Thank you for the comments and welcome to new followers.

You get incredibly lucky that I am on break and, thus, have a bit more time than usual to write. This chapter is a bit longer than usual. The poem "Trust" is an original poem I have written about 18 years ago, when I was practicing English to write my doctorate thesis. It is part of a series of 80 poems written around those years. Only the author's name is changed ;)

As always, let me know if I miss something or if a mistake bothers you.

Chapter 28

Helena and Dr. Inoue were puzzled at the turn of events. They were supposed to be at the villages at the bottom of the trail. The high cliffs were making nearly a perfect circle barring any further descent. Could it be the remains of an ancient caldera? The walk had been exhausting, because of the heat and the humidity, and they welcomed the rest. Dr. Hsu came to sit by them.

'This is incredible," he said. "This place is definitely an ancient volcano. Basalt columns and natural caves! And where is the water going?"

Helena turned back to the waterfall. The waterfall was feeding the emerald green pool, but no stream was running away from it.

"Underground?" she questioned.

"Exactly" answered Dr. Hsu, "there has to be an underground river system that is fed by that pool".

"Where are we going from there?" asked Helena.

"That is what we need to find out." Takashi answered, getting up and approaching Sharon. As soon as they saw their team leader walk to Sharon, everyone got up to move and be included in the conversation.

"Sharon, it does not look like the trail is going further, this is a cul-de-sac"

"Yes" she nodded.

"Where are the villages?" He asked.

"They are not here," She answered. Dr. Inoue took a deep breath, trying to keep his frustration under control.

"We had an agreement, ratified by the UNESCO, UN and the Tanzanian Government. They have provided tremendous funds and equipment for us to get here. Our agreement was that we would be allowed to do some research on your population, including genetic testing, historical and linguistic research."

"That is right. Dr. Inoue, you and your team. Not them…" she showed the group of men they had recruited to carry the equipment and the UN soldiers. "We have remained hidden for centuries. We do not want to be discovered. You are bound by confidentiality agreements. They are not. You can establish your camp here under the canopy. It is a very safe place. You will not be attacked; nobody comes here. This valley is protected by our people. The troops will return to Bunduki, as well as your porters. Your team can stay."

"I understand your reservations and your fear is certainly legitimate in the world we are living in today. And I also understand that you are seeking for ways to support your community, including medical and educational help. We need access if you want this to happen. And we also need to be protected. I can't even begin to tell you how damaging to your cause it would be if anyone was attacked or injured on this mission." Dr. Inoue said firmly.

Sharon nodded, "I can guarantee to you that you will not be attacked by our people."

Takashi Inoue knew that sending the soldiers away presented a risk. They were carrying expensive equipment and would be vulnerable without protection. This part of the world was dangerous with numerous gangs and rebels operating against the government. How could they be sure they did not fall into a trap? They were in a remote place with only this woman to trust. It would be all too easy to kill them, steal and resell the equipment they had brought with them. He waved his team close to him and they deliberated the decision. Could they even take that kind of risk? Of course, there were also other risks due to the wild life inherent to any expedition in this country. Yet, it seemed that danger coming from humans was a lot more prevalent. Takashi knew that they were dealing with one of the most important discovery of human history. They had not shared yet the nature of their discovery with Sharon. Could they indeed keep this secret, if soldiers outside of their team were involved and stayed on site when they researched the language and their oral history? It was human nature to talk especially about such a discovery and Dr. Inoue had no legal way to make the soldiers sign confidentiality agreements without proper negotiations at a higher level of command. He knew that the UN soldiers had been briefed about the safety of the mission and its confidentiality, but they were only a mere escort, and no specifics had been precisely described and agreed upon. They were dealing with classified data and the soldiers had not been vetted properly to handle classified information. Dr. Inoue had not given or received any input on the terms negotiated between the UN, UNESCO, the Tanzanian government and the village chiefs. He was just the head scientist of the team, restricted only to the administration directly linked to the management of his team. He went to his bag and pulled a folder with the official papers regarding the mission. Indeed part of the agreement did not stipulate that their security guards remained on site. It only stated that their protection was needed during travelling until they reached their final destination. Was this an oversight or a deliberate point that had been negotiated? Takashi did not know; as a scientist, he had not been privy of the high level political negotiations that had been conducted over weeks.

Helena was adamant they were in the right place and she argued that this civilization had survived only by staying hidden. One could not blame them for making sure they remained that way. The others agreed with Helena and all wanted to stay despite the possible dangers. This was a difficult gamble and one Dr. Inoue did not take lightly. He reasoned that they would need to trust Sharon, knowing that their SAT phones allowed them to be located and to stay in touch in case of trouble. Dr. Inoue turned back to Sharon.

"Alright, they go back. But they leave us with some weapons, just in case we are attacked even by wild life."

"You won't need them," laughed Sharon.

The group started to build a more permanent camp, setting up tents sheltered by the tall trees, and placing crates with scientific material inside. They built work tents and personal quarters for the members of the team. They were done by the evening and it was agreed that the soldiers and porters would leave in the morning to give them enough time to climb back up the ridge. They built campfires and went to fill their water jugs by the waterfall. The evening barely brought the temperature down. They had a nice meal and everyone was quite content to finally relax. After eating, Takashi and Helena walked to the pool, laughing at John Evans who was swimming in the water and splashing Sharon, and sat on rocks nearby.

"He's such a kid," Takashi said.

"Do you think she can be trusted?" Helena asked, looking at Sharon who was now splashing water at John.

"I don't know, Helena… I'm trying to put myself in their shoes. We arrive with our modern civilization and our sophisticated equipment and we demand full access. We know that our actions will reveal them to the world. What right do we have to disturb their peace? After millennia of isolation?"

Helena nodded.

"Yeah, not complete isolation. I would say more… hum… a cultural mindfulness to preserve their identity" she sighed. "We have something to give them too. It is not a one sided discussion. We have discovered the manuscript of their origins; we have discovered their 'Dying Leader'. They have the right to know this."

Takashi nodded and looked at her.

The clearing was quite enchanting. Through the branches they could see a clear night sky, insects were chirping and the noise of the waterfall was like a lullaby.

"You want to go in?"

Helena turned to look at him, surprised by his question.

"You're not serious?" She said.

"You are telling me that Helena Harper, captain of her high school swim team and college athlete, is going to resist a natural pool like this one?"

On the other side of the pool, John and Sharon were now swimming in the water. Evelyne was sitting by the campfire with Liang Hsu chatting and drinking tea. The soldiers were talking with the porters.

"Why not?" He teased.

Helena considered his tempting offer. She had missed the water so much and her trip to the Indian Ocean was far back.

"Oh, ok, you win!"

Helena removed her heavy walking boots and socks and her light trekking pants, as well as her light long sleeve shirt. And, with a t-shirt and panties, jumped with the cool water.

She called Takashi from the water. "Your turn!"

Takashi removed his shirt and, in shorts, jumped after her. He swam to her.

"You did not think I was going to get naked for you?" She said, winking, and she swam to the waterfall splashing him in the process.

"You really have not changed," he stated, laughing at their banter.

She started to relax while swimming. The water was cool and welcoming at the end of a long walk in the hot and humid weather.

"This feels really good," she said, closing her eyes for a moment, and then laying back on the water to look up at the stars. He swam to her and looked at her peaceful face, a harmonious oval, her eyes looking in the distance and her blonde hair floating on the water around her face.

"It's beautiful," he whispered.

"It is," she agreed and she gently took his hand.

They just enjoyed the water in silence, swimming side by side and often looking at each other, aware of their mutual attraction. They noticed the camp had gone quiet too. The campfires had slowly died and most had already retreated to their tents. They were swimming closer to the waterfall, mindful not to get too close to the thundering water. This is when she saw it, a brief flash of orange light closer to the waterfall. She touched Takashi's shoulder lightly. He turned to her.

"What?"

"Shhh…" She pointed to the waterfall. And then he saw it too. It was barely visible and from their position in the water, it was difficult to know if it was close or far away. But clearly there was a dim orange yellow light, a flame maybe, flickering in the distance, disappearing and coming back randomly.

"What is that?" She whispered.

"A candle lantern?"

"Do you think it's moving?" She asked, worried.

"No, I think it is stationary, but the water is falling in front of it. So it looks like it comes and goes."

"The waterfall!" She grabbed his arm, "Takashi, there is a cave behind the waterfall. That's where the villages are. That's where they live. They are completely camouflaged that way." They realized that the entrance would not be visible from the banks of the pool, but where they had swum they just could see it. They nodded at each other and swam quietly to the side trying to see better from that angle. But the small light disappeared and they were left in the darkness, with only a half moon in the sky. They decided to swim back together to their clothes on the far side bank. They put their clothes back on without drying still a bit shaken by their discovery and walked quickly toward the camp. John, Evelyne and Liang had gone to sleep. A guard was up standing watch. They greeted him as they made their way in between the tents. They had small individual tents next to one another.

"Are we safe?" She asked.

"Well. If they want to come out and attack us, they can to that at any time. They would not risk it with the armed guards."

"But then, later?"

"I don't know. It's a gamble. It is up to us to decide, if we want to trust them."

"Trust…" She said, sighing.

"Yes, it's a tough decision." He added: "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm ok."

"I had a good time, tonight," he added

"Me too," she replied and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"We should sleep."

They hugged goodnight and she entered her tent, making sure not to leave any gap in the mosquito net.

"Once I heard the voice over the wireless, I knew it was him and my whole body felt a physical repulsion so strong I wanted to run, but instead stayed anchored in CIC. Baltar had returned. We had been harvesting algae that we found on the planet, which happened to have oceans fertile and literally covered by it. It was a real source of nutrition, we had to harvest and process as soon as possible. Then chief Tyrol found the Temple of the Five, which he recognized from the scriptures and as soon as this happened, Bill called me on Galactica and I went, guiding Tyrol over the wireless and identifying the temple, which was 4000 years old. From the scriptures, the temple was set to show us the direction to Earth, and a marker, the Eye of Jupiter, would indicate the direction to follow. The thirteenth tribe had left the Eye of Jupiter there during their journey. Old scriptures described the temple of Five precisely and Tyrol's father was a priest, who studied the scriptures, so Tyrol immediately recognized it from his childhood memories. That is when the cylons found us. But instead of taking advantage of the element of surprise, and attack us, they contacted us. Baltar spoke to us over the wireless and I felt my life draining out of me."

"Baltar wanted to meet with us and negotiate. I did not want to talk with him at all, certainly now, knowing he had been rescued by the cylons and had stayed with them since the evacuation of New Caprica. But Bill argued that allowing the meeting would spare us some time, and maybe our guys on the ground would find the Eye of Jupiter and have enough time to leave and get back before the cylons would attack them. So we set the meeting. I had not seen Baltar since his visit in my prison cell. He had, then, released me, after days of imprisonment. Later, when I was captured again, I could only assume that he ordered my execution, along with dozen of others. I could not bear to look at him, even if he clearly made an effort to talk to me in a friendly way. His attempts at negotiations were nothing but a deceptive way to reach to me. The cylons wanted something and they wanted the Eye of Jupiter. But when I looked at them, a Six, a Cavil and D'Anna and Baltar, I still felt the beatings on my body, the pain, the fear, the horror of what we had lived. I felt a repulsion so strong my stomach was churning. It took all of my strength to stay calm and straight, unable to make eye contact, looking over his shoulder instead. As the cylons spoke, I stared into the space of the room. And Bill, surely aware of my discomfort, did a terrific job negotiating with them, keeping the talks without giving anything. It was a game; we wanted to gain time. His military training was perfect for this. But when Baltar started to talk, my disgust reached an unbearable level and I said to Bill that I would not talk with him. I managed to walk calmly out of the room, as I heard him yell that he saved my life several times already. When the hatch closed behind me, I ran, almost stumbled to the nearest bathroom where I vomited, unable to control my nausea and the memories of my detention. My security guard then accompanied me to Bill's quarters and offered me a glass of water. I was grateful for this. Then, I laid on Bill's rack, his bed, wishing my nausea away and clenched my fists in anger. It is where and how I was when Bill found me a few minutes later. I was curled on my side on top of his blankets, eyes closed and so tense all of my muscles were aching.

'How are you? Your security guard told me you got sick.'

I could not even answer, fearing that any movement would bring the nausea back. I heard Bill moving in the room, shuffling objects on the side of the room and walking back to the rack where he sat down. The mattress dipped under his weight and my legs slid against him. He draped his right arm around my waist and very slowly made gentle circles on my lower back, where my scars lay.

'Am I hurting you?' He whispered.

I shook my head, no. I could feel his light touch through my blouse and emotion threatened to take me. I left my eyes closed and relented to the soft touch and all it was evoking to me. Then, I heard his voice:

'A book of Poetry by Alma Brown.

Trust,

An iridescent bubble

Rose up in the sky

Slowly, as the morning star,

And shimmered in

Glistening hues

Barely visible,

But for the ever-changing

Colors of angels,

It shivered in the air,

Threatened by the wind,

Fairy light,

And soul thin.

Fragile evanescence

Insubstantial purity,

A touch would soil it…'

I sighted deeply and relaxed into his voice and touch. The rhythm of his voice was like a lullaby. The poem described the travel of a soap bubble, so beautiful and light, a metaphor for trust. So fragile it can pop in an instant. I knew he did not choose this poem lightly. I knew he was saying something to me. Did we trust each other… really? Enough to let our secrets out? He had not trusted me enough to tell me about the story, which he believed started the second war. I had not trusted unconditionally that he would come back to save us on New Caprica. I had feared he had been killed, then. I had feared he would not come back, that unwillingly he had abandoned us. How much did Bill and I trust each other? We never used to. We started enemies. He put me in prison, when I committed mutiny with the help of his son and sent Kara Thrace retrieve the Arrow on the devastated Caprica. We came a long way together with all we shared as leaders and as persons. There was still so much we did not know about each other. I wonder if we ever would have the time to learn each other and share our past, our ideas and our most hidden secrets.

'Better?'

'Yes, thank you.'

I closed my eyes and rested for a few minutes. He stayed at my side, his hand never stopping the gentle circles he was making on my back."

"He helped me up and gave me a hug. I appreciated greatly the gentleness and intimacy of the moment. I gave him a grateful look.

'We have to go back to the CIC.' We walked together back from his quarters, his hand secured on my lower back, as a reminder of the comfort he just offered me. The situation was stalling on the surface. We could not find the eye, or even comprehend what it was, or what it meant, and the star was showing signs of instability. Cylons were also looking for the eye of Jupiter. I was trying to give as much information as possible to our teams down on the planet, chief Tyrol and Lee Adama, but the truth is that we had no idea what the Eye of Jupiter was or how to retrieve it. All we knew is that the cylons wanted it, because it indicated the way to Earth. If they did, we needed to find it first. And then, of course, the cylons jammed our wireless frequencies and we could not communicate with the ground anymore. We were in a race against time. Bill gave the order that if the cylons got there first and entered the temple, we needed to blow the whole thing up."

"Back in the lab and talking with lieutenant Gaeta, he explained that the star, around which the planet orbited, was on the verge of going nova. The light emitted by the star, in the blue frequencies was indeed blinding, an indication of the imminence of the explosion. We had little time to find the Eye of Jupiter and while crews explored the temple in and out, we had no idea what it looked like and what we were supposed to be looking for. Tyrol was trying to decrypt their old language from markings in the stone. We were stuck"

Thank you for reading. I cannot be sure when the next chapter will be.

Please leave me some comments and reviews. It is nice to know that you appreciate reading. :)