* I don't own Xmen or Battlestar Galactica 2003 or Star Trek!*

*Hope you enjoy this chapter!*

Chapter 42 of the Phoenix and the Wolverine

The Xavier; crews's quarters…

Rogers sighed wearily as he once more glanced at the timepiece on his bedside table.

It was 2345hrs ship's time and he should have fallen asleep hours ago; except that the several thoughts running through his mind refused to allow him slumber.

What in Hades name had he been thinking?

He was replaying what happened in the mess hall with Oma; part of him wanted to believe he had been under some sort of spell when he acted the way he did.

But…but she had not turned him away and that alone was a miracle all by itself.

However Caprica and Baltar's appearance had spoilt it all; he could still see the reddened expression on Oma's face as she fled from the mess-hall. This was the girl who rescued her team while under fire; as well as destroyed an entire resurrection ship then out-manoeuvred basestars as the Xavier defended the colonial fleet.

Roger shook his head slowly; it was official. He was in so much trouble; Rogers closed his eyes tightly. He really, really liked Oma; he just wasn't sure how to go about courting her properly.

But there were questions that kept pestering him.

Did she…did Oma really like him as well? Was she just humouring him?

Rogers sat up as he felt himself filled with dread. How would he make sure of it? Who could he ask about what to do next?

Kara was definitely out of the question; she had already made her position clear on what she thought about him and Oma.

Anders had serious problems of his own which he needed to sort out before helping anyone else.

Helo and Sharon were finally finding out what it was to be a family now that Hera was with them.

Q Junior and Laura were practically kids and might just die laughing at his questions.

Dr Grey and the Captain…would probably kick him off the Xavier; already he could tell they were just as protective of Oma as they were of Q and Laura; he certainly couldn't forget how the Oracle recently taught the Quorum of Twelve a much needed lesson in manners and diplomacy.

Rogers pressed the heels of both hands over his eyes; he had to talk to someone! Then he went very still and looked up at the ceiling.

"Xavier; do you think Oma likes me?" The words were blurted out without thinking.

There was silence for a long moment.

"As interesting as your enquiry is; I am hardly qualified to answer it." The A.I's voice was calm and seemed a bit apologetic.

"What am I doing? I'm asking an A.I for relationship advice," muttered Rogers tiredly.

"However if I may make a suggestion; why don't you ask Ensign Kadretti how she feels?" Rogers stared at the ceiling in shock.

"I thought you just said you weren't qualified to answer."

"It was merely a suggestion." Answered the ship calmly.

Rogers suddenly felt bad for taking out his frustration on the A.I; after all Xavier was only trying to help.

"It's okay Xavier; sorry for being a pain but thanks anyway for your…suggestion."

"You're welcome."

Roger spent the next hour tossing around in bed while he tried to think of a way of approaching a certain female Starfleet ensign; at some point he must have drifted off.

Because the next thing he knew; he found himself dreaming that he was standing on a very familiar looking corridor. However he felt as if he was a 'passenger' in someone else's body.

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A long empty dark hallway.

A face he recognizes but Rogers knows that he's looking through another person's eyes.

A hit to the side of his head but as he falls he can still see the rage in Lieutenant Daniel Novacek's eyes.

He knows what is going to happen next; he should have expected it.

My name is William Adama; and this is the day I die.

That was when Rogers woke up screaming.

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The Xavier; crews quarter; 0126hrs ship-time…

Rogers was unaware of the lights coming on as he tried to calm his breathing and pounding heart. As if from afar he could hear someone calling his name; it took several seconds before he realized who the owner of the voice was.

"Ensign Rogers; may I be of assistance?" Xavier's calm voice went a long way in significantly calming the colonial's nerves.

The male colonial pilot took a few more steadying breathes as he realized he was covered with sweat; seconds passed before he could speak but when he did; his voice came out hoarse probably because he had woken up screaming.

"I…I need to speak to the captain, to anyone in charge right now!" he stood up shakingly and reached for the grey Starfleet t-shirt nearby.

"The captain is still on the bridge."

That made Rogers pause; he thought that due to the lateness of the hour; Captain Logan would have retired to his quarters by now. Anyway the reason for the captain being on the bridge was not his main concern right now.

Rogers hastily put on the shirt. "Fine; I'll just go there." There was silence for a few moments.

"I am currently alerting the other members of the crew."

That halted Roger's steps towards the door.

"What? Why ?"

"Rapid eye movement, elevated heart rate, increased respiration and perspiration indicates that you had a nightmare and considering that you have cognitive abilities, you possibly had a terrifying vision that needs to be acted on right now which is why you asked first for the captain."

Rogers felt his lower jaw drop at the A.I's deduction; he had to force himself to walk towards the door because time was wasting but he could not ignore the shock he felt at the A.I's words.

Part of him realized that Sharon was right; this A.I was very smart but the other part of him was warning him to concentrate on the pressing matter that had to be addressed as soon as possible.

"F…fine; we'll discuss that later," he stepped into the corridor and stared in disbelief.

It was empty.

Rogers looked up at the ceiling. "I thought you said…"

His words were cut short when simultaneously the doors slid open to reveal the others, except that all were obviously in their sleeping wear.

To his amazement Laura's blades were still hidden though he could tell she was itching to pop them; Oma was wearing a Starfleet t-shirt similar to his with grey sweatpants, Helo was still pulling on a shirt while Sharon was carrying Hera who was still asleep.

Kara was also in a grey starfleet t-shirt and thigh long pants but she was also clasping what looked like a glass bookend in his right hand. As expected she didn't mince words.

"What the frak happened ? Did Six and Baltar escape?" Beside her was Anders who had thrown on a white t-shirt which was inside out. Fortunately he already had his black sweat pants on.

All of the people in the corridor including Rogers were barefoot.

"Six and Dr Baltar are secure and asleep." Kara looked startled by the AI's reply and was in no way reassured.

"No, no it's not them; this is something else…the Admiral is in trouble," said Rogers quickly.

"What?" asked a stunned Oma.

Rogers opened his mouth to explain.

"Boys and girls of the Xavier," Logan's voice was tight and controlled; the sound of a man who knew that there was trouble just around the corner.

"Q Junior is about to transport you to the bridge right now. Stand by."

Before another word was spoken everyone in the corridor disappeared with the sound of the ship's transporters being activated.

When Rogers opened his eyes his bare feet were planted firmly on the bridge and he wasn't alone.

Kara, Helo, Anders, Sharon and a still sleepy Hera were beside him. Oma and Laura had already moving to their respective stations; while Q Junior was already at the science station.

"When did you get here?" asked Laura as she sat down.

"Less than 30 seconds ago; I was still replicating supplies in the infirmary when Xavier gave me the heads up; I beamed over as soon as I could."

To Roger's surprise, Dr Grey was already there and she had a house-coat on over her lavender pyjamas.

Only Captain Logan appeared dressed for duty; in his black Starfleet issue close fitting t-shirt and trousers plus combat boots. More importantly his expression was very grave.

"Alright Rogers, what's going on?" quickly demanded Logan.

Rogers answered as most of the people in the room turned to look at him.

"Lieutenant Novacek has the Admiral and he's planning on killing him."

His words were met with expressions of disbelief from most of the onlookers.

"He's right," everyone turned to face a very pale Dr Grey "I have sensed Novacek's mind and he is a bit unstable at the moment; however the Admiral is still alive but in grave danger." Logan noticed she was holding on to the wall beside her. He tried and failed to hide his worried expression at the fact that Jean was using the CMS.

"We need to alert Lee or the XO now!" said Kara; she was still holding on to the bookend. "If the Admiral is harmed; it will tear the fleet apart."

"Why don't we just beam a small team down into Galactica?" this surprising suggestion had come from Oma who had turned her seat round "We take out Novacek and rescue Adama at the same time." Laura gave her an approving nod.

"No, no, no," said Rogers in a distracted tone "we can…we shouldn't harm Novacek…he…he is important and killing him will make things worse."

"Huh? This guy just kidnapped your commanding officer and intends to kill him and you want to save him?" asked Laura in an incredulous tone.

Logan forced himself to stop looking at Dr Grey and turned to the others.

"Let's concentrate on the most pressing issue, how do we help the Admiral without him or Novacek getting hurt?"

Kara gave him an odd look; clearly she agreed with Oma and Laura in taking Novacek out.

"We could try using the transporters on the Admiral and beaming him to a place of safety," suggested Sharon.

"Thought about that but that may be unwise," said Q " I was able to beam you and the others from the corridor to the bridge because of proximity and also due to the fact that you were the only people on that particular corridor.

For Dr Adama we need to know a number of things, first; exactly where he is…"

"Section72DG; it's actually 20 feet away from the Admiral's quarters," everyone stared at Dr Grey " Phoenix just told me; don't ask me how she knows."

Q Junior just nodded as if he wasn't surprised while all the colonials apart from Rogers had stunned expressions on their faces. The sentient hologram's words were rapid and clear as he outlined the situation.

"So we have the location; but we need a locator com-badge on the Admiral because he doesn't have any distinguishing features which separate him from the thousands of humans who live on the Galactica and also more importantly; we still don't know if Novacek has rigged a trap or put a gun to the Admiral's head. The moment we start energizing he will shoot him. Remember Novacek has experienced the transporter tech so he will recognize the signs" Q Junior paused ; then looked at Dr Grey as if silently asking a question.

Dr Grey nodded solemnly. "Novacek does have a gun pointed at Admiral Adama's head. He's waiting for him to wake up before…before judging him."

Helo stared at her; obviously wondering how the female medic knew what Novacek was up to.

"Oh Hades no," said Sharon in horror.

"This is not helping!" hissed Kara " we need to do something now."

Logan rubbed his chin. "Staying asleep is what is keeping Adama safe for now right?" he shared a meaningful look with Dr Grey who nodded slowly and kept holding on to the wall.

"Hmm; Q patch a very secure line to Saul Tigh; tell him it's urgent and we need to talk right away."

"Use the code Ziberius One-niner-over," this came from Kara "he will know it means trouble that he can't ignore."

Q looked at her for a moment and nodded before tapping in several symbols on the communications console.

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The Galactica, the CIC, 0130hrs…

Saul Tigh tried to ignore the muscle spasm in his lower back. He knew it was a result of standing for too long. He was really looking forward to a nice long sleep before the next all important crisis.

And the weary XO knew that one was overdue by now; he had never been an optimistic man, but for the first time in a long time; he actually felt things were looking up, despite the Quorum almost frakking things up.

Saul smiled a little; he sure wanted to rewatch what Dr Grey had done to that group of ignorant , over-pompous idiots.

"Sir."

Mr Gaeta's voice interrupted the XO's thoughts.

"What is it?" asked Tigh roughly. To the junior officer's credit, he didn't flinch even though he knew the XO despised him.

"I'm getting a signal from the Xavier; it's Captain Logan and he wants to speak to you now."

Saul stared at Gaeta for a long moment; then walked to the comms station.

"This is Colonel Tigh of Galactica Actual" he paused suddenly filled with dread because it was past one in the morning and for the Xavier to call them now had to mean something serious "how can I assist you at the mo…"

"Ziberius One-niner-over".

Saul froze at Logan's gravelly voice "hold on; I need a more secure line." He reached out suddenly and grabbed Gaeta by the right shoulder.

"Come with me." The silent worried junior officer followed him while those nearby watched with curious expressions.

Gaeta had to run after the XO as the colonel's long strides took him to the private meeting room . The reason for choosing that room became clearer once the two men entered it. The room was empty apart from the table and chairs and the view screen which still had Q's epadd attached to it.

"Get it on now" snapped Saul Tigh even as Gaeta walked towards the device.

Of course this would be the most secure line because for security reasons the Admiral had ordered that the main comms should be not be connected to it. So for the moment it was an isolated communication device.

With Tigh tapping his feet impatiently in the background; Gaeta had the device up and running in moments.

The XO almost shoved him out of the way when the bridge of the Xavier became visible and boy was it a sight to behold.

Everyone except Captain Logan and the sentient hologram appeared to be wearing their sleeping gear and looked very concerned.

"What's the emergency?" asked the XO with a frown.

Logan didn't waste time. "Admiral Adama has been taken by Novacek and I fear his life is in danger."

"What?" asked Tigh in an incredulous tone. Gaeta opened his mouth then shut it quickly without saying a word.

"It's true," the viewscreen moved to show Ensign Rogers "I have seen it and Dr Grey has confirmed it."

It was on the tip of the XO's tongue to tell Rogers not to be a frakking idiot but the serious expressions of everyone on the bridge told him this was something else entirely.

"What you say is impossible; the Admiral left the CIC several hours ago and is surely in his quarters which are guarded by two marines that I trust…"

"Ask them if he ever reached his quarters," interrupted Kara harshly.

Saul glared at her; then nodded at Gaeta.

The junior officer switched on his handheld comm device.

"Sergent Blonsky; this is Junior Lieutenant Gaeta, what's your status over?"

The voice that replied was calm and sounded a bit bored. "Status is secure" Saul relaxed a bit "just waiting for the Admiral to return to his quarters; we figured he was working late again in the CIC."

Gaeta and the Xo shared a horrified look which was visible to everyone on the Xavier bridge. Gaeta was about to say something else but Tigh snatched the comms device from the junior officer.

"Fine; as you were Sergent."

"Yes sir," Blonsky's voice was now more alert when he recognized the XO's voice. Tigh turned the device off as he threw it at Gaeta.

"Check the Admiral's office," Gaeta took off at a run even though the office was just next door. He was back in a few moments.

His face said it all but the words had to be spoken . "It's empty."

"Now; do you believe us?" asked a thunderous looking Captain Logan.

"Where is he?" demanded Saul Tigh; his voice had a touch of anxiety to it.

Q Junior answered promptly. "Section72DG…"

"My quarters are in that area," interrupted Tigh in a hushed voice as he was forced to believe the inevitable.

"Colonel Tigh," called Logan in a firm tone "what do we do now?"

For once in his life; Tigh was unsure of what to do.

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Daniel watched his sleeping captive; he must have hit him a lot harder than he expected because the old man should have been awake by now.

He held the gun just a bit tighter as he planned how he was going to judge then execute Adama when he eventually woke up.

The Admiral had to pay for what happened so many years ago, Daniel's only regret was on how this would affect Saul. After all the execution was going to be carried out with Saul's spare gun and in his apartment as well.

Daniel took a deep breath; it was all going to be over very soon.

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The Xavier; the bridge, 0134hrs…

Jean held on to the wall beside her as she watched the view screen and saw an expression of dread appear on Saul Tigh's face. He was now realizing that Adama's life was in danger. Jean already had an idea of how to stop Novacek; she had made sure that the Admiral remained asleep; now all she had to do was reach out to Daniel Novacek's troubled mind and…

You're not touching Daniel's mind.Interrupted the Phoenix in a very solemn manner. Jean almost faltered; rarely had she heard the entity 'speak' in such a serious tone.

What?

Rogers has begun something that has to completed his way; if we interfere, we risk worsening the current chaotic situation…

A man's life is at stake here! Interrupted Jean angrily. I can't just stand by and let Adama die!

You're not just standing by; in case you have forgotten it is our touch that has kept Adama asleep and safe but you must leave Daniel to Ensign Rogers and the colonials.

And if I don't? There was silence for a long moment before the Phoenix replied in a very pissed off tone.

Then you will be responsible for the deaths of many who did not have to die. You ready for that ?

Jean was speechless for a while. What do you want me to do?

Trust me and also trust Rogers. But for some reason the entity's words were not very reassuring.

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Rogers could feel his heart racing and a dull throb start behind his eyes; a part of his mind was screaming that what occurred in the next few minutes was very crucial; he closed his eyes briefly as he forced himself to ignore the building headache and also to figure out what had to happen next.

He dimly heard as if from afar when Captain Logan asked the XO what to do next; then it came to him.

"Sir; you and Gaeta need to go to him," Rogers voice was a bit low but every person including the two colonial officers on the Galactica heard him.

Everyone plus a pale looking Gaeta stared at Rogers. Saul Tigh's expression seemed to question the colonial ensign's sanity.

"What?" asked a very tense looking Starbuck "No; we need to alert the marines and Lee…"

"We tell Lee and his old man is as good as dead," interrupted Saul Tigh as he turned to look at Kara "Lee is a good officer but we both know that when family is in danger he tends to act a bit irrationally and may jump the gun thus putting the Admiral at risk."

Kara looked as if she wanted to argue.

"He's right," said Helo "but we need to do something fast before Novacek pulls the trigger."

"Sir," Roger's voice was now louder " you need to go to him; right now he will only listen to you."

Saul Tigh narrowed his eye; his expression full of skeptism. "And you're sure of this because…"

Laura sighed and muttered a curse under her breath before talking loudly and rapidly . "Because Rogers was the person who warned you in the first place that Novacek was a loony and that he was going to kidnap your buddy the Admiral but you ignored him thus leading to Adama being a hostage at the moment so are you going to ignore his advice again?"

Logan raised an eyebrow and shared a glance with Jean who wearily shrugged while keeping her hand on the wall.

"She's right," added Oma after a moment of silence. Laura gave her a relieved nod. At least someone agreed with her.

"And sir , you have to go now," continued Rogers with an intense light in his eyes. Saul seemed to stare at him for a moment longer; then he sighed and nodded

"Just before you leave; we'll send you two com-badges so that we hear everything just in case you need back up. If you can put a badge on the Admiral; we can pull him out immediately," said Logan as he nodded at Q Junior who was already tapping a sequence into a console in front of him.

In the office where Tigh and Gaeta were; there were two small pillars of rainbow lights as two small X-shaped badges appeared on the table next to the XO. Saul hesitated briefly before putting the com-badge into his right pocket and handed the second one to a nervous Gaeta.

"Lieutenant Gaeta tap on the com-badge once and you will be able to hear what is going on in the XO's quarters and Colonel," Tigh looked at a grim Logan " good luck."

The XO looked at each of the anxious people on the Starfleet ship before turning to very pale Gaeta.

"We better get going then."

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0138hrs…

Gaeta felt his heart thump so loudly that he could barely hear himself think. This was insane; they should be going with a squad of marines; not like this!

Part of him wanted to call Lee and tell him what was going on but he knew the XO was right when he stated that the Admiral's son tended to act a bit hastily when someone close to him was in trouble. However Gaeta felt they were going about this the wrong way!

The distracted junior officer suddenly found his way blocked by a uniform clad arm; he looked up into the face of a very grim Saul Tigh.

"Wait outside; don't come in no matter what you hear," Gaeta nodded quickly but Tigh still pinned him with his granite stare "and also don't call anyone or I will kill you myself." Gaeta's second nod was slower.

Tigh turned away; took a deep breath then casually entered his quarters.

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Saul had tried to prepare himself for what was waiting for him but what he saw still shocked him to his core.

Adama was unconscious, slumped on the floor and he had been propped up in a sitting position against the wall. There was a large bruise on the right side of his forehead and dried blood from a cut in the middle of his fore head. There was so much blood that Saul almost felt his heart stop then he was slightly reassured when he saw the gentle rise and fall of Adama's chest. Head injuries were notorious for looking worse than they really were.

Saul finally looked at Novacek who was standing and pointing one of Saul's handguns at the Admiral.

"Tigh; what are doing back so soon ?"

The XO stared at him for a moment; he noted the slight quaver in Daniel's voice; the odd light in his eyes and his steady hand as he kept pointing a loaded pistol at Adama's chest.

"The last time I checked; these were my quarters and I could come and go as I please." Saul kept his tone as calm and as even as possible.

"Your schedule shows that you are to stay in the CIC for another couple of hours…"

"What are you doing Daniel?" interrupted Saul in a weary tone.

"I'm making sure that justice is served!"

Saul stopped himself from swearing; he now knew why this was happening . He had been such a fool; the XO could remember himself telling Novacek how Adama had ordered his modified stealth viper being shot down during the failed mission over the Armistice line 8 years ago.

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On the Xavier; Logan exchanged a worried look with Jean.

Justice ? What was Novacek talking about ?

Roger suppressed a wince as the headache that he had been ignoring decided to upgrade itself to an extreme migraine. Oma gave him a concerned look as Laura folded her arms with a thoughtful expression on her face.

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Saul raised his hands to show he was unarmed .

"You have had a difficult time…"

Novacek laughed harshly.

"A difficult time? You consider eight years of torture a difficult time ?! You have no idea what I went through!" yelled the former prisoner of war.

"And it wouldn't have happened if this man here" he gestured at the Admiral with Saul's gun " hadn't ordered me to fly over the frakking Armistice Line in the first place!"

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Sharon's eyes widened in surprise at what she was hearing. Anders leaned on the railing and frowned at the screen as he too wondered at what Novacek was talking about.

Rogers almost felt his knees buckle from the invisible sledgehammer that was now pounding away at his skull. He almost didn't feel when Oma slipped a slim brown arm around his waist to hold him up; however her touch seemed to give him strength and the excruciating pain in his head receded a bit.

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The Galactica; Saul's quarters…

It was on the tip of Saul's tongue to stop Novacek from speaking about covert military operations which should never have seen the light of day.

However he held himself back; Novacek was on the edge of a knife and it would take very little for him to tip over. It would be a disaster if he realized that quite a number of people were listening to this 'conversation'.

The XO thought quickly as he kept his eyes on the very angry colonial officer in front of him.

"You're right…I have no idea what it's like to be tortured and be a prisoner of the cylons for eight years. You have every right to be angry and if I was in your position; I would really be upset…"

Novacek shook his head angrily as if he didn't want to hear what Tigh was saying. "It's not just that! It goes far beyond what you think !"

Tigh felt his heart rate pick up when he saw the distressed look on Novacek's face and the slight tremor of the hand holding the gun which was still pointed at the Admiral's chest.

"What do you mean?" asked the XO carefully.

Novacek stared at him for a long moment. " You really haven't realized it after all this time; despite knowing all the dirty military secrets.

We caused this damn war Tigh! We crossed the gods-damned Armistice Line and the tin cans caught us ! That is why they nuked the Twelve Colonies 2 years ago!"

Saul was speechless for a long moment as he saw the conviction in Novacek's eyes but the ex-prisoner of war wasn't done yet.

"And who gave the orders ? Yes,I know you would argue that the government and the military leaders who knew about those orders are dead; but this man who was my commanding officer," he pointed his gun aggressively at the unconscious Adama "still lives; which is why justice needs to be done right now!"

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The Xavier…

"This isn't working," uttered Kara loudly "we need to do something, can't we transport the Admiral out ?" Her tone was frantic.

"No," answered Q Junior solemnly without looking at her "the com-badge is still on Tigh; he hasn't even gotten close to the Admiral and if Novacek guesses his intention; we'll have two dead senior officers instead of one."

"Isn't there something else we could try ?" asked a concerned Sharon.

"No one interferes," she heard a low moan beside her and turned to see Rogers holding on to the railing in-front of him. There beads of sweat on his forehead; he looked very pale and had his eyes closed tight. Oma's arm was on his back as if supporting him.

He didn't look very good.

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Saul was aware of the clock ticking; he knew if this didn't end soon someone was going to die and at the moment it was highly probable that it would be the Admiral.

"Okay Novacek; I give in.

Let's say you're right; that crossing the Armistice Line is what caused this war; let's ignore the fact that maybe there were other factors that we're unaware of that also led to the nuking of the Twelve Colonies. However before you shoot the Admiral, let me ask you a few questions.

After you shoot him what next ? Are you going to stop there or are you also going to go after the President and the current Quorum of Twelve ? Because most of them used to be part of the government that gave that order to cross the Line."

Novacek's eye narrowed a bit. "Of course not? I just…"

"You just want to kill Adama and call it a day?" interrupted the XO in a hard tone " which brings me to my next question; since when did you become an assassin for the cylons?"

Novacek was speechless for a moment . "What?!"

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On board the Xavier, Logan raised an eyebrow in surprise while Kara cursed.

"Tigh's gonna get the Admiral killed!"

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"You heard me alright," continued Saul Tigh in the same low hard tone "this will not be the first time the cylons have tried to have the old man killed. Hades; I'm even astonished that he has survived this long…"

"The cylons didn't send me!" yelled Novacek in shrill tone as he swung the gun round to point at Tigh.

"Then why do you act as if they are still controlling you!" roared Tigh. Novacek opened his mouth but no words came out.

Saul could sense that he had somehow got through to the ex-convict before him and knew he had to pour on the pressure.

"I know first hand what the cylons can do to a human being; they are masters at getting under your skin, inside your head and leaving you frakked up beyond all recognition. I was their prisoner for three weeks…three weeks of hell in which I was beaten and tortured to the point that I lost an eye and nearly lost my mind.

And that was only three weeks," Saul paused "they had you for eight years and yet here you stand," the XO shook his head in amazement.

"If I was a religious man; I would say the Gods have plans for you but I'm not.

I'm a practical man; somehow you have been given a second chance; you cannot afford to frak it up because of your need for vengeance."

"You don't understand…" began Daniel heatedly.

"Oh I do," interrupted Saul Tigh wearily "I so do."

"How?" demanded Daniel.

The XO stared at him for a long moment. "You feel betrayed and angry; you want to find the cause of all your problems and teach whoever is behind them a lesson that they will never forget.

On New Caprica; there were colonials who were selling us out to the cylons," he paused " one of them was my wife, Ellen Tigh."

Saul Tigh looked Daniel straight in the eyes. "I killed her and held her dying in my arms."

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Sharon suppressed her cry of shock. Helo looked as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Logan was sitting forward on his seat as he turned round to stare at Jean who was still holding on to the wall. Both of them stared a look of disbelief.

Kara had her mouth open; clearly speechless. Oma looked up from where she was still holding Rogers up while Laura had a thoughtful and slightly surprised expression on her face. Anders' closed his eyes briefly. He was the only person not surprised by the news.

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Saul kept looking at the colonial pilot in front of him. His voice was raw with pain.

"I confronted her at first and she explained she was trying to protect me from the cylons; that she had to bargain with Cavil for my release and safety. Somehow…somehow I think she knew I was going to kill her and she let me," Saul closed his eyes briefly. "I wish I could take back that moment; that hour. By killing her; I let the cylons use me," he looked at the unconscious Admiral " by killing him; they will still have control over you for the rest of your life."

Novacek stared at him for a long moment; his eyes unreadable then with a deep sigh , he put the gun down on the table beside him.

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The Xavier…

"It's over."

Everyone on the bridge heaved a sigh of relief at Saul's calm voice. At the same time Jean released her gentle touch on the surface of Adama's mind.

The female medic finally allowed herself to relax and leaned fully against the wall because she didn't trust her legs to hold her up much longer. She looked over at a pale Rogers and saw that he was still leaning against Oma for some support. She was about to say something when a familiar dark voice spoke in her mind.

Just thought you should know; that Tigh's got trouble waiting outside his door.Softly whispered the Phoenix.

What? Asked an alarmed Jean Grey.

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Saul immediately disassembled the discarded handgun as he went over to the Admiral who was choosing that moment to wake up.

As for Daniel; he was sitting on the bed with his head in his hands, apparently more interested in staring at the floor.

Adama groaned in pain as the XO helped him sit up.

"Bill; you alright?" anxiously asked Tigh; however before the Admiral could answer, the door swung open. The XO looked up to verbally blast whoever it was but fell silent when Lee Adama walked into the room.

The CAG's light brown hair was ruffled and he was dressed in a hastily thrown on grey t-shirt with khaki brown pants and black boots and was also carrying what had to be a loaded pistol; however it was being pointed towards the floor. His expression as he stared at Daniel Novacek was unreadable. The despondent ex-prisoner of war did not look up from gazing at the floor. Then Lee turned to face the XO and his father, his expression turned to one of combined relief and anger. Behind him was a very pale nervous looking Felix Gaeta.

"What…what happened?" asked a groggy injured Admiral; then he noticed his son and the gun in his hand. "Lee; why are you here?"

"That is what I would like to know," said Tigh through gritted teeth as he glared at Gaeta who swallowed nervously. The tension that had dissipated earlier now seemed to build up again with the two new arrivals.

Before anyone could speak; everyone heard a loud cough.

"Gentlemen," Logan's calm rough voice made everyone; including Daniel Novacek look at Saul and Gaeta; because it seemed like the voice of the captain of the Xavier was coming from the two colonial officers. The captain's voice also seemed to disperse the tension.

"Now that the situation has been resolved with no loss of life; do you require medical assistance? We can send someone over right away."

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX

In the end; Lee declined Captain Logan's offer and sent for Dr Cottle.

The next thorny issue that had to be addressed while the doctor was being woken up was what to do with Novacek. Lee was all ready to throw the man into the brig but before he could issue the order ; the XO stated that the senior lieutenant was going to keep staying in his room.

Lee opened his mouth to counter that order when his father backed the Colonel Tigh.

The younger Adama stared at the Admiral in shock; however he was unable to speak his mind because the doctor chose that moment to arrive and as usual he was in a very foul mood which only got worse when the Admiral refused to go to the medbay to get a CT-scan of his head.

Dr Cottle only relented when the Admiral agreed to let someone watch him throughout the night and that he would see the doctor in the morning.

Lee held his peace even when the crew of the Xavier retrieved their com-badges using the 'transportation light'.

He waited silently as his father was cleaned up and escorted to his quarters, as expected the marines outside the Admiral's quarters were stunned to see the bandages on the senior officer's face.

"At ease boys; I just had a little…event. Now relax," said the Admiral in a gruff voice as he entered his quarters followed by his XO and the CAG.

As for Junior Lieutenant Gaeta; he had fled back to the CIC before the XO murdered him with his bare hands.

XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX

0205hrs…

Lee waited for the door to close then turned on the two men in front of him.

"What in the name of the Gods just happened? Why didn't you alert me in the first place and why in Hades name have I not thrown Novacek in the brig?!"

The XO helped the exhausted Admiral to his bed before answering the irate young man in a calm tone.

"Novacek lost it and went looking for answers. I had to act fast and leave you out of it because your emotions would have worsened the situation"

Lee stared at the XO for a long moment. "That's it? He lost it? Oh no; that can't be all. You will tell me or I will definitely charge Novacek for attempted assassination!"

"Nobody is charging anyone with anything," said Adama in a firm tone despite how tired he appeared. "Novacek had every right to come after me; I sent him over the Line, I got him captured and tortured for eight years," he looked at Lee "you know this; I told you this earlier."

"But that doesn't make what he did right!" argued Lee.

"Maybe; but first walk a mile in his shoes before you condemn him for something he didn't do," said Saul Tigh in a hard tone. "He could have pulled that trigger anytime but he didn't. That shows strength of character despite being at the hands of those monsters for eight years. How many people do you think could have withstood that duration of torment and come out somewhat intact in mind and body?"

Lee stared at the XO for a long moment; he was well aware that Colonel Saul Tigh had been captured and tortured by the cylons on New Caprica. In the end, Lee dropped his eyes as he found himself unable to answer the question.

He turned back to his father. "Are you sure you're alright ?"

Adama senior raised a hand. "I'm fine; I'll see the doctor in the morning, Saul's gonna watch over me tonight. You need to get some rest as we have a long day ahead of us."

Lee was clearly hesitant in leaving but then he realized there was no point in him staying. "Fine; I'll be in my quarters; any problem just call me don't wait." He directed his last words at the XO.

Saul waited for him to get to the door before speaking.

"Lee; it's obvious Gaeta called you once I was inside…how much did you hear?"

The CAG was silent for a long moment; then he turned and looked at the XO.

"I heard enough; sleep well." He left as Adama turned to stare at Tigh with a puzzled expression on his face.

"What was that about?" asked the senior officer in a tired tone.

Saul answered him carefully. "Nothing to worry about; just a couple of things I said to Novacek."

Adama was quiet for a moment. "Uh huh."

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX

The Xavier, the bridge , 0223hrs…

The bridge was finally quiet but that left Logan alone with his thoughts. He had seen Saul Tigh as a man wrecked by circumstances beyond his control. The destruction of the Colonies and being chased and attacked by the Cylons had left a mark on the old warrior.

But what of the fate of Ellen Tigh? A woman who had probably loved Saul Tigh and because of that love she had betrayed her own people in order to get him released and to protect him.

Logan had heard the pain and self-condemnation in Saul's voice as he told Novacek how he had murdered his own wife. The XO must be trapped in his own personal hell, which was why he didn't consider life worth living.

Logan could relate to the misery that Tigh was feeling; because if not for the intervention of a certain young Q, he would be in exactly the same place as the XO. But Ellen was one of the original First Five cylons, which meant she was alive, but was she a prisoner on one of the basestars ? How would Saul react if he found out about Ellen Tigh, his supposedly dead wife was a cylon?

The former X-man stood up as he felt a chill at the back of his neck. The crew of the Xavier was in the middle of a very big secret that could blow up in their faces, he couldn't let anything happen to his crew...to Jean. He would rather die than let her get hurt again.

The sound of the turbo-lift opening interrupted his thoughts and he turned round in time to see Jean emerge.

She looked around the bridge. "Where's everyone?"

"Once you, Oma and Q Junior took wonder-boy Rogers to the medbay; I advised the others to get some rest."

"And they went willingly?" asked Jean in surprise.

Logan could still recall a loudly protesting Kara who was almost dragged away by Sharon who was still carrying a sleeping Hera. Helo and Anders had looked a bit sheepish as they left as well.

"Most of them left without complaining, Kara needed…some assistance in leaving.

"Why am I not surprised? What was her problem?"

"She wanted to be sure the Admiral was okay, she was still very concerned about him. If not for Sharon she would still be standing here."

"Glad to hear that because at this time I would rather not treat a second person that you had to physically throw off the bridge." She sat down in the chair next to the captain's.

Logan frowned a bit concerned at the tired look in her eyes. He knew using the CMS was exhausting. "Are you okay?"

Jean nodded. "I'm fine, just relieved that Rogers, Novacek and the Admiral are okay."

"How is Rogers?" asked Logan as he sat beside her.

She sighed. "Vitals are normal; his colour has returned to normal and he's very relieved that nobody died. I was almost tempted to give him a sedative so that he gets a good night sleep but I decided against it; it would be best if he gets to sleep on his own."

Logan stared at her for a long moment. "And once again I ask, how are you really doing?"

The female telepath gave him a weary smile. "To be honest; I'm exhausted and really wish I didn't have to get up in less than four hours."

The two mutants glanced at the chronometer. It was way past two in the morning.

"But I have to get up because we have a very important day ahead of us." Logan felt like cursing; he had almost forgotten the press conference.

"Maybe we can postpone it for 24 hours…" Jean was already shaking her head.

"Do that and the colonial civilians will panic; we already left them in a high state of anxiety and everyone is looking forward to this press conference and I have to be there!"

Logan winced. "Was I that obvious?"

"Yes; I don't have to read your mind to know you want me to stay back while you go and negotiate with the Quorum. While it's not something I would look forward to; I have to be the one to do it…because I threw water at them." She actually looked embarrassed.

"They got less than they deserved," said Logan.

Jean patted his hand gently. "Thanks for making me feel good but the last thing we need is for them to be afraid of us or mutants. Down that path lies intolerance and hate; imagine how they would react when Admiral Janeway and the ships accompanying the Dunkirk get here."

Logan actually couldn't wait to see how they would react when they met a Klingon warrior; to be honest he was looking forward to meeting one as well.

"It will be a riot," said Logan in a dry tone.

Jean tried to speak but ended up yawning.

"You need to sleep doc," said Logan in a gentle tone. Jean nodded as she stood up to stretch; to her surprise the man beside her stood up as well.

"Turning in as well?"

Logan actually turned slightly red as he answered. "Not really…just wanted to ask if I could escort you back to your quarters."

Jean almost replied that she knew where her rooms were thank you very much but the barely hidden earnest expression on Logan's face made her hold her tongue.

"Oh," she suddenly felt warm and conscious of the unflattering large housecoat and PJs she was wearing.

"Oh, em…that would be nice."

Logan smiled and pointed at the door. "Ladies first."

Jean suddenly felt more awake and wished she really didn't have to go to the meeting with the Quorum in the morning. She smiled at Logan as she passed him and the big guy's face only got redder as he followed her to the turbolift.

Before he left the bridge , Logan remembered to pass the conn on to Xavier.

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX

Caprica opened her eyes as her bedside alarm went off; for a brief second she was unaware of where she was; then she smiled when she recalled she was on the most advanced ship she had ever dreamt of being on!

She sat up and stretched before heading to the sonic showers; as she got ready her mind moved at a fast pace.

After spending several hours on the holodeck; she had a thousand more questions.

How had the humans evolved amongst the dinosaurs? How and when had the cylons emerged? How had they been treated ? Had there been conflict or even civil war on the Thirteenth Colony ?

Caprica knew the extensive holodeck history was a smart way of preventing her and Baltar from 'wandering ' around the Xavier without being thrown into a cell.

The Number Six cylon knew that most of her cylon brothers and sisters would have a collective apoplexy if they had heard what the crew of this ship had to say about Earth being the birthplace of humanity.

Six still found that hard to believe but she knew that Earth was the Thirteenth Colony; the place that Cavil and the rest of the cylon brethren were desperate to find.

The female cylon frowned as she touched the finely woven fabric of the sky blue Starfleet issue t-shirt she was wearing. Six had watched as the replicator 'made' her current garments. Imagine what her people could do with such technology.

But what of the colonials? How had they got so close to the Thirteenth Tribe ?

Six knew she had to find out the extent of 'closeness' between the Thirteenth Tribe and the rest of the colonial refugee fleet. However the burning question at the back of her mind was Earth's exact location.

Six sighed as she straightened out her t-shirt; she had to concentrate on what was attainable. She narrowed her eyes; it was high time she had a long chat with Ensign Q Junior ; the male cylon boy-child.

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX

0610hrs; enroute to Ten-Forward...

Oma walked quickly towards the mess hall; she could kill for a coffee right that moment. She was awake alright but she felt as if she had just gone to bed an hour ago.

On waking she had asked Xavier about Rogers and the AI had stated the colonial ensign was still sleeping. Oma had decided to let him sleep a bit longer after-all last night's events had been mentally exhausting; she had asked Xavier to wake Rogers up at 0640hrs.

The doors of Ten-forward slid open as she approached and right away she realized someone else was there.

Laura Kinney looked up from her bowl of cereal; she was seated on a high seat right up to the bar.

"You're up early," she said in a bland tone. The female teen mutant was in black jeans and a black t-shirt.

Oma felt a bit worried at the girl's tone. "Morning Laura; how are you today ?"

Laura gave her an odd look. "Fine; why do you ask?"

Oma felt a bit guilty as she replied. "Yesterday was a bit…eventful."

Laura caught on real quick; her face flushed a little as she replied. "You mean the way I acted on the Galactica? Yeah that was…not perfect."

The female Starfleet ensign was a bit taken aback by Laura's acceptance.

"Maybe, however you didn't harm anyone, you meant well."

Laura lifted an eyebrow. "I expected you to dislike my way of speaking my mind."

Oma sat down beside her. "To be honest; it could do with some refinement ; however I think we all feel like speaking our minds most of the time…and sometimes it is very important that we do so."

Laura laughed softly. "Have you and my old man been exchanging notes?"

"No," said Oma with a smile " wait did he say something similar?"

Laura rolled her eyes and was about to make a sarcastic comment when the doors slid open.

"Morning, morning," said a cheerful bright looking Q Junior. Oma saw a brief look of joy pass Laura's face before it was replaced by a very relaxed expression.

"Morning to you too bud," said Laura as she kept her eyes on the young Q who walked behind the bar and started tapping instructions into the replicator.

"You're quite chipper this morning," remarked Oma.

The male Q nodded. "Oh yes; because I just finished thirty four boxes of supplies for the Galactica."

Laura was speechless for a moment. "Boxes of what?"

"Medicines; food; clothes, supplements and bandages."

Oma stared at him in amazement. "How many hours of work was that ?"

Q Junior sighed as he glanced at the ceiling. "More than I would like to admit believe me."

"You need to rest Q," said Laura in serious tone " does Jean know you worked that long?"

A guilty look on Q's face was his answer.

"She doesn't know, does she ?"said Oma. "Look I know you don't need rest as others do but you can't keep working continuously. Even Commander Data was known to take a break periodically."

"Who is Commander Data?" asked Laura.

"He's a sentient android and a high decorated Starfleet officer," replied Oma.

"Ah; I should have figured that out from the name," said Laura dryly "I wonder what the colonials would think of him."

"Probably shoot first then worry about the implications later," added Q Junior as he noticed what the female teen mutant was wearing "besides Laura; why aren't you in uniform.?"

Laura frowned at him. "Way to go on changing the subject; Oma is right, why aren't you resting ?"

Q Junior answered as he kept an eye on the replicator as it made a cup of strong coffee. "Because there's a ton of work to do and not enough time; besides you guys did come with a Christmas list from the colonials." He gave the steaming cup of coffee to a surprised Oma. "Careful it's hot."

"How did you know I wanted coffee?" asked Oma.

"Yeah I'm interested in how you knew?" asked Laura in a bland tone which barely hid a spark of jealousy.

"Because Oma drank gallons of the stuff yesterday morning," he made a face "how can you beings stand the taste of it? It's so bitter!"

Oma took a careful sip of her drink. "It keeps me awake and when you're drank it for ages, you get used to it; anyway Laura has a point. Even if you can go on for hours; the mind still has to take a break and relax."

Q sighed. "I wish it was that simple but there are more than 40,000 souls out there who believe we can solve all their problems and once they realize we can't do that; they will turn on us."

Laura gave him a thoughtful look. "So working overtime replicating supplies for them is a way of buying us time until Starfleet gets here."

Q Junior bowed to her which made her smile a little. Oma raised an eyebrow at the female mutant's expression.

"You hit the nail on the head Laura."

Laura opened her mouth to say more when someone else interrupted her.

"Caprica Six is on her way to Ten-Forward, ETA 90 seconds."

Oma stared at the ceiling in surprise.

"Did Xavier just warn us?"

"Looks like it; maybe all three of us should leave now," said Laura as she pushed her bowl away.

"Why?" said Q Junior with a puzzled expression on his face; the two female mutants gave him an odd look. "I know she's a potential enemy…"

"She is the enemy," insisted Laura "the less we say to her the better…"

"But what if we could learn from her about the cylons? Current strengths and weaknesses."

"I don't trust her," said Laura in a hard tone as the doors chose that moment to slide open. All three teenagers turned at the same time.

Caprica walked in; took one look round the room then faced them and smiled.

"Good morning."

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX

Six knew she had interrupted a delicate conversation from the expressions on the faces of the three young people before her.

As if seeing them for the first time; she was stuck by how young they were. The three of them were practically children.

Once again she wondered if Earth's military was made up of children, that would be a frightening thought because she had witnessed some of what Q Junior and Laura were capable of. As for Oma; she seemed like another 'talented' pilot with none of the rough edges of a certain Kara Thrace. Six didn't think Oma was a cylon.

Six tried to focus on why she had wanted to see Q Junior; she wished he was alone but she suspected that Laura or Ensign Kadretti would never be far away from him.

Well; she might as well take her chance.

"Good morning, Miss Six; hope your rest was adequate," said Ensign Kadretti politely. Six searched her face for any hint of sarcasm and realized that the young female…humanoid in-front of her actually seemed sincere.

"Yes; it was more than adequate but I have several questions," she turned to Q Junior. The young male cylon tensed as if dreading what she was about to ask.

"Don't be alarmed; it's just that I would like to speed up the visual history on the holodeck. Can that be arranged or do I really need to watch everything about the dinosaur era?"

Oma and Laura turned to Q Junior who stared at Six for a long moment.

"No; you don't have to watch everything; all you need to do is ask Xavier to go forward by months or years."

Six gave a sigh of relief. "Thanks; that is reassuring."

"Will that be all?" asked Q Junior. Six hesitated before answering; there were so many questions she wanted to ask him. She wished she could sit with him and have a long conversation about who he was; who were his parents, how and why did he become a military officer at so young an age.

But she could feel the hard stares of Ensign Kadretti and Laura; this was not the place or time to speak extensively with Q Junior.

"Yes; that will be all." Six kept a gracious smile on her face but Laura's eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"Ensign Kadretti, Ensign Q and Laura; please report to the bridge." Everyone looked up at Logan's voice.

"Well, duty calls," said Laura dryly as the three crew members left Ten Forward. Six silently watched them go, wondering again for the umpteenth time about Earth, it's technology, military…and most importantly it's cylon children.

Six turned round and looked at each corner of the 'mess-hall'; just one glance was enough to tell that advanced tech had been used in constructing this simple looking room and she still hadn't gotten over their version of the CIC.

The female cylon sighed heavily; even though she had been on the ship for only a few days, it was becoming more difficult to be patient but she knew she didn't have a choice.

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX

The bridge…

Logan and Jean turned from the bridge rail as the turbolift doors slid open.

"Morning," said Logan "good to see you three up and about this early especially after last night," he frowned at Laura.

"You're not in your uniform," said Jean before Logan could get the words out. The female medic had a puzzled expression on her face.

Laura stared at the two adults before her.

"You're kidding right? You said I wasn't going to attend the press conference."

Jean's face reddened slightly. "Ah; I see. Well, after considering the events of yesterday; it's quite important that you attend. That's the only way all of us can learn from this experience."

Laura was silent for a long moment. "Huh; I guess I gotta change now."

Oma shared a relieved glance with Q Junior over Laura's head.

Even Logan couldn't hide his own expression of relief while Jean just smiled.

"Now; that's settled, we need to start planning today's activities," said Logan as he turned to Q Junior.

"How goes the Christmas list?"

"We've got 34 containers of supplies in the medical bay," answered Q Junior confidently. Logan and Jean stared at him.

"How long did it take you to do all that?" asked Jean "Did you even rest?"

Laura gave Q a I-told-you-so-look.

"Well; Q that's very good work," said Logan, "however you don't have to work continuously without taking a break," he added hastily when Jean turned to glare at him.

"Anyway back to the plan for the day; I'm going to call Galactica to move the press conference to 0930hrs."

"Won't that cause a panic?" asked Oma.

Jean nodded. "Which is why we will be going in at 0750hrs with the supplies; that will be our excuse and will give me a chance to check up on the Admiral and Novacek," her expression turned grave "I know he's not in the brig but he must be feeling pretty awful this morning."

"Thirty four boxes of supplies is going to need more than one trip in the shuttle," said Oma as she turned to Q Junior.

"Three trips to be exact," answered the young Q.

"If we take two shuttles at once; we can be a lot faster," added Laura.

"Having two of our shuttles at the same time on their flight deck will be making a statement…that could be interpreted in so many ways," said Logan in a worried tone.

Jean raised an eyebrow. "A statement more lasting than me floating several feet above their heads in the CIC?"

Logan rubbed the back of his head. "You have a point, anyway we have to get started as we have a very long day ahead of us. Anyone got anything to add?"

There was silence for a moment.

"Eh; you might wanna know that Six was being nosy again," said Laura dryly.

Logan looked very interested at her words. "Oh? What's she done now?"

"Nothing yet," said Q Junior " she just asked about speeding up the visual holodeck history and I told her she could."

"Why let her speed it up? It's keeping her and Baltar out of mischief," said Logan.

"Captain; I have a feeling she knows it's a way of keeping them occupied , however I also think the sooner she knows about some of Earth's history, the better."

After a long moment Logan nodded.

"Still don't like it," said Laura with a frown on her face.

The expression on Logan's face stated her agreed with her.

XXXX XXXX XXXXX

0640hrs, crews quarters…

Rogers' eyes reluctantly opened when he kept hearing a strangely familiar voice repeating the same thing over and over again.

"Good morning Ensign Rogers; this is your wake up call. Good morning Ensign Rogers, this is your wake up call."

"I'm up, I'm up," said the colonial ensign as he sat up wearily and rubbed his eyes.

At the back of his foggy mind he knew something important had happened last night but he was so tired.

"Xavier," yawned Rogers "what time is it?"

"It is 0642hrs in the morning and you have an appointment with Dr Grey this morning at 0715hrs."

A moment was all that it was needed for the events of last night to come crashing down; and suddenly he was very wide awake.

He looked at his bedside alarm and started swearing profusely as he threw off the covers and ran to the sonic showers. He had a medical appointment with Dr Grey in exactly 33 minutes and he couldn't afford to be late.

In less than 20 minutes he was dressed in his uniform and hastily combing his hair as his 'doorbell' rang.

"Come in!" He hoped it was Oma however it was Kara and Anders; both in their crisply pressed uniforms.

He quickly hid his disappointment. "Good morning; you're up early?"

Kara gave him an odd look. "Are you kidding me? After what happened last night; it's a wonder I actually fell asleep."

"How are you doing this morning Rogers ?" asked Anders.

"Much better; no headaches beside I have a check this morning in the medical bay at 0715hrs," he glanced at his wrist chronometer "and I have to leave now."

Kara shared a quick glance with Anders. "We'll come with you besides…we need to ask you a few things on the way." Now Rogers was curious.

"Sure; no problem," Rogers looked at the ceiling as he left. "Xavier ; thanks for the wake up call."

"You're welcome."

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX

"You had Xavier wake you up?" asked an incredulous Kara.

"Em no I don't recall doing it," said Rogers then he looked up " Xavier, did I ask you to wake me up last night?"

"No Mr Rogers, Ensign Kadretti asked me to wake you up this morning as she passed your quarters."

Rogers felt his face go red as the two senior colonials officers on either side of him laughed.

"Oh this is better than I thought" said Kara with a mischevious smile on her face.

That surprised Rogers because he had been certain that the colonial officer would not approve of his 'interest' in the Starfleet ensign.

"So what did you guys want to talk about?" asked Rogers hastily in order to change the topic.

It didn't take long before Rogers found out what was on Kara and Ander's minds.

"How far into the future can you see?"

Rogers tried not to sigh at Kara's question. "You asked me this before days ago; it's not specific science and most times I get flashes which give me one heck of a migraine."

"I thought Oma taught you how to deal with that problem?" asked Anders.

Rogers felt his face redden. "She did; it's just that I haven't been putting it into practice as often as I should."

"But back to my question" continued Kara " you got advanced warning about Novacek; at least a day before it happened and visions about Oma's shuttle as it crossed the wormhole."

"And?" said Rogers.

"And maybe it looks like you are seeing more ahead into the future; the time frame has gone from minutes to a whole day," added Anders.

Rogers was shaking his head. "Your theory is based on 'two confirmed' predictions, that is hardly enough for me to work with," he sighed " I have to figure out how to deal with these headaches."

"Have you thought of painkillers?" asked Kara "Dr Grey must have some good meds lying around."

"I have a feeling that's won't be right…my grandmum used to decline analgesia for simple headaches, unfortunately I never found out why but something tells me it might impair my ability."

"Like dull your senses," said Anders with a thoughtful frown on his face.

"Probably," said Rogers as the three of them turned the corner and ended up right in-front of the medical bay.

"Well; we'll leave you now," said Kara " we need to ask the captain about two of us joining Six and Baltar while they stroll around the holodeck."

Rogers nodded; they had all discussed it yesterday once he and Helo had returned from the Galactica. "I think it will go well."

He saw the open question on Kara's face and quickly dived into the medical bay before she asked me any more questions.

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX

The bridge…

Logan waited as Laura patched him through to the Galactica. Jean had gone to the medical bay, Oma and Q were busy moving the supplies to the two shuttles and prepping them for take-off which left him and Laura with the task of informing the colonials that they were going to be late.

"This is Cadet Kinney of the Xavier, Galatica Actual do you read?" asked Laura in a calm bored tone. She had used the ready room to change into the grey and red cadet uniform.

Logan tried not to sigh at the tone of her voice; she sounded like a typical bored teenager.

A few moments passed before the familiar voice of Junior Lieutenant Gaeta replied. From his tone; he sounded nervous. Logan didn't blame him, an awful lot had occurred in the last 9 hours.

"T…this is Junior Lieutenant Gaeta of Galactica, reading you loud and clear ? H...how may we assist you?" At the moment , the view-screen only showed the group of colonial ships, communication was via audio only.

"Good morning Mr Gaeta, this is the captain speaking," said Logan trying for a soothing tone which he was definitely not used to "I just wanted to inform you that we wish to postpone the press conference until 0930hrs. The reason for this is because we have supplies to deliver to the medical bay first."

There was silence for a long moment.

"Supplies, Captain Logan?"

"Yes, thirty four boxes to be exact, we'll be coming in two shuttles for the first batch, then there will be one shuttle for the second batch. Estimated time of departure from the Xavier is being planned for 0750hrs. Please discuss with your superiors if this is appropriate."

Laura smirked. It will be appropriate alright because they need those supplies thought the female teen mutant.

"I'll do that Captain Logan and I'll alert you as soon as I get confirmation from my superiors."

"Understood, Xavier out," said Logan as he nodded to Laura who disconnected the line.

At that moment, the turbo-lift doors slid open. Logan knew who it was before turning, Xavier had alerted him minutes earlier that Kara and Anders wanted to speak to him. He had advised them to wait 5 minutes then come up.

He had a funny feeling he knew why they were here.

"Good morning captain," said Kara, Anders repeated the same thing.

"Morning to you too," said Logan "how can I help you ?"

Kara and Anders looked at each other for a brief moment before the female colonial officer spoke. "We're here about two things; we would like to accompany Dr Grey for a debriefing with our superiors about what happened here last night."

Logan nodded, that was reasonable. "And?"

This time it was Anders who spoke. "Permission to join…Six and Baltar on the holodeck sir as they watch Earth's history."

Logan regarded him for a long moment. "You're worried those two would learn something they shouldn't?"

"To be honest captain, letting them know anything about Earth doesn't sit well with me," said Kara "however I accept and respect your orders but since the people of Earth are kin to us, we would also like to learn more about your home's history."

Logan looked at both of them and wondered if they had forgotten the detailed files that Q Junior had prepared for the colonials, in the end he decided not to mention it.

"Fine, you can join them." Both colonials sighed with relief.

"So who's going with Dr Grey's team to the Galactica and who's joining Six and Baltar on the holodeck ?" asked Logan.

XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX

The shuttle bay…

Oma came out of one of the Delta shuttles; she had just loaded the last box and had prepped the small vessel for flight. She turned her head to see Q Junior was already out of his own shuttle , however he was facing the battered looking colonial viper which still sat in their launch bay.

"Penny for your thoughts," said the female Starfleet ensign as she walked up to the young Q.

"Just wondering what the insides look like," said Q without turning round.

"That's Captain Helo's ship isn't it?" asked Oma as she studied the colonial vessel. She wondered what it would be to fly it.

"Yep and just by looking at it, you can tell it has seen a lot of battles. So much wear and tear on the outside, I bet it's way overdue for an overhaul."

Oma could remember the ships she had seen on the flight deck of the Galactica.

"All their ships are in need of repair but will they accept it from us ? They are a very proud people…almost Klingon like."

Q Junior snorted. "Nah, the colonials have their own special brand of stubbornness and…stupidity."

Oma gave him a surprised look; he sounded quite irritated. Q Junior kept talking as he turned to her. For the first time she realized that the young looking Q was way wiser than his appearance implied.

"Last night we heard one of their senior officers confess to killing his own wife; he himself is on the edge of a mental breakdown which is probably why he tried to kill Laura and I. Now I don't accept that as a good enough reason but what worries me even more is that he is still allowed to be in command of more than 40,000 colonials and the other odd thing is that he sounds saner than the colonials who make up the Quorum."

Q Junior sighed. "We're only five and they are tens of thousands of angry, desperate humans who had no idea until recently that there are other sentient beings out there and most of them have not accepted that truth yet and many of them will never accept it. Imagine how they would react when they find out about mutants."

"What are you trying to say?" asked a concerned Oma.

Q looked at her for a long moment before replying. His voice was grave when he replied. "Things are going to get worse before they get better. While you are on the Galactica you, Dr Grey and Laura need to watch each other's backs; the way the Quorum reacted to you is just the tip of the ice-berg, there is more ignorance and hatred below the surface.

I watched the Colonies for centuries and they hated themselves before they found a new enemy to hate."

"The cylons," said Oma.

Q nodded slowly. "Yes, the cylons who look exactly like them but are different. I fear that the closer we get to the relief Starfleet force and Earth, the harder things will become. I…I just hope we all make it." He shook his head wearily and walked away from the viper.

Oma stared after him, clearly troubled by his rapid change in demeanour and his words which eerily sounded like ones that Dr Grey had uttered a day before.

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Hi everyone, so glad to be back writing. Things have been hectic, hope you're all enjoying the weather.

Anywho, here's hoping your enjoyed chapter 42! On to the next one and wish me luck!