Author's note: Sorry for the long delay in updates. Life happens, as they say. Currently I am working on updating two of my Fanfic pieces a week in between my pro writing deadlines and several other commitments. We also just lost another of our cats, so I lost a day, spending time at the vet, mourning, (which I still am) and comforting our two males who don't understand where Tabitha went.
From this chapter forward this story needs to be considered AU since I will be deviating for the established canon.
Contact
Dragonlots aka Dana Bell
Chapter 13
Jessica pulled her ear mic out, staring at it wondering if she really had the right to do what she was about to do. With a sigh, she put it on. "Mason, Kit, are either of you free to talk to me?"
Kit's voice came back. "I am."
"So am I." Mason sounded tired. Considering he worked long hours on the refining tylium, it didn't surprise her.
"I just found out something important and because of it, we have to make sure the Colonials never reach Earth."
"Do we really have that right?" Kit inquired. Being the more timid of her two companions, the question surprised Jessica.
"Remember the situation with the Wraith and how they're endangering Earth?" She heard two affirmative answers. "Our situation here isn't any different. The Colonials are a danger and they don't even know it."
"What did you find out?" Mason demanded.
"I'm keeping that to myself at the moment." She took a deep breath. "Mason, I need you to do some sabotage work on the refining ship. See if you can slow down their fuel production. Kit, I know you love plants and I hate to have you do this, but you need to cripple their food production."
"Now wait a minute,"
"But,"
"I'm sorry. This isn't open to debate. Just do your jobs and I'll do mine." She cut the connection and ignored the beeps from the other two. There were things Jessica just wasn't ready to explain. She knew Mason and Kit didn't like their instructions, but in the end they'd do what they'd been told.
The future of Earth depended on it.
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Opening his eyes seemed to take great effort and Lee moaned as he turned on his side. His head hurt and there was a stinging on his neck. He touched it, winced and decided he should probably put something on it.
After several minutes he rolled out of bed, headed for the communal bathrooms, and then got dressed. There was a Quorum meeting in about an hour. He also needed to eat and he desperately wanted a cup of coffee.
He joined the other council members at the breakfast bar. There were a few pieces of fruit, algae in various forms, and a few pastries. Picking a pastry, he filled a cup and retreated to a corner to eat in peace. Lee had no desire to get into a debate outside of the meeting.
Tom Zarek sat next to him. The older man nibbled on algae and gave Lee a sly smile. "So, what do you think our Earth guest?"
He shrugged in response as he took a swig of his hot beverage.
"I noticed you watching her last night."
"I doubt I was the only man. Did you notice the dress she had on?"
"Couldn't miss it." Zarek straightened his plain tie. It looked good with his dark suit.
"I'm not awake enough to do battle with you this morning. What do you want?"
"Nothing."
"I find that hard to believe."
"Just a word to the wise." The Vice President leaned toward him and whispered, "I doubt I'm the only one who saw you go to her quarters last night."
Lee felt his face burn. "None of your business."
"True." Zarek had a smug look on his narrow face. "But it could influence our relationship with the Earthers."
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"Well, that meeting was a complete waste of time," Kara complained when she returned to the Demetrius.
"What happened?" Sam sat down on their bed and waited for her to answer.
"Weir got me talking about the fleet and why I was out here. She never did tell us more about herself or her ship then she did in our first communication." Thrace crossed her arms over her chest. "Means I don't trust her. She's hiding something."
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Natalie returned to her damaged baseship and pressed her hand into the goo. She transferred the images from her mind to it, so any of her people could access and learn what had happened.
In a word – nothing. Dr. Elizabeth Weir hadn't told her or Starbuck anything.
Still, she had sensed something about the woman. Part of her wasn't human. She too, had machines of some sort running through her veins.
Weir had also been interested in the conflict between the two parties, and again, before they'd left, had offered to broker a peace between them.
Part of Natalie wanted to take her up on the offer. Another part told her to wait until she discovered what the other was hiding. It was important. She knew it.
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Daniel was in meetings all day being introduced to all the department heads and the various teams, so Vala was on her own. Bored, she wandered around the control room until one of the techs suggested she might want to take a walk out on the balcony.
She walked out the door and took a deep breath of clean damp air. With a smile she went to the railing and leaned against it. The water sparkled as the sun hit it and made it seem like the ocean was a bed of diamonds.
"I never tire of this." A pretty woman with dark brown hair joined her. "I am Teyla.'
"Vala Mal…Jackson."
"Our new leader's wife." Teyla gave her a smile.
"I am."
Teyla pulled a baby from the carrier she had over her chest. "This is Toran, my son."
"He's beautiful." Vala felt a stab in heart and tried to brush it away. She and Daniel had talked about having children, but hadn't come to an agreement about when. "May I hold him?"
"Certainly." His mother gently handed him over.
Taking the child carefully, she stared down into two deep brown eyes. The baby made a grunting noise and tiny fingers reached up to grab a lock of her hair. "You're very lucky."
"Thank you." There was sadness in her tone and Vala wondered why.
"Is Toran's father here?"
Teyla looked away and out over the ocean. "He was killed."
"Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"
"I have said my farewell."
Not knowing how to respond, Vala opted for enjoying the feel of a baby in her arms. She wanted one of these. She just wasn't certain how to convince her husband.
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"I should delete those words," Barnabas said. He got up and moved away from his laptop. The shame was his, as was the blame. His lack of control had damned another member of the Collins family.
He sat back down, staring at the screen. Every part of him wanted to erase what he'd written. Still, there needed to be a record – just in case.
"I just hope you haven't done something stupid, Jessica. We will all pay for it if you have."
He got up again and went to the bed. Rest during the daylight wasn't essential, but a part of him still needed to sleep. He eased down on the mattress and adjusted the pillow. It had taken him almost a year to get used to not sleeping in his coffin. In fact, he would never have tried to make the change if it hadn't been for another of his kind he'd met during a business trip to San Francisco.
The same one who had invited Barnabas into his Victorian home and generously given the senator lessons on how to appear human and not reveal his vampire nature. It had been a great help and gotten him through the many years in DC. He'd even taken to adding a bit of gray dye to his normally dark brown hair. It gave the illusion of appearing to age even though he never would.
He closed his eyes. His body began to relax and soon he fell into the black place where his kind resided while they slept.
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"Let me get that for you," Adama offered when Laura tried to get up and retrieve her book. He handed her the ancient text and sat down next to her on her bed. "We'll find Earth."
"I know. All we have to do is follow the signs." She hugged their holy book to her chest. "We just have to keep following the signs. I'm not wrong."
"Despite what Jessica Collins told us?"
"As far as I'm concerned, she might as well be a Cylon. They've fooled us before."
"And if she's right?"
"She isn't." Her eyes met his and held them. "Do you hear me, Bill, she isn't right."
He nodded, despite the nagging tug at the back of his mind telling him the Earth woman was right. The fleet was headed in the wrong direction.
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"Atlantis," Lee murmured.
"What was that?" Zarek turned slightly toward him.
"When I first found them, they were talking about Atlantis being closer."
"That city is a myth."
"What if it isn't? What if it's a real place? And what if the Earthers have found it?"
He wasn't sure where he was going with his train of thought, but it was important. Very important.
"Don't suppose you remember where they said it was on that holographic map of theirs?"
"Sort of." He shook his head in frustration. "Won't do us much good without jump coordinates."
"Maybe you could convince Jessica to give them to us." Zarek winked.
"She's too smart for that."
"I don't know a woman alive who doesn't enjoy post pillow talk." He got to his feet. "Might want to give it a try."
Lee also got up. He took another sip of coffee and decided to refill his mug before going into the meeting. "I just might do that."
