Ensign Kadretti."
Benedict narrowed his eyes. "You find my methods wrong?"
Shran raised an eyebrow and the antennae above it at the same time.
"Why don't we add unprofessional to the list? Considering the circumstances that resulted in the existence of the Xavier and it's crew, don't you consider it a wonder that they have been able to accomplish so much while trying to travel through hazardous territory?
I agree that the crew of the Xavier aren't the most experienced when it comes to exploring the galaxy or in initiating first contact with an unknown civilization however they have done such a fine job with the little resources and support they have.
Trying to make junior officers feel small for certain mistakes is hardly necessary and so very unhelpful."
Harrison tried to control his anger at Shran's light mocking tone.
"I was merely pointing out Ensign Kadretti's inadequate offensive manoeuvres which could have resulted in the capture or destruction of the Xavier if the battle had taken a different course. As an experienced senior Starfleet officer; it is my duty to point out and correct such costly mistakes."
Shran narrowed his eyes as he looked at the intelligence officer, gone was the polite smile.
"You're only concerned about getting the ship and…it's builder, Q Junior."
Harrison opened his mouth to speak but Shran kept talking.
"It's clearly obvious that you don't care about the wellbeing of the rest of Xavier's crew and neither do you even attempt to share what you already know about the past history of Captain Logan, Dr Grey and Cadet Kinney."
Harrison stiffened at his words. "I thought we were just here to talk about my…unprofessional methods of debriefing."
Shran tilted his head to one side. "Since we've already established the fact that you believe that you are above correction; it was only logical that I moved on the second reason I called you here."
Harrison looked around cautiously; no one else was paying them attention.
"This is hardly the place where one would discuss such sensitive matters, besides you don't have a high enough clearance to have access to the data in my possession."
Shran clapped softly, the mocking smile was back. "It's a wonder that I never get tired of hearing the same ancient classified speech that was branded into your psyche at Starfleet Intelligence," then he leaned forward , the smile being replaced by a very cold expression.
"We both have our duties; however if the safe return of everyone on the Xavier is compromised by you with-holding your so-called classified data…I will make you pay. Is that clear?"
Harrison stared at him, a bit taken aback by the clear threat. "You're serious?"
Shran smiled coldly and showed his teeth which made him look like a predator.
"Extremely," he leaned back in his chair. "Good night Lieutenant Harrison," he went back to sipping his drink and turned slightly away as if dismissing the starfleet officer.
Harrison kept looking at him for a long moment, then stood up and abruptly left the mess hall.
Several moments passed before Shila joined the tactical officer at his table.
"That went well," dryly commented the female orion.
"It actually went better than I expected,"said Shran wearily.
Shila snorted. "It didn't sound like that to me."
"So you heard everything?" asked Shran.
The science officer glared at him. "That would have been hard not to especially when I re-modelled the combage you're wearing."
Shran held up his hands in mock surrender. "Peace; it was a just a question. So what do you think about our Mr Harrison ?"
"Right from day one, he hasn't been a team player and I doubt he will suddenly become one on your say so. In fact, we may have just made an enemy of him."
Shran nodded as if satisfied by the outcome. "I like things clear cut, if he becomes an enemy than I will adjust my counter offensive appropriately."
Shila looked concerned as she leaned forward, her voice barely above a whisper. "Harrison is Starfleet, we are Starfleet, we're supposed to be united not…not behaving like Romulans!"
Shran raised a calming hand. "I know Atavi; but you and I have been in the service long enough to realise that matters are not that simple. Try not to worry, I will inform the captain of what has occurred so far."
The female orion sighed, slightly mollified by his words. "I'm just worried about Oma; I wish we could get to where we're going a lot faster."
Telev Shran was a long time answering. "Be careful what you wish for Shila; because we might just get it without any time to prepare for what is at the end of this mission."
Shila took one look at the serious expression on the andorian's face and remained silent.
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The Galactica, main flight deck…
Commander Lee Adama kept watching until the shuttle bearing Dr Grey, her team and two colonial officers left the flight deck.
It had been a long stressful day and he wished he could just climb into his bunk with Dualla, wrap his arms round her and fall asleep. But he knew he had many more miles before that was even remotely possible.
"You alright Commander?"
Lee turned slightly to face Senior Chief Petty Officer Tyrol Galen, the specialist was holding an colonial epadd loosely in his right hand.
"Ask me that when we get to Earth," his words were soft but some nearby deck crew stared at him for a moment before remembering they were supposed to be working.
Tyrol rubbed his lower jaw and gestured at where the Delta Shuttle Alpha had been.
"That is one sweet ship that I would love to get my hands on."
"Hmmm, in your dreams friend," said Lee with a dry smile on his face which disappeared when he felt a piercing headache.
Tyrol regarded him with a concerned expression. "Lee, you okay? Seriously you look…" he glanced around to make sure no one was observing "exhausted."
Lee had the strong urge to laugh and resisted the temptation because he knew giving in would only worsen his tension in his skull. He rubbed at his forehead as he replied.
"I'm sure you and the rest of the fleet have seen the news that has been playing almost non-stop since the…disastrous first Quorum of the Thirteen colonies.
With the Quorum frakking things up; is it any surprise that I've got a frakking migraine ?!" A few crew working nearby gave him startled looks at his raised voice.
Tyrol moved closer and grabbed Lee by the right arm. "Let's take a walk. Now."
Lee sighed and nodded.
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"I meant what I said, you need to rest. If you collapse, then we'll really be in trouble."
Lee snorted as he walked. "Since when did you become a medic, Galen? Dr Cottle would kill us both if he finds out you've being hiding your medical skills while pretending to be an engineer."
Tyrol frowned at the CAG's weak joke.
"Besides; you're one to talk, if I recall your crews have been pulling more than triple shifts since we fled the Twelve colonies 2 years ago. Have you actually had any time to rest?" asked Lee.
The specialist grimaced. "You know that has been impossible but you're more important than me, the crew on this ship and a lot of the fleet look up to you and the Admiral. You can't afford to get ill."
Lee sighed wearily. "Look, I appreciate the concern but you know that there is too much to do before I can even think of taking a break."
There was silence for several moments as the two men walked, then Commander Adama glanced at Tyrol.
"You don't really have to escort me all the way back to the CIC, I'm pretty sure I know the way by heart."
Galen grinned slightly and lifted his epadd. "It so happens that I'm also going to see the Admiral, he wanted a status report on repairs."
Lee's countenance became serious. "How is that going by the way?"
The specialist was no longer smiling. "Matters are worse than I realized."
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Admiral Adama's office…
"Come in."
Lee and Tyrol entered the room and both men realized the Admiral was not alone. Lieutenant Anastasia Dualla-Adama was present as well as President Roslin who was seated on the lone couch in the room.
Lee couldn't help but stare at her in surprise, he had thought that she had returned to Colonial One by now; especially after the long and eventful day.
Tyrol politely greeted the female president and Roslin seemed a bit taken aback by the specialist's courteous manner. For a brief moment, Lee felt sorry for her; she must feel the entire fleet hates her after what had been televised live. Lee had seen the low approval ratings and knew that politically things were looking very bleak.
"Commander, sitrep," asked the Admiral briskly.
Lee forced himself to remember why he was here in the first place.
"The Xavier delegation departed without incident and would have reached their ship by now." The Admiral was already nodding, then he looked at Tyrol.
"How are things in your sector?"
Tyrol had a worried frown on his face. "We've got a lot of problems sir."
"What else is new?" asked Roslin softly.
The engineer sighed sadly. "There is some good news but the bad news is a lot more and quite significant." He didn't waste time in explaining.
"First of all; we're doing quite well when it comes to fuel supplies. That last planet Ensign Q found us was extremely rich in tylium, for the first time in eons, all the ships are well stocked with reserves also filled."
Lee and his dad shared a significant look. Fuel in space was precious and even more so when you were on the run from your enemies.
"Water reserves however will do for now; but we need to replenish our supplies in less than 2 weeks. Next on our never-ending list is repairs, the most pressing one is hull repairs for all of the ships in our fleet…"
"All 163 of them?" asked Roslin in a stunned voice.
Tyrol nodded in a resigned manner. "Once you have a ship in the harshness of cold space, there will be structural hull damage which ranges from micro-fractures to very obvious ones. That's why all ships have several layers of hulls of varying thickness to withstand space travel and FTL jumps. Ideally a ship the size of the Galactica should have hull evaluation every 3 to 4 months." He paused.
"Galactica's last evaluation was 4 months before she was to be decommissioned…and that was more than two years ago." No one had anything to say to that.
Tyrol continued. "There are sections of the Galactica that we have been forced to cordon off because of potential high risk of hull breach. We simply don't have the equipment or the personnel available to do the repairs."
The long silence that followed was broken by Roslin's tired voice.
"I presume you have some suggestions."
Tyrol looked at her and nodded without hesitation. "Q Junior."
Lee's eyes widened slightly as he stared at the chief specialist but Tyrol wasn't done yet.
"Please hear me out; I know…I mean we know what he is, however from the little I've seen, heard and read about he is the equivalent of a whiz kid when it comes to engineering. I was hoping I could speak to him about replicating parts for the Galactica.
I realize his ship is pretty small in size but …maybe if we could borrow one of their industrial replicators we could repair a lot of things."
Adama Junior was already shaking his head slowly. "Captain Logan would never let one of those replicators off the Xavier. He's adamant about sticking to Starfleet regulations when it comes to sharing advanced tech."
"Or we could ask him to replicate the parts on the Xavier," said Dualla quiety. Everyone looked at her. "I don't think he would refuse such a request if it's worded properly."
Admiral Adama nodded slowly. "That might work; but considering the recent events we might have to wait a bit before making such a request."
No one had to ask what he meant; the coverage of the disastrous first Quorum of Thirteen council meeting was still being replayed hourly on the fleet's news network.
"How bad are the other ships?" This question came from President Roslin.
Tyrol's face was grave as he answered. "I'm afraid they all need repairs, especially the Astral Queen. It's jump drive needs quite a lot of parts replaced as soon as possible."
Admiral Adama tried not to close his eyes in despair. The former prison ship was currently crewed by ex-convicts who played a huge part in searching for water and edible algae. The entire fleet depended heavily on the Astral Queen even though all knew of it's dark past.
They simply could not afford to lose the Astral Queen.
Roslin put her head down for a few moments then looked at each of the people in the room.
"We need to start preparing for the press conference tomorrow and then when that is done…we might be able to ask Captain Logan and his crew about helping with repairs. As you all that is; the alliance was in danger of being destroyed today…because of my pride and stupidity."
Her words were met with shocked silence. Roslin smiled sadly at their stunned expressions. "I know you all have a lot of work to do, so I will leave you to it."
She nodded at the Admiral who acknowledged her as she left the office.
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After the president left; Dualla, Lee and Tyrol continued the de-briefing. Once the reports were made, the Admiral dismissed two of them but asked his son to stay behind.
Lee waited until the door was shut before addressing the man before him.
"Father are you alright?"
Bill Adama stared at his son for several moments. "Right from when you were little; you always seemed to know when I was tired or unwell."
Lee was a bit taken aback by his father's words. When the debriefing started; he had noticed how exhausted the Admiral looked.
The past events of the past week were enough to age anyone several times over but the Admiral could not afford to appear worn out. Too much depended on him.
Great thought Lee acidly, now he was echoing Tyrol's words.
"Maybe you should get some rest…"
Admiral Adama laughed wearily before the words had left Lee's mouth. "That would be a good idea…it's just that there's no time."
The older man rubbed his face slowly as Lee sat down with a frown on his face.
"Dad, there's something else…isn't it? What's going on?"
Bill Adama stared at his son for a long moment.
"You know that old saying which goes…be careful what and where you sow, for it will come back to haunt you?"
Lee nodded silently.
"Well son, I'm afraid someone that I condemned to death has returned to haunt me."
Lee was suddenly concerned about his father's sanity. Was he now cracking under the pressure ?
Bill Adama sighed. "I'm not going insane Lee," he closed his eyes for a brief moment "I'm talking about Lieutenant Daniel Novacek."
The younger Adama was speechless for a moment. "What?"
Bill responded by getting up and removing a small bottle of rare caprican wine from his desk drawer.
"I think we both need to have drinks in our hands for what I'm about to tell you."
Lee stared at his father with growing alarm. The older Adama hardly took alcohol but for him to do so now meant whatever he was about to tell his son wasn't going to be pretty.
XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX
The Xavier; deck 3, shuttle bay 1…
Logan tried not to tap his foot impatiently as the shuttle slowly eased through the protective force field to touch down gently on the flight deck. He suspected Oma was the one at the controls.
Logan didn't know much about flying but even he could tell the female Starfleet ensign had a gift when it came to being an aviator. His thoughts were interrupted as the door behind him slid open. Even before he turned round; he knew who was behind him.
Kara and Sharon; it looked like Anders was stuck with baby-sitting duties at the moment. Logan certainly didn't envy him.
He nodded silently at the two female colonial officers, both still a bit nervous probably because of the disastrous meeting the Quorum of Idiotic politians. Logan was so glad he hadn't attended that meeting; he would have definitely broken something…or someone.
Helo and Rogers were the first ones out of the craft followed by Jean, Laura and Oma.
Logan moved towards the female medic with a welcoming smile on his face.
"Glad to see you're all in one piece."
Jean smiled back as he approached. "I'm just relieved to be back on the Xavier."
"Dr Grey," both of them turned to face Starbuck.
"I'm really sorry about how the Quorum treated you and the rest of the team, that was inexcusable behaviour."
Jean exhaled. "It's not your fault , so need to apologize. It's unfortunate that it occurred; we can only hope and pray that the situation continues to improve."
"Amen to that," muttered Oma.
"Where's Q?" asked Laura abruptly, she seemed a bit annoyed that he wasn't on the flight deck.
"He has the conn," answered Logan "and he and Xavier are also keeping an eye on our two guests."
Sharon and Kara shared a knowing look while Helo and Rogers appeared a bit concerned.
"Are they still in the holodeck?" asked Starbuck.
"What are they doing on the holodeck?" Helo now appeared more worried at the thought of Caprica being that close to such advanced Starfleet tech. Even Oma, Laura and Dr Grey had questions in their eyes as they stared at Captain Logan.
"Q and I thought it might be a good idea to keep them occupied by showing them a very extended history lesson about Earth's past…from 200 million years ago."
Laura made a sound as if she was trying not to laugh. "You mean dinosaurs and stuff? That is so cruel! They must be dead from boredom by now."
Logan scratched his head a little. "I'm afraid not; they seem to be quite interested in it by the way."
Helo looked like he was about to faint. "Captain; having Six that close to holodeck technology isn't what I would recommend." His tone was polite but everyone could see the concern on his face.
Logan stared at him for a few moments. "I recognise that she is a risk which is why she is being kept under surveillance continuously. If she tries anything, we'll know about it."
Helo's expression implied he disagreed however the colonial officer was smart enough not to argue with the captain of the Xavier.
"So; what's happening next?" asked Sharon.
"There's going to be a press conference tomorrow at 0800hrs ship time," they all turned to Dr Grey "it's going to the Admiral, President Roslin and I.
I was informed that there will be a public formal apology followed by Q and A from the colonial press," the female medic paused "there's a lot of work needed to be done on both sides in order to make sure it goes well tomorrow."
"Wait; Oma and I get to come right?" asked Laura with a puzzled expression on her face.
Jean looked at her for a long moment. "That depends."
The female teen blinked. "You're mad because of what I said?"
Logan and Jean shared the exasperated look of parents of a headstrong child.
"Emmm, I think we better leave," said Rogers as if he knew what was about to happen. Kara , Helo, Sharon and Oma took one look at his face and quickly made tracks.
After a silent telepathic request from Logan; the former x-man nodded at Jean and followed the others out. Laura watched them go before turning back to the female medic. She folded her arms and lifted her chin defiantly.
"So; I'm off the team ? Just like that?"
Jean was quite aware of the hidden hurt in Laura's words. The female teen was trying very hard not to let it show that being excluded had stunned her.
"Laura, let's take a walk and have a chat somewhere else…"
"We might as well have it here," interrupted Laura "what's the point of delaying telling me what a disappointment I am?"
Shock made Jean hesitate.
Careful. Whispered the Phoenix softly. She's more fragile than we realized.
Jean shook her head. "No, Laura. You're not a disappointment. Actually; you're quite the opposite. We both know you were prepared before you were born to be a weapon. That can warp anyone's mind but you somehow came through that horrible process intact in body and mind."
Laura laughed bitterly. "How sure are you by that? You barely know me."
"You're right, I only know what I have seen and heard. You could have ripped everyone in that conference room to pieces and so could I. But we didn't; we stayed in control and that makes me very proud of you," Jean took a deep breath "but there are other methods of restraint you need to learn.
Such as saying the right thing at the right time. The power of words is incalculable; words have been known to cause wars and conflict.
I admit; several of things you said today were right and very obvious but the way they were said could do with some work."
Laura was silent for so long that Jean was hoping that she was finally getting through to her. Then the female teen snorted.
"So, because I don't speak as smart as you. I'm off the team? This is stupid!"
Jean closed her eyes for a brief moment.
"You're not off the team…but maybe for tomorrow you may need to stay behind…"she never got to finish because Laura walked out on her without saying another word.
Jean stared at the closed doors for a long moment. She had felt such pain from Laura at her final words and she knew without reading the girl's mind that she had hurt her deeply.
"Dear God, what have I done?" muttered Jean in horror.
The Phoenix stayed silent.
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Ten-forward…
Oma walked quickly into Ten-Forward. She made her way to the food replicator as her tummy groaned.
By the stars she was hungry! It was after the hasty departure from the shuttle bay that she realized how ravenous she was. The colonials had gone in a different direction probably to discuss among themselves what had occurred on the Galactica. As she left them; she had noticed Rogers staring after her with an odd look in his eyes. Like part hunger and part…something else?
Oma wasn't sure but it made her both uneasy and a bit…happy?
The female Starfleet officer shook her head; her low glucose levels must be playing tricks with her head.
As she waited for her meal to be replicated; she wondered what was going on in the shuttle bay. She suspected Laura was getting the equivalent of a dressing down from Dr Grey; Oma felt guilty for leaving but even she realized that something needed to be said.
She just hoped Laura didn't take it too badly.
The soft bell sound from the replicator informed her that the turkey and lettuce and tomato sandwich was ready; she collected her plate and a glass of water and sat down. As she ate; she started typing her report on an epadd.
The first thing they taught in the academy was always get down your report from any assignment as soon as possible. There was only so much that the brain could remember and at times the most innocent thing one noticed could turn out to be the most important part of the puzzle.
35 minutes later, Oma had finished her report and was re-reading it for the third time when the main doors slid open. She looked up from her epadd and her now empty plate to see Rogers walk in.
The blonde male colonial ensign looked round quickly then stopped at her table, his cheeks seemed to glow red as he approached her.
Oma raised her eyebrows; she could swear he seemed nervous. The way he rubbed his hands together appeared to indicate that.
"Hi," said Oma when he stopped at her table.
"Eh…hi," he kept staring at her. Oma waited for him to speak.
"Did you want me ?"
Roger's face seemed to redden even more at the question. "Eh…yes. No! I mean no…em not that way! I mean…" his voice trailed off as if he had just said something horrible.
Oma frowned. "Rogers; are you okay?"
The colonial officer seemed to back away from her for a moment and half turned as if he was contemplating leaving.
A part of Oma's mind told her she should recognise the signs; that this behaviour was familiar. It took a few more nano-seconds before it hit her.
Rogers was shy, that she knew…but the shyness seemed to worsen whenever he was talking to her. Oma felt her heart rate increase; surely he wasn't trying to…court her?
"I'm…I'm sorry I bothered you…" said a clearly flustered Rogers, he took a step towards the main doors.
"Rogers wait!" called Oma. The male colonial officer froze then turned to face her with a half earnest half worried look in his eyes.
Oma was now standing. "Would…would you like to take a seat and…talk?"
Rogers looked at the expression on Oma's face and he knew without a doubt it was a mirror of the one of his face.
It appeared like she didn't mind his company. He suddenly felt the weight on his chest lift.
"Yes; yes…I would like that very much." His voice actually sounded a bit more confident.
Both of them sat down at the same time still looking at each other. There was silence for a long moment until Rogers cleared his throat.
"Em, so what would you like to talk about?"
Oma smiled at his answer and looked away briefly before turning back to him.
"Let's see; what do you like to do for fun?"
Roger's nervousness seemed to reduce a bit as he replied. "I like to fly."
Oma nodded approvingly. "Of course you would; you're a pilot. Now it's your turn for a question."
Rogers nodded in response. "What's your favourite colour?"
"Purple, what's yours?" asked Oma playfully.
Rogers kept staring at her as he answered in an almost dreamlike state. "Hazel…like your eyes."
Oma felt her face heat up and laughed a bit nervously. "Oh; that's intense."
Rogers appeared a bit alarmed at her response. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you."
Oma shook her head and held up a hand. "It's okay. You don't need to apologize; it's just that this is…different." The female Starfleet officer was trying to make sense of the odd flutter in her belly; it was light and somewhat pleasant but it was also driving her a bit insane.
Also looking into Roger's clear blue eyes was not helping her sanity either.
One question in her mind was that what would it be like to kiss him ?
She quickly put her hand down and started tapping the fingers on the table in a nervous pattern and she kept looking downwards at her hand while trying to get rid of certain thoughts.
Rogers seemed transfixed by her hand on the table and found himself slowly reaching out towards the slim brown skin fingers. He placed his pale hand beside Oma's; close by but not yet touching.
Oma's left hand stopped tapping the table and moved a bit closer to Rogers.
Almost hesitantly, Rogers brushed his hand against Oma's then in a few seconds both hands were entwined. Both ensigns of different galaxies and planets seemed transfixed by the way the smaller dark skinned hand was engulfed by the larger paler one.
Rogers held Oma's hand gently and almost with a reverence that made the female Starfleet ensign blush.
"Your hand is so perfect," said Rogers softly. Oma tried to swallow past a very dry throat. Was he trying to kill her with his voice?
Because he was close to succeeding.
"Just…just as perfect as you are." Oma looked up and suddenly realized that Roger's was much closer than before and he was looking into her eyes. He was still holding her right hand.
"May I…may I kiss your hand?"
Oma stared at him in shock. She wanted to yell at him to kiss her lips instead but only nodded numbly.
Rogers closed his eye as he planted a gentle kiss on her knuckles and thus missed the expression on Oma's face. She had felt as if someone put a live wire on her skin when he kissed her hand.
Roger eventually opened his eyes and looked at her with an almost shy expression.
"You're…" Oma's voice sounded a bit hoarse so she tried to clear her throat. "You're something else."
Rogers was about to respond when the doors slid open and in walked Caprica Six and Gaius Baltar.
XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXXXX
A few minutes earlier…
It was when Caprica started yawning that she realized she had been in the holodeck long enough. She had asked Xavier the time and was stunned to find out she and Baltar had been watching Earth's prehistoric events for 5 hours and 27 minutes.
She glanced at the former president of the 12 colonies and the man seemed more awake and very excited about their surroundings. This was in clear contrast to the beginning when she almost had to drag him into the holodeck to 'watch' and 'learn' about Earth's ancient history.
Six had to admit the holodeck experience was amazing and literally out of this world but it had not yet reached the part she was really curious about.
The evolution of Earth's people and the creation of the present day cylons who lived on the current Earth and it's territories. She wanted very much to see Q Junior's past so as to better understand how Earth worked.
But she knew she had to exercise patience; for that was how experienced operatives worked. Waiting for the opportune moment was their modus operandi and it had never failed her in the past.
However there was only so much 'dinosaur' history one could digest in one day; it was time to take a much earned break.
It took a while to get Baltar to leave the holodeck but the promise of a fresh meal and clean water in Ten-Forward convinced him.
They both talked of the wonders they saw in the holodeck and what such technology could mean; however Six's thought were never far away from what the crew of the Xavier were up to. She knew asking Xavier about that would be a waste of time as well as dangerous.
Once again she wished for the hundredth time that D'anna had been able to accompany her. Imagine the amount of intel they could have obtained together.
Those thoughts disappeared once she entered and saw Rogers and Oma sitting pretty close together.
The blonde male colonial ensign was holding Oma's right hand, both were staring at each other for a moment before they realized they weren't alone. Then they sprang apart though Rogers refused to let go of the female Starfleet ensign's hand.
Baltar and Six stared at the young seated couple for several moments.
"Are we interrupting something?" asked Six with a small smile on her face.
"No" said Oma.
"Yes," said Rogers at the same time. They looked at each other; then down at their entwined hands and reluctantly broke their hands apart.
"Uh huh," added Baltar in an unconvincing tone.
Rogers and Oma silently glared at the two people before them.
However before either of them could speak; Ensign Kadretti's combadge beeped.
"Ensign Kadretti," it was Captain Logan's voice "please report to the bridge."
"Yes captain," answered Oma hastily as she left. Rogers' face fell when she left without looking at him. Once she departed; he glared at Six and Baltar for good measure before leaving as well.
The female cylon and colonial scientist shared a look before they burst out laughing.
"Love appears to be blooming in the middle of war; that is just so adorable," said Six as she walked towards the replicator.
Gaius wiped his tears away. "The look on their faces, oh my," he paused " the only fear I have is that it could end very badly."
His words made Six frown and turn to face him. "Now, that's a depressing thought, thanks for being a kill joy." Gaius looked at her in surprise, she actually sounded very irritated.
"Change of topic now," ordered the number Six cylon model as she sat down.
"Okay," said Gaius slowly as he cautiously took a seat opposite an upset Six.
"What would you like to talk about?"
Caprica's glare could have melted ice.
XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX
Logan looked up as Oma hurried unto the bridge; he frowned a little when he noticed her slightly flustered appearance.
"Reporting for duty captain," said the female Starfleet ensign smartly as she stopped in front of him.
It was on the tip of his tongue to ask if she was okay but something held him back. " I need you to replace Q Junior at his station while he goes replicates the colonials' Christmas list."
Oma raised an eyebrow at his words while Q Junior rolled his eyes at the viewscreen without turning round.
"Yes sir," she turned to go.
"Also by the way," continued Logan " Lieutenant Telev Shran called earlier."
Oma began to look concerned.
"Nothing to worry about ; however he still needs to debrief you, Q Junior and Laura. I presume you have already prepared the report from the recent meeting with the Quorum ?"
Oma felt her face heat up as her treacherous mind decided to recall the intense moment she had just shared with Rogers. She noticed the captain was giving her an odd look.
"Yes sir; just completed it in Ten Forward a few minutes ago."
Logan gave her an approving nod. "Fast work; you may relieve…" his voice trailed off as he stood up quickly. Even Q Junior turned round with a concerned look on his face.
"Is everything okay captain Logan?" asked Oma whose expression mirrored Q Junior's.
"It's fine, as you were," said Logan hastily as he hurryingly left the bridge.
Q Junior and Oma shared a puzzled look.
"I didn't hear any alarms go off," Oma sat down in the console seat besides Q Junior.
The young Q frowned. "Neither did I, maybe he had to go the bathroom?"
Oma gave him and sceptical glance. " There is a toilet in the ready room, remember?"
Q Junior shrugged. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. By the way; you were pretty good at the meeting with the Quorum."
Oma smiled a little at his words. "Thanks, I really appreciate that but the award of the day goes to Dr Grey. I swear some of those councilmen and women pissed themselves when she gave them a shower."
Q Junior grinned. "On that I agree; anyway I have to go and as the captain says replicate some more colonial supplies." He saluted her smartly which made Oma smile even more. "You have the conn fellow ensign."
"Aye aye Q," said Oma softly as he left her on the bridge alone with her thoughts.
XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX
Logan made sure he was far away from the bridge before he pressed his combadge.
"Jean; are you alright? Where are you?"
The doctor replied but telepathically.
" I'm in the med bay and I didn't actually mean for you to rush off the bridge. It's not exactly an emergency."
A few moments earlier, Jean had sent him a telepathic message stating she was concerned about Laura. That had made him jump up and leave two confused looking ensigns on the bridge.
"What happened after we left you two in the shuttle bay?"
He heard Jean sigh in his mind.
"I practically stated that her behaviour was inappropriate while on the Galactica. I think she misinterpreted my words and thought I was disappointed in her.
She walked out in the middle of it all, I thought she may need some time to herself but I went to her room later and she's not there."
Logan was afraid to ask the next question. "Jean, where is she?"
The female telepath told him.
XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX
Deck 2, Lower main engineering…
Logan took a deep breath before he approached the doors which slid open at he got nearer. He stepped into the room and stopped for several moments to stare at the person sitting in the centre of the room. He was surprised to see that she was still in the Starfleet cadet uniform.
Laura didn't even turn to acknowledge him; after a soft sigh Logan walked up to her.
"Mind if I take a seat?"
A long moment passed before Laura answered.
"And if I said no…would you still take a seat?"
"Nope; I'd leave you alone…if that's what you want."
Laura glanced at him and Logan had to prevent himself from flinching. Her eyes seemed a bit wet. He could somehow comprehend a raging, angry teenager but a crying one was a whole different problem all together.
One that he wasn't sure he could handle.
The female teen shrugged. "Well, I'm not stopping you from sitting on the floor."
Logan nodded silently and sat down beside the female teenager. Both of them sat in silence for a long moment as they stared at the shielded warp-core ; the soft vibrating sound from the core was quite soothing in an odd way.
"Nice place you got here," said Logan finally.
Laura sighed. "Why are you here old man?"
"Jean is worried about you."
Laura laughed bitterly. "She doesn't have to worry about me, I'm fine."
Logan raised an eyebrow, she definitely didn't sound fine.
But Laura wasn't done yet. "However I'm interested in what she said to you, did she tell you I'm a disappointment? That I failed on a simple mission where for once I didn't have to kill anyone !?"
"She didn't say any such thing to me," replied Logan carefully.
Laura snorted and stared ahead at the warp coil with her hunched shoulders.
"Is that what you think about yourself? That you're a failure?"
Laura gave him a suspicious look. "Are you trying to use reverse psychology on me old man?"
"I'm not trying, I am using reverse psychology on you." Logan looked back at her.
Laura was the first person to turn away. "At least you're honest about it."
Silence reigned once more. Logan refused to give in to the urge to speak because he felt Laura had to figure this one out herself.
"I mean I was just saying what everyone was thinking, what is so wrong with that? You do it all the time!" Laura punctuated her words by waving her hands in the air.
Logan raised an eyebrow while he kept both eyes on her hands; he should have guessed that this whole thing would be his fault.
"Perhaps I do; it doesn't really make me right and believe me that there are some times when I surprise myself by not saying exactly what I'm thinking."
Laura reluctantly glanced at him briefly. "You actually practice restraint. I didn't take you for that kind of guy."
Logan was silent for a while. "It took me a long time to learn how to use it and to remember when to use it," he shrugged " a lot of times I forget to exercise restraint and then there are consequences."
Laura sighed wearily. "But you…you had a normal start even if you have forgotten it. In my world, restraint was not something I could afford to learn."
Logan once again wished he could go back in time and slowly kill Stryker and his entire squad of goons and mad scientists. The pain in Laura's voice was raw and real.
"I know," said Logan softly.
"I can't change," said Laura "I can't become someone different." She picked at her Starfleet cadet uniform. "This…this is not going to work."
Logan stared at her; he was finally realizing that she actually wanted to be in Starfleet. He felt like kicking himself.
Of cause she would want to be in Starfleet; it accepted everyone, despite what they looked like or what abilities they had but she was afraid that because of her past she would be excluded.
"Laura, no one is asking you to completely change who you are. Life is full of experiences; some good, some bad but how those experiences shape you…depends on you."
The female teen mutant gave him a very odd look; to his relief her eyes were now dry. "That is pretty intense philosophical stuff old man…but it does makes sense…sort of."
There was silence for a bit.
"Do…do you think I over-reacted?" asked Laura hesitantly. She turned to face Logan.
"You tell me," replied Logan with a neutral expression on his face. Eyes so similar to his looked back at him before turning back to the shielded warp core.
Laura exhaled deeply. "Jean said maybe I shouldn't join them tomorrow for the news conference," she began to pick the hem of her trousers.
"That doesn't mean you're a failure; I think she was just trying to protect you."
"Then who protects her?" asked Laura.
"We protect each other; that's how a team works," answered Logan.
Laura sighed again as if struggling internally with making a decision. "I…guess I have to apologize right?" Logan said nothing but gave her a knowing small smile.
Laura exhaled. "I'm…not used to apologizing."
"No surprise there," remarked Logan dryly "that's something we both share but sometimes it has to be done."
Laura nodded slowly; he didn't have to spell it out to her that this was one of those times.
Logan stood up first and stretched out his hand to Laura; she stared at it for a moment before silently accepting his hand and being helped up.
"You know what? You're not too bad…for a dad," then her face reddened before she walked out quickly.
Logan tried to ignore the feeling in his chest which felt a lot like pride. He went after her and both father and daughter walked in comfortable silence towards the medbay.
XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXXX
The Galactica, Admiral's office…
Lee almost forgot the cup of caprican wine in his hand as he stared at his father.
He had just sat in stunned silence as his father told him of an incident that occurred 8 years ago when the Admiral was Commander William Adama of the Battlestar Valkyrie. Of how they had been on a covert mission which involved passing over the Armistice line into cylon controlled space.
A mission that had gone terribly wrong.
He could hardly believe what he had just heard; in fact he wished he could forget it all. Because if what he heard was true; then the implications did not bear thinking about.
Lee quickly gulped the hard liquor and was grateful for the rough burn down his throat, it seemed to make things a bit clearer.
"Dad," his voice was soft when he spoke "who else knows about this?"
The Admiral stared at him. "Novacek knows and I'm sure that very soon the whole truth will come out.,"
Lee closed his eyes for a brief moment. "Not if we talk to him…"
"I gave him orders to cross the Armistice Line, I also ordered the destruction of his fighter Lee," interrupted William Adama harshly "I ordered his death and yet he survived, only to become prisoner of the cylons for the past eight years!
And from Q Junior's report; during those eight years, he was tortured repeatedly." The older Adama put his empty glass down.
"And not only that; 6 years after breaking the treaty by crossing that Gods-damned line; the cylons nuke the twelve colonies, whose fault do you think that is?"
Lee stared at his father in horror. "You can't honestly believe that your mission is what caused the destruction of our homes; you…you were under orders."
Admiral Adama raised a finger. "Saying one was only following orders is no excuse especially when in your gut you know those orders were wrong." He spread his hands wide.
"Let's be honest here; by following those orders I practically showed the cylons that humanity was a warmongering civilization and thus gave the cylons no choice but to strike first!"
Lee struggled to find the words. "Dad; it was the Fleet Admiralty's decision and thus their fault. You were only one man; there was no way you could have gone against your superiors."
The Admiral was shaking his head wearily. "It only takes one person to start a war…or end it."
Lee looked at the hopelessness in his father's eyes and found he had nothing more to say.
XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX
Admiral Adama sat on his own for a several hours after his son left.
After his confession he had almost ordered Lee to get some rest. He knew the young man had been run ragged by the events of the last week.
He sighed deeply as he looked around at his empty office and then noticed the time on the clock on the wall.
0124hrs; less than 7 hours to go before the press conference.
It was also way past his bed time; at the age of 67 years; he was finally feeling every one of those years and he felt he was getting too old for this job.
But unlike the days before the Holocaust; there was no one to replace him and he had too many miles to go before he could rest in peace and even then he was certain that peace would elude him because of his past sins.
Adama sighed and took up wearily as he tried to ignore the pain from the cramped muscles in his lower back.
He gritted his teeth and kept moving; after taking several steps the pain began to reduce. Outside his office, he glanced at the guarded entrance to the CIC before walking away from it.
He knew that at the moment, Saul had command so maybe he could rest a bit in his private quarters.
William Adama found himself alone with his thoughts as he walked down a long lonely corridor that he was all too familiar with. How many times had he strolled down this passage and turned the corner to his private quarters where two marines stood guard at the entrance ?
Adama closed his eyes wearily for a brief moment. By the Lords; he was tired of this life.
His thoughts stalled when he suddenly realized someone was blocking his path.
Bill Adama frowned before looking up into the face of the last person he expected to see.
"Novacek; what the…?"
He never got to finish his words because the man in-front of him punched him hard in the face and the last thing William Adama saw before darkness took him was the insane light in Daniel Novacek's eyes.
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Hi everyone! So sorry about the extremely late chapter. It took a while for me to settle into my own place and find time to write as well in the midst of work. I wish I had updated sooner but circumstances were beyond my control at some point.
I hope you all like this chapter; I was trying to show another part of some of the characters and I will try my best and update sooner than later.
Please read and enjoy!
