CHAPTER 54 of the Phoenix and the Wolverine.

*I DO NOT OWN THE RIGHTS TO BATTLESTAR GALACTICA OR XMEN. PLEASE READ AND ENJOY*

Private quarters, the USS Dunkirk…

"You're watched the report?"

At least three times, thought Lieutenant Harrison. "Yes Admiral."

Right at that moment he was on an encrypted vid call with Admiral T'so'Krel and Captain S'Jadaka of the USS Okoye. Apparently once Starfleet Intelligence had verified that Planet X1 was the doomed original Thirteenth Colony of Kobol; the Admiral just happened to be on a Starfleet vessel mere light years from the USS Okoye.

The Admiral was currently in Captain S'Jadaka's ready room.

"How fares Commander Barnes?"

The female captain of the USS Okoye smiled. "He is better and wishes to get back to work as usual."

Harrison smiled gently to hide his relief. He, Shurian and Barnes had been in the same training unit; their bond went back decades.

He could only imagine what Commander Barnes must have experienced when he relieved the memories of all the ghosts on that dead planet. When Harrison watched the report the first time; he had felt out of his depth.

He and the others on board the USS Dunkirk had suspected Planet X1 was the original home of the Thirteenth Tribe of Kobol. To now have it confirmed was akin to have a ticking fusion bomb dropped on his lap.

Should he share this information with the others? Would it cause more harm than good? If this got to the colonials; he suspected the rate of depression would increase and that suicide rates would sky-rocket.

Should he perpetuate the lie that his Earth was the Thirteenth Tribe?

"Back to the matter at hand," said the Vulcan Admiral. "It is without a doubt that the new data we have obtained is an extremely sensitive one. I don't have to tell you to proceed with caution."

On the other end, Harrison had to suppress his grimace. Tell me something I don't know.

"Apart from that you have a new assignment." Harrison raised an eyebrow; at times he could swear that Admiral T'so'Krel was more than just mildly telepathic.

"Yes Admiral?"

"The recruitment of Laura Kinney."

This time he could not hide his surprise.

"She is at the right age for training, in addition it is apparent that Q Junior cares greatly for her. Recruiting both of them would benefit Starfleet Intelligence greatly."

What was left unsaid was the great untold losses of Starfleet officers during the Dominion war and many of them had been in the Intelligence branch. However; the powers that be had refused to lax the rules for recruitment which was why more than six years after the war; the Intelligence branch was still the most depleted.

"Admiral," began Harrison carefully "despite the report I submitted on her insubordinate behavior; you wish to recruit her?"

"Actually; as illogical as it seems, that is the exact reason we need her. She thinks on her feet and adapts quickly despite being more than 300 years out of time. It is only logical that she is selected whilst there is still time to shape her mind."

In the background he saw Shurian give the Admiral an odd look.

"Excuse me Admiral; but considering what the girl has been through in the early part of her life, she will be resistant to joining Starfleet Intelligence. She will suspect we only see her as a weapon."

"I agree with Shurian," said Harrison.

Admiral Tso'Krel gave the female Captain and Harrison an expressionless look.

"Then it is up to Lieutenant Harrison to change her mind."

####

In an unidentified region of space…

"All team players including the Xavier have arrived at the first set of co-ordinates."

"Thanks Rogers," said Helo as he checked his console; the repaired raptor was humming along happily and he also noted that his raptor had been the first to arrive before the colonial ships. This was the first of nine planned jumps, they would wait here for at least twenty minutes while the colonial ships cooled; then five minutes to departure, the Xavier would leave first and thus reach their next destination before the colonials.

It sounded simple but Helo knew that anything could go wrong at the worst possible time.

"How's she doing?" Tyrol's voice interrupted the captain's thoughts.

"Purring like a razor-cat," answered Helo as he turned to look at the colonial engineer. "How are the passengers?"

"Nervous as only colonial marines get, though that may be because of the XO," said Tyrol in a dry tone.

Rogers hid a smile as he concentrated on his controls. It only grew when he got a ping from the Xavier.

"Raptor One do you read? This is Ensign Kadretti."

"We read you over," said Rogers while trying to keep his voice calm.

Helo saw Tyrol give the young colonial pilot a knowing look. Did everyone back on the Galactica know already? He turned his attention back to the comms when Captain Logan stated speaking.

"We appear to be the only ones in this sector; Q Junior will continue a systems wide scan for the next 15 minutes. Sit tight my friends."

"Yes sir," chorused Helo, Rogers and Tyrol at the same time. The three shared a look. That response had been automatic even though Captain Logan wasn't a senior colonial officer but by the Lords he had earned that respect.

"What do you think we'll find where we're going?" Tyrol and Helo looked at Rogers.

The colonial ensign sighed. "I haven't seen anything guys."

Tyrol shrugged. "Old dead ruins with traps similar to the one on Hera's planet I guess. Well, at least we're going in with the Xavier. This may turn out to be a walk in the park my friends."

Helo tried to ignore the odd feeling in his gut. "I sure hope so."

#####

"System check completed. We're alone here," said Q Junior as he turned from his station.

"Good," said Logan even though he felt tense. This was the first hour of the mission and already he suspected he had forgotten something important. "Q, we still got those suits we used on the base-star extraction mission?"

Oma seemed startled at the enquiry while Q Junior gave him a puzzled look at first then understanding dawned.

"You think we're gonna need them?" asked Laura from her station.

I hope not. Thought Logan. "It never hurts to be prepared."

Q Junior suddenly turned to study Oma. "That just gave me an idea."

The female Starfleet ensign was a bit concerned by the intense look in the Junior Q's eyes.

"Q, what are you thinking?"

"I need to add something to all our suits. Captain, if I may have your permission?" he seemed almost jittery with excitement.

"You're excused," said a curious and slightly worried Logan. Q Junior shot out of his seat and ran for the turbolift.

Crew quarters…

Six had an urge to get up and pace. The holodeck was off limits until they reached their new destination. This 'mission' had her on edge.

"Mind telling me what's bothering you?" asked Baltar who had been watching her jittery movements.

"Something is off about this mission."

The former president of the Twelve Colonies blinked. "Excuse me?"

Six stood up and started walking back and forth as if trying to release nervous energy. "They are heading towards another set of co-ordinates found in the Scrolls of Kobol. That is exactly how we found the Xavier the first time yet something doesn't make sense."

Baltar waited for her to continue.

"I'm getting the impression that this base is unknown to Captain Logan and his crew; but yet, they are eager to explore this place with the colonials." She paused in her pacing and looked at the door of her quarters. "Maybe I should discuss this with the captain…"

"I don't think that would be wise," said Baltar. Six stared at him. "Haven't you noticed something else about Captain Logan?"

"Like what?"

"Compare him to Captain Sisko, Commander Dax and the other Starfleet senior officers we had the chance to observe in the holo-vids of Deep Space Nine. He is clearly not like them."

He saw understanding reluctantly dawn on the female cylon's face. Six knew he was right. The time spent in the holo-vids of Deep Space Nine had been truly educational. At first, she was stunned by how accepting the members of the Federation were; especially their military. Starfleet was a dream come true and she envied them their unity. Most of the officers seemed outgoing and ready to help and also, she felt they would be easy to manipulate.

But not Captain Logan.

He was a man of a different brutal era that was almost akin to the war between the cylons and colonials 60 years ago. He would have fitted in Twelve Colonies and she could almost picture him in a colonial uniform…or as a cylon.

Captain Logan would see right through her act and she didn't want to even consider the consequences…then there was Dr Grey.

Six closed her eyes as she sat down wearily. Once again, she almost walked into a fire of her own choosing. How could she forget the abilities of the female medic? Abilities that she was too scared to contemplate?

She turned to speak to Baltar.

"This is the captain speaking." Logan's voice filled the cabin. "Prepare for warp; please stay in your quarters if you don't have duties assigned."

Baltar and Six looked at each other. That meant them.

"I guess all we have to do now is wait…and pray," said Six with a sigh while ignoring the disapproving look on Baltar's face.

####

Natalie stared at the readouts on the screen. It had taken Red One and his team two hours to cover a quarter of the planet's surface and they were yet to find any surface dwellings. She had even questioned Hellena Tighris or Ellen Tigh who had stated repeatedly that she didn't recognize the planet. Eventually, Natalie was forced to believe her. Both of them knew that the longer they stayed the sooner Cavil found them.

But they couldn't leave. Somewhere on this planet was hidden the location of Earth. This was a race for survival.

"Leoben are you sure you got the co-ordinates, right?" asked Boomer. Natalie turned in time to see the male cylon glaring at the number eight.

"Absolutely."

"Then why are we having difficulty in finding any structures?'

"Because you don't have a powerful signal being boosted from the surface of the planet like Hera's planet," said Ellen Tigh from her station. The three younger cylons stared at her.

"Let's be honest with ourselves; this is going to take longer than we planned. Rather than us bickering; we should be concentrating on ways to narrow down the search."

Natalie bit back a retort. Ellen was right.

"Send another team down," said Leoben. They looked at him. "They can search from the opposite farthest point from Red one. That way we cover more ground in less time."

Ellen smiled approvingly at the male cylon. "Excellent idea." Leoben smiled back as if basking in her approval.

Natalie and Boomer shared a silent look. Ellen was gradually asserting herself among them.

Just like a cylon agent.

"Fine; I'll get to it," said Boomer after a few moments.

###

"Second site reached," announced Oma as the Xavier from warp. She quickly checked the sensors. "We're alone for now captain."

"Status of the colonials?" asked Logan.

"They will be here in twenty-six seconds," stated Laura from her station. No one mentioned Q Junior's absence. Apparently; he was still in the labs working on their uniforms.

"Here they are," said Laura as the small colonial escort arrived.

"Hail them," ordered Logan as Q Junior emerged from the turbolift with a large box.

"Sorry, I took so long; this will be worth it." He quickly walked to his station as the colonial ships arrived.

"Xavier we read you, sitrep?" It was the CAG.

"Commander Adama; the coast seems clear. We can wait for fifteen minutes before jumping for the next set of co-ordinates."

"I believe we can shorten the wait period to ten minutes for now. Chief Tyrol has stated all the raptors and vipers will tolerate the jumps."

Logan raised an eyebrow; someone was eager to get to the final destination alright.

"Fine; we'll go in ten minutes then. Xavier out."

Logan waited until they were disconnected before turning to Q Junior. "So, what's in the box?"

Q Junior was only too happy to tell them all. "Your new upgraded uniforms with strands of neutronium."

Oma gasped. "What? How!?"

Logan was confused. "What the heck is that?"

"Only the most indestructible alloy in the universe," replied Laura to his surprise.

"Adamantium is second only to neutronium and a lot heavier as well." She smiled at Q Junior. "I like how you think."

But Oma was still in shock. "That metal is highly unstable. You can only manipulate it at extremely high temperatures, how were you able to incorporate it into the uniforms without blowing up the replicator?"

Q Junior grinned at her and tapped the right side of his nose. "Q Trade secret. Also, with this new uniform Oma, you can fly just like Magneto."

Oma's exasperated expression turned to one of excitement. "Seriously?"

Logan hid a grin, Q junior sure knew how to deflect. "Regardless of how he did it; I'm glad we have it just in case we run into armor piercing bullets again."

"Enough talking; let's try them out," said Laura as she also rubbed her hands in glee. Q junior started handing out the uniforms from the open box.

"Oma you have the conn. Q give me Jean's, she'll get it when I pay her a visit." The two younger teenagers gave him sly smiles while Ensign Kadretti kept her face professional out of respect.

Logan rolled his eyes and left the three teenagers.

###

Logan walked into the medical bay to find Jean busy at the replicator.

"It looks like you're preparing for battle," she looked up from loading new bandages into a transparent box.

"Only God knows what we will find at wherever it is we're going." She noticed the folded uniforms. "What's that?"

"Q upgraded our x-men uniforms to withstand armor piercing rounds. This is yours." Jean took the uniform and looked at it for a long moment.

"I never knew I would ever wear it again."

"I think you should wear it each time you visit any of the colonial ships. As a precaution," added Logan hastily as Jean glanced at him.

She glided up to him and placed a hand on his chest. Logan stared at her with an intense look.

"As long as you wear yours," said Jean in a low voice as she slowly kissed him. Only a uniform separated them. Eventually they broke apart.

"We need to have another dinner," said Jean in a breathless voice. Logan nodded; not trusting himself to speak.

"A longer one this time," said Jean again. Logan closed his eyes and growled softly.

"After the mission when we get some peace and quiet."

"Amen to that," said Jean. Both of them looked at the bandages left to be packed. A sobering fact that the unknown lay in-front of them.

###

"Jump four completed; Xavier has informed us the coast is clear. We move out in ten minutes."

Saul Tigh tried not to grimace as he heard Lee's voice. They had five more jumps to do and he felt worse the longer time passed. Saul hated missions with a passion; only the Admiral knew this. He had always been that way since the Caprica Academy days. He would always complete his tasks but with a frown and lots of swearing.

But this was something more. He knew who was flying the raptor and he had bid his time before making his presence felt. It was about time.

The colonial marines fell silent when the senior colonial officer stood up and walked towards the flight cabin.

"…so you think the warp core extends the entire width of the ship?" Tigh heard Tyrol ask Rogers.

"I think so…"

"And you didn't ask?" asked befuddled Tyrol.

"Of course not; he doesn't want to piss them off now, does he?" said Tigh to the shock of the three junior colonials he crept up on.

"Sir!"

"At ease boys." Saul strained his neck around Tyrol's shoulders to look at the readouts. Truth be told the cabin felt a bit cramped with all four of them present.

"I must say that this craft looks a bit newer than the others," he glanced at Tyrol. "I had no idea you had that much time on your hands."

The three colonials looked a bit uncomfortable until the chief spoke. "It wasn't me sir. Q junior replicated most of this ship."

Tigh's expression sharpened. "And you didn't tell me!"

Chief Tyrol sighed. "Does it matter sir?" His voice was respectful.

The silence lingered until the XO shrugged. "I guess not." Helo and Rogers seemed relieved.

But Tigh wasn't done yet. "Ensigns Rogers; you felt anything yet?"

The junior colonial officer shook his head. "Nothing sir."

"Make sure you inform me the moment you…sense something."

"Yes sir," said Rogers.

"As you were," then Tigh left them to gossip.

###

"We found something. Here are the co-ordinates."

Natalie sat up quickly as Red One's voice came over the link. Around her in the CIC; the other cylons scrambled to locate the oddity.

"I will attain higher altitude to send you the recorded feed of the structure we found."

Natalie felt her heart rate increase. They had been searching the surface of this Gods-forsaken planet for the past five hours and thirty-two minutes and this was the first sign of progress. The vid-feed came on and it showed a very blurry image of a door carved into the side of a hill.

"We believe there is an underground structure."

"That's why we couldn't find anything on the surface," said Boomer quietly.

"But why is it underground?" asked Ellen Tigh. "Was it being hidden?'

Natalie wasn't worried about that; she was more excited that this had not been a wasted journey.

Boomer was eyeing Ellen. "Shouldn't we be asking you that question? This is one of the bases of the Thirteenth Colony that you claim to be a member of."

Ellen gave her a cold look. "As I said before I don't remember this place and that's probably due to mental and physical torture that your dear brother subjected me to!"

"Ladies," Natalie's firm voice had both women backing down. "This is neither the time or place to start arguing. Remember that Cavil is looking for us, please direct your ire towards more productive actions."

Natalie turned back the grainy image before her. "We need to get those doors open. Red One you read?"

"Red One here, I can take a team down and attend to those doors right away." For some reason that suggestion filled her with dread.

"No, Red One. Stay in the air and survey the planet for more structures. I'll assemble two teams of six, with three centurions and three cylons on each team. They will work on getting the doors opens and undertake the exploration."

There was silence for a moment.

"Affirmative." She hid her relief; for one second, she had been sure he would disagree. Natalie suspected that one day she would give him an order and he would disobey.

"Excellent. Stay vigilant. We'll inform you when the teams are ready to disembark." Natalie quickly left the CIC.

###

Rogers checked the chronometer; his eyes felt gritty from lack of sleep. To be honest this has been the longest he had been awake from weeks. His stay on the Xavier had spoilt him. He glanced at Helo. The colonial captain was taking a short power nap as they waited in their current location for fifteen minutes.

This was their seventh jump; just two more to go then… Roger's suddenly felt a pressure build up at the back of his eyes.

He was having another vision. He tried and failed in preventing himself from crying out. The colonial ensign was so distracted by the pain that he missed seeing Helo being jolted awake.

"Rogers! You okay?"

The ensign didn't hear him past the roaring in his skull. He tried to hold on to the vision but the pain worsened then as if from afar he heard a familiar dark feminine voice.

Let it come to you. Don't chase it.

The Phoenix had been trying to tell him something. Roger found himself 'stop' reaching for the vision. He forced himself to pull away and also 'look' in a different direction. For a second of eternity, nothing seemed to happen and then suddenly he was thrust into the middle of a place straight out of Hades.

He was standing in the middle of a burning facility, there was smoke and visibility was down to zero. Rogers was aware of the fact that he could breathe easily; he tried to walk but kept stumbling over an uneven ground that felt suspiciously soft. His mind told him he should recognize what he was walking on.

Suddenly a horrifying thought came to his mind; he began to wave his hands at his feet to clear the smoke and when the ground became visible he gasped in despair.

So many dead bodies everywhere; some were cylons. Mostly the Number Eights and Sixes and a few Number Twos, but in between them were colonial bodies and centurions. His horror grew as he recognized the corpses of Anders, Starbuck, Captain Helo, Colonel Tigh, Commander Lee Adama and Chief Tyrol. Then a familiar red and black Starfleet uniform caught his eyes and he stumbled towards it. He turned the body, trying to deny what was before him until, he saw the unseeing dead eyes of Ensign Ihuoma Kadretti.

He opened his mouth to scream.

"Rogers! Wake up!" He abruptly came back to the present to find Helo, Tyrol and Colonel Tigh staring at him with scared expressions.

"What the frak….?" Began the XO.

Rogers took a deep breath. "I need to speak to the Xavier right now."

Saul Tigh narrowed his one eye. "Not until you tell us what you saw."

Rogers swallowed hard. "I saw Death."

###

The crew of the Xavier listened silently to Rogers as he recounted his vision. The mood was solemn when he finished. Finally, Jean broke the silence.

"Do you know what caused the fire or the deaths?"

"No, Dr Grey."

"Apart from Oma, did you see anybody else from the Xavier crew?" asked Laura.

"No, Cadet Kinney."

"Rogers, what was I wearing?" asked Oma in a calm voice. Laura gave her a look of respect. Despite hearing about her apparent death, the female ensign was being quite composed.

"Your red and black Starfleet uniform but how is that significant?" On the Xavier, the crew looked at each other with expressions of hope.

"Oh, it's important," said Q Junior. "Also, what were the other dead wearing?"

"The dead colonials were in their uniforms as for the cylons, they weren't exactly in uniform. Please, I'm trying to understand why the question?"

"Because a few hours ago, Q Junior upgraded our battle gear," replied Logan. "I was planning to wait until we get to our destination before deciding on whether we would need it. But after hearing this; we'll all change into the new gear until this mission is over."

The crew of the Xavier nodded solemnly.

"I don't suppose you have any more Starfleet gear for the rest of us." Asked Lee Adama in a dry voice.

Logan was about to say no, then he looked at the rest of the crew. One by one they nodded their heads.

"In fact, we're gonna have new gear for all of you."

There was stunned silence from the other side. "I appreciate that Captain Logan." Said a shocked Colonel Tigh.

"Ensign Q Junior, can you get them ready before the next jump?" Asked Commander Adama in a skeptical tone.

"Yes sir," answered the young Q confidently. "I'll beam over now for measurements. Please inform your marines so that they don't shoot me when I appear."

"Certainly." Said Commander Adama who sounded as if he was still trying to recover from his surprise.

####

Tigh fought to keep his heart rate under control as Q Junior materialized in a rainbow of colors. He had heard the description from the debriefs but seeing it was a different matter altogether. He watched the gathered marines greet him as if he was one of their own. They clapped him on the shoulders as if he was their little brother. He wondered how they would react if they realized that he was just a sentient hologram.

Q Junior acknowledged Tigh with a courteous greeting and asked if he would like to be assessed first for the new gear. Tigh was conscious of the marines watching.

"Sure, do it," he ordered gruffy. Q Junior smiled and used the 'tricorder' that appeared in his right hand to start scanning the senior colonial officer. Tigh prayed his fear didn't show as he gave his consent but the knowing smile on Q Junior's face made him realize the little prick was quite perceptive.

Maybe, too perceptive for a walking and talking AI, was the stray thought that crossed his mind.

One thing he would commend Q Junior on was that he was quick; efficient and definitely knew what he was doing. Q Junior quickly assessed all the marines and Rogers, Helo and Tyrol, he did leave a PADD with Rogers, then promised to be back with the new gear in exactly fifteen minutes.

Once the Starfleet ensign disappeared; Tigh went looking for Rogers.

He found the colonial ensign typing quickly into the PADD.

"What did he give you?"

Rogers looked up briefly. "Sir, he wants me to describe the vision as best as I can so that the program he downloaded to this PADD can create a holo-projection. It's very possible that what I saw was a cylon installation, sir." The XO watched keenly as Rogers typed in a description then several realistic pictures would pop up and Rogers would pick the one that fit his 'vision'. Gradually a video began to take shape and Tigh found himself even more impressed.

"Hmm," growled XO. "The boy thinks fast, I'll give him that." Then a random question popped into his head. "What kind of a name is Q Junior anyway?"

Helo and Tyrol shared an amused look. "Maybe he's named after his creators, Sir." Suggested the chief engineer.

Tigh raised an eyebrow. "So, his creator is called Mr or Miss or Doctor Q?" He shook his head. "Boy, our Earth brethren are strange ones."

"Maybe his creator is an alien, sir," said Helo with a smile.

The XO sighed. "Very frakking likely with everything we've heard and seen."

Fifteen minutes passed very quickly as the XO watched over Roger's shoulder as he recreated his horrific vision. Tigh's impression gave way to concern as video on the PADD took shape. Getting a 'visual' warning of the trap they were walking into was no joking matter and the video had been made available by Starfleet tech that was beyond any colonial or cylon tech.

The Gods had been good to Earth.

Where and how had the Colonies lost their way? Tigh shook his head, he must be going senile for thinking of religion at this point. He had never put much stock in prayers and divine intervention.

"Delivery is here!" Announced Q Junior in a too cheerful voice once he materialized with boxes of gear that had experienced colonial marines rubbing their hands with glee like kids opening presents on Martyrs Day. The XO thanked Q Junior and found himself wondering about the time he had tried to space this smiling Starfleet cadet and Laura Kinney. By the Gods he wished he could take that time back.

(Martyrs Day is like Christmas Day!)

Q Junior looked at him gravely for a moment, then nodded, as if he knew what the old colonial officer was thinking. Tigh was still staring in the space Q Junior was as he disappeared in a rainbow of colors.

Too perceptive by half.

#####

Commander Adama looked at the extremely dark grey Starfleet battle suit with a bright light bronze X set in a circle over the right left shoulder Q Junior had stated the 'X' emblem had unique metal signature which could be used to beam up the colonials if things went 'south' during the exploration.

Lee wasn't sure what the term meant and his expression revealed that as Q Junior hurryingly explained that going 'south' on Earth meant matters going downhill.

The suit was extremely light; looked comfortable and easy to put on. At first glance it was easy to disregard it, but this was identical to what Logan and his crew had used to infiltrate the base-star.

And he had so wanted one of those suits after he had seen the damage Logan and his crew had wrought on the base-star.

"So, please remember. This may stop a bullet, but not a head shot," said Q Junior, he shrugged at the disappointed groans. "I know, I know but we didn't have time to plan for helmets. Please put these on, we'll be suiting up on the Xavier as well. See you all at the final destination."

"Thanks kid," shouted several of the marines.

"We appreciate this Ensign Q Junior," said Lee.

"You're welcome," said the Starfleet junior office before he disappeared in a rainbow of colors. Lee was staring at the space long after Q Junior disappeared. He was never going to get used to that piece of Starfleet tech. How could they bear to trust it? He shuddered at the thought of ever having to use it.

####