Chapter Three: House Divided
Ventura:
Lieutenant Governor Michael Fowler's Office:
"Mr. Fowler, there's an incoming message for you from the Olympica," Erica Abbott said as she opened the door to Michael Fowler's office. The blonde Caprican, a recent graduate from Caprica's University of Clermont, had taken over as his Chief of Staff since Chris Alonzo had been granted a leave of absence.
"Who is it from?" Fowler asked.
"It's from Governor Rush, it appears he needs your presence on the Olympica as soon as possible," she said as she handed him the message.
Fowler took the paper and began to read over it. Since he had come to his new office, he had admittedly found there was little for him to do. If anything, it seemed he had been given the tasks that Governor Rush had been either unwilling or unable to do. The fact that his presence was being requested was definitely a surprise for him.
"Tell Captain Vance that I will need transport to the Olympica as soon as he can arrange it," Fowler said to Abbott. Captain Theodore Vance had taken a sense of pride of being the captain of the ship the Lieutenant Governor was on, going so far as to unofficially dub the Ventura as 'Colonial Two'. Fowler was not that big on ceremony but knowing the pride Vance took in it he let the man carry on.
"Will you require any of the staff to come with you to the Olympica?" Abbott asked.
Fowler thought about it for a moment before responding, "I want Halverson, Leopold, Kretchmer, Steiner, and you to come with me. Also, let Rowell know that he is in charge until I return."
It was a few minutes later when Abbott appeared back in the office, "I just got done talking with Captain Vance, it would appear that the fleet is about to jump to a new destination. However, Governor Rush has delayed the jump until we're able to get onto the Olympica."
"He's going all-out to make me feel important," Fowler joked as he finished gathering the items he planned to bring with him. The only thing left for him to do was to let his wife and kids know that he was being called away and that he would return to them the first chance he had.
'What the frak is going on over there?' he asked himself as he exited his office and headed down the corridor to the staircase that lead to the shuttle bay.
Thirty-Seven Minutes Later:
Amasen Station, Commanding Officer's Quarters:
Arthur Wallace looked out onto the blackness of space and took a sip from his glass of water.
"No sign of them yet?" Commander Susan Minerva asked.
Wallace shook his head. "No sign of them on DRADIS yet according to Lieutenant Stotland and no communiqués according to Lieutenant Suman."
"If the reports we received are accurate we'll have a lot more friendly faces."
"That's what I like about you, Sue, the glass is always half full with you."
"At times like this I think a little optimism can make all the difference."
"Perhaps. So tell me, how long has it been since you last spoke with Admiral Tolan?"
Minerva was quiet as she tried to remember, "It was about four months before the Cylons attacked. The Libran had stopped at Aquaria when I ran into him at Oceanus Fleet Air Station. I had asked him what he was doing on Aquaria, since the Victorious was assigned with defending Caprica, and he told me that it was something he couldn't tell me about."
"He was taking his battle group and two other battlestars to take part in a weapons test on two decommissioned battlestars; it was something he couldn't tell anyone for obvious reasons."
"I'd ask how you know that but I think I already know the answer," Minerva said teasingly.
Wallace gave her a smile. "That's the thing about the Ministry of Intelligence, there's always a way of finding out information other people don't want to have discovered."
"I know I should be shocked but from everything I've learned over the last three years it makes perfect sense."
The two looked out the window and saw a multitude of brilliant flashes as a vast armada of military and civilian ships came into view.
"Looks like our guests have arrived," Minerva said.
Olympica:
Governor David Rush's Office:
"I got here as soon I could," Lieutenant Governor Michael Fowler said upon entering Governor Rush's office; the suite of offices formed the nerve center for the executive leadership of the civilian population.
"I'm glad you could make it," Rush said as he shook hands with Fowler.
By all rights, Fowler should have been the man to assume leadership of the civilian government following the removal of Hector Alonzo from power, but the association had left the former Governor of Libris radioactive in the eyes of the population. When Rush had assumed leadership he had kept Fowler on as Lieutenant Governor.
"People here look to be in scurrying about in a hurry. I take it the rumors are true," Fowler asked.
"That depends on what rumors you have heard," Rush replied.
He knew that Fowler had not been as thoroughly briefed, as he should have been.
"I see an armada of ships out there that were not there the last time I looked out of my cabin window on the Ventura and on the way here I didn't see the Colossus anywhere among the ships."
"You may want to sit down then and let me fill you in on what you need to know," Rush said as he motioned to a nearby seat. When Fowler was seated, Rush sat down and said, "Admiral Tolan led a rescue mission to Ostarsis. The task force took a beating by the Cylons and we lost two battlestars, perhaps three, and the Colossus is the ship we're not sure about."
"I take that to mean that it's missing," Fowler commented.
Rush nodded. "Admiral Kronus dispatched the Victorious to the Ragan System to search for it; when the ship returned it didn't exactly bring good news."
Fowler held up a hand, "I thought Kronus had retired because of health problems."
"He made a convincing case for being brought back to active duty; it was a choice between him and Admiral Sakura. Truth is I don't think she is quite ready for overall military command."
"Not to mention that if Admiral Tolan is gone then Kronus will be able to inspire the people more than Sakura would be able to."
"Exactly," Rush exclaimed before adding, "With some extra time to watch and learn I think Sakura could be up the task. There's nobody better for her to learn from than Kronus."
"That reminds me of the situation on Libran; it was assumed that I would one day take over the leadership of the colony. Being the governor of Libris was supposed to be a stepping stone to that," Fowler said.
Libris was the largest of the districts that made up Libran and those in the Federalist Party told Fowler that when Governor-General Royce Oberon retired from political life that he would be the one the party chose to replace the former Marine general as Libran's governor-general.
"That's essentially the same type of situation, and I'm glad that you're here on the Olympica to help out. I've been dealing with the Quorum and the officers from the ships that we discovered at Ostarsis."
"I'm glad to help in any way I can. I still don't know how we came across all of these new warships," Fowler said as his curiosity was starting to get the better of him.
"When the Cylons threw the bulk of their force at the task force, Admiral Tolan sent a distress call out in the clear for any Colonial units to come to his aid at Ostarsis. They were part of a group that had discovered a secret base here in the Sertis-Beta System, and it seems they've spent nearly eight months hiding here at various times."
"I see," Fowler said before asking, "Who is in charge of the military and the civilians?"
"Militarily it is a Rear Admiral Nicholas Tattnall; he has been in command of the Battlestar Libran for the last three years. Civilian-wise it appears a Major Arthur Wallace runs the station and seems to be in charge of both the station personnel and the civilians as well."
"Good to know the Libran is still in one piece. I'd hate to think the ship named for my home colony was lost," Fowler said.
"I'm sure you're starting to realize you're going to be here for a while, if you'd like I can have a pilot bring your family over from the Ventura," Rush offered.
"I think that would be best, and you're right, it sounds like I'm going to be needed here until things start to settle down."
Rush picked up the phone on his desk and began pressing the buttons to dial the Olympica's main shuttle bay. "I'll give you a couple of hours to get you and your family settled in. When that's done, come back here and we'll talk more."
Fowler was out of his seat and turning to leave the room, "I'll head to the shuttle bay and wait for them to arrive. Thank you, Governor. I'm glad I can be of use to you. Being Lieutenant Governor was starting to seem as pointless of a job as being Vice President."
Olympica, Argonne Plaza:
A section of the liner was reserved for a variety of restaurants and shops. The patrons walked on brick walkways that gave the plaza an old-fashioned feel. Above them was a generated blue sky to give the patrons the impression that they were on one of the colonies spending a day shopping or dining.
Captain Whitney Thompson, formerly of the Ministry of Intelligence, took in the sight and a part of her mind told her to appreciate what she was seeing. It was such a nice change from the prison on Ostarsis that she had called home for almost eight months. She knew she would go crazy if she dwelt on it for too long so she instead tried to focus on the present. The people walked by as if they had not a care in the world, that everything was fine and there was not a war going on outside of the Olympica's hull.
Perhaps it would be best if they kept thinking that, if they had seen the things she had seen they would have a much different feel for the situation. If they had been through the pain she had been through as a prisoner of the Cylons perhaps they would see this artificially lit plaza as the false representation it was. How many times had the Cylons told her she was due to be executed? So many she had lost count.
The memory of the first time she thought she was going to die came to her mind. It had been her first month on Ostarsis when one of the Cylon models told her that it was time for her execution. That first time when she had been taken out to a field where she had been told her life would end. She had been tied to a pole blindfolded and a female voice had read the order of execution. She heard the metallic clank of the Centurions' footsteps as they lined into position and she silently began to pray as tears began to form at the corners of her eyes. She had heard the words 'Ready' and 'Aim' but the word 'Fire' never came. Instead, she had been released from her restraints and taken back to her cell. One of the humanoid Cylons, and older-looking man, had told her that perhaps she would be executed tomorrow or even as soon as an hour from now.
'Stop it!' she mentally screamed as she forced the memory away. She was free now and thanks to a Raptor from the Helios, she was now on the Olympica.
She saw the person she had wanted to see browsing through a Tauron-themed store and her mind immediately thought, 'Figures she would browse through a Tauron shop.'
She had heard that Cinta Melati and the Gemenon had taken part in the battle and that the leader of the Erebea was now on the Olympica until further notice. As soon as Thompson heard it, she sprang into action and managed to get a ride to the Olympica. Now was her chance to get some answers from Melati and depending on what she heard she would fill her in on what her Major Arthur Wallace had in store for her from the moment he came into her life.
She would have had no idea the leader of the Erebea and her fiancé had been romantically involved if it had not been for one of the human Cylons. He had been referred to as a 'Two' and he had taken an interest in playing games with her mind. The day he told her about Cinta Melati and Arthur Wallace's relationship she had assumed it had been another mind game, but he was able to produce evidence she could not deny and it was another cruel blow to her world. The man she had pledged to marry and love all of her life had been carrying on a romantic relationship behind her back. She had felt foolish for not having noticed it and from that day on there was anger towards more than just the Cylons. They had killed her family when they attacked the Colonies but Arthur's betrayal killed a part of her as well.
Thompson crossed the street and stepped onto the sidewalk where the store was located. She glanced up at the sign and saw that it said 'Leto', which meant she had found the store she had seen Melati enter. The electric doors slid apart to allow her to enter and she was quickly intercepted by a sales associate who asked if there was anything she could help her with. Thompson politely shook her head and began to look around what was clearly a clothing store of some type. A part of her was surprised to see that there was still merchandise for sale; there were racks and shelves that looked decidedly bare. For an instant she had lost sight of Melati but she quickly saw her enter the area of the store where the changing rooms were located.
She quickly picked up some items of clothing and walked over to the changing rooms; the clerk at the desk let her through with barely a question asked. Whitney started looking for the room Melati was using.
Thompson saw only one of the rooms seemed to be occupied and that was all she needed to know as to where Melati was located. She took a hold of the doorknob and gently turned it until she heard the click that let her know the door was ready to open. Easing the door open she took a step inside, grabbed Melati's shoulder, and spun the woman around so that she faced her.
A look of surprise that quickly turned to anger came over Melati's face, "What do you think you're doing?"
"Just thought I'd have a friendly little chat," Thompson said as she kept the pressure on Melati's shoulders so that she could not make any sudden moves.
"Where are my guards?" she asked the stranger. Normally she would have at least four bodyguards with her at all times, a precaution she had kept from her days as the leader of the Erebea.
"They're in the store, probably busy checking out the women in the lingerie section," Thompson said.
"That's the second time in about three years since my bodyguards have let someone get by. I think when this is over I'm going to have a strongly-worded conversation with them."
Thompson smirked, "Don't be so hard on them it's not their fault I'm trained at avoiding detection."
"Are you here to kill me then?" Melati asked with a voice that did not show a hint of fear.
"I'm not here to kill you, I want to have a word with you in private and this is probably as close to 'private' as we're going to get," Thompson said and then she relaxed her grip on Melati's shoulders.
Melati suddenly grabbed Thompson's right wrist and turned it so she could see the woman's forearm, "If you were going to get a tattoo you could have done better than P38210."
Thompson's left hand massaged where the Cylons had tattooed a prisoner number on her forearm, "Believe me it wasn't one I'd have wanted."
"So who are you with; Colonial Military Intelligence, Colonial Federal Police, Ministry of Intelligence…"
"I was with the MoI as was my fiancé," Thompson said.
"I see and would your fiancé be someone I've dealt with in the past?"
"Does the name Arthur Wallace sound familiar?"
"I'm intimately familiar with him even though I knew him as William Savedge. I thought that we had both a working relationship that ultimately became more intimate with time," Melati said as her mind went to the time before the Cylon attacks.
"There was so much more to the story," Thompson said as she motioned towards the door, "Let's have a seat over at that restaurant across the street and I'll tell you more about Arthur's mission."
A few minutes later the two women had taken a seat at Ersa's Café next to one of the windows that looked out onto the plaza. A quiet had settled between the two and to the casual observer it would seem as though there was an uneasy truce in place.
"So," Melati said as she broke the silence between the two, "What exactly was Arthur's end game regarding to me?"
Thompson took a sip of water from her glass then said, "His plan was to give you the Gemenon and once you and the Erebea had boarded the ship it would have been remote detonated to kill you and your people in one single explosion."
Melati looked as though she had been punched in the stomach but she quickly recovered, "There are not enough curses in my language to describe something so cowardly."
"I was a part of that mission; I was stationed on one of the faststars that kept the Libran safe from attack."
"The Libran. I see Admiral Tattnall may not have been the only serpent trying to strike me," Melati said aloud before turning her attention to Thompson, "If we were both on such intimate terms with Arthur, tell me something about him only the two of us would know."
Thompson walked over to where Melati sat and whispered something in her ear. She then went back to her seat and sat down to look at the face of a now visibly disturbed woman.
"That bastard," Melati finally said with the word 'bastard' carrying the venom as every single Tauron curse she could hurl at the man.
Derrek 'Little Tank' Robinson overheard the exchange from the booth where he had been eagerly awaiting the food he had ordered. He had been looking out onto the plaza and reflected on how it reminded him of home on Aquaria. All the time he had spent on either the Gemenon or Amasen had given him an appreciation for being on the luxury liner. Even if he was still on a ship in space, he could imagine instead that he was on a planet. He had not met Whitney Thompson but he had heard about her. From what he was hearing right now, it seemed the only course of action was to get back to Amasen. From there, he could let his brothers know that the officer in charge of the station could possibly have a situation on his hands with two women that were both angry and deadly.
As he was leaving, the waitress came to the table with his food. She saw that he was leaving and promptly told him he still needed to pay for his meal. Little Tank wanted to argue with her but knew it would probably be pointless. The sooner he got back to Amasen, the sooner he could warn Wallace about the situation he could have on his hands.
He took out the cubits in his pocket and put more than enough on the table to cover his purchase as well as leave a generous tip, thankfully the businesses on the Olympica were still in the habit of accepting cubits, and began to make his way to the shuttle bay where his Raptor was located. He had spent part of the day ferrying people and supplies between Amasen and the Olympica and he had hoped to get some downtime. Now thanks to his friend's womanizing ways he was going to have to leave the ship sooner than he had planned. It was likely he would be required to stop a possible disaster from taking place.
Amasen, Operations Center:
A short distance down the corridor that led to Amasen's CIC was a room known as the Operations Center. While the CIC was necessary for Amasen's defense in case of attack, the Operations Center served as the nerve center for keeping watch on what was going on inside the base.
At present, the Operations Center's conference room was in use by Major Arthur Wallace, the officer in charge of Amasen, and the group he had selected to help brief him on the current situation.
Commander Susan Minerva, Sergeant Majors Darrell Robinson, John Harbrecht, and Marine Lieutenant Octavia Socorro had joined with the group of tactical officers providing Wallace with his daily intelligence briefings. The head of this group was Captain Curtis Bond, formerly of the Ministry of Intelligence, and Wallace's second in command during the MoI's mini war against the Erebea.
"Has your team been able to put together a complete analysis of our new arrivals?" Wallace asked.
"We've gone over most of the data we received from Governor Rush's office," Bond said before turning his attention to one of the tactical officers, "Lieutenant Adrienne will give you the strength of our new arrivals."
Lieutenant Claudia Adrienne pressed a button and a holographic display in the middle of the table came to life, "Judging by what we have received it appears that this is a formidable fighting force."
"How so?" Wallace asked.
He knew Adrienne had been one of the officers from the Battlestar Stryker's Tactical Division who had been transferred to Amasen to give the station a full complement of military officers. From what he had seen of the Gemonese officer there was a great deal of potential in her; he still had yet to decide whether he would like to sleep with her or not.
"You have to consider that the Colonial Fleet is a shell of what it once was. What we had here comprised a decent fighting group but what they have is greater than ours. You are looking at five battlestars of various types, three warstars, two battle cruisers, four heavy cruisers, six light cruisers, five frigates, four patrol frigates, twelve corvettes, and five scout ships. Those are just the Colonial Fleet vessels. There are also a number of transport ships designed for the deployment of both Colonial Army and Marine forces. You combine what they have with what we have and we have a lot more protection for both ourselves and Amasen."
Wallace stroked his chin as he thought of what could be done with the combined forces they now had before he asked, "Have you heard anything from Colonel Mason about the progress of 'Project Midas'?"
Colonel Alexander 'Ironhead' Mason had been the CAG of the Battlestar Libran when it had been brought back into service. He had then been posted to the Libran's sister ship Gemenon to oversee the restoration of the old Viper Mark IVs that would be used as part of an elaborate trap to lure in the paramilitary/pirate group Erebea. When Wallace had commissioned 'Project Midas' he had chosen Mason to be in charge of the operation.
Minerva went through some papers before saying, "According to Mason the Kronus is ahead of schedule and the Hood is taking longer than expected but as long as the Cylons don't find us he should have the outfitting finished within four to five months."
"We've made it this far without them finding us so I don't see why our luck shouldn't hold," Wallace said before adding, "I need the battlestar commanders to start putting together lists of prospective officers for the ships as well as the numbers of enlisted crew they can afford to lose."
"Do you think our new friends have noticed we have a shipyard hidden deep in the nebula?" Adrienne asked.
"Let me ask you this, do you think we should let them know about it?" Wallace asked.
"I believe we should tell them eventually," she responded.
"I see, and would you care to explain why you would not tell them right away?" Wallace asked as he tried to keep a smile from coming to his face.
"It's a simple matter of numbers; right now they have more guns and more ships than we do. If they wanted to take what we had by force they could do so; it's a game of triad where we need to keep at least a few of our best cards to ourselves until we know we can completely trust them."
"I like the way you think," Wallace said with an approving smile on his face.
He had to wonder what the reaction would be to the revelation that he had in his possession two of the Stryker class battlestars, the class that improved on the massive Titan class battlestars, almost ready to enter service. It had been a stroke of luck to find the incomplete Kronus and Hood. Amasen had a shipyard that had been constructed inside the nebula that helped to house the station and he had not hesitated to put it to use to finish the two battlestars. He had also sent out ships to find derelict wreckage that could be melted down to provide steel and armor for Project Midas.
"Perhaps we can convince whoever is in charge of the Marines to spare some of them for us to use. That is if the powers that be still have this 'us vs. them' mentality," Adrienne commented.
"Who's in charge of the Marine forces?" Socorro asked.
"General Otus Maxwell. He and his troops were on a transport ship that managed to escape the Cylons. Since then he has assumed overall command of all Marine forces," Ensign Ridley McLean, formerly of the Battlestar Libran, said.
"I've heard of him, he did a tour on Scorpia back during the fight with the Green Army," Tank said.
"I knew a Marine who saw combat during that time too," Harbrecht added.
"Is that right," Tank said before asking, "What happened to this Marine you knew?"
"He went on to join the Ministry of Intelligence, he was awarded a Distinguished Service Order," Harbrecht responded.
"His name is Keene Barron?" asked Wallace.
"Yes, how did you know?" answered Harbrecht.
Arthur smiled before adding, "Just a lucky guess."
"Distinguished Service Order is a nice honor to receive, just for the life of me can't figure out why he'd want to leave the Marines and join the MoI. No offense to our spies here at this meeting," Tank said with his last comment drawing some laughter from the group.
"I never did ask him about that," Harbrecht said.
"Why is that?" Ensign Nasi Hashim, formerly of the Battlestar Ark Royal, asked.
"At the time, the group we were a part of was being shot at by the Sagitarron Liberation Army, the Erebea, and the Colonial Fleet at the same time. As you can imagine there wasn't a lot of room for conversation," Harbrecht said dryly.
"Let me guess, that was six years ago when Admiral Tolan was a Commander," Wallace said with a slight chuckle.
Harbrecht gave him an appraising look. "Do you know something about that mission?"
"Yes, so does Minvera," replied Wallace.
"You do?" asked Harbrecht.
"Yes, I was supposed to be the pilot for that mission, I was CAG of the Vanguard at the time and Admiral Tolan was my CO. He picked me to be his pilot for the mission but I had to be replaced because developed a case of appendicitis."
"What mission are you talking about?" Adrienne asked.
"The mission to rescue President Adar's sister and niece from the clutches of the Erebea and the Sagitarron Liberation Army," Minerva said.
Adrienne looked puzzled. "I don't remember seeing any of you with the videos of the rescue team."
Wallace spoke up. "A young officer by the name of Myra Aperlae convinced President Adar to let her lead a second rescue team, and in the process she betrayed Tolan's team. Once she had the two Adar women onboard she left the station and radioed the Colonial Fleet to tell them that the base was ready for them to attack. They did just that without knowing that Tolan and his people were still on the base."
Adrienne turned her attention to Wallace. "I know of Admiral Tolan, and Sergeant Harbrecht is still here, so I take it that means they made it off the base."
Harbrecht shook his head. "Not all of us did."
Wallace added, "Tolan's team took casualties during their attempt to escape; four of them were Sergeant Harbrecht's fellow Marines. They managed to get off the base using a shuttle but it was hit by fire from one of the Colonial Fleet ships. A Raptor managed to find the shuttle and when it was confirmed that the occupants were friendly they were whisked away to the Valkyrie. To avoid a particularly embarrassing problem, the survivors were kept as 'guests' at Fort Milledge until the publicity from the rescue had died down and the public firmly believed that Lieutenant Aperlae had bravely led a rescue team into the lion's den to save Rachael and Renee Adar."
"How did you know all that?" Hashim asked.
Wallace smiled. "I was a very good intelligence agent. Let's just say that there was something else going on with that mission that not even Tolan knew about."
The operation he was speaking of had been named Operation Cloak and Dagger by the Ministry of Intelligence. A special operation that Galit Malka was part of but no one else on the team was aware of.
"We made our deals with Admiral Corman and that got us released from that frozen hellhole, all it costs us was our silence on the issue. There are nights when I revisit what happened on that base, I'm the only one of the Marines from that mission that's still alive," Harbrecht said.
"What happened to the other one who made it out?" Adrienne asked.
"His name was Richard Somers and the two of us stayed in touch afterwards up until his death two years ago. He was on Caprica driving home one night when a drunk driver crossed the centerline and collided with his car. Thankfully Rick died immediately, I'd hate to think he suffered."
"To survive that only to be killed by a drunk driver," Ensign Safiya Amani said with a strong tone of sadness to her voice.
Wallace had a feeling that the conversation could start going away from the mission briefing it was intended to be. He also knew that he had other concerns with the station, but for him the new arrivals took precedence over Amasen's internal matters, "I'm going to my quarters but I want a report delivered to me within the hour. I need to know what ships have arrived and what personnel are known to be on these ships. If they have a high rank within the Colonial Fleet, the Ministry of Intelligence, or the Eastern Alliance then I want them mentioned. Sue, I'm going to leave you in charge of getting everything together."
Minerva nodded and said, "I'll have every scrap of information I can find put together for you within the hour."
That was something Wallace liked about her, he could give her a job to do and she never batted an eye at getting it done. She simply approached it head-on and accepted the challenge.
Jarrell Conference Room:
Aurelia Gilliam, Kurt Eckhart, Alfred Newton, Marian Sanders, Peter Halle, Henry White, Albert Kinlayk, Joseph Percival, Sarah Burdett, Fejga Spring, John Jekyll, and Brooke Bowman were passing the time by in the enormous Jarrell Conference Room until the meeting would reconvene. Members of the Quorum of Twelve seemed to be engrossed with their aides in various discussions, it seemed as though, for the moment, few of them could were not interested in talking with their fellow Quorum members.
Eventually though the members did in fact split up into smaller groups. One such group on the far side of the room near the entrance doors was comprised of Quorum delegates Bowman, Sanders, and Newton.
"You did well earlier in the meeting," Sanders said.
"There is something about Gilliam that brings out the argumentative side of me," Brooke admitted feeling somewhat embarrassed that her emotions may have gotten the better of her.
"She does that to a lot of us," Newton admitted before adding, "And she knows that her word carries a lot of weight. Not to mention she plays her moral high-ground card every chance she gets."
"She's a native of Sagitarron, right?" Brooke asked.
Sanders nodded, "She was born and raised in Iambe and was there when Adar ordered the Army to break up a rally that was protesting his economic policies. There were some of those back on Aquaria too, I saw one when I was visiting Basilone. As for Aurelia, she lost some family because of that and she's been an extreme pacifist since then. To say she reviles the military is a bit of an understatement."
"We had protests like that on Picon, I had a cousin who took part in one that was held in Memphis, but Adar came down hard on the Sagitarrons for some reason," Newton added.
"My husband did not hold him in the highest regard. I asked why and he said that Adar had given him too many reasons to either dislike him or not trust him," Brooke said as she remembered the look on her husband's face whenever he saw Adar on the television.
The President may have been his Commander-in-Chief but it was clear he did not care for the man.
"Do you know much about our new friends?" Sanders asked the two.
Newton shook his head, "I can't say that I have, but you have to wonder what the last eight months have been like for them."
"They've been at this station for some time so they at least had a place where they could feel somewhat safe, we've been dealing with the fact that the ships in our fleet are all we have," Brooke said as she thought about how life was on the freighter Pandion.
"Here are three members of the Quorum having some kind of conversation where we can't hear you," Aurelia Gilliam said as she walked up to the group along with another member of the Quorum.
"I may have to be a bit suspicious about what you may be planning," Peter Halle said.
"What could we possibly be planning?" Sanders asked.
"There are so many possibilities," Gilliam said as she began counting her fingers as though she was thinking of them. "I think you could be plotting a coup of some sort, trying to override the will of the Quorum, finding some way to throw a wrench into our attempts to bring order to this fleet, or any other kinds of activities. You're probably thinking of some way to be a nuisance to us."
"Have you thought about the possibility that Governor Rush is having them do that on purpose?" Halle asked Gilliam as though the other three were suddenly not there.
"That would make sense. I think we should have some kind of investigation as to whether Rush is trying to defy the will of the Quorum. We can bring him up on charges and have him removed from office and then we can have an appropriate leader in office!" Gilliam said with the last part of her sentence coming out with a sound of near glee.
"I'm reminded of my time as a leader with the Teachers' Union," Brooke said before turning her attention to Gilliam, "I have to say that you may be great as an activist but you make for a poor politician."
"Peter, I think it's time we left to go to a less hostile place," Gilliam said to Halle and without a word, the two left the room.
"I think you may have made yourself an enemy," Sanders commented.
"Offending Aurelia Gilliam like that, I think you're going to fit in well with the Quorum," Newton said with a laugh.
"It's only temporary; I'm looking forward to putting together and educational system for the children of the fleet," Brooke said. She had only agreed to hold the Caprica seat until newly retired Rear Admiral Timothy Nash had recovered from his injuries and would be able to take his place on the Quorum.
"It's nice to know that you'll be able to somewhat hold onto your life from before the attacks," Sanders said.
"I've always been passionate about education, and I see a chance to put that to use even with our worlds gone. What did the two of you do before the attacks?" she asked the other two.
"I was a designer with the Darien Shipping Company back on Aquaria," Sanders said before adding, "I was on the Libris Galaxy and I was heading to Aerilon to inspect our new cargo ship, the David McKelvy, when the Cylons hit."
"I was an accountant on Picon, with Goliath Construction. When the bombs started falling I made it to the Memphis Spaceport and boarded the Devon before the spaceport was destroyed," Newton said his voice betraying the fact that the day was as vividly burned onto his memory as if it had happened just yesterday.
The doors opened and in came four servers from the Olympica's restaurant staff rolling in covered trays of food.
"I saw this Gemenese restaurant on D-Deck that looks interesting if you want to get a bite to eat," Sanders said and the two quickly nodded their approval before leaving the room with their aides following behind them.
Governor David Rush's Office:
The door to the office opened and in walked Nirmala Patel and Fleet Admiral John Kronus. Rush surmised from their body language that the news they were about to deliver did not fall in the 'Good' category.
"I assume there's something you're about to tell me that I'm not going to enjoy hearing," Rush said.
"That's correct, Governor, there's been a development that you probably won't like," Patel said.
Kronus did not say anything at first but he instead turned on a nearby television. "This broadcast is about to be carried over the fleet's wireless network as well."
"What is it about?" Rush asked.
Kronus simply pointed to the television screen where a reporter was sitting in what appeared to be the makeshift newsroom for the Olympica's television station.
"Good evening, I'm Montague Burke and I come to you tonight with a special report. With me is Danya Wright and she has brought with her a bombshell announcement. Danya if you'd be so kind as to fill the people in on what you have discovered," Burke said.
"Thank you Monty," Wright said before getting to the announcement, "Recently the Colonial Fleet took their ships on what was said to be a classified mission. I can tell you now through sources who wish to remain anonymous that the mission as an attempted rescue to Ostarsis and that Admiral Tolan took every single ship that had been protecting us with him to rescue prisoners that were being kept on the Libran moon. I have learned that not only did the Colonial Fleet lose the battlestars Ares and Indra but also that the battlestars Athena and Sphinx are so badly damaged that there is no chance of them being repaired."
"That is incredible but is there more to this story?" Burke asked.
"There is another part of this story that could have dire consequences for the fleet. The Battlestar Colossus, the flagship of Fleet Admiral Scott Tolan, has also been lost as a result of this rescue mission along with all of the battlestar's crew," Wright said and for a moment, there was a pause as the words took hold of Burke.
"You mean to tell me that Admiral Tolan and his flagship have been lost to enemy action, is there proof of this?" Burke finally asked.
Wright nodded, "Yes there is, my anonymous source gave me this video taken from a Viper that was searching for the ship. This Viper is from the Battlestar Victorious and it has been confirmed as being authentic."
The screen faded away as the video footage from the Viper came on the screen showing the pieces of wreckage that were identified as having belonged to the Colossus.
Burke came back on the television screen. "Now, Ms. Wright, we have assembled a panel of our fellow journalists to discuss this breaking news. Could you introduce them to our viewers and listeners?"
Wright turned a panel of five journalists seated at a nearby table. "With us today are Albany Wade, formerly with the Delphi Chronicle, Tamara Brenner, formerly of the Queenstown Telegraph, Gerard Lorain, formerly with the Heim Gazette, Hamilton Robb, formerly of the Gaoth Beacon, and lastly we have Kamal Miyan, formerly of the Caprica City Herald-Examiner. It is a pleasure to have all of you here today for this discussion. I'd like to open this panel with the question of Admiral Scott Tolan, how does his death impact the war effort?"
Wade spoke first. "I believe the loss of Admiral Tolan is a crippling blow to the military at this time. You look at the possibility of the likes of Admiral Kronus taking command and it's not a pleasant thought."
"I have to disagree with you," Miyan interjected before continuing with, "Admiral Kronus is in my opinion a far superior officer than what we had with Admiral Tolan. I doubt Kronus would have been so reckless as to risk his entire fleet to save a few prisoners from the Cylons."
"How could you consider that reckless?" Robb asked.
"Look at it from this perspective, we have the Cylons hounding us day in and day out with only one goal and that is our destruction. We need every single one of those ships to keep us safe, do you have any idea what we would be looking at if the task force had taken severe losses?" Miyan asked.
"I'd like to add something," Wade cut in before Robb could respond.
"What would you like to say?" Wright asked.
"I think we're ignoring the fact that Kronus is up there in years and there's no telling how much longer he is going to last. With the way things are going we might as well meet up again in a week or so to recollect on the life and career of Admiral John Kronus."
Kronus turned off the television and turned to face Rush, "I think it's fair to say that we have a situation developing; this is not good."
"It would appear that the people could now think Admiral Tolan is in fact dead when we had agreed that he would simply be listed as Missing in Action," Patel said.
"Things have gotten even more interesting since Ostarsis," Rush muttered.
"If I may make a suggestion, I think we should bring in Ms. Wright and find out who her anonymous source was. Leaking information like this is unforgiveable!" Kronus said.
"What do you think, Patel?" asked Rush.
"I agree but it maybe what they are expecting us to do," replied Patel.
"Then what if we let someone else deal with it?" asked Kronus.
He had seen the initial intel reports regarding this base and the personnel stationed on it. He had seen the name 'Arthur Wallace' listed as the base's commanding officer and the name had brought back memories of some of the conversations he had had with Fleet Admiral Jonas Stryker during the flag officer's retirement years. Stryker had spoke highly of Wallace and believed he could contribute to Colonial society.
"Well, Admiral, you have my attention, what exactly are you thinking?" asked Rush.
"Wallace," said Kronus, smiling from ear to ear and as he began to realize just why Admiral Stryker kept Wallace around.
"It's certainly worth a try, it would allow us to get the information we want without having to bring the hammer down on her," Patel said with an approving look on her face.
"I agree," Rush said before turning his attention to Kronus, "I'll arrange a meeting for you and Miss Patel with Major Wallace so that you can get the ball rolling on this."
Amasen, Commanding Officer's Quarters:
Major Arthur Wallace looked out the window of his office at the armada of military and civilian ships that were now gathered around his station. He tried to think of a time when he had seen this many ships gathered at the same location and found that he was hard-pressed to come up with one example. His mind did what it could to treat the events that would transpire over the next few days as a sort of strategy game. He had to move his pieces to the right place and play the game like a skilled master to accomplish his goals.
There was a knock on the door and he quickly called for whoever was there to enter the room, he turned and found that he was facing the two people he had expected to pay him a visit. Standing before his desk were two men who had come onboard the battlestar Stryker for its decommissioning; Governor Jarrod Franklin of Scorpia and Assistant Secretary of the Fleet Alvaro Sanchez were two men who had carried some clout in their respective circles.
"Major Wallace," Franklin said in a voice that implied he did not believe Wallace was focused on his arrival, "Secretary Sanchez and I heard the news; is all of it true?"
Wallace motioned to the armada visible outside the window behind him, "I think that scene out there should answer your question."
The two men walked past Wallace and gazed at the sight before them.
"Gods! That is a lot of ships…how many people on those?" Sanchez asked.
Wallace walked up behind them, "Going by our conservative accounts, between 350,000 and 500,000, but with recent events it's going to take some time to get an accurate number."
"Who is in charge?" Franklin asked.
Wallace shuffled through some papers on his desk. In truth, it was just for show since he had memorized the important information from the reports that had been sent to Amasen.
"The civilians formed a new government when it became clear that President Adar was dead. The civilians are led by David Rush; he has taken on the position of Governor."
Franklin let out a derisive laugh. "Those people are being led by a talk show host! That is ridiculous!"
"He's the second man for the job, originally they were led by Hector Alonzo but it seems he was as suited to lead them as he was to run Caprica City," Wallace said.
"What about the military?" Sanchez asked.
"Originally, power was shared between Rear Admiral Scott Tolan and Admiral John Kronus. However, it seems that Admiral Tolan is MIA after a rescue mission to Ostarsis so Kronus has assumed sole command of the Fleet," Wallace said.
He had just received the report from the Gemenon stating that Tolan was MIA; there was a part of him that felt relief at hearing that piece of news.
"That's not what I would consider good news, that man did everything he could to undermine President Adar!" Sanchez exclaimed.
Wallace's face was impassive.
"That's not something I was privy to."
"The President did everything he could to reign in the runaway spending done by the military, in particular the Colonial Fleet, and Admiral Kronus fought him every step of the way. He went so far as to try to undermine Adar publicly. What kind of military officer undermines his Commander in Chief?"
"I see," Wallace said before continuing, "I would like to have the two of you present when I meet with Governor Rush and his advisors."
"Major, I'm glad to see you have such good judgment," Franklin said.
"Not that I'm opposed to us being there but why?" Sanchez asked.
"I need people with your unique insight into these matters to advise me on how we can merge our respective military and civilian groups into one fighting force. You have the expertise to give me the kind of advice I know I can count on," Wallace said warmly before looking at the clock on his desk, "We have a couple of hours before the meeting so go to your quarters to brainstorm some ideas then come meet me in about an hour over in the conference room. Alvaro, please stay for a moment."
"We'll see you in an hour," Franklin said before motioning to Sanchez that he would wait for him outside.
"So what did you want to speak to me about?" asked Sanchez, who may work for Arthur but didn't really like him.
"So what did you think about Stryker speaking out against Adar?" asked Wallace, standing up and walking over to where he kept something to drink.
"To be honest, I thought he was a crazy old man," replied Sanchez.
"Anything else?" Wallace asked his tone casual and disarming.
"I also thought Stryker always got too much credit for saving the colonies." Sanchez didn't get to finish, as he saw Wallace's fist coming straight for his face.
Arthur's first punch sent Sanchez flying backward and landing against the edge of the room. Before Sanchez could move, he saw Wallace standing over him.
He asked, "What the frak was that for?"
"For your disrespect," answered Wallace, whose fists were red and bruised.
"Frak you!" Sanchez said before sending a wad of spit onto Wallace's pant leg.
"Well then, have some more," replied Wallace, who kicked Sanchez in the stomach several times; then once in the face for good measure.
"I'm only going to says this once, so listen closely because I hate to repeat myself. You will show Kronus more respect than what Adar showed to him or Stryker. If you do not, then one day you may find that someone has taken the time to either cut your throat or something I'm sure you value a great deal. You need to remember that this is my station and you will do what I say. Am I making myself clear or shall I speak more slowly?"
Sanchez nodded, as Wallace said, "Good thinking, Sanchez."
Wallace's voice then returned to its casual friendliness when he said, "I hope we can get over this little incident and work together for a better future."
Sanchez nodded again, as he stood up and walked away very slowly. Wallace could not help but feel a sense of gratitude to the MoI for having trained him to be able to strike without leaving a mark.
'That went well,' Wallace thought.
He wanted two things now. One was to get whatever information he could on the people he had come to consider the Olympica government. The other was that Franklin and Sanchez's desire for power and status would create enough confusion to give him time to make sure that he did not lose his position as the Commanding Officer of Amasen.
He picked up a communiqué from the Olympica informing him that the planned meeting would be delayed for several hours and Governor Rush would let him know the new time. There would however be a small group coming over on a Raptor to tour the station.
Wallace sighed and sent a message to Colonel Cecil Bradford, his XO on the station, to inform him of the Raptor's arrival and to arrange a tour of the station. He was in no mood to give a tour of his station and in truth, he really did not want to. The delayed meeting was just as well for him, he needed to relax and he had an idea as to how he wanted to go about it.
He sighed, and walked to the wireless and dialed Rebekka's quarters. Lieutenant Rebekka Stotland, the station's Tactical Officer as well as his girlfriend, answered.
"Rebekka, do you have a moment," asked Arthur.
"Do you need to talk, or something else?" asked Rebekka with a giggle, as she always knew the answer.
"Both."
"All right, I will meet you in your quarters in 15 minutes. I was just about to jump in the shower so I have to get dressed," replied Stotland, ending the call before Wallace could speak.
'Gods, I love that women,' thought Arthur, as he sat down at his desk and plugged in the small drive that contained the data files on the citizens the Ministry of Intelligence had deemed worthy of profiling. Perhaps there was something in there he could use to his advantage…
Much later, as Wallace's head lay on top of Rebekka's chest, the door to his quarters swung open with a loud crash. Standing at the door was Cinta Melati and Whitney Thompson.
Whitney Thompson had been a member of the Ministry of Intelligence and Arthur Wallace was her fiancé. She had been captured by the Cylons and had been rescued from Ostarsis. The sight of the man she was going to marry with a new woman left her speechless at first, before she was able to ask, "Good to see you again, Arthur. Care to explain what you're doing?"
"We had just finished making love before the two of you stormed in here!" shouted Stotland.
Wallace, with a shut-the-frak-up look on his face, quickly moved his hand to cover her mouth before he said, "Cinta, you made it back from Ostarsis in one piece and Whitney…you're alive…I can explain."
"Let me guess," Thompson said with barely concealed sarcasm, "She slipped and fell then when you went to help her off the ground the two of you somehow managed to fall onto the bed."
Wallace tried again to diffuse the situation, "When you put it like that you make it sound worse than it really is. As far I knew, the Cylons didn't take prisoners. When you were captured that day, I assumed you had moved on to the afterlife. Believe me, I was devastated and Rebekka here was my shoulder to lean on."
"In truth, the two of you had your chance, Arthur is mine now," said Stotland as she wrapped her arms around Wallace.
"Not helping," Wallace said, while giving her look that implied it would be wise for her remains silent.
"You may want to tell them about me also," says Natalia Romanova.
"Damn," Wallace uttered, looking around for an escape hatch.
"First thing I'd like to know is whether or not what Captain Thompson told me is true," Melati said with a decidedly cold look to her hazel eyes.
Wallace turned his attention to Thompson, "Exactly what is it that she told you?"
Thompson smirked, "I told Cinta of the plot to kill her. It seems she knew the Colonial Fleet was after her but she was unaware that the Ministry of Intelligence helping to kill her."
Wallace gulped. "You told her about that?"
Melati moved closer. "It was one thing to pose as a weapons dealer as a cover for your real job as a Ministry of Intelligence officer, but to knowingly seduce me and get me in bed while you were plotting to kill me, that's just cold-hearted."
Wallace felt the situation might be reaching a point where it could escalate out of control, "Cinta, here's the thing, I wasn't really going to kill you. Honestly, I have a way to save you and your people and let the MoI believe you had been eliminated once and for all."
Then Wallace walked over to his desk and unlocked the safe located behind it and handed Melatia file, with read: Operation Backstab. As he watched her read the report, Wallace thought, 'Gods, where is Tank when I need him,' as all four women he sleeping with stood in his quarters, glaring at him with looks that left little imagination as to what they were thinking. If he were not careful, this could end badly for him…very badly.
Then there was a knock at the door, "Arthur, you're needed in CIC," yelled Tank. 'Tank' was the nickname of Master Sergeant Darrell Robinson, a friend of Wallace's that dated to their childhood on Aquaria.
'Thank the Gods,' thought Wallace as he said, "Ladies, I have to go."
"We will be right here waiting for you to get back," answered Thompson.
As Wallace and Tank walk away from his quarters, Wallace asked, "How about somewhere warm for a vacation?' causing Tank to laugh.
"What was in the file you handed Cinta to read?" asked Tank. The truth was that he had never heard of an Operation Backstab before now.
"It was a fake document that will hopefully convince her that I was not going to kill her…I had made it a point to prepare for the possibility she would out," replied Arthur, "I knew Whitney would tell her at some point."
"Then what is Operation Backstab?"
"Tank, listen…I trust you more than anyone else in the whole universe but it's better you don't know."
Tank saw the look in his friend's eyes and decided to drop it.
Amasen, CIC:
Wallace and Tank came to the CIC to see Colonel Cecil Bradford, the station's XO, and Lieutenant Rajesh Suman standing at the Communications station.
"Cecil, when this is over I'm buying you a drink of your choice," Wallace said to Bradford.
In the time since he had taken command of Amasen, he had instituted his decidedly relaxed rules and regulations, one of which was the more casual way he and his subordinates interacted with one another.
"I'll take you up on that in the future," Bradford said before pointing to the dispatch Suman was holding in his hands, "This came to us from Admiral Kronus on the Olympica. He requests you come over immediately for a meeting with him and Governor David Rush."
Wallace read the communiqué and said, "In that case, you're in charge until I return. Have Little Tank ready a Raptor to take me over to the Olympica, the sooner the better."
Bradford laughed, "I already have it taken care of, and the Raptor is fueled and ready for takeoff as soon as you arrive."
'If I survive this I'm going to have you promoted,' Wallace thought as he turned and left the CIC with Tank in tow.
"You are really eager to get off of this station," Tank said teasingly.
"You have to look at it through my eyes," Wallace said before continuing. "I have a Ministry of Intelligence assassin who may be gunning for me, the leader of the Erebea who, thanks to Whitney, now knows that I was planning to kill her. Then there is Whitney who has come back from being gone for the last eight months to find that the man she was going to marry has been mourning her loss by having sex with other women."
"Did it ever occur to you that you should just pick one woman and stay with her? For as long as I've been married to Janet I've never thought I'd need more than her."
Wallace shook his head, "The married life works for you, Tank, but I think the evidence has shown that I'm not really cut out for a serious relationship much less monogamy; plus what's the fun of that? Besides, for almost eight months now we have been living one day to the next with the specter of death hanging over our heads, I've been making a point to indulge myself and live my life to the fullest."
"What's with you today?" Tank asked, he had seen Wallace like this before but today was different.
"You don't know what today is?"
"No…"
"Think about it for a moment."
Tank realized what Wallace was talking about, "Arthur it's been eight years since Cayla's death. It was not your fault."
"Yes it was and because of Cayla's death…I also lost Guinevere."
Meredith 'Guinevere' Raskoph was Wallace's girlfriend during his time at Aquaria Junior Military Academy. Her best friend, Cayla Martinez, was killed during a shoot out between the Ministry of Intelligence and the Ha'la'tha. Unknown to Arthur,Ministry of Intelligence officer Mitchell Cain was responsible for Cayla's death. She had died in Wallace's arms and her death served to cause a rift to open between him and Guinevere. She blamed Wallace for her best friend's death and had reminded him many times that he was responsible because ultimately he had failed to protect Cayla.
"Arthur, you can't keep blaming yourself."
"Yes I can, Tank, it was my fault that she died…I failed once and I'm going to make damn sure I never fail again," replied Wallace.
What Tank didn't know was that Cayla had been pregnant with her and Arthur's daughter at the time of her death. The event was the proverbial last straw for Admiral Stryker and it served to remind him that the Ministry of Intelligence had become a bastardized version of what it had been intended to be back during the days of the Cylon War and now it was time to destroy the MOI. Wallace had originally agreed to Stryker's plan simply to seek revenge for Cayla.
"I always thought you and Cayla would be married," replied Tank, never really liking Guinevere.
"Maybe some other time, places, or dimension…we would be married with a daughter," sighed Wallace.
"Arthur, are you all right?"
"No, plus Guinevere is now dating Windbag…" Wallace said with the strong hint of disgust in his voice. Major Evan Windsor had been a rival of his during their time with the MoI and the dislike was so great that Wallace gave the officer the nickname 'Windbag'.
"Now, I understand why you like him so much," replied Tank with a chuckle. He knew his deadpan delivery would probably irritate his friend but he was perhaps the only person who could get away with such a thing.
Wallace simply rolled his eyes and continued to walk down to the hangar deck.
The two got to the hangar deck and saw the Raptor waiting and both promptly got inside with Wallace taking the co-pilot's seat and Tank sitting where the ECO seat.
"Quick, Little Tank, get me to the Olympica ASAP!" Wallace said with a sense of relief starting to come over him.
"Won't be a problem, Arthur, I'll put some distance between you and whatever it is you're running from," Little Tank said with a barely suppressed grin.
"I see that look on your face," Wallace says as he adjusted the straps on his seat.
"I know exactly what you're trying to get away from," Little Tank teased as he waited for the Raptor to be raised to the flight pod so it could launch.
"I'd love to say that it is not what you think it is but that would be a lie. Let's face it…it wouldn't even be a good one," Wallace admitted knowing that he had a small group of angry and dangerous women on Amasen who would probably be more than willing to help him find out if there was really such a thing as an afterlife.
Until things on Amasen cooled down, the station was not a safe place for him to be.
Wallace looked to the back of the Raptor and saw Carmen Bayonet asleep in the back of the Raptor. The two had met a couple of years ago on Caprica when he had attempted to recover a high-level Erebea defector from the city of Tzorah.
Little Tank noticed Wallace looking back at her and he could not help but ask, "Are you sleeping with her too?"
Wallace smiled and replied, "Not yet in spite of my best efforts…but it's just a matter of time."
Little Tank laughed and shook his head, "One of these days that is going to come back to haunt you."
"That's where you're wrong because if there is one lesson I've learned it's to always have an escape plan."
Little Tank did not respond with more than another shake of his head. Instead, he made a last run through his checklist as the Raptor was moved into its launch position. Moments later, it left Amasen and headed toward the Olympica.
Author's Note:
I wanted to take the opportunity to thank Allen Knott and Pam Barker for their work in helping me get this chapter ready for publishing. Pam has done an outstanding job as an editor and has helped to improve the quality of the story. Allen has also been a valued source of feedback with both the chapter and the usage of Arthur Wallace and other characters from his 'Battlestar Leonidas' story.