Chapter Four: Boarding the Kios

Ark Royal, CIC:

"Jump completed," Lieutenant Colonel Kelvin Chandler announced from his station at Tactical.

"Get Major Hunter and the other pilots launched," Commander Caden Charka ordered before turning his attention to Commander Audra Ortiz, the former Commanding Officer of the Ark Royal, "Commander, I want you to lead a search party and board the Kios."

Ortiz nodded before asking, "Do you think we'll find Cylons when we board?"

Charka shrugged. "No telling, but hopefully there won't be. You can also take Colonel Hawkins with you as well, if you'd like."

'That way if something happens to both of us then you won't have to worry about the old CO and XO anymore,' she thought rather cynically before saying, "I'd appreciate that, with enough Marines and deck gang with us we should be able to search the ship more quickly."

Charka shook his head, "You can take a few Marines but I won't authorize anything more until I know for sure that there are no Cylons on the Kios."

"I'll head down to MarDet and pick the ones I want to bring over," Ortiz said as she turned and left the CIC. She was not happy with the situation but she would wait and argue the point later.

Ark Royal, MarDet:

Ortiz entered the Marine barracks section of the Ark Royal, known as MarDet, and immediately found the person she was looking for. Master Sergeant John Harbrecht had come onboard the Ark to oversee the deactivation of the Marine Detachment. The two had spoken a few times and they were cordial towards each other in a professional sense. It was enough for her to know that if she was going to have to board a derelict battlestar then he would be one of the people she would want to have with her.

"Commander Ortiz, what can I do for you?" Harbrecht asked.

"I don't know if you've heard the news, but we've come across a derelict battlestar."

His ears perked up at the news. "Which one?"

"The Kios; it's just sitting there as though someone turned off the switch and left it there."

"Should be interesting, I take it you drew the short straw for this field trip?"

"You could say that. Do you have an idea as to which Marines we should take over there with us?"

Harbrecht thought it over. "I think I have about five who should come with us. I'll have them ready on the hangar deck in an hour."

"Thanks, Sergeant. By the way, if you don't mind my mentioning it, you seem incredibly calm about the situation."

Harbrecht smiled at her, "Well, Commander, let's just say this isn't the first time I've found myself going into an unknown situation."

"One day I may have to ask you to tell me that story."

He shook his head. "I would love to, but it's classified to the point that Zeus himself may not have the clearance to know it."

"In that case, I'll leave you to your work and see you on the hangar deck in an hour."

Harbrecht nodded. "Until then, Commander."

Viper Squadron One Ready Room:

"The order has come through for us to provide air cover for this op," Major Mark 'Archangel' Hunter said to the twenty pilots in the room.

The squadron was composed of the cadets from the two escort battlestars that had landed on the Ark at Lampetia. The only other pilot in the room that was not a cadet was Captain Alisa Stark.

"What's going on that's got the Commander needing us to launch?" Ensign Julius Raven asked.

Hunter almost called him 'Cadet' but remembered that per Commander Charka's orders all of the cadets had been commissioned as Ensigns in the Colonial Fleet.

Instead he said, "There is a derelict battlestar we discovered that's going to be inspected to see if either the ship can be salvaged or if we can recover materials and supplies from it."

"We're just going to be on patrol?" Ensign Trent Donovan asked.

"I guess that means you won't be able to sucker punch anyone this time," Walter Anson said.

"Oh you would bring that up," Donovan complained.

"Considering what happened after that brawl, I don't think you'll live it down anytime soon," Clarissa Lane shot back.

"Enough," Hunter exclaimed before an argument began, "I want you to get suited up and on the hangar within the hour. Remember your training and you'll be fine out there."

Once Hunter had left the room, the other pilots milled about the room.

"This is it. We're going to be doing this for real," Julie Beck said to the group of pilots.

"It's exciting, it'll beat having to launch and land on one of those old escort battlestars," Virgil Kramer said.

"After having to land on those this will be easy," Murat Halouk agreed.

"I think our instructors from Abry would be proud of us," Harlan Ulmer said.

"It'd be Aquaria for me, but I know what you mean," Osman Ismail added.

"Guess those old school rivalries are gone now," Donovan added as he and Raven walked over to where the group was talking.

"Are the two of you playing nice now?" Ulmer asked.

"We're in this fight together now, I think Donovan and I have come to sort of an understanding," Raven replied.

"All right, pilots, get suited up and head to the hangar deck," Stark said. Although they may not be launching for almost an hour she did not want her pilots milling about talking when they should be preparing to fly.

Forty-Eight Minutes Later:

Lieutenant Ashlee 'Blondie' Wyatt finished going over the pre-flight checks to make sure her Raptor was ready to fly. Chief Lancaster and his deck gang had done their part to make sure the craft was ready to fly; it was going to be playing an important part for the mission Commander Charka had in mind.

"Is everything good to go?" a voice behind her asked.

Wyatt turned around and saw that it was Major Hunter, "Everything seems to be in working order. It looks as if the deck gang did a thorough job. I take it you and your pilots are about to launch."

Hunter nodded. "Yeah, we'll be out there to provide cover in case the Cylons show up. Is your ECO coming along with you?"

"She's going to be here shortly, I'm going to need her in the rear seat in case there's trouble on the Kios."

"Do you think you'll find trouble over there?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "It's a derelict battlestar that we discovered in the aftermath of the Cylons destroying our homeworlds. I would rather prepare for the worst. That way, if everything goes well I'll be pleasantly surprised."

"I think it may help you out, just don't be too pessimistic."

"I'll try not to; some good news would go a long way towards helping."

"Good luck out there, Lieutenant; my pilots and I will make sure trouble doesn't touch you if things go south."

Wyatt let out a small laugh, "That's reassuring, good luck out there too, sir."

Hunter left the Raptor and made his way to his Viper. He noticed that two technicians were going through the final pre-launch checks. It would not be long now until he would be flying out in space on what he hoped would be a simple patrol mission.

Ten Minutes Later:

Ark Royal, Hangar Deck:

Ortiz and Colonel Yesenia Hawkins stepped onto the hangar and saw the six Marines standing next to the Raptor that would be taking them to the Kios.

"Sergeant Harbrecht," Ortiz said when she reached the Marines, "My XO, Colonel Hawkins, will be coming with us on this mission."

Harbrecht nodded. "We'll be able to accommodate that. We'll be taking Privates Tamika Bishop, Isabella Powers, and Todd Foster. Along with them, we have Corporals Daniel Sexton, Carmen Kelley, and Dustin Barton. I think out of the Marines we have on here they're the ones I'd recommend taking."

"I'm sure they'll do fine, if we're lucky then we won't have to use any weapons when we board the Kios," Ortiz said as her hand instinctively went to the handgun that was holstered on the belt of her flight suit.

"Agreed. If you're ready then I think we should get going. The longer we wait the better the chances of the Cylons stumbling upon us."

Ortiz nodded and climbed into the aft compartment of the Raptor, she had decided that she would take the co-pilot's seat for this flight.

"Welcome aboard, Commander," Ensign Catherine 'Party Girl' Perez said from her seat at the ECO station.

"Thank you, Ensign," Ortiz said as she made her way to the co-pilot's seat. She noticed that Lieutenant Wyatt was going through her last minute checks before take-off. She noticed the Raptor pilot was so focused on making sure everything was ready that a passenger sliding into the co-pilot's seat did not break her concentration.

"Marines, board the Raptor," Harbrecht's voice announced before the sound of feet thudded throughout the craft's interior.

"All systems are ready to go," Wyatt called out to Perez.

"I'm starting to believe we're the popular girls on this ship," Perez quipped.

"I don't think 'popular' is the term I'd have used for us but if that's how you want to look at it then go for it. Just don't make sure your head doesn't get too big for its pay grade," Wyatt teased.

"Until we get some Raptor pilots properly trained you're all we have," Ortiz said.

"They should have got my trainer from Vaught-Hemingway here, he'd have had them ready to fly in no time," she said.

"When did you get your Raptor training?"

"Four years ago when I had graduated from Aquaria Military," Wyatt said before pressing a button and saying, "This is Raptor 521, we are prepared for take-off."

The voice of the Ark Royal's LSO came over the radio, "This is Air Traffic Control, sending word that you are ready for take-off."

"Now we just wait," Wyatt said as she rested her head against her seat and let out a long breath.

Ortiz said nothing but instead looked out the cockpit window at the bustling activity of the hangar deck. This was perhaps the busiest the hangar had been since the day the Cylons attacked and the cadets had landed their Vipers and Raptors.

The deck gang brought the Raptor into position on the starboard flight pod's take-off pad. There was total blackness briefly before the take-off area was bathed in the light from the red emergency lights. The large door opened revealing the murky blackness of space.

"Raptor 521, you are now cleared for take-off," the voice of the LSO announced.

"Copy that, LSO, this is Raptor 521 preparing to take-off," Wyatt said as she brought the engines of the Raptor to life. Moments later the Raptor was moving away from the Ark Royal and making its way towards the Kios.

"Have you thought about what we'll find over there?" Wyatt asked Ortiz.

"Truthfully, I haven't thought about it too much but we're ready for whatever we do encounter."

"I admire the optimism; it just doesn't seem right to me."

Ortiz was curious, "Any particular reason why?"

"Going by what I've heard through scuttlebutt the Cylons have shut our ships down and destroyed them. Why would they shut down this ship and then leave it?"

Ortiz thought about it. "Perhaps a trap to lure us in. Don't put too much stock in that, Lieutenant, I honestly have no idea what is going on in the heads of the toasters."

"I know what you mean. If I may change the subject…how much longer until there are other Raptor pilots?"

Ortiz suppressed a laugh. "Are you getting tired of being called upon every time we need a Raptor?"

"While I don't mind feeling valued, the constant work is wearing out my ECO and I."

"I'm sure it won't be too much longer until the first group of Raptor pilots is ready to leave the simulator and do the real thing. The Raptor cadets we took onboard need more practice before they're up to our standards. How do you like being on a battlestar instead of a cruiser?"

Wyatt gave the question some thought before answering, "It's been a nice change; the cruisers don't have as much space to devote to the aviation facilities as a battlestar does. Have you served on any cruisers before?"

Ortiz shook her head, "I'm strictly a battlestar woman, from a being a Viper pilot on the Atlantia to taking command of the Ark Royal."

"Before the Hadrian, I had been stationed planet-side, when I got the assigned to a ship I was excited…," Wyatt was suddenly quiet as she saw a large contact on her DRADIS.

"I think we found her," Ortiz said as she strained her eyes against the blackness to see what lay ahead of the Raptor.

"Party Girl, turn on our searchlight," Wyatt said to Perez.

Without a word said the light came on and panned around, revealing the derelict hulk of the Kios.

"We're coming up on the port flight pod, I'm going to do a sweep to confirm the name," Wyatt said as she positioned the Raptor to make a sweep over the part of the flight pod where the ship's name would be located.

Ortiz watched out of her window as the light moved along the flight pod. She was not sure how long it took them to get there but they did eventually find the nameplate. In big blog letters was the name 'KIOS', they were in fact in the right place.

"There's our confirmation. Take us in on the upper landing bay," Ortiz said to Wyatt. The young pilot was able to effortlessly turn the Raptor around and entered the landing bay to touch the Raptor down as smoothly as a highly-skilled pilot.

'Whoever your instructor was at Vaught-Hemingway taught you well,' Ortiz thought to herself before turning her attention to Harbrecht, "All right, Sergeant, when I give the word we can disembark from the Raptor. Ensign Perez, is the artifical gravity working?"

There was a quiet in the cabin before Perez said, "Artificial gravity is confirmed, Commander."

"Helmets on; prepare to disembark," Ortiz said as everyone in the Raptor not wearing a helmet put one on. She looked over at Perez and the ECO quickly pressed the button that would open the hatch.

"It would be pitch black without that searchlight," Colonel Yesinia Hawkins commented once she was out of the Raptor.

"We're going to have to use our flashlights," Harbrecht said as he thumbed on the light attached to his assault rifle.

"Perhaps there is interior lighting," Ortiz said, the idea of moving around a battlestar by flashlight did not rate high on her list of favorite pastimes. That was including the fact that the Kios was a sister ship of the Ark Royal!

"Commander, do you have a flashlight?" Harbrecht asked.

"I can't say that I do, must have forgotten it before I left for the hangar deck."

"I have a spare," Harbrecht said as he walked over and handed her one of the spare flashlights he brought.

"Commander, Ensign Perez will direct the searchlight to wherever you need it," Wyatt said over the wireless.

"Have her move her light to left, there should be a door that leads inside, I want the two of you to stay in the Raptor until we return. If you see trouble coming though, don't hesitate to get back to the Ark," Ortiz said.

"Copy that, Commander," Wyatt responded.

"Let's get moving," Ortiz said as she took a step toward one of the hatches on the opposite side of the flight pod that would allow them to enter the hull of the Kios.

"With all due respect, Commander, I believe I should be the first one to enter the ship," Harbrecht said as he placed a hand on her shoulder to keep her from moving further.

"This is my mission Sergeant, you're more than welcome to follow me through that hatch but I'm going through it first," Ortiz retorted.

"My job is to keep you alive. I have yet to lose a CO on a mission like this and I'm not about to start now."

Ortiz thought about arguing further but decided against it. "Lead on Sergeant."

The group walked across the flight pod toward the hatch. Ortiz thought traversing across from one side to the other would take little to no time but instead it seemed as though it was taking an eternity to get there. She felt her stomach tighten as the thought of what they could find on this ship began to play with her mind and cause her nerves to somewhat get the better of her. She also noticed that a silence had settled on the group as well, perhaps they were thinking the same thing she was…there was no telling who or what awaited them on the Kios.

Minutes later, they arrived at the hatch that would allow them access to the Kios' main hull. It appeared undamaged. If the Cylons had boarded the ship, they may not have come in this way.

"Colonel, check to see if there is still an atmosphere inside the ship," Ortiz said to Colonel Yesenia Hawkins.

"Aye, aye!" Hawkins said as she walked over to a nearby console and pressed the button that would activate the computer screen.

Ortiz was surprised to see the screen lit up, although the illumination seemed a bit too dim for her liking. She was glad to know that the ship at least had power. The more she thought of it that in and of itself was a minor miracle in her opinion.

"The atmosphere is still present onboard, once we're past the airlock we should be able to remove our helmets," Hawkins said as she pressed the button that would open the hatch that would lead to the airlock beyond.

It did not take long until the group had passed through the airlock and were inside the main hull of the Kios. Ortiz looked around and saw that the lighting was surprisingly dim, as though the emergency generators were barely functioning.

"Everyone, equip flashlights…this lighting is too dim for us," Harbrecht announced.

"The Sergeant is right, until we can get main power going again we'll need to watch our steps," Ortiz said and when she looked at Harbrecht, she saw the Marine give her an approving nod.

"Gods, is that a body?" Hawkins asked as she pointed to a spot further down the corridor.

Ortiz waited for her eyes to adjust to the lighting before looking off in the direction. There was a dark shape off in the distance that looked like it was a body.

"Looks like the crew put up a fight. There are more of them nearby," Harbrecht commented.

"The Cylons must have boarded her," Private Tamika Bishop said.

"I wonder if they're still onboard." Corporal John Dahlgren.

"It's a good question, I'm hoping they're not but there's no way to know for sure," Ortiz said.

"We'd have to search this ship from top to bottom," Private Isabella Reyes commented.

"I suggest we split up," Ortiz said before adding, "I'll go with Sergeant Harbrecht and Colonel Hawkins will lead the other team. We'll make our way to the CIC and see what information we can gather. Colonel, I want you to take your team down to Engineering to see if there's any way we can get the power turned on again."

"What about survivors or Cylons?" Hawkins asked.

"Survivors are still a priority, there is a small chance some of the crew may still be alive. As for Cylons, if there are any on this ship then the odds are we won't find survivors. If you see or hear Cylons do everything you can to avoid being detected," Harbrecht said before Ortiz had a chance to respond. He looked over at her and saw her nod her agreement with his statement.

"Sergeant, you can pick who you want to have come with us," Ortiz said. Harbrecht knew the Marines better than she did; it was a case where she was willing to defer to his judgment.

"Bishop, Dahlgren, and Reyes are coming with us. The rest of you are with Colonel Hawkins. Stay in contact with us and let us know as soon as you find either surviving crewmembers or Cylons," Harbrecht said and the three Marines promptly gathered up where he and Ortiz were standing.

"We'll head to Broadway and from there we'll go our separate ways," Ortiz said. The Kios and Ark Royal were sister ships and from her time on the Ark andon the Illustrious she had a familiarity with this class of battlestar. The centerline passageway known as "Broadway" on the third deck ran the length of the ship and provided fast access to areas of the ship. To cover ground in a hurry this would be their best.

Raptor 521:

"They're in the hull, I think we can turn that searchlight off," Wyatt said.

"Copy that, extinguishing the light," Perez said as she flipped the switch that turned off the light.

"I think this might be the hardest part for us," Wyatt said as she let out a deep breath and turned her eyes away from the lighted instrument panels that were facing her.

"Waiting is rough, and then there's the other downside to being here right now."

Wyatt could not help but be curious, "What would that be?"

"Thinking about our loved ones, have you thought about you family on Scorpia?"

"When we first got word of the attack on the Hadrian I checked the news reports and found that Ulysses was one of the cities the toasters nuked."

"What about your husband?"

"Kevin was visiting Caprica City on business. From what I heard about the attack there…well, we were supposed to be married longer than seven months," Wyatt said and she knew her voice betrayed the bitterness at having to accept that her husband of less than a year had probably perished in the attack.

"I can sympathize with you. I don't think my family on Virgon made it out either; I heard Boskirk got hit hard."

Wyatt tried to break out of feeling sorry for herself, "I'm sorry, Cat, what about your boyfriend?"

"He had gone home to Picon to visit friends in Memphis…we're in the same boat."

"I remember meeting Terrence when we had leave on Gemenon, he was a good man."

Perez let out a short bitter laugh, "That's what makes this whole thing so terrible, it's like all we have to live for is revenge…but how long is that going to keep us going?"

"We've been so busy since we got transferred to the Ark I haven't really had the time to think about it."

"It's kept me up these past few nights when I've laid there in my rack trying to get some sleep. The worst part of my day is when I'm there alone with my thoughts. ThInk about it, Ash, we've lost everything and everyone we love and all we have left to hold onto is our Raptor and the battlestar we've found ourselves on."

Wyatt was quiet as she took in her friend's words, "In time I think we'll be able to move on but for now we just have to deal with the hurt."

"I know we have to deal with it, doesn't mean I'm fond of having to go through it."

Twenty Minutes Later:

Kios, CIC:

The trip from Broadway to the CIC was a quiet one. The fear of being discovered by any Cylons possibly on board ensured that no conversations took place among the squad. Harbrecht, Bishop, Dahlgren, and Reyes kept their weapons ready in case of trouble, their faces reflecting the focused training they had received from their Marine instructors when they reported to the city of Basilone on Aquaria.

"I see the doors to the CIC up ahead," Ortiz whispered.

"Are they open?" Harbrecht asked in the same tone she had used.

"Open," she said as she edged closer to the CIC. She was so focused on the entrance that she did not notice the body of the deceased crewmember in front of her and she almost lost her balance when she tripped over the corpse.

Harbrecht's instincts kicked in and he quickly grabbed a hold her to keep her from falling and held onto her until she got her balance.

"Thanks," she said feeling somewhat embarrassed.

"No problem, Commander," he said as he released his grip on her, "I promise I won't breathe a word of this."

"I appreciate it," she said before shining her flashlight around the corridor, "I think it was one hell of a fight."

Harbrecht shone his light around also, "Look at all the marks the bullets left. If the Cylons made it to the CIC they had to fight for it."

"I give them credit for that," Ortiz said as she entered the CIC and panned her light around, "It's empty in here."

The others in the squad entered the CIC behind her and inspected the room.

"I have a deceased crewmember over here," Dahlgren said from where the Damage Control station was located.

"There may be more here, but first let's see if we can get Communications back up," Ortiz said as she walked over to the Communications Station to see if she could get back in touch with the Ark Royal.

"Are you worried about being too loud?" Reyes asked.

"Between my near-fall and Dahlgren calling out that he found a body, if the Cylons were here they'd have heard us by now," Ortiz said as she tried to bring up the Kios' communications system.

"Any luck?" Harbrecht asked.

She shook her head, "Not yet, but I'll find a way to make it work."

"Are there any crewmembers here that are still alive?" Bishop asked.

Reyes shrugged. "If there are then maybe they're hiding somewhere."

"Got it," Ortiz said before she walked over to Command and Control to pick up the receiver. It was not long after that when she heard the voice of Lieutenant Dwight Woodward from Ark Royal, "Mister Woodward, is Commander Charka nearby?"

"At least that is still working," Harbrecht said as he looked over the other stations in the CIC.

"This is Actual," Ortiz heard Charka's voice say over the line. She tried to decide if he was surprised to hear her voice or not.

"Commander, we've boarded the Kios and so far we have yet to see any Cylons onboard."

"I see, what about the crew?"

"So far we've found quite a few bodies but no survivors."

"How is the hangar deck over there, do they still have Vipers and Raptors onboard?"

"We're not sure; I didn't give the hangar a high priority."

This time when Charka spoke there was a strong hint of irritation in his voice, "You do realize that our main weapon happens to be our air group, seeing as how you were the CO of my ship. With that said wouldn't it have made sense to explore the hangar and see if we might be able to salvage the air wing?"

Ortiz felt a flash of anger come over her but she tried to keep her voice neutral. "I don't think you realize is that we have a whole battlestar that we can possibly salvage and use against the Cylons. Keep in mind that if we can get power restored, we can turn the Kios from a being just a ship we can strip for supplies, to using it to help us fight the enemy."

"You may have a point, but don't go getting your hopes up. I hate to be the negative one but I doubt we're going to be able to reactivate the Kios. Don't go getting your hopes up of getting a command, you shouldn't fall in love with a ship you can't have."

"I understand, just in case though I've sent Colonel Hawkins to Main Engineering to see if it's possible to restore power to the ship. My instincts are telling me that there is something more to this."

"How so?" Charka asked.

"From what the reports say that about the Cylons is that they've been able to turn the battlestars and other Colonial Fleet ships off at will, but then they destroy them as soon as they do that. It makes me wonder why they would turn off the Kios but only leave it drifting. Why didn't they destroy it?"

"That's something that you might find out while you're over there. Keep me updated as you make progress; if you find anything significant let me know right away. Actual out," Charka said before the line went dead.

"He would find a way to get the last word in," Ortiz griped as she put the receiver down.

"What do you want to do now, Commander?" Harbrecht asked.

"Let's move forward and see what we find, if there are survivors on here they may be in the berthing areas or near other areas where they'd the essentials," Ortiz said as she turned to leave the CIC with the Marines behind her. She hated to admit but part of the conversation with Charka had gotten under her skin more than she had wanted it to.

Kios, Emergency Generator Room 2:

"That hatch should lead us to the ladder that will take us down to the deck below," Hawkins said as she pointed her flashlight across the room towards the hatch in question.

"It still feels strange that we haven't found any Cylons yet?" Private Todd Foster commented.

"I consider that a stroke of good luck," Corporal Carmen Kelley said.

Donald Varian, the other Corporal in the group, chimed in with, "Going by the dead bodies we've come across so far it looks like they must have killed the crew and left."

"Let's not get too negative, we may still find survivors," Hawkins said.

"Here's to hoping," Foster added as he followed Hawkins the other Marines across the room.

"I wonder how Commander Ortiz and the Sarge are doing," Varian said.

"They've probably made it to the CIC by now, if they can get in touch with the Ark then there's something positive to think about," Hawkins said. In their current situation, it was easy to allow the negativity take hold and when it did, it could be hard to shake off.

"Speaking of the Ark, it is strange being on a sister ship. It's not hard to imagine this would be our ship if the places were swapped," Foster added.

"Not helping, Private Foster," Kelley said.

Hawkins had to wonder if Foster's comments had managed to disturb Kelley. She did not dwell on it long as she led the way down the passageway that led to the emergency trunk that in times of combat would allow members of the Engineering Department the chance to escape to safety if their area had become uninhabitable.

Hawkins holstered her sidearm and lifted the covering off the escape trunk, "Let's get ready to climb down."

"Where should this lead to?" Varian asked.

"The Air Conditioning Machinery Room," Hawkins said before adding, "From there we'll be able to get to the Central Control Station in Engineering."

"Do you think you'll be able to the power back up?" Kelley asked.

"I may have to press some buttons and pull some wires but eventually I'll get it working again. If all else fails I'll do the one thing my husband never did when putting something together, I'll read the directions."

The climb down took a few minutes but when it was over the group of four was in the Air Conditioning Machinery Room. Hawkins had made it a point to study the plans for the Kios in case its layout had differed greatly from the Ark Royal but so far, it had not. Much like Commander Ortiz had made it a point to tour her ship and become familiar with its layout. That strategy had paid off so far.

"Let's get into Central Control and get this ship powered up," Hawkins said as she headed down the passageway.

She got to the hatch marked with the words 'Central Control' stenciled in large block letters. She swung the hatch open and stepped inside. She was caught off guard by the sight of the computer monitors turned on; the room seemed to have been in use. She was going to turn and say something but a hand pressed against her mouth and pulled her further into the room while the hatch was swung closed.

Hawkins struggled against her captor with all her might, when she managed to escape the person's grip she swung around intending to deliver a punch to the unidentified person. Instead, she was grabbed from behind and the person she was going to hit instead sent her to the floor with a well-placed punch to her jaw.

"You may not want to do that," a man's voice said.

"Who are you?" she asked once she got her bearings. There were four people in the dimly lit room; their features became more defined with the light from the computer monitors as her eyes adjusted.

"You first," the man said.

"Colonel Yesinia Hawkins of the Battlestar Ark Royal," Hawkins said just stopping short of adding her serial number.

"She's lying," a woman's voice said.

The man produced a gun and pointed it at her head, "She's right, the Ark Royal was decommissioned. The ship would have been a sitting duck for the Cylons."

Hawkins heard the pounding on the hatch from the Marines; her captors must have bolted it shut. "We were docked at Lampetia after the decommissioning. The Cylons attacked and we managed to jump away."

"You think she's one of them?" another man asked.

"She could easily be, there's no way of knowing," the man holding the gun said.

"What the frak are you talking about?" Hawkins asked, the desperation was starting to sneak into her voice.

"When the Cylons boarded they were led by various humans. We don't know if they're traitors or if maybe the toasters can now look like you and me."

"I am Colonel Yesinia Marie Hawkins. I was born and raised on Leonis in the city of Atherstone. I have served on the battlestars Mercury, Achilles, Bellerophon, Athena, Columbia, Stryker, Picon, and Illustrious. I am not a frakking Cylon!"

To Hawkins it seemed as though it was an eternity before the man finally relented and put the gun away.

"I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, Colonel, but if you're lying either my crew or I will gladly put a bullet into that skull of yours. I am Lieutenant Kendrick Haynes of the Kios' Engineering Department. With me are Ensign Emilia Heath, Electrician's Mate 2nd Class Antwan Sellers, and Electrician's Mate 1st Class Jackson Morrow. If you are who you say you are then I'm sorry for decking you, after what we've been through on this ship you can't be too careful."

Hawkins nodded and rubbed her jaw where the punch had landed. "You must have been on the ship's boxing team if you pack a punch like that. Let's open the door for my friends before they try ramming it down."

"Are you sure they won't try to find another way to get into this room?" Haynes asked.

Hawkins let out a laugh, "They're Marines. When it comes to solving a problem they prefer to run through a wall rather than go around it."

"Duly noted…all right then, let's get back so Colonel Hawkins can let her friends come in."

"Are there other survivors onboard?" Hawkins asked as she walked over to open the hatch.

"Yes but they're staying to the berthing areas mostly," Haynes said.

Hawkins unbolted the hatch and the three Marines came barreling into the room with their weapons at the ready.

"You can put those away, it appears we found survivors after all," Hawkins said to the Marines.

Avionics Shop 7-A:

"Through here should be one of the crew berthing areas," Ortiz said.

"Was it worth taking the detour through the hangar deck?" Harbrecht asked.

"It seemed like a good idea," she said as she fought the thought that the conversation with Charka somehow had led her to explore the hangar. She was not about to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he had gotten under skin with his comments. The trip had paid off; the Kios still had its full complement of Vipers and Raptors. If the ship could not be salvaged then perhaps the air wing could be offloaded onto the Ark to help bulk up its ranks.

"Apparently, you found what you were hoping to find. I'm sure Commander Charka will be pleased."

Ortiz gave Harbrecht a look of annoyance at the mention of Charka's name. She was going to say something else but the hatch that led to the next compartment opened up as well as the hatch on the right side of the room. She and the Marines each took cover behind various benches and equipment.

There was the sound of footsteps thudding on the Kios' deck coming from both directions.

"This is Lieutenant Brendan Wolfe of the Battlestar Kios, I have you surrounded. Come out slowly from where you're hiding and we won't open fire on you."

Ortiz and Harbrecht were huddled close enough to where they could whisper to one another.

"Any ideas?" she asked him.

"This isn't the first time I've been surrounded on all sides by someone pointing a gun at me but this time is different."

She could not help but ask, "How is this different?"

"Last time this happened I had the Sagittaron Liberation Army pointing guns at me," Harbrecht said.

"These are the good guys at least; let's at least come out from here and talk to him," she said; before Harbrecht could protest, she stood up with her arms raised.

'I hope she knows what she's doing,' he thought, following suit along with the other Marines. There were survivors on the Kios after all but they had developed a huge case of paranoia when it came to visitors.