I do not own Battlestar Galactica
A short chapter is all I seem able to write at the moment, Sorry.
Italics – Radio Speech
Chapter 16 – Chance Meeting
Starbuck was on patrol, Kat was her wingman for this mission. The toasters were quiet for the moment and it was like drowning in nothing she was so bored. The fleet was cruising along a short way off now with the heavily armoured bulk of the Battlestar Colossus at its rear, since the leviathan had returned from the grave the Cylons had been giving Galactica's fleet a wide berth. The Cylon suicide bomber may have taken out Colossus's Commander but the XO Colonel Miranda Colchester had taken over and accepted Commander Adama's authority as commanding officer
Kat's voice sounded on her comm system "Starbuck are you as bored as I am?"
Starbuck smiled, the nugget she'd trained had certainly come a long way not she would ever tell her that it'd ruin her image
"How about a song then" Starbuck dared Kat over the comm system
"How about 99 Bottles of Ambrosia" Kat asked
"Damn it Kat, you're taking me back" Starbuck laughed remembering her own experience with the strong alcohol
A new voice broke out of the comm system; it belonged to Dee, the Communication Officer of the Battlestar Galactica
"Starbuck this is Galactica, we're receiving signals from behind a broken moon at your two o'clock; we need you to investigate, do your copy?"
"Galactica this is Starbuck, we copy moving to investigate" she said and she accelerated and altered her course to check out the mystery signals, Kat kept pace with her and soon they reached to broken moon
The light from the distant sun flashed in their eyes as they cleared the large mass of rock and the sight that greeted Starbuck rendered her for the first time perhaps in her life, speechless
"Starbuck, Galactica report, what do you see?" Dee's voice sounded over the comm system, it was repeated a couple of times but Starbuck shook herself out of her surprise; Kat was doing the same thing over in her viper
"Looks like a fleet of colonial ships led by three Battlestars, about the size of our fleet I think" Starbuck reported
"Starbuck please repeat" This time the voice was low and gravely, definitely not Dee's
"Galactica Actual this is Starbuck I repeat a fleet of about seventy civilian ships with about three battlestars leading, I think I can see the Achilles in there as well" Starbuck told her Commanding officer William Adama
A voice broke over the communication system; the voice was young and feminine but belonged to neither the two pilots nor Galactica's staff
"This is the Battlestar Telmaya to unknown vessels, identify yourselves or you will be fired upon"
Colonel Tigh looked his best friend Commander Adama in the eye and said in his confusion "There's wasn't a Battlestar Telmaya in the fleet. This has got to be some kind of trick"
While he was as confused as his XO Adama felt something in his gut tell him that this wasn't a trick "I'm not so sure" he said and picked up the receiver on the centre column and turned to Dee "Put me on the line" he order and the young woman went to work and nodded when it was done
"This is Galactica Actual, there is no record of a Battlestar Telmaya, send official colonial recognition codes or you will be fired upon"
There was a silence for a moment but then Dee received a data transmission "I've received recognition codes sir, they're authentic" she said looking at her CO with hope in her eyes as was many around him
The Telmaya CIC was much in the same way as the Galactica's was, people with eyes full hope but the more war weary members of the crew like Commander Trakiss and Colonel Cain who had taken over from Colonel Shaw when the pregnant officer had gone on maternity leave two weeks prior after entering her seventh month, kept their guard up
Seth picked up the receiver from the centre console and spoke into it
"Galactica Actual this is Telmaya Actual, requesting communication"
There was a moment of silence before the speaker sounded "Telmaya Actual this is Galactica Actual, your ship does not conform to any known existing Battlestar on our registry"
Seth continued to speak "Galactica Actual that is because Telmaya isn't this ships original name, I will explain face to face. Your call Commander"
And everyone waited to hear Adama's response