CHAPTER 52 Of the Phoenix and the Wolverine.

# I DO NOT OWN STAR TREK OR MARVEL OR BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. I JUST WRITE THIS FOR FUN!#

The Xavier; engineering…

Ensign Ihuoma Kadretti noted the readings on the warp core shield and sighed happily. Astronavigation may be her specialty, but any pilot worth their sauce had to know a bit about what powered a Starfleet vessel.

Also, considering the number of crew on board, her duties were divided between the ship's helm and making sure engineering was also in top form.

She didn't envy Q Junior who wore many hats, but she was sure jealous of his ability to handle so many departments at the same time.

'Ensign Kadretti ?' her train of thoughts was halted by Logan's voice.

'Captain? How may I assist you?'

'Report to the bridge at once. We're about to have a meeting.'

Oma nodded even though he couldn't see her. 'On my way sir.'

She grabbed her epadd and quickly walked out of the engineering room. The ship was still on yellow alert so at least all was well…for the moment.

They only got back from the Galactica less than an hour ago so she suspected she knew what the meeting was about. Dr Grey appeared disturbed when she and Laura returned to the shuttle; Oma was a bit surprised when the female medic told her what was on her mind.

The Colonials had found another set of co-ordinates from their Holy Book and they wanted to explore it. Usually such sensitive information would be discussed with senior Starfleet officers before the juniors were given their orders, but Dr Grey wasn't Starfleet and had no such qualms letting Oma know what was going on.

'Ensign Kadretti?' she turned to see Lieutenant Starbuck coming down the corridor. 'You were called to the meeting as well.'

The Captain must be telling everyone thought Oma as she answered 'Yes Lieutenant. Were you just at the holodeck?'

Starbuck signed 'Yup; and it was getting to the interesting part as well.'

Oma raised a questioning eyebrow.

'Six asked Xavier to show a visual history of the start of the Dominion War.'

The Enisgn tried to hide her discomfort. 'I see and where did you stop?'

'The first attack on Deep Space Nine.' Kara whistled. 'That wormhole looks so much like the one your shuttle came through and I'm finding it hard to believe that aliens created the one by Deep Space Nine and also live in it!'

Oma forced herself to smile. 'You would be surprised at what one finds in space.'

'Tell me about it.'

The two officers of different planets took the turbolift to the bridge. Logan turned as they exited. 'Where's Anders?' he asked immediately.

'Keeping an eye on Baltar and Six, sir.' replied Kara. 'What's going on?'

'Let's join the others in the ready room then I'll explain.'

#

Oma sat down beside Rogers who gave her a happy smile that she returned; she looked around. Sharon and Helo who was carrying a sleeping Hera were present and so was Dr Grey. Q Junior stood beside Laura who was leaning against the wall.

Logan started talking once Kara was seated.

'Admiral Adama sent us word that they found new co-ordinates in the Holy Books of Kobol; they believe it's another base of the Thirteenth Tribe.'

Helo, Sharon and Kara shared a worried look.

'Where is it?'

'Six hours away at maximum warp or as your admiral said, nine jumps away from our current location. I've informed Starfleet and they want us to check it out as well.'

Kara released a sigh of relief. 'We appreciate that sir.' Then she frowned. 'Is this one of your bases?'

'No, it's not,' answered Q Junior. 'We're just as curious to explore it as you are.'

Helo held up a hand. 'Captain to be honest there are many amongst us who believe these bases do belong to you.'

Logan shrugged. 'I'm well aware of that but in the end we're both departing for this place; which brings me to my next concern.' He paused. 'Guys; we could be walking into a trap.'

Kara went still. 'Why do you say that?'

Jean looked at her. 'The last base that we explored on Hera's planet collapsed around us; Logan and I barely made it out of there intact. We still don't know if it was booby trapped and there's no way we're going back to investigate.

And now we have another base suddenly discovered like before in your Holy Book.'

Sharon sighed. 'It's highly unlikely to be a coincidence.'

'Exactly,' agreed Helo.

'With that being said,' continued Logan as he looked at Sharon. 'You might want to stay back on the Galactica with Hera. We could be warping into a warzone.'

Helo looked quickly at his wife as their daughter kept sleeping in her arms. She looked at Logan in shock and then turned to her husband and their child.

After a long moment she found her voice. 'Captain permission to speak freely?'

Logan nodded. 'Permission granted.'

'Sir; you are the captain of this ship and to be honest your methods are highly unorthodox even by colonial or cylon standards...'

Kara blinked at her choice of words

'…however you and your crew are honest and at times stupidly brave.' Q Junior hid a smile 'what I mean to say is that I would rather be here with my family and march beside you into the gate of Hades then stay on the Galactica.'

Something happened to her on that ship. Thought Jean.

The dark presence in her mind snorted. You have no bloody idea; she's right. Of all the colonials and cylons I've met, I trust her the most. Surround yourself with allies and not idiots my dear.

Agreed.

Logan looked a bit uncomfortable after Sharon completed her speech. 'Duly noted Lieutenant and thank you for your words, however, I'll definitely not be asking you to storm the Gates of Hell anytime soon.'

Laura laughed. 'Don't worry if it came down to it; pops would do that all on his lonesome.'

Kara couldn't help but snicker at the image and that set everyone off.

Logan shook his head and held up a hand. 'Okay, okay settle down all of you. So, it's decided. We go together but first, Admiral Adama is gonna get three raptors to come with us and maybe at least four vipers.'

Kara whistled; this was beginning to sound like a full-scale military endeavor. 'Tyrol is gonna be so pissed.'

Q Junior held up a hand. 'Oh, that reminds me, Lieutenant Helo I repaired your raptor and it is better than new.'

Helo stared at him. 'When did you find the time?'

'Last two sleep quarters when you were all resting.'

'Don't you ever rest?' asked Kara.

Q Junior had a mysterious smile on his face. 'When I feel like it.'

"Captain, what about Caprica Six and Balter?" Everyone looked at Anders. "Are they aware of this mission?"

"No," replied Logan. "However, I'm glad you brought them up. I'm considering taking Six along for this mission." He looked at Kara as if waiting for a spontaneous reaction but for once the colonial officer was calm.

Wonders would never cease.

"I'm sure you're wondering why. We're yet to get any intel from her and this may be the way to do it."

"She's gonna be a security risk," said Laura.

"And sir, may I suggest that the moment she does that; it would be best to put her down," said Kara.

Logan raised an eyebrow. Yep, still the same old hot-headed Starbuck. "Your suggestion is duly noted." He looked around the room. "Any other questions?"

They all shook their heads.

"Alright," said Logan "everyone needs to make their final preparations for this journey; we're leaving in less than ten hours.'

#

The Galactica; the medical bay…

Roslin tried to keep her face calm as she approached Cottle's office. Once the Xavier crew had agreed to join Admiral's Adama away mission, she had thought the first phase of treatments would be postponed until they returned.

However; Dr Grey had surprised her and Cottle when she stated there would be one assessment and possible treatment before they left. Roslin wanted to find some way to put it off but the female medic just looked at her as if she knew what she was thinking and the President of the Colonies found herself going silent.

Jean Grey was one scary human.

'You look nervous.' Roslin quickly looked at Tory Foster; her PA had a worried expression on her face.'

"I'm about to be exposed to alien tech, even if it's from the Thirteenth Colony. Of course, I'm bloody nervous!" whispered the female president.

"You can always back out."

Oh and how she wanted to but deep down Roslin knew that would be a stupid call to make.

She took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

Barely five heartbeats passed before it was yanked open to reveal a perpetually pissed off Dr Cottle. "Good; you're both here, get in now."

Tory gave Roslin a reassuring pat on the shoulder as both women entered the office.

Though she knew who to expect; the president found Q Junior's presence startling.

He smiled brightly at her. "Good morning Madame President and Ms Foster."

Tory gave him a cautious nod while watching him closely.

Jean smiled warmly at the two women. "Madam President I hope you rested well and Ms Foster; it's good to see you again."

Cottle clapped his hands. "Nice; now that we've got greetings out of the way, can we please do some real medical work? So Junior; what have you got for Roslin over here?"

The president sighed. "I'm right here Sherman."

"Yeah and not for long if we don't get you fixed." He turned back to a calm looking Q Junior "so, what you got in your bag of tricks?"

"This," replied Q Junior as lifted a slim compact grey briefcase. He started explaining as he began to remove the contents. "I have here a much smaller version of the bio-beds we have on the Xavier. With these small rods I can do a mapping of the spread of the cancer from head to toe; as well as identify the primaries and secondaries and begin the first phase of treatment which in this case will be non-invasive."

Tory folded her hands. "How is that going to help?"

"Mapping of the cancer will reveal what I will describe as the roots of this malady," he continued assembling his device "then we will blast the roots with a particular non-lethal mild radiation thus killing them and preventing it from spreading. Short and long-term side effects may be dizziness and nausea, there are oral treatments for those if necessary."

"I'm getting only radiotherapy?" asked Roslin in a calm voice.

Q Junior looked at her. "For now; subsequent treatments depend on how well the phase one treatment goes."

The president and her PA shared a worried look.

"You've had radiotherapy before Laura," said Cottle in a surprisingly gentle voice "more than once. However, Q's treatment is a whole lot different."

"How do you know this?" demanded Foster.

The colonial doctor snorted. "I've been reading the Starfleet Medical Articles. Did you know that Earth finally conquered all forms of cancer 50 years after they first made contact with the Vulcans ?"

Roslin and Foster just stared at him then looked at Dr Grey.

"True; Earth with the help of their allies were able to cure most diseases, especially cancer. We can attempt the same for you if you're willing."

"It's ready," said Q Junior as he stood up. Everyone looked at the device. It was circular and flat and big enough for one person to stand on.

"Please stand in the center."

For a long moment, Roslin was frozen in place; her uncertainty growing. She really wanted to run out of the medical bay but she closed her eyes for a long moment. Around her the others kept silent; as if aware that an internal struggle was taking place.

When she opened her eyes again; she took a deep breath and stepped into the circle while ignoring the worried look on Foster's face.

"Please stand still," said Q Junior in a calm voice as his fingers flew over the screen of his epadd. There was silence as a ring of white light appeared at the base of the circular structure. Roslin had to force herself not to give in to her panic and jump off the device.

The ring rose slowly and passed her feet; then ankles and knees.

Q Junior kept his gaze on the screen of his epadd, making small adjustments as the ring of light rose higher until it passed her head.

"Does it hurt?" asked Foster.

Roslin blinked. "No, I didn't feel a thing? Was that the treatment?"

Dr Grey shook her head. "That was the mapping."

"Correct," said Q Junior as he looked up; he had a grim expression on his face.

"And yes, your cancer is widespread and is of a particular aggressive strain."

Roslin felt a bit angry, not at Q but at the breast cancer. "Tell me something I don't know."

"I'm going to give you two rounds of treatment before the Xavier leaves."

Dr Grey shot Q a look of alarm. "I thought she only needed one for now."

Q Junior shook his head. "I didn't realize it was this bad; we need to stop this cancer in its tracks. President Roslin, do I have your permission to start the treatment with two rounds of targeted radiotherapy?"

Everyone looked at her; awaiting her reply.

However; in the end the choice was simple. Roslin was dying and she still wanted to live. She shed her misgivings aside. "You have my permission."

#

"Come in."

Lee entered the Admiral's office and at a glance realized that the Old Man was not alone. Colonal Saul Tigh was also in attendance. The XO nodded in his direction.

"Thanks for joining us Commander," said Admiral Adama. "The reason I called both of you is that I want you two to accompany the Xavier on this mission."

Both CAG and XO gaped at him. Tigh was the first to recover.

"Admiral; having your two most senior officials assigned to a dangerous away mission is not practical."

"I agree," said Lee Adama.

"The Xavier is risking everything on this mission," countered the Admiral. "Their captain; the medical officer; their only engineer, their navigator, a child and a Starfleet ship with a frighteningly intelligent A.I that keeps me awake at night. We need to show them that we are ready to take those risks as well; especially in matters that directly concern the Colonial Fleet."

Both senior officers looked uncomfortable with the decision; however, they knew that the Admiral's mind was made up.

"There is another matter that greatly concerns me. Captain Logan is going to include Caprica Six in the mission."

"Oh Hades no!" Tigh swore while Lee closed his eyes in frustration.

"That cannot be allowed…" began the CAG.

"I thought so at first then I realized this is the perfect opportunity to see if she can be trusted," interrupted the Admiral.

Tigh's eyes blazed with anger. "Sir, having that cylon killer as part of the mission is like pouring gasoline on a raging bonfire. She will frak us all over!"

Admiral Adama smiled coldly. "And I believe Captain Logan is aware of this as well; do recall what he and his daughter did on the basestar to anyone who endangered his team?"

Tigh backed down as he recalled the long metal razor sharp claws that was hidden in Logan's arms. Adama nodded when the expressions of both senior officers changed. Logan and his daughter were weapons of definite destruction. All that was needed was to point them in the right direction.

And there was still Dr Grey to consider.

"It's important that you work together with our brethren from the Thirteenth Colony. If there are any obvious cylon threats, I expect them to be dealt with as swiftly as possible."

"Yes Admiral." Chorused both senior officers.

"Dismissed."

#

The USS Okoye…

"Captain, we have an incoming transmission from Starfleet Intelligence."

The dark-skinned female Starfleet officer took her seat as she replied.

"On screen." The image of the planet they were in orbit of disappeared to be replaced by the serene Vulcan features of Admiral T'so'Krel.

"Captain S'Jadaka, report."

"We arrived Planet X1 forty minutes ago, Admiral. Preliminary scans have showed that there is no presence of significant biomass and the radiation encountered by Captain Archer's team has reduced slightly over the last century. We will take necessary precautions before we beam down to investigate."

The Vulcan admiral nodded slightly. "I eagerly await your report on your findings."

Captain Shurian S'Jadaka raised an eyebrow. Though the Admiral's features were without expression she suspected the Admiral was very curious about the dead planet below them.

"We'll keep in touch Admiral." She stood up as the image of her superior disappeared from the screen. "Commander Marins, you have the chair." She hurried to the turbolift.

In the transporter room; her away team was waiting. Among them was Commander Terry Pratt who was head of security; three security officers, one medical officer and Commander Pierce Barnes; her Number two."

Barnes had a serious expression on his face. "Captain, you should stay. I'm already going down there…" Shurian rolled her eyes at this old argument.

"And let you have all the fun? Nope; I'm coming along especially with how excited Admiral Krel is about this mission." She attached the bio-suit device to her arm and checked that it was functioning. Once activated the bio-suit would supply oxygen and keep her temperature well-regulated while shielding her from radiation and biological poisons in the planet's atmosphere.

"The Admiral was excited?" asked an amused Pratt. "You certainly don't see that every-day."

"She has a good reason to be quite curious about this planet. Engage suits," ordered Shurian. Each of the members of the away team scanned themselves and then each other to ensure all the suits worked. Once the all clear was given; the captain nodded at the Starfleet officer at the transporter controls.

"Beam us down Lieutenant Takeshi." A few seconds later the familiar whine of the transporters filled the air as the small away crew disappeared in a myriad of rainbow colors.

#

Shurian opened her eyes once she felt firm land under her feet. The use of transporters was always different for her.

For some reason the journey always seemed to lasted longer for her than others, at times she felt she was flying or floating in air as she waited to materialize. A few times she had opened her eyes during the transport to find herself alone in a void.

When she realized that this was occurring; she presented herself to the medical division of Starfleet Intelligence for a barrage of tests and in the end, they could only guess at the reason. The conclusion had been linked to her heritage. Shurian was a descendant of the Kings and Queens of Wakanda and thus could be called at any moment to carry the mantle of the Black Panther. It was for this reason that Starfleet Intelligence had recruited her as a child.

Who would not want to have the possible powers of the Panther Gods aiding Starfleet?

"You okay captain?" said Barnes. Shurian smiled at the concern in his eyes. He knew of her 'unique' transport experiences.

"Always, Commander." The smile slid from her face when she looked at their desolate surroundings. It looked worse than she expected. The sky had a reddish grey tint to it and the dark-red landscape was pitted with craters and barren of life.

"How close are we to the nearest ruins?" asked Shurian.

"About an eight minutes walk," replied Pratt.

"Anything on the tricorders?" asked Barnes. Sometimes there were things that the scanners of a Starfleet cruiser could miss.

"Just a lot of radiation," replied another officer. "No signs of life. No radio signals."

"I'm not getting anything telepathically either," said Medical Officer Lori Namirov, she was also a high level empath.

"Then let's move out," ordered Shurian.

True to Pratt's prediction, they reached the nearest ruins in seven minutes and fifty-five seconds. The captain and the others stared at the twisted crumbling metal and stone structures. Shurian knelt down beside the sand blasted rusting metallic form of what looked like a robot. It's legs had disintegrated away but the torso was still intact. This had to be a centurion; it was structurally similar to the images of the ones that the crew of the Xavier had encountered.

"This place has more radiation than where we touched down," said Lori as the medic used her tricorder on a soil sample that had been collected from the area around the disintegrated centurion.

"It was probably targeted because it was a dense population area," said Shurian as she placed her hand against a crumbling wall which had the imprinted image of a humanoid shape. It looked as if the unfortunate soul had been standing by the wall when the nuclear bombs fell. She tried and failed to imagine the degree of destruction that had sterilized an entire planet. The Dominion War had been devastating but not on this scale. This was genocidal.

That made her reluctant on what she had to do next; but they had their orders.

She looked at Commander Barnes, her friend and second in command.

"I'm ready," said the male officer as if he knew what she was thinking. She wanted to ask if he was sure but the look in his eyes forbade her going further.

"Ensign Patel, set up the device." One of the security team stepped forward and threw a small circular recording device into the air.

"Commander Barnes, you have the floor." He gave her a grim smile and closed his eyes, then he took a deep breath and put his hands together as if praying. Then, the surroundings began to rapidly change as if they were going back in time.

Which they weren't of course; instead he was showing them the memories of years before.

This was his mutant ability, a way of seeing and showing others the past without time travel. His gift was incredibly rare and Starfleet Intelligence was always on the lookout for other mutants who had his ability. His kind were also sorely sort after by the private investigators or the Earth Police. He could solve any murder or crime by simply retracing the memory and what was shown could be used as evidence in any Federation Court of Law.

As admirable as his gift was; it also came with a cost. If he relieved happy memories; there was no harm done but when he relieved terrible events, it left him physically and emotionally unwell. And the further in time he went back in, the more the side effects

Shurian was worried about how the death of an entire planet could affect him.

For some time; the landscape kept changing while the ruins remained the same and then suddenly the area was engulfed in fire and falling bodies, then as Barnes kept reversing his memories; those bodies got up and were walking around. That was when he stopped the memory and let it move forward naturally. Shurian's eyes narrowed when she was his strained features; already Lori was moving forward as she used her tricorder to check the male commander's vitals.

"Pulse is at 110 beats per minute; temperature is 37.5 celcius, respiratory is at 24 cycles per minute. On upper limit of normal and holding for now." The medic shared a concerned look with Shurian. But for how long could he hold this memory?

"I'm fine for now," said Barnes through gritted teeth as he kept his eyes closed. There was a sheen of sweat on his brow. "Please observe the surroundings, I can only hold this for at least five more minutes."

"I'll watch over him Captain," said Lori is a reassuring voice. Shurian reluctantly looked around and saw the previous dead inhabitants walking around as if it was a normal day.

She could even hear children laughing; birds singing and dogs barking.

Apparently; this area had been a park in the middle of the city.

The sky was a clear blue color; the city had a very modern feel to it with tall gleaming buildings and paved clean walkways while the human-looking cylons and robotic centurions mingled with each other. It soon became clear that the centurions were servile in this society. She witnessed three centurions cleaning up after cylon children who threw their garbage on the grass of the park, one centurion helped an elderly woman onto a hoverbike which moved away with the cylon once she was safely seated. At first glance; it all looked peaceful.

"Here it comes, look up" said Barnes as if in warning.

The away team looked up and saw numerous dots appear as if by magic in the sky.

The nukes were falling.

In reflex, Shurian closed her eyes as the bombs fell and flinched as the screams started only to be silenced by the fiery inferno that consumed the forgotten cylon city.

"Captain!" Lori's worried tone had her opening her eyes and turning in time to see Barnes pitch forward as he began to shake uncontrollably. Shurian caught him before the medic could.

"It's okay; let the memory go," Lori hovered nearby. She could not give him a sedative; that may strand him in the memory and render him insane.

The death continued around them as the away team looked in horror. Shurian began to rock her second in command. "Come back to us, let the memory go." It seemed to take forever than the surroundings changed to the current situation.

Shurian's heart was in her mouth as Lori did a quick examination. "He's asleep now; heart rate is down to normal as well as his breathing. His mind is his own."

The captain let out a relieved breath. "Let's go home, we have what we need." And Starfleet Intelligence better be satisfied because she will not be subjecting Barnes to this again.

#

Hi everyone; I am so sorry this has been a very late update. Life has been a bit stressful for me. However; there is always something to be thankful for. I aim to make my life to be more productive as well as enjoy it. Writing makes me happy; and I plan to do a lot of that in the future. Thanks again everyone!"