Chapter Five: The Journey
Senator Kinsey tried to rest comfortably in the back of his limo, but even after two days, he was still suffering from the sting of Chiana's well-placed knee. It was quite difficult for him to sit without feeling any discomfort and try as he might, when Kinsey walked, he moved like he was experiencing a bad case of constipation.
"Little bitch!" he muttered angrily. He vowed if Chiana ever made the mistake of returning to Earth, he'd be the one getting the last laugh.
"Trouble, my old friend?"
A man dressed in a long white and golden trimmed robe now sat across from him where there had been no one a moment before.
Surprised, Senator Kinsey sat up straight, making sure the dark privacy window was raised so his driver didn't know what was happening just behind him.
"Nothing to concern yourself with," Kinsey grumbled before adding, "You should be careful when you decide to appear."
His unexpected visitor ignored his last statement and instead said, "Your performance at the SGC could have been better. Now Crichton and the others are allying with Adama to try and stop the Cylons."
"What can they do against the Cylons besides offering themselves to be additional targets?" Kinsey asked.
"More than you can know. Crichton could be a powerful ally to Adama because he carries the knowledge of the Ancients. And then there's Chiana…"
Kinsey grimaced at the mere mention of the Nebari's name. "Daniel Jackson's slutty girlfriend! What can she do? Kick the Cylons between the legs?"
The man didn't share the senator's amusement. "Trust me when I say in the long term, she could be just as dangerous as Crichton."
Kinsey leaned back, to try and find a comfortable position in which to sit. "What makes her so special?"
"No need to worry. Forget about General Hammond for the time being and do your part as we had planned. You will be rewarded… Mr. President."
***
Colonel Jack O'Neill was having one of those mornings. The kind when you awaken in a groggy state and for the next several moments all you can do is just lay there wondering where the heck you are.
Through his sleepy haze, the first thing O'Neill saw was a field of stars… Was it still nighttime? He was looking through a window just two feet away, but the stars were moving…
He was on a spaceship… Talyn. A living ship… Right?
Then he took notice of the pool of warmth curled against his back… There was someone sleeping with him but who? The mysterious figure at his back suddenly cuddled closer up against his body. O'Neill quietly hoped it was female or this would be one very awkward moment that would haunt him to his dying day.
Under the blankets, a slender hand slithered around his body. It moved up and across his chest, passed his throat, over his mouth, finally reaching his face. The mystery hand lightly touched his nose before playfully squeezing it like it was a bike horn.
Beep-beep!
Okay, O'Neill was now wide-awake after that and everything came roaring back to him.
"Good morning, Sam," he whispered.
From behind his back, Carter rose up on one elbow, smiling down at him, saying in a teasing voice, "Sorry, did I wake you?"
O'Neill rolled onto his back to stare up at her appreciatively.
They were sleeping together in one of Talyn's compartment bunks. Being a young Leviathan, Talyn's living quarters were still not fully developed and sleeping accommodations were quite limited, so it was necessary for some of them to share bed space.
Not surprising, it didn't require much arm-twisting to get Daniel and Chiana to be bunkmates, but it floored O'Neill when Carter suggested they share a bed, too. Not that he minded, but he was worried they might be moving too fast. Much as he hated to admit it, Carter was still acting a few rounds short of a full clip at times. He was slightly relieved when she told him they would be sleeping together with shirts and shorts on. After five years of working together, side by side and forming a close friendship, O'Neill didn't want to do anything to ruin it.
Carter continued to smile down at him, saying, "Jolinar says good morning, too."
For a second, O'Neill frowned before reaching up and playfully pinching her nose, his frown changing to a smile. "Well, since Jolinar can hear me, good morning to you both."
The Tok'ra gave a sly grin before curling up against him. The two then slipped their arms about each other's bodies as they nuzzled up close.
"I'm glad this happened," Carter breathed softly as she rested her head on O'Neill's shoulder.
"Me, too," O'Neill answered as he held her close.
"No more Air Force rules or regulations standing between us."
O'Neill did his best Tarzan impression. "Me Colonel, you Tok'ra!"
Carter smiled at his ever-faithful attempt at humour. "I wish we could stay like this forever."
Slowly, O'Neill lifted up his arm and peeked at his watch. "I don't know about forever, but we still have fifteen minutes before we have to get up."
She closed her eyes and sighed contently. "That'll do for now."
***
Crichton was walking down the corridor when he heard Athena verbally giving Starbuck both barrels while waving one of his cigars in his face. He decided to hang back and make sure he didn't get caught in the crossfire.
"What have I told you, Starbuck?" Athena said angrily. "I said, no smoking while on Talyn! The pollutants in just one of those things irritate his neural circuits."
"Okay, okay!" Starbuck held up his hands, as if to surrender. "So I forgot, I promise it won't happen again."
Athena took in a breath and relaxed a bit before shoving the cigar she held back into his front jacket pocket.
"Just make sure that you don't forget."
When she turned and left, Crichton stepped out of hiding and moved towards Starbuck. The Colonial warrior looked over as he approached.
"I guess you overheard?"
"Yeah," Crichton replied. "With all the yelling, I was glad no weapons were pulled."
Starbuck sighed and pulled out his cigar, sniffing it. "It's going to be a long trip since I can't have a smoke. Boy, I can't wait to get to Earth so I can light up any time I want."
Now Crichton couldn't help but laugh, saying, "As a favour, I'll tell you something else about life on Earth, it's called a no smoking law. You could always quit…?"
Starbuck shook his head, laughing at the thought. "The day I quit is the day I become a woman."
"Be careful what you say out here," an amused Crichton warned. "Things in the Uncharted Territories tend to happen."
***
It was the morning shift on Talyn and the Hynerian Dominar was steering his throne sled down the corridor with his two Cylon Honour Guards in tow. Rygel knew how uncomfortable the two reprogrammed Cylon Centurions made everyone feel, especially the Colonials, but the Hynerian loved having them around. They had all the qualities that made them perfect servants for a person of his important stature. The two Cylons were strong, loyal and best of all only spoke when spoken to.
Rygel finally arrived at Adama's quarters, one of a few tiny, private living areas on Talyn. He turned to face his two guards. "You two wait here for my return."
The two towering machines nodded and droned in unison, answering, *"By your command."*
Rygel smiled in self-satisfaction. He also loved ordering these two around, just to hear them saying that one line, *By your command!*
After knocking on the door, it opened a couple of microts later, permitting the Dominar to enter. Inside, he found a somewhat exhausted Adama – the dark circles under the Human's eyes told Rygel that much – seated at a small table going over pages of documents.
"Did you actually stay up all night reading those intelligence reports?"
"I did," Adama replied softly. "And the more I read, the less I care for the Scarrans, even more than the Peacekeepers."
Rygel maneuvered his throne sled closer to the battlestar commander. "I do seem to recall saying that you were farbot for trying to forge an alliance with them against the Cylons."
"Have you read our reports on the Cylons?" Adama asked.
"I did," Rygel slowly replied. "In all fairness, I'm not sure which one of the two is worse, Scarrans or Cylons, but at least the Scarrans don't practice all out genocide. However, Cylons don't forcibly impregnate women of unique alien species to try and produce even deadlier versions of themselves."
"Rape," Adama answered sombrely. "If I may ask, what would you do, Dominar, if you were in my position?"
"I would sit back and hope that both sides wipe each other out," Rygel admitted frankly, which made Adama laugh slightly. "But since we can't, we have to pick one we can work with. From my experience, as terrifying as Scarrans are, not all of them behave like their leaders. I encountered one who was separated from his people and much to my surprise he was quite civilized… for a Scarran. Can you have the same luck with a Cylon programmed to exterminate all Human life?"
"Making a deal with the devil to battle another devil."
"Couldn't say it better myself," Rygel replied. "This is more than simply about politics, this is about survival."
***
Cassiopeia was sitting in the main chamber, eating her morning meal which consisted of a drink and small pile of food cubes - 'prison rations' as the others liked to call them. They looked like little more than simple crackers , but were supposed to contain all the nutrition and substance to maintain a healthy body of any alien species. Unfortunately, they were also very bland so as to not offend the taste senses of any said species.
She also agreed with Colonel O'Neill - these things could stand to use some Earth spice, which he called salt.
"Hey there?" Cassiopeia looked up to see Chiana standing at her table holding a food tray. "May I join you?"
The doctor gestured to the chair across from her. "Be my guest."
"Thanks." Chiana plopped herself down and started chewing away at her own tray of food cubes.
Cassiopeia took a drink, staring at Chiana. She was familiar with the young Nebari, but had never really spoken to her - this was the first time they had actually been alone together.
"Where's Daniel Jackson?" a curious Cassiopeia asked. The male Human and the Nebari had been nearly inseparable from the moment they came on board.
Chiana looked up with a mouth full of food cubes, muttering between bites, "Still sleeping."
Staring in surprise, Cassiopeia hoped that Chiana's behaviour at the table was more to do with hunger than lack of etiquette.
"He didn't get much sleep?"
"I'm partly to blame for that," Chiana replied with a devilish smirk. "And being Nebari, I also don't require as much sleep as Humans do."
"Oh, I see… " Cassiopeia replied, partially regretting bringing it up. "So you two have been together long?"
"Just about one Earth month," Chiana answered before taking a swig from her glass. "And it has been a very enjoyable time."
"Is it a serious relationship?"
"Daniel confessed that he loves me, and I deeply care for him, but I … I'm kind of scared that it might come to a sudden end."
"Welcome to being in love," Cassiopeia declared. "Where the reward is just as great as the painful pitfalls, but take it from me, it's worth every tear shed just to find the one who's meant for you."
Chiana frowned slightly. "Being in love is something new to me. I usually don't do long term relationships of any kind."
Cassiopeia became curious. "Why's that, because of some cultural belief?"
Before, it never bothered Chiana, but now she preferred to not mention her shadowy past to her new friends. It had more to do with how they might react than it had to do with shame.
"I haven't had much luck with relationships," the Nebari answered then quickly changed the subject. "So how long have you been a doctor?"
"Almost three yahrens. I worked my way up from a simple medtech."
"So you were studying to be a doctor when you came to the fleet?" Chiana asked.
Cassiopeia hesitated briefly. "No, before that I was a… socialator."
Chiana tilted her head as she took another bite from the food cube in her hand. "Which is?"
"It's a nice word to call someone a prostitute, a well paid one."
A surprised Chiana suddenly violently coughed, almost spitting out her food. For her part, Cassiopeia naturally mistook the Nebari's reaction.
"Well, I see it doesn't cease to shock people."
"No," Chiana gasped quickly for breath, holding one of her hands up. "It's not that…"
Try as she might, some of her food went down the wrong way and Chiana could do nothing but cough into her hands to try and clear it.
"Hey!" Concerned, Cassiopeia quickly left her seat and hurried around the table to Chiana's side.
"Easy, easy, just relax and breathe," the Colonial doctor urged the Nebari, while lightly slapping her back until her breathing returned to normal. "There, feel better?"
"Yes." Chiana looked over to Cassiopeia, heaving a sigh of relief. "Thanks and did you say… prostitute?"
"I did. Is that a problem?"
"No, since you were so honest with me then I have a confession too…"
Before Chiana could say another word, both she and Cassiopeia were thrown to the floor as Talyn violently changed course. The last thing that Chiana remembered was sliding across the floor and feeling her head sharply impacting against the wall. Then darkness…
***
Throughout the Leviathan gunship, everyone else was also taken by surprise at being tossed about. Down in the sleeping compartment, O'Neill and Carter were heaved out of their bunk and onto the deck.
O'Neill groaned with Carter's body sprawled next to him. "Oh, for crying out loud! This is what we get for sleeping in…"
***
Up in Command, Crais was picking himself up off the deck, shouting at the Leviathan.
"Answer me, Talyn! Why have you suddenly changed course?"
The Command chamber nosily throbbed and pulsated in response when Athena hurried through the opened hatch rubbing her shoulder. "What happened?"
"Talyn says that he has detected a distress call from several 'free' Leviathans who are under attack," Crais reported keeping his eyes straight ahead. "He is moving to assist."
Still rubbing her shoulder, Athena walked past Crais to her station when he saw her discomfort and became concerned. "Are you injured?"
"I'm good, Captain. It's just sore, nothing broken," Athena replied with a smile as she checked her console. "I've got a fix on the source of the distress signal. They're close… I have seven contacts. Six Leviathans and a pursuing vessel, a…" Her eyes widened. "Oh, frack! A Cylon Destroyer!"
It was nowhere as big as a Cylon baseship or even a Peacekeeper Command Carrier, but the single saucer shaped vessel was a fearsome warship for its size. Its main purpose was to provide protection to the more massive capital ships of the Cylon Empire, but it was now out performing raids on shipping lanes inside the Uncharted Territories along the Scarran border, destroying any and all targets of opportunity. Its latest victims were a rare family of 'free' Leviathans that had neither control collars or Pilots.
"Athena," Crais asked quickly. "Can Talyn successfully engage and destroy that ship? Talyn is determined to save those Leviathans."
"It's nearly ten times the size of Talyn with multiple turbo laser batteries and five Pulsar cannons. I'm not sure if Talyn can survive a single hit from those heavy guns."
"I'm asking if Talyn can destroy it," Crais repeated his question again more urgently. "Can he do it?"
"Yes," Athena answered, checking her scans of the Cylon ship. "It looks like a standard destroyer with pulsar cannons mounted along the edge of the ship. Extremely powerful, but they have a poor firing arc. Talyn can avoid them all together if he attacks directly from above or below it. Also, I recommend a point blank engagement to get inside their defence fields to render them useless."
That was all Crais needed to know. "Talyn, alter course to get us above the Cylon ship. Set main weapon for maximum discharge!"
Behind him, he heard a worried Athena quietly remind him, "Crais, my father is on this ship."
"I know," Crais replied gently. "But to Talyn, those Leviathans out there under attack are also family."
Understanding, Athena nodded before activating the ship com unit.
"All hands to battle stations! This is not a drill!"
Crais was in full concentration as Talyn closed in on the Cylon warship, but the information he was receiving through the gunship's sensors told him that they wouldn't be able make it in time to save the entire family of Leviathans.
One of the fleeing Leviathans appeared to be injured and unable to attempt a starburst, but the others were refusing to abandon it. From behind, the Cylon ship began to overtake the wounded biomechanical ship, bringing it within range of its pulsar cannons.
Crais could feel Talyn's anxiety over the endangered Leviathan and the desire to do something, but they were still out of weapons range.
"Athena, warn that Cylon ship off!" Crais ordered.
The Colonial Officer knew how fruitless that action would be. That ship was out on a 'seek and destroy' mission, it wouldn't listen to anyone else except orders from another Cylon vessel. Most of all you can't warn or threaten a Cylon.
"Captain, that won't do a single thing…"
"Just try anyway, if we can buy that Leviathan a few more microts we can save…"
On their monitor, a horrified Crais and Athena watched as the pulsar cannon on the Cylon destroyer opened fire and struck the Leviathan, ripping away its port 'wing'. Severely damaged now, the Leviathan tumbled end over end in space, out of control. The Cylon ship closed in and fired a second time, striking the Leviathan dead centre, punching a hole clean through its body, fatally injuring the gentle space creature.
Crais immediately felt Talyn's rage and his thirst to avenge the murder of that Leviathan and to prevent any further slaughter. All that Crais could do was to get the ship ready for the coming battle to make sure that they all survived it.
"Athena, lock down the ship for full engagement and maximum power to all defence fields."
***
In the corridors, Captain Apollo and Lt. Sheba were hurrying to reach Command when the alarm sounded. Apollo and Sheba knew what it meant.
"They're locking down the ship!" Apollo said.
Up ahead, a blast door was closing down from the ceiling, quickly barricading the corridor.
Unable to make it, the two warriors stopped just short of the now sealed door staring at it in frustration. They were now sealed off, trapped in this section of Talyn.
Sheba pounded her hand on the door. "Frack! Frell! Fuck!"
When she noticed the peculiar stare that Apollo was giving her following her outburst, she nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders.
"Sorry, I was just covering all the bases."
***
"We're being scanned! The Cylons see us," Athena reported. No surprise there, she thought. "They're now changing course to intercept. They must have detected that we have weapons."
Crais suddenly had an idea and ordered, "Talyn, set your cannon at one-quarter power. Make them believe we are not a serious threat."
"Their pulsar cannons are not suited to hitting a target this fast or maneuverable at long range," Athena advised. "But their turbo batteries are another matter. We won't last long at close range."
"All we need is one clear shot," Crais breathed. He was looking forward to challenging his first adversary, a Cylon. "Talyn, execute evasive maneuver!"
"The surviving Leviathans are still fleeing," Athena reported. "They're going to make it."
Fearlessly, the Cylon destroyer closed in on a straight course, firing as Talyn approached, returning fire, dodging and weaving. The Cylon ship took several hits from Talyn's low power cannon shots, but its defence field blunted the assault. Meanwhile, the guns of the Cylon warship couldn't strike the nimble Leviathan.
For one hundred microts, Talyn circled, peppering the large warship with a constant volley of nearly ineffective weapon fire, staying just out of reach of the Cylons' own weapons.
Slowly, as Talyn continued to arc about the Cylon destroyer, the Leviathan deliberately began drawing in closer, waiting for the right moment.
"Patience, Talyn," Crais urged the Leviathan gunship. "Just a few more microts."
Cylons were technically advanced, especially in the field of weaponry, defence fields and propulsion. If there was one weakness in this formidable foe, despite their technology, humans were able to outsmart them constantly by breaking the rules during combat. And most certainly the Cylons and their computerized brains couldn't anticipate their opponent's intentions during battle until it was too late. Cylon tactics were always the same, attack in force and overwhelm the enemy by sheer numbers. Considering they had a nearly inexhaustible supply of machines and ships, this tactic served them very well.
"Now, Talyn!" Crais ordered. "Full power to weapons!"
Like an avenging angel, Talyn suddenly dove down upon the Cylon ship from directly above, charging his main cannon to maximum power. The aggressive move took the Cylon ship by surprise, never calculating it would directly try to challenge the much larger vessel. It attempted to angle its pitch to raise their side mounted pulsar cannons to bring them to bear on the charging Leviathan, but it was nearly too late. Talyn was almost upon them.
"We have penetrated the depth of their defence field!" Athena reported quickly. Now that the gunship was inside the protection radius of the Cylon screens, they were no longer shielded from Talyn's weaponry.
"Now, Talyn! Open fire!" Crais commanded as the Cylon vessel quickly filled their forward view ports.
Nothing happened.
Athena checked her console, but found nothing wrong with Talyn's systems. "What's happening?"
Crais' eyes widened as he suddenly sensed the Leviathan gunship's exact intentions. "Talyn! We're close enough! Fire NOW!!"
Helpless, Athena watched her console display as the range between Talyn and the Cylon ship quickly dwindled at an alarming rate. This was going beyond a point blank engagement! Was Talyn going to ram?
In a single heartbeat, Talyn discharged his main cannon in one single powerful blast into the centre of the Cylon saucer as if it was a bulls-eye. Talyn was so close that the firing of his cannon and the explosive impact against the Cylon ship was almost simultaneous.
"TALYN!" Crais yelled just before the Leviathan gunship pulled up from the badly damaged Cylon ship as secondary explosions ripped through it.
Everyone onboard the Leviathan was tossed to the deck or against the bulkheads from the intense g-forces overwhelming the inertia dampers as Talyn powered away at full speed.
He tried to get clear of the exploding Cylon warship, but he wasn't fast enough. The dying warship went up like a roman candle and the blinding explosion swallowed up the speeding gunship in the ensuing inferno.