Willow and Faith's house, 2300 hours.
Willow was lying in bed with one arm wrapped around Faith's waist with the Slayer sleeping with her back facing the redhead. Willow opened her eyes slowly to the sounds of someone moving outside her door. Smiling when she performed a quick telepathic scan, and telepathic conversation, she found that it was a thirsty, but still groggy, Dawn getting out of her room for a drink of juice.
Placing her head back on her pillow, the redhead moved closer to Faith who was still deep asleep. Keeping her eyes open, she moved the arm that was around Faith's waist and slowly brushed it along the Slayer's shoulder; her fingers brushing over the strap of her tank top until her moved the hair, exposing the back of the Slayer's neck. Smiling to herself, Willow leaned in and lightly kissed Faith's shoulder and neck as the Slayer slightly moved.
"Ummm" moaned Faith as she gave a small smile before moving onto her back as Willow moved slightly to her left to give her wife some space. Faith opened her eyes slowly, while wiping them with the back of her hand as Willow leaned down and kissed her forehead. Faith then opened her eyes, only to see Willow looking back down at her, "Red? Everything alright?"
"Yeah" said Willow as she suddenly felt guilty for waking Faith up from her sleep, "I'm sorry, go back to sleep."
"Someone getting a bit frisky, I see?" whispered Faith as she got onto her side and faced Willow while wrapping her arm around the redhead's waist and pulling her closer.
"My mind wandered off" said Willow as she lay her head on the pillow and smiled at the dark haired woman, "just looking at you… you know… I mean you cause people's mind to wander off, you know that, right?"
"I know" grinned Faith as she looked into Willow's green eyes, "why do you think I insist on driving the car when we're together?"
"Hey" said Willow as she gently slapped Faith's arm, "you mean I don't cause your mind to wander?"
"Oh, but you do" said Faith as she smirked and pulled Willow closer until their bodies were tight together as the redhead placed her hands around Faith's back and just held on to her. Faith then brushed her lips on Willow's, "you make me always lose my mind, in a good way. But I can control myself."
"You saying I can't control myself?" said Willow as she gave Faith a pout.
"You woke me up cause you needed some smoochies" said Faith with a grin as Willow started to laugh, "now who's the one here who can't control themselves?"
"Hey!" shouted Dawn from outside in the hallway as she walked along with her cup of juice in one hand, "you guys have been going at it for hours… go to bed!"
"We are in bed!" shouted Faith as Willow giggled.
"You know what I mean!" shouted Dawn as she opened her door while looking at the closed door to the girls' room, "go to sleep. Or else I swear to you… if the both of you have sex again, I'll call Jon and do him in my room the whole night…"
"Don't you dare!" shouted both Faith and Willow together.
"And… ewwww!" shouted Willow, "that's the clone of General O'Neill, I don't need to know that you two are even…."
"Oh" said Dawn as she opened the door and peeked her head through the opening, "but I have, and we did…. He's got techniques that…. I mean, WOW!"
"Dawn!" shouted Willow as she sat up in bed and covered her ears while Faith was laughing hard at Willow's reaction, "you're gonna give me nightmares."
Dawn laughed out loud before closing Willow's door behind her, and rushing back to her room.
"Now I have to wash my brain" said Willow as Faith slowly stopped laughing and sat up while placing an arm around the redhead's shoulder. The redhead then physically shuddered before making a face, "ack!"
Faith just looked at Willow while trying to control her laughter. However, she couldn't control it and just started giggling hysterically while Willow looked at her with her eyes narrowed. Suddenly smiling, the redhead pushed the surprised Slayer back down onto the bed and telekinetically moved her arms to the sides and held them down while, at the same time, holding down her legs as well.
"Red" said Faith as she looked at Willow who had gotten off the bed, and was standing on the carpeted floor as she reached down and removed the blanket that was covering the Slayer, "Red? Going a bit kinky are we?"
"Oh, no" said Willow as she grinned and got back on the bed, positioning herself over the tanktop and shorts wearing Slayer. The Redhead straddled the restrained Faith and leaned forward as she brushed her fingers on both of the Slayer's outstretched arms until her fingers were interlaced with the Slayer's own, "no kinkiness."
Willow then leaned in and gave Faith a deep kiss before pulling back with a grin on her face.
"Ever heard of tickle torture?" asked Willow as Faith looked on worried.
"Red" said Faith as Willow leaned back and stretched her arms in a dramatic show of pretending to warm up, "Red, don't you dare."
"Uh huh" said Willow as she rolled her shoulders back and forth, "I thought you like laughing?"
"She does!" shouted Dawn from her room.
"Dawn!" shouted Faith, "get in here… she… your sister's gonna torture me."
"I'll be putting on my headphones!" shouted Dawn as Faith looked at a grinning Willow, "I won't be interfering.. you think I want Willow to tickle torture me? Hell no… only Jon gets to do that."
"Dawn!" shouted Willow as she looked over her shoulder.
"Yea!" shouted Dawn as she sat in her bed and opened her laptop before putting the headphones on her head, "we do that… with feathers."
"I don't wanna know!" shouted both Faith and Willow together.
"Hah!" shouted Dawn, "Willow, not too loud alright? I'm watching something on Netflix."
"Sure!" shouted Willow before she looked back down at Faith who was struggling to move her hands and legs, "Faith, you heard what Dawn said. You need to control your laughter."
"Red" said Faith as she looked up at Willow, "don't you dare."
"Shhh" said Willow as she pressed a finger on Faith's lips, "it's alright."
Willow then placed both her hands on Faith's sides, her most ticklish areas, and grinned a very evil grin.
"You like to laugh, right?" asked Willow.
"Red"
"Laugh for me then" said Willow as she started to tickle the dark haired Slayer.
Colonial One, Deep Space, 2330 hours.
Aboard Colonial One, in the President's cabin, there were a number of people who were just sitting around in shock over something that had just occurred. The President held her head in her hands on the day she had won the election, which to most would have been a day of celebration. Instead her joy turned to horror when her former vice-president, and chief scientific advisor, admitted his role in the genocide of billions of Colonial lives in the Fall of the Colonies.
"We can't do anything" said the current Vice-President as he leaned back on his seat next to the Commander who looked back at him, as did the others. The Vice-President, who was numb once Baltar started to admit was he had done, just felt the full force of what just happened. Taking off his tie, he leaned forward and covered his mouth with his hands and looked at the President, "we can't do anything."
"Yea, we can" said Tory as she stood up and looked at the Vice-President, "with all due respect, he's in the fraking airlock. We can just press the button and let the vacuum out there take care of him. Who's going to miss him?"
"It's not that" said the Vice-President as he looked at Tory, "you don't think I want to press that button myself? I lost my family too; my wife and my daughters. They're dead because of what he did. But…"
"Then we do it" said Apollo interrupting the Vice-President, "we take a vote and we do it right now."
"Lee" said the Commander as he looked at his son, "let the Vice-President finish."
"Dad.. I…" said the Major as he looked at his father, and then quietened down and leaned back onto his seat. The Commander then turned to the Vice-President and asked for him to continue.
"Madam President" said the Vice-President as he leaned forward and looked at the woman as she looked back at him, "you know I used to practise law on Caprica, I can tell you that doing what we're thinking about…"
"We did it to Cylons" said Tory.
"The Cylons were machines" said the Commander, "they're not human beings."
"As I was saying" said the Vice-President as he nodded at the Commander before looking back at the President, "we have a chance to start anew now. If we just send Balter out of the airlock, then that act will stay with us for the rest of our lives. We'll have to face our cousins with the thought of what we did. And yes, he did admit it.. but… but there is no corroboration of what he was saying…"
"Are you talking about a trial, Conrad?" asked Roslin as she looked at her Vice-President.
"If we put him on trial" said the Vice-President, "then he'll do what he just did, and then any defence attorney can say that he's insane; seeing things that aren't there, or waving his hands about in the air…. Plus, there's no physical proof of what he did, no witnesses. Just his words."
"There's the Cylons" said Billy as he leaned against the wall of the cabin.
"No one will trust the word of a Cylon" sighed Apollo, "even if we do; then there are many models of those blondes. How do we know who did what and…. gods, I can't believe I'm defending a traitor."
"I know a good defence attorney" said the Vice-President, "Romo Lampkin. If you'd like, I could…."
"No" said the President as she rubbed her forehead.
"Exile" said the Commander softly as he looked at the Presidential seal on the desk in front of him, "exile from the fleet."
"Bill?" asked the President.
"We're on the verge of starting a new life on a new world" said the Commander as he looked at the President, "we'll be essentially be introduced to a larger galaxy than we previously thought by people from Earth. Today is the start of a brand new day, and maybe it's best if we don't start that day by killing Baltar."
"Dad" said Apollo, "if we were in the Colonies and…"
"The Colonies are gone, Lee" said the Commander, his face showing the signs of exhaustion from running from the Cylons, from being worried about the fleet and, "we need to create new laws that reflect the new sign of things to come. I know that we'd put traitors to death, but even traitors had the expectation of a trial back in the Colonies. And like the Vice President said, there is no physical proof. I know in my heart that he's telling the truth, but without proof…"
"We'd be a mob" sighed the President as the Commander nodded his head, "mob justice when we want to show our brother and sisters how civilized we can be."
"What would you like to do Madam President?" asked the Commander, "we could put him out into space through the airlock, put him on trial, or exile him."
"If we put him on trial, his lawyers could just say that he didn't know that the woman he was helping was a Cylon" said the Vice-President as he rolled up his long sleeved shirt, "they could say that Baltar really did think that she was helping in return for her gaining information on winning a government contract, corporate espionage.. maybe. As a traitor to the Colonies? That I don't think anyone will believe, not without proof."
"Exile" said the President as she leaned back on her seat, "Exile. I'll have him sent back to the planet that the Earthers have offered us with Lieutenant Edmondson, and the Vice-President, once we know how many in the fleet will be coming with us. I'll write a letter to the person in charge of the Earth military and this Dr. Burke, and request that he send Baltar to the planet that they had given to the Cylons."
"Madam President?" asked Billy, "are you sure that's wise?"
"I don't see another choice" said Roslin, "we know what he's really done, and I doubt that we want him anywhere near us on the new planet. And even if the others in the fleet don't find out, we'll know. To be honest with you, I'd probably kill him myself if I see his face everyday after all this. The Earthers said that they'll be keeping us and the Cylons apart for our own good, so we'll tell them what he did. And that he's to be placed in exile; he's no longer considered a Colonial citizen."
The others just looked at Roslin before they nodded their heads. The President then told everyone that all of this was to remain between them, that no one else on the fleet was supposed to know about this. That if anyone asked once they settled on the planet about what happened to Gaius Baltar, they would say that he died from an undiagnosed heart defect.
Tauron, Resistance Headquarters, 2345 hours.
Talia couldn't believe it, her planet was finally free from the Cylon occupiers. The resistance movement, along with help from the Raptors from the Pegasus, as well as personnel from what she heard was called the Ori Army destroyed every centurion, and humanoid Cylon, that they could find. The resistance and the combined Colonial/Ori forces swept up and killed, in cold blood, human form Cylons wherever they were found… they were killed even when they got onto their knees and begged to surrender. Talia herself managed to shoot a few of them at the back of their heads.
'Revenge for the murder of my students, my family, my people, and my planet' thought Talia to herself as she shot a red suited blonde woman, along with her team and others who forced the Cylons to dig their own graves before executing them.
As she walked through the halls of the primary resistance base in the mountain range outside of Tauron City after the latest sweep of the City, Talia recalled looking down at the bodies of the humanoid Cylons they had killed before walking away. However, as she and the others walked away, they were then approached by members of the Ori army in their armour, helmets and strange staff weapons that she had seen fire purple blots of energy; weapons that Talia only ever saw in science fiction movies.
"Do you swear allegiance to the Ori" said the leader of the soldiers as they surrounded the men and women of the resistance who had just shot dead the Cylon prisoners, "Do you swear your loyalty to the true gods of this land?"
"I don't understand what you just said, but put your weapons down" said Talia as she and the others raised their weapons and pointed them at the Ori soldiers, who raised their staff weapons, while the other soldiers raised their arm as a weapon activated on their forearm. Talia and the others looked at the soldiers while a Raptor landed behind the group.
"What is the meaning of this?" asked a man who just got out through the rear door and walked towards them. Talia glanced at the man and furrowed her eyebrows when she noticed that he was speaking the language of the Ori soldiers, but he was wearing a Colonial Officers uniform before he looked at Talia and the resistance fighters around her, "everyone, put down your weapons."
"My name is Lieutenant Alexis Cotto, sir" said the man standing next to Talia as he glanced over to the man walking towards them, "you are with these barbarians?"
"These barbarians, as you call them, just finished off the Cylon menace on Caprica, Tauron, and Picon" said the man as he passed the Ori soldiers who were still pointing their weapons at the other Colonials, "they did that with only two ships that just broke orbit and are heading to Leonis, and the other worlds. So, Lieutenant, order your resistance fighters… such as they is… to put down their weapons and swear allegiance to the Ori."
"And you are?" asked Talia as she glanced over at the man.
"Captain Taylor, Stinger."
"We're glad that these people helped us to beat the Cylons, we really are" said another woman, "but we never agreed to… we're not going to be forced to just abandoned the gods who we've…."
"The gods have done nothing" said Stinger as he looked around at the resistance fighters in front of him, "they never intervened when the Cylons attacked, nor did they help us fight when they look our worlds. But the Ori…. I've seen their power. Right now, an Admiral from Tauron herself is leading the fight against the Cylons that have taken our homes; Admiral Helana Cain."
Upon hearing the Admiral's name some of the resistance fighters, in particular the members of the Colonial military, put down their weapons. They whispered among themselves that one of Tauron's most successful daughters have returned to turn the tide against the Cylons.
Smiling to himself, Stinger continued to speak knowing that the name of Helena Cain was respected among the military who came from Tauron.
"The Ori have returned to this galaxy to help us cleanse the worlds of all evil" said Stinger, "they even gave the Admiral incredible power. She downloaded the language of these people into our minds so that we may speak and understand them."
"Ridiculous!" said another man.
"Blasphemy" shouted another.
"No!" shouted Stinger, "she has the powers of the Priors of the Ori, the messengers of the gods. We have seen their terrible power, and their great mercy, on the Pegasus. An Ori Prior shone a light over everyone and gave them a wasting disease. A disease that killed over half of the ship. They used their great gifts to healed the ones who were poisoned by radiation, or who were in the Cylon farms all over the worlds."
"Lies" said Talia as she turned her weapons on Stinger who just smiled at her, putting his hand up when the Ori soldiers aimed their weapons at her.
"I was one of the people who died" said Stinger gently as he walked towards Talia, "the Prior brought me back to life. All they ask is simple, bow down to the Ori, seek their forgiveness for worshipping false gods, and help rid this galaxy of evil. You're free to refuse if you want, but know one thing though… you refuse, and the Ori will throw you into the fires of everlasting torment."
"I'll take that chance" said a man as he led six other men and women as they walked past the group. Talia and Cotto saw Stinger sigh before he nodded at the seven people, and then nodded at the Ori soldiers who turned their weapons on the seven.
"No!" shouted Cotto as the Ori soldiers fired at the seven of them while the other Ori soldiers continued aiming their weapons at the main group, ready to fire if anyone made a move.
"What the frack was that!" shouted Cotto as purple energy blasts took down the seven people.
"You forgot the 'sir', lieutenant" said Stinger with a smirk before pointing a finger at the dead bodies, "they were possessed by evil. They had to be shut down, or else evil would have spread."
"This is insanity" said Talia.
"This is the new reality of the Twelve Colonies" said Stinger, "we're combined under one leader now; Prior Cain. The Orici, the manifestation of the Ori themselves, made the Admiral a Prior. And she seeks people, people to man Battlestars and to fight. Those who do not wish to fight are free to stay here, or on any of the worlds. But the Ori fight a holy war to get rid of evil in this galaxy. Join the war, and your living souls will be guided to the Great Path…. To Ascension.. to life with the Ori. The Cylons were one evil, while another evil has already reared its ugly head. They've taken a hold of the long lost world, Earth."
Talia remembered how surprised everyone was that day as she entered the unisex locker room back at the base. She put her weapons, and clothes into a makeshift locker before taking out some fresh clothes and placing them carefully on the bench near a few portable showers.
"Earth' said the woman while thinking about the ramifications as she took off her dirty clothes and dropped them on the floor. She then entered one of the showers and shut the door so that only her head and shoulders, and the bottom of her feet were visible while she turned on the shower, 'these Ori are in a war with Earth. Stinger said that evil forces have a hold only many worlds with humans… other human worlds… my gods. We're not the only ones in the galaxy. And Earth, origin of all evil that's befallen us.. that's what he says. But.. but the scrolls never mentioned anything about the Ori, or Earth being the birth place of evil and…. I mean; it's Earth. Home of the Thirteenth Tribe. How can they be evil?"
"Talia?" asked Lt. Cotto as he entered the locker room and looked at the young woman taking a shower. She turned and saw that the Lieutenant had a brown book in his arms before he bent down and placed it over the fresh set of clothes that Talia had taken out before entering the shower, "the Commander wants all of us to read this."
"What is it?"
"The religious book of these Ori" he said as he walked to the locker room door and pushed away a man who was coming inside, telling him to come back in fifteen minutes. After the other man had left mumbling some complaints under his breath, the lieutenant locked the door behind him and walked towards a bench and took off his clothes, "they call it Origin."
"Origin?" said Talia as she stepped forward as the now nude lieutenant opened the door to her shower, and walked in behind her before closing the door, and then grabbed her by the hips.
"Yes" said the man as he leaned down and bit her ear lobe, "the commander wants me, and a few others to take a raptor to one of the outer moons on the far side of the Colonies. He's been briefed by Cain's XO on the plans of the Ori to beat back the evil that's taken over Earth."
"You believe that?" asked Talia before gasping as the Lieutenant bit her shoulder. She caught her breath before asking, "I mean about Earth, and evil? You think it's true?"
"I think it could be true. Look, I'm not supposed to tell anyone about the briefing I just got out of, but… the Admiral received some advanced technological knowledge from these Ori. She's relayed information that she can get another Battlestar from a Colonial Fleet shipyard, some project that the top brass was working on. Apparent Cain was part of the small group that knew about it. That ship, if it really does exist, and the Pegasus would then be decked out in technology that was already being researched on by Greystone Industries before the Fall. It was experimental then, but with her knowledge? Her XO said that we can have shields and energy weapons built into the two Battlestars in under a year."
"And… and you'll be on… on one?" asked Talia as she arched her back when Cotto started attacking her neck,, while moving his hands all over her body.
"Uh huh" said the lieutenant as he pushed the young woman forward until her hands where holding on to the sides of the shower as he grunted.
"Frack" said Talia as Cotto wrapped his hand around her abdomen.
It was soon after that the sounds Talia was making died down that people started to pound their fists on the door to the locker room. They were demanding to be let in, especially the group that had just come back from scouring a nearby jungle from any hidden Cylon outposts.
"Even if you don't want to be on a Battlestar" said the lieutenant panting as the both of them walked out of the shower, "you can always go through a device they found buried in the Delphi Museum."
"What?" asked Talia as she put on some underwear while looking at Cotto in surprise, "what device?"
"You'll see" said the lieutenant, "I didn't believe it when Cain's XO briefed us, but… you'll see. It's a way to launch a second front when the Ori army and the Colonial fleet attack Earth, and then.. then we go after the traitors who chose to ally themselves with evil."
"More Colonials survived?" asked Talia surprised.
"Yes" said the lieutenant as he watched Talia put on a shirt and then pick up the book of Origin, "but they allied themselves with the Cylons, as did the ones from Earth."
"No" said Talia with her eyes wide open in surprise.
"Yes" said the Lieutenant, "so now, we'll prepare and then we'll hit them hard."
"Hard is right" said Talia as she grinned before kissing the Lieutenant, then opening the door to some angry men and women.
Willow and Faith's house, 0800 hours.
After falling asleep following what could only be described as an euphoric thirty minutes of laughter after which Faith surrendered to Willow, the dark haired Slayer slowly opened her eyes as she felt a gentle warmth hitting her face. Looking at the one blind that was out of place, she reached up and fixed it, blocking the ray of light that was falling onto her face. Putting her arm back down, she looked to her side and saw the blanket that was on the floor.
Smiling to herself, she then looked at the mop of red hair lying on her chest, her eyes going down the blue tanktop wearing figure whose left leg lay over her bower body while another arm lay over Faith's chest. Moving the red hair away from the face of the body lying on her chest, Faith smiled as she looked at the sleeping Willow who was gently breathing onto the Slayer's chest and causing goosebumbs on the exposed areas to erupt. Faith then felt a wetness on her chest before realizing that the redhead was drooling on her tanktop. Gently pulling the redhead closer, Faith took in the scent of Willow's strawberry scented shampoo and smiled before kissing the top of her head.
"Morning" said a groggy Willow as she moved her head before pulling herself up on Faith's body and laying her head in the crook of Faith's neck.
"Morning, sleepyhead" said the Slayer gently.
"Can I lay like this forever?" asked Willow as she nuzzled her head on Faith's neck.
"Yea" said Faith, "but we'll never get anything done."
"I wanna relax" said Willow softly, "forget about war, forget about Ori, Lucien Alliance, Atlantis…. Forget about everything that's out there. I just wanna be alone with you… you know?"
"I know" said Faith as she glanced at the still asleep Willow, "how about we go somewhere?"
"We have a mission in three days" said Willow groggily as she tightened her hold on Faith, "I just wanna lay with you until then."
"I was actually thinking about going for a trip to Disneyland" said Faith as Willow opened her eyes and looked up at her wife, "I mean, I don't know about you.. but I haven't been there."
"Neither have I" said Willow as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand to remove the cobwebs that blurred her vision, "I mean we were supposed to but my mom and dad had something come up in the last minute."
"Wanna go?" asked Faith, "we can take our minds off the Ori, and everything else that's going on."
"Today?" asked Willow.
"Why not?" asked Faith as she shrugged her shoulders, "we've got leave, our next mission's not until three days from now. We get tickets for two days… we just go all out… you know… have fun?"
"Sounds like a plan" said Willow as she pushed herself up and got onto her knees, "but I remember Teal'c saying he wanted to visit Disneyland, and well…."
"Why not?" asked Faith, "I think Sam needs a break, so does Daniel, Vala, Cam. We'll take Debra… can you imagine the munchkin with little mouse ear on her head."
"So a trip with just the two of us ends up being a trip for SG-1" smiled Willow, "and Debbie."
"You brought it up" said Faith as Willow nodded her head, "I'll call the guys, and then we'll check on the tickets?"
"Yeah" said Willow as Faith leaned in and kissed her, "and Dawn?"
"I'll ask" said Willow with a smile as she lingered for another kiss, "but we get our own room in the hotel."
"Uh huh" said Faith with a grin as she turned her body and placed her feet on the carpeted floor, "too bad we can't use the Prometheus for transport."
"Yea" said Willow as she sat next to her wife, "it's not a taxi service."
"I wish it was" grinned Faith as Willow got up and headed towards the rest room. Stopping at the door to the restroom, Willow turned around and took off her tanktop and shorts while grinning at Faith before leaning on the door frame.
"Thought you'd want revenge for the tickling last night" said Willow who crossed her arms over her chest, as Faith stood up slowly and walked around her bed while taking off her clothes, "I swear I'll use no powers."
"Revenge" said Faith as she grabbed a hold of Willow and gently pushed her inside, before kicking the door closed shut. It was a few seconds later that loud laughter from Willow erupted behind the closed door, followed by the shower turning on.
It was thirty minutes later that the both of them walked out with towels covering their bodies. Walking towards the closet, Faith looked back and whistled as Willow took off her own towel. Turning back to the closet doors, she pulled them open as Willow whistled. Looking down, Faith saw that the redhead had mentally taken of the towel she was covered with, and then dropped it unceremoniously on the floor.
"Nice" said the Slayer as she threw the redhead a shirt and a pair of shorts, while Faith took out a red shirt, and a pair of jeans for herself.
"Thanks" said Willow as she threw Faith some underwear just as her cell phone started to ring.
"Please don't tell me that the world's gonna end" said Faith as Willow smiled before connecting the line and bringing up the phone to her ear.
"Rosenberg" said Willow as she zipped up her shorts, "yes, General Carter.. good morning. Colonel?... No sir, I haven't heard from her… or seen her. I know she's doing something with the phase shifting device but… she's not? Huh? Everything's gone?"
Faith saw the concerned look on Willow's face before she turned around, reached into the closet and threw a pair of long jeans at Willow who nodded her head. She telekinetically caught them, the jeans now floating in mid-air, before she unzipped and took off the shorts that she was wearing while talking to the General.
"Sir" said Willow as she threw the shorts onto the bed while Faith looked on concerned. Willow the brought the floating jeans into her hands before putting them on and sitting down to put on a pair of socks while Faith did the same, "she has to be in the mountain. When did she go missing? Sir, she had a lot of stuff… I mean… yes, sir… I'm on the way. Has anyone tried the Sodan cloaking device? Maybe she's… of, they have? Alright Sir, I'm on the way."
"Missing?" mouthed Faith as she looked at Willow while putting on her shoes as Willow shrugged her shoulders.
"I understand, sir" said Willow as her call waiting beeped, "sir, I think that's General Landry."
"Yes, sir" continued Willow, "leaving Debbie with Mrs. Dixon is a good idea, I'll see you at the mountain."
"Sir" said Willow after she ended the call with General Carter, and then connected the call with General Landry, as Faith exited their room and walked over to Dawn's and knocked on the door.
The door opened as a groggy Dawn looked out the door while wiping her eyes as Faith told the young woman that she and Willow were heading back to the mountain.
"Ok" said Dawn nodding her head, "everything alright?"
"Not sure" said Faith as Willow walked out of their room, her phone stuck to her ear. The redhead saw Dawn and smiled before leaning in and kissing the brunette's forehead. Willow then smiled at her before nodding at Faith that she'll be outside warming up the car. Faith then turned back towards Dawn and told her that she'll call later on.
"Jon's coming back tonight from the Colonial planet" said Dawn, "I was planning on going out later after his briefing, and stuff, is done."
"Cool" said Faith as she smiled and headed towards the main entrance, "just let us know if you're planning some… you know… hanky-panky."
'Faith" said Dawn as she rolled her eyes.
"Oh please, you already admitted you did it" said Faith, "you remember… last night…. You said he's go techniques that…."
"I was kidding" said Dawn, "I mean we kissed but…"
"Well" said Faith, "may you go all the way today… ok… Red and Buffy are gonna kill me now. You know what? Forget I said anything."
"Yeah" said Dawn as she had her eyes wide open when she realized something, "I haven't introduced him to Buffy, mom and the others yet. Oh, oh, he doesn't know about Willow."
"Oh!" said Faith laughing as she headed to the exit, "you better tell Buffy about him… Dawn, I gotta go…. Hold that thought. We'll talk later?"
"Yeah" said Dawn nodding her head when she noticed that Faith was in a hurry, "go.. go."
"Oh" said the Slayer before she left the house, "remember protection."
"Faith" said Dawn as the dark hair Slayer closed the door behind her laughing as she ran towards the awaiting car.
Science Lab One, 0900 hours.
Willow and Faith immediately ran to Science Lab One after they parked the car, and rushed into the SGC. Once they ran out of the elevators, they ran to the lab where they saw General Landry, and General Carter standing outside while talking to Dr. Lee. She and Faith nodded at them before General Landry told Willow that Teal'c, Vala, Colonel Mitchell and Daniel had attached the Sodan cloaking devices they received a few minutes ago wind were already scouring the base for the blonde officer.
"Any luck, sirs?" asked a worried Willow.
"Not yet" said General Landry, "we've got a few personnel with sound amplifiers making a sweep on all levels, starting with this one."
"We think that maybe the device put her out of phase into a different dimension than the one that She and Dr. Jackson entered the first time" said Dr. Lee as Faith looked into the room and noticed the scorch marks on the floor and walls.
"What the heck?" asked Faith as she walked in and crouched down.
"Doc" said Willow as she looked at the bald scientist, "I need to know exactly what happened."
"Dr. Lee" said General Landry, "show the Major the security feed."
"Of course" said Dr. Lee as he nodded at Willow and asked her to follow him. IN the meantime, Faith rushed back to the two Generals and asked them if they had any spare cloaking devices.
"Miss Lehane" said General Landry, "the only ones we have available are being used, I need you to help with the sound amplifiers. I know you told me that your hearing was enhanced as well, so…"
"Got it" said Faith as she ran towards the supply room.
"Start on this level, Miss Lehane" said General Landry as she gave him a thumbs up before she disappeared around a corner.
In the meantime, Willow was in Dr. Lee's lab as he played the camera feed from Science Lab One. While Dr. Lee was standing next to the redhead, they saw that Colonel Carter had activated the shields in the lab before running an experiment using the device. They then saw Colonel Mitchell hit the shield hard before asking the Colonel to take a break.
"HE leaves" said Dr. Lee as Colonel Mitchell leaves the room, and the shields are activated again.
"I know she was trying to expand the field emitted by the device" said Willow as she leaned in as Colonel Carter started to look around confused. Dr. Lee put him hand over his mouth as there was a brilliant flash of white on the video, and then the Colonel vanished. Leaving behind scorch marks on the floor and the walls.
"We know the device activated" said Dr. Lee as Willow rewound the video, and then played it back slowly. She continued doing the same thing for a few minutes while Dr. Lee continued to talk, "my guess is that she's in another dimension. One that we're trying to get to and…."
"Oh no" said Willow as she stood up and combed her hand through her hair nervously as she looked at Dr. Lee and then at the laptop screen again, "she… I…"
'Major?" asked Dr. Lee as he looked at the concern on Willow's face before looking at the screen.
"Look" said Willow as she rewound the video, and then played it back extremely slowly, "it's there for an instant…"
"Oh dear God" said Dr. Lee, as Willow stepped back and looked at the screen with both hands on her head.
"There's two of them" said Willow as she and the other scientist looked at each other and then at the still picture of two Samantha Carter's in the same room, the alternate Carter screaming as if she was in pain.
"I'll get General Landry and Carter" said Dr. Lee as he rushed to the door, and stopped before turning around.
"She could be here somewhere" said Willow as she sensed Dr. Lee's worry, "she has to be…. I… I gotta think. In the meantime, get both of the General's here."
"Got it" said Dr. Lee as he rushed out, while Willow turned back at the screen and looked at the screaming Samantha Carter, and then looked at the confused look on the face of her Colonel Carter.
"We'll find you, ma'am" said Willow to herself.
Colonial One, four days later, 0900 hours.
The President was looking at the figures on the piece of paper in her hand. Roslin sighed as she looked at the piece of paper, and then turned behind her and looked at the whiteboard that held the current count; the total number of people in the fleet.
"These figures are true?" asked Roslin as Billy and Tory looked at each other, and then at the back of the President who was looking at the number on the white board hanging on the wall.
"Yes, Madam President" said Tory as she leaned forward, "thirty five ships, including the Astral Queen, the Daru Mazu, the Zephyr, Pyxis, and the Gemenon Traveller; all of them have asked to leave. They are taking aboard any additional passengers who want to leave, and the passengers from those ships who want to continue with us have already started moving to other ships temporarily. That should take a few days. All in all, we're looking at twenty one thousand people leaving us."
"My gods" said Roslin as she took off her glasses, turned around and placed it on the desk in front of her.
"A little over forty percent of the population" said Tory softly, "all towards a dead planet."
"They think that everything was a lie" said Billy as he stood up, "most still believe that the gods will guide them. Doesn't help that Porter's still fanning the flames, then you have these Son's of Zarek nutjobs."
"Great" said the President sarcastically, "as if his ego isn't inflated already. Do they realize that we won't be giving them the coordinates to the planet that the Earthers have offered us?"
"Yes, Madam President" said Tory as she kept on looking at the drawn curtain behind the President, beyond which was Balter in restraints surrounded by Galactica's Marines. Tory then looked back at the President and told her that everyone on the Galactica would be heading to the new planet with the President.
"Good" said Roslin, "Zarek and his people will have some freighters and the tylium refinery so they should be set. Have Commander Adama send a Raptor ahead with the count on the number of people they could expect."
"Understood" said Billy as he stood up and approached the President who called him to her before she reached down into a drawer and took out an envelope that had the Presidential seal embossed on it.
"Billy" said Roslin, "I want this given to the person in charge of the Earth forces on that planet. It has everything on what we believe that Baltar has done, and our request for him to be sent to the Cylon world where he will receive no contact with the Colonials."
"What will you call the planet, Madam President" said Tory as the President handed Billy the letter, and he placed it into the inside pocket located in his jacket.
"I know I said that I'd like to call it New Caprica" said the President, "but given that this is a new start for our people, I'd like to call it New Kobol."
"I like it" said Tory with a smile as she nodded her head, and then looked towards the drawn curtain behind the President, "and Baltar?"
"I'll have him sent with Billy, Lt. Edmondson, the Vice-President, two members of the Quorum and Captain Thrace to New Kobol" said the President as she looked at Tory, "he'll be exiled to the Cylon world. And since these Earthers said that we'll be separated from the Cylons, it works out for us."
"Understood" said Tory as she turned around and headed out with Billy.
It was soon time to head to their new home, and then head back to the Colonies and bring whoever survived back.
TBC.