"Commander, Dr Zee, I'd like to stay behind," said Dillon, "Our children were all chosen for the earth colony because they're the orphan children of people slain by the Cylons during our long quest for earth. They should be given the chance to grow up on earth, continue the lives they've been establishing for themselves in the last year. They'll need my help to continue adapting and blending in, and besides that , I have become close to the daughter of our ranching partners Hector and Louise Alonzo. Gloria and I would like to be together."
"We have enough keen pilots for the superships," said Adama, "Besides, I would not stand in the way of your settling on earth."
"I'll have to say goodbye to Jaime too," said Troy, recalling his many adventures with the reporter who had helped them to protect and guide the Galactican children.
"You have at least 50 Centars before we go after the first wave of Cylons," said Adama, "Although I must say on a personal note, which I rarely do in front of the crew, that I'm relieved that at least one of my only two surviving relatives has chosen to return with me."
"What about Xaviar?" asked Dillon.
"I have been monitoring him," said Dr Zee, who seemed to have shared his mother's ability to do that, "I have made him aware of our achievements. Councilman Xaviar no longer believes that there is any need to interfere in the history of earth's technology. He knows he is an outlaw, and will not return to Galactica to face disciplinary action. However, he intends to settle on earth and lead a quiet life, without drawing any attention to his Galactican origin. It is my belief that he will not be a threat, but should he ever change his mind, I am reassured by the decision to leave Dillon and Gloria Alonzo to raise and train our children on earth. Dillon must also make sure that the time travelling capability that I built into our latest Galactican Vipers can never be learned by the people of earth. It is a secret that must only be known to those in our colony, and ideally never used."
"I agree. The temptation would have been phenomenal, if we'd had that potential back when our colonies were first destroyed. We might have caused a serious time paradox at least in the vicinity of our own colonies, had we tried to go back and alter the events that Baltar set in motion the day he betrayed us. Nobody would like to do that more than I, but the results would be catastrophic. Who knows what would have happened if we'd met our younger selves," said Adama.
"It was fortunate that Dillon, myself and Xaviar didn't have younger selves on earth in the 1940s. Even Jaime hadn't been born at that time," said Troy.
"You're all dismissed for now," said Adama, "I will notify civilians that if any of them wish to join the earth colony instead of returning to the 12 we came from, they must fly down in transport vessels in the next 50 Centars."
It was now late 1981, and a young earth astronaut named William Rogers began a five year training course which would prepare him to play a significant role in the space program. He was unaware of the presence of the Galactica, which would soon leave earth orbit before William would ever have a chance to reach it.
Troy flew down to earth, made contact with Jaime and told her everything that Adama had announced.
"Troy, I'm a news reporter, and I can't see anything more exciting to discover, than the worlds your people came from," said Jaime, "I'm sorry for the way I acted when we first met, but you must have come to understand how suspicious you and Dillon first seemed."
"That doesn't matter, Jaime. If anything, I'm sorry we involved you in so much of the drama we caused down here. We can't have helped you to make the best impression on your employer. Are you saying you'd like to come with me on a long journey across the universe, to a group of planets that will be unfamiliar to you?"
"That's what Dillon did, and he's staying here with the one he cares for."
"I care for you, Jaime, and I was fortunate to find someone who helped us as much as you did. I knew I had to go with my grandfather, and that I would not like to say goodbye to you. I'd like nothing more than for you to come with us … with me. Our new ships are basically unbeatable, but the Galactica would never keep up with them, if Dr Zee hadn't modified its speed as well. It won't have the same fighting potential as the superships, but they'll be protecting it as the Cylons face their final fight. You can stay aboard the Galactica with my grandfather while I go into battle."
"So long as you're definetely coming back."
"I think we've earned a fight that's impossible for us to lose," said Troy, "I lost my father, my mother, and then my stepfather, and his wife. My step brother is a civilian aboard a transport vessel. I hoped I'd see more of Markus after the final battle, but he's accepted Grandfather's offer to all civilians to settle on earth. Civilian life was all he ever wanted, not inheriting the battle skills of our common father."
Neither Troy nor Jaime had directly spelled out the unmentioned feelings that each had been developing for the other since Galactica had discovered earth. Yet they each got the idea, and would be happy together on Caprica. Troy still had vague memories of the first Cylon attack and his meeting of Apollo, and the gift of a mechanical dog named Muffit.