Chapter Seven: Something to Do with Justice
Four Hours Later:
Olympica Security Office:
Dante Solis sat in the chair behind the desk of Karin Briggs' desk. From the office of the Olympica Security director he was able to look down from the second level to the main floor where his people were setting up barricades to fend off an assault by the Colonial forces.
None of his prisoners had divulged the password to the armory but in the end his people were still endeavoring to find a way to the cache of weapons. At this point the Olympica Security personnel were only of use to him as hostages and it was a bargaining chip he was grateful to have. Perhaps The Watcher had given him the wrong passcode? He would eventually have to get in touch with his mysterious informant to find out for sure what had happened.
"You seem to have made yourself at home," a voice said from the room's entrance.
Solis turned around and smiled at the man. "Mr. Faustin, I don't think our plans could have gone better.
Henri Faustin walked over to the desk and took a nearby chair. "We've put up a decent enough barricade. The military can force their way through but we can hurt them when they try. I assume you're counting on them to not try that just yet."
Solis nodded his head. "I have no desire to inflict unnecessary losses to our forces, as long as Governor Rush goes along with what I have in mind; then there will be no need for further bloodshed. How are our people doing with their attempt to take Fleet Command?"
Faustin was quiet for a moment before he said, "Not good, so far Admiral Brannigan and his people have kept them from taking the location. That allowed the Colonial Marines to come in and overwhelm them before they could accomplish their objective. I fear they have become martyrs to the cause."
Solis was quiet as the revelation ran through his mind before he finally said, "Then I shall make sure their loss was not in vain."
Governor David Rush's Office:
"Thank you, General Maxwell," David Rush said as he placed the phone back into its cradle.
"Good news from Olympica Security?" Magnus Ah-Mun of the Eastern Alliance asked.
Rush shook his head. "Both General Maxwell and Colonel Krulak have troops stationed at all four entrances to Olympica Security but it appears Solis' people have barricaded them. So far there has been small exchanges of gunfire but nothing to get worked up over."
"So the main entrance and the three other entrances are barricaded by his forces," Mitchell Cain said as he processed the information in his mind. Years of work with the Ministry of Intelligence had helped to shape his thinking in ways that could prove useful in a situation such as this.
Rush sighed. "Yes and he's threatening to shoot hostages if we try to storm the place. To make matters worse, he is demanding that I come and meet with him."
"That may be a good idea," Cain said and it was then that the others in the room looked at him.
"You can't be serious about negotiating with him," Aurelia Gilliam declared as though the idea was an affront to common decency.
"Hear me out," Cain said as he walked over to where an unused computer was turned on.
"I'm listening," Rush said.
Cain began entering information and it was not long before the schematics of the Olympica began to appear, "The ventilation system should be more than large enough to accommodate a person of my size and weight. I can make my way to Olympica Security and use a sniper rifle to take out Solis while he negotiates with you. If you can draw him out then I can take a shot."
"What happens if you can't get a shot?" Gilliam asked.
Cain hit a button and a three dimensional image of Olympica Security's lobby came into view. "On the other side of the room across from where I can set up is a spot where another sniper can be deployed. If I can't get the shot then there will at least be backup."
"That's an intriguing possibility but where do you plan to find another sniper?" Rush asked.
Major Mark 'Archangel' Hunter stepped forward. "I'm a decent shot, I'll be happy to help you on this."
Cain tried to hold back a laugh, "You're awfully eager to help me out Archangel."
"Solis and his people tried to kill me and there's no telling how many people they have killed. I think it's about time I returned the favor."
"Before the two of you go off to carry that out, I want to coordinate with Admiral Kronus and any people he may be able to offer to help with this operation," Rush said.
Cain gave a slight nod, "As you wish, Mr. Governor, but time is of the essence. Archangel and I will be ready when the time comes."
"Just a moment,' Magnus Ah-Mun said as he walked up to where the men were standing.
"What can I do for you, Magnus?" Cain asked with no trace of irritation in his voice.
"I just want to make a point…Major Hunter, are you a trained sniper?" Magnus asked. The leader of the Eastern Alliance had a point to make and he knew he would not have much time to do so.
"I've trained with shooting a rifle before, how come?" Hunter asked.
"You shouldn't be offended when I tell you this but you are not ready to be a sniper in a situation like this. May I suggest we get one of my people to join you instead?" he offered.
"Perhaps we can get one of the Marines to join you instead," Rush countered.
Cain thought for a moment before asking Magnus, "Do you have anyone in your crew that's trained as a sniper?"
Magnus shot him a quizzical look. "When you're in my line of work you need someone with that particular skill set."
Cain thought for a moment before he said, "I'll stay here and wait for the sniper; can you get him or her here quickly?"
Magnus pulled a mobile phone and said, "Hey, Sarita, can you come meet me at the Governor's Office? Bring your rifle with you if possible; I have a job for you. Yes, it does have the Governor's approval; no you don't have to worry about anyone trying to collect the bounty the MoI put on you. Who are you working with? Just know that you are working with an MoI officer and he needs your help. Thanks, I'll see you when you get here."
Cain waited until Magnus put his phone away before he asked, "So who is this 'Sarita' I'm going to meet?"
"Sarita Torrance, she's an expert sniper and will be more than capable of making your job easier," Magnus said.
Cain turned to leave the room, "Have her meet me at the Lanier Art Gallery on C-Deck."
Battlestar Ark Royal, CIC:
Commander Audra Ortiz took a sip of the coffee and grinned as the warm liquid greeted her taste buds with the welcome taste of the black brew. There was a part of her that would have loved to have been out there with Admiral Sakura and her cobbled-together task force but her ship was more than suited to take up the guard position at Amasen as it had done so many times before. She knew what was at stake with Sakura gone; the safety of the station fell to on the shoulders of her ship and crew. Sure there were various cruisers and other support vessels to help protect the Ark should the Cylons somehow find the station that had become their place of refuge as well as their base of operations.
The doors to the CIC slid open and Ortiz was surprised to see two of her fellow officers enter the room. One she had been expecting and the other was a surprise.
"Commander Graystone, welcome aboard the Ark Royal," Ortiz said as she shook hands with Commander Andre Graystone, the Commanding Officer of the Battlestar Victorious.
"Thank you for having us on board, Commander Ortiz," the woman said.
Ortiz looked at her and tried to place her, "I'm sorry, Colonel you have me at a loss for who you are."
"Colonel Celina Cruz, I'm Commander Graystone's XO on the Vic," Cruz replied with more than a hint of pride at the post she held.
"I'm sure you feel familiar already with the Vic being one of our sister ships," Ortiz offered.
"Yes it does, we appreciate the chance to come and visit…we thought the Vic might have been the last of her kind left," Graystone said.
"Make no mistake; it was close to becoming true. We had some close scrapes during the early part of the war but she's held her own when it's mattered most," Ortiz said before adding, "How did you get command of the Victorious, were the two of you onboard when the Cylons attacked?"
"No, both Colonel Cruz and I were stationed on the Atlantia. I was the CO of Viper Squadron Four when the decision was made to keep us in the launch tubes in case we were needed for the battle. When the Cylons disabled the Atlantia we were still in our birds waiting to be launched, and when they blew her apart we were saved from being destroyed by the launch tube doors. If the Victorious hadn't come to Virgon we'd have eventually ran out of air and died," Graystone said.
"I think compared to the two ways we could have died the worst was sitting there waiting for the end to come. I don't know how many promises I made to the gods while I sat in my cockpit wondering if rescue was going to come or not," Cruz added.
"There was a moment when the Ark lost power and I wondered if we were going to make it," Ortiz admitted and in her mind she tried and failed to imagine what these two officers must have gone through waiting in their cockpits wondering if they were going to live or die, "We got lucky and it seems to have been our story since the Colonies fell. Even the decommissioning proved to be fortunate for us."
"Decommissioned because of a small fire. Adar really did have it in for the Fleet," Graystone said.
Ortiz smiled, "I should actually thank him for doing that because it allowed us to disable our CNP program and keep the Cylons from shutting us down."
Cruz's face took on a confused look. "I thought you said the Ark lost power when it encountered the Cylons…"
"Oh we did, but it was because of a combination of Cylon sabotage and one of my Engineering crew disabling the ship in a suicidal gesture."
Graystone chuckled, "You say that so casually."
"I'm not saying this situation has been easy for me but with everything this ship and crew has been through the past eight months you sort of become adjusted to the craziness."
"Still, you had Cylon sabotage and a crewmember trying to disable the ship. Gods this war has brought out the crazy in some people," Cruz muttered.
"What's the story behind that?" Graystone asked, his curiosity clearly winning the battle in his mind.
"It's a long story and in time I'll tell you, but for now it's not all that important," Ortiz quickly said.
"Sorry, Commander, didn't mean to put you on the defensive," Graystone said.
"Sorry, it's all still kind of fresh in my mind," Ortiz said in apology. "If you think about everything this ship and crew has been through we're all a little on edge about how we survived those first few months."
"I saw that you have a full air wing, how did you manage to pull that off with the Ark having been decommissioned?" Cruz asked.
"I think luck had more to do with that than anything else," Ortiz explained, "When we discovered the Battlestar Kios we discovered that most of the ship's air wing was still onboard. It took several days to transfer the pilots to the Ark along with the Vipers and Raptors. We also began a pilot training program of the civilians we had rescued with previous military experience. When the ship left Lampetia there were a handful of pilots who managed to get onboard before the airlock closed. They formed out group of instructors. The rest were the survivors from when we lost the escort battlestar Vasa."
"How'd you end up losing the Vasa?" Graystone asked.
Ortiz was quiet for a few moments before she said, "Through nothing more than really bad luck."
"Well, I would love to see more of the ship if that's okay," Cruz quickly said before an awkward silence set in.
Ortiz nodded. "Of course, I would happy to show you around."
Olympica, C-Deck, Lanier Art Gallery:
Located on the aft end of Olympica's C-Deck, the Lanier Art Gallery was intended as a showpiece of Colonial art that could be viewed when the liner was either away on a cruise or docked in port. The Colonial Line spared no expense with acquiring a collection of sculptures and paintings from all twelve worlds of the Colonies.
Cain took in the sight of the room and noticed how empty the room appeared to be. It ran the width of the Olympica and without any patrons it seemed to be nothing more than a fancy art warehouse. He knew it was a security measure as part of the ship's lockdown procedure. He was in the Aquarian section of the museum and was admiring a painting of the city of Heim by George W. Ingram when he heard the distinct sound of footsteps on the tiled floor.
He quickly turned around with his pistol drawn and ready to fire when he noticed two people coming his way. One of them was a serious-looking man in black attire with a weapon in his left hand that seemed ready to aim in his direction. The other person was a tan-skinned woman in a similar black outfit. Her brown eyes seemed to be appraising him as much as he was appraising her.
"Are you Mitchell Cain?" the woman asked.
"Depends on who you are," Cain responded.
"You would be wise to answer her question," the man said.
"I'm here to meet a woman; if you're who I'm looking for then I might answer your question," Cain retorted.
"With arrogance like that he has to be Ministry of Intelligence," the man said to the woman.
"You're right…I'm Sarita Torrance and this is my associate, Kang Shan. Magnus Ah-Mun thought you would be better off with our help," Sarita Torrance said.
Cain lowered his pistol and put it back into its holster, "In that case, yes I am Mitchell Cain. I only need a sniper for this mission. Why are you bringing an extra along?"
"Magnus sent over a diagram of the Olympica Security Main Office and there is a third vantage point that can be useful for observation and sniping if necessary," Torrance said as she brought up the diagram on a small tablet screen.
"I didn't have that one of my plans, that must have been added later," Cain said.
"Why would the Ministry of Intelligence need plans for the Olympica?" Shan asked.
"It wasn't for the MoI, I was retired by then," Cain admitted.
"Interesting, then why would a retired Ministry of Intelligence officer need the plans for the Olympica?" Torrance asked.
Cain did not take the bait and simply said, "I have my reasons, and I'm not sharing them right now."
"I'm disappointed, but here we are about to work together and you're keeping secrets; this is heartbreaking," Torrance said teasingly.
"I'm assuming you'll have no problem getting over it," Cain said before deciding to change the subject. "There's an access hatch leading to the air ducts, from there we can work our way up to Olympica Security."
"The Admiral told us to play nice and let you take the lead," Torrance said as she motioned with her hand for Cain to lead the way.
"Such politeness from a group of pirates," Cain muttered as he led the three of them towards museum's office area.
"I believe you'll find that the Eastern Alliance is a private security company," Shan countered.
"Yeah and I spent most of my adult life as an insurance salesman," Cain shot back.
"Boys, let's not let this turn into an argument; when this is over we can get all of this pent up aggression out of our systems," Torrance said in an attempt to keep Cain and Shan from having an argument.
"Let's get this over with, the last thing I want to do is keep our friend Dante waiting," Cain said.
Admiral Kronus' Office:
"What's going on out there?" Carmen Bayonet asked.
"Sounds like there's some talk of Governor Rush meeting with Dante to try to buy Mitchell Cain some time to get in position so that perhaps he can snipe that bastard," Kronus said.
"You know I could have been useful to him as a sniper," Bayonet said to the man standing nearby.
"Yes and you'd have probably taught him a thing or two about how to shoot a rifle, but he was there and you're here so just believe I'm keeping you around for extra protection," Major Arthur Wallace said to the woman who had been his top sniper for the past four years.
"Arthur, I know you'd be right there in the thick of the action if you could. In all the years I've known you I don't think you've ever turned down a fight," Bayonet said.
"I've turned down fights before, but that's only because I'd rather fight them later on terms of my own choosing," Wallace said as he read over a printout that Kronus had read. "Looks like Fleet Command was saved by the Marines. That should clear the last major obstacle between us and the Governor's Suite."
"I think it's about time we get out of here and made our way there," Kronus said.
Wallace nodded. "It should be safe enough and we should be more than able to keep you safe. If something happens to you there's no telling how bad off the Colonial Fleet will be."
"I'm going to need someone to stay here and monitor the communications from the Marines," Kronus said.
"Admiral, I'd be happy to help with that," one of the Marines said.
Kronus turned to face the woman who had volunteered. "Marine, what's your name?"
"Corporal Devi Singh, sir!" Singh replied.
"You have the job, and I'm going to leave Miss Patel with you as well," Kronus said with a nod towards Nirmala Patel.
"With all due respect, sir, I don't need a civilian here with me," Singh stated.
"She's here on Governor Rush's behalf so she gets to stay here," Kronus countered knowing that it would end any disagreement from the Marine.
"Get in touch with General Maxwell and Governor Rush, let him know that I'm coming that way with four others," Kronus said as he looked toward the group where Wallace and his three companions had gathered by the door.
"Will do, sir," Singh said.
"Tank, Heavy, and I are ready to go as soon as you give the word," Wallace said.
"I have to make some arrangements and then we'll be able to leave," Kronus said as he walked off to meet with the personnel who would be staying behind.
"Leaving a secure area to go meet with the Governor; that man has a pair of stones on him," Darrell 'Tank' Robinson said.
"I guess that's why he earned the title of 'The Iron Duke'," David 'Heavy' Robinson added.
"He's leading by example. He could stay here holed up waiting for the crisis to pass but instead he's heading to where he can be more useful," Wallace said before adding, "With us here I like his odds of making it."
"With me along for the ride you're going to have even better odds," Carmen Bayonet said as she walked up to where the three were standing.
"Carmen, if anyone but you said that I'd be skeptical," Tank said.
"If this is about that little fight we had four years ago, don't you think it's time you got over it?" she asked.
"You shot me, that's not something a person gets over easily," Tank countered.
Bayonet put a hand to Tank's face and patted his cheek. "It was a part of my cover for helping Arthur. I had to make it look convincing, and I believe I said I was sorry for shooting you with a fully-loaded tranquilizer dart. Besides, shouldn't Arthur have told you that the ambush was a cover in case people were watching that area of the shore?"
Tank turned towards Arthur, "I don't recall you telling me that it was a set-up."
Wallace looked at him as innocently as he could. "I'm sure I did, unless I didn't because everything was so busy that day. A lot has happened in the four years since then.
"Did you see Little Tank before you ran into us?" Heavy asked. Their younger brother, Derrek, had been on the Olympica when the violence erupted but had not been heard from.
"I guess I should have, but I was busy running for my life after getting shot," she said.
"How is the arm, did they really just graze you?" Tank asked.
"It's just a graze. If the bastard who shot me had been a better shot perhaps it'd have hit my heart and then you may finally be able to let go of a four-year grudge," Bayonet said as her right hand instinctively felt the bandage that had been placed over the wound on her left arm.
"We're ready to go," Kronus said as he walked toward the exit.
"Gods-speed, sir," one of the Marines guarding the door said.
"You too, Marine," Kronus replied as the door opened and both he and the four people accompanying him left the room.
Battlestar Stryker, Admiral's Wardroom:
Admiral Naomi Sakura looked over the printout in her hand and tried to make sense of the data that had been recovered from the Cylon communication buoy that they had recently discovered. Some of the news was encouraging but some of it decidedly fell into the 'Bad' category.
"You look like you're in deep thought," a voice she was now familiar with said from the entrance to the room.
"Commander Cyprian, I have to say that your crew developing a method of hacking into these old Cylon communication buoys is impressive. Whoever came up with it deserves a pat on the back and a gold star sticker. Have our guests arrived yet?" Sakura asked. It was an adjustment for her to go from the newer Helios to the Stryker but she was getting her bearings. Cyprian had been helpful in accommodating her on her new flagship.
"The Raptors have landed and I believe Lieutenant Hirsch is escorting them here. I take it the news we recovered isn't entirely good," Cyprian said.
Sakura shook her head. "Looking back on the previous buoy you tapped into I still have to wonder how you were able to tap into the Cylons' communications."
"With a little ingenuity, a little luck, and a whole lot of desperation," Cyprian said.
"The fact that it seems to be a Cylon War era buoy probably didn't hurt either," Sakura said with a knowing smile.
"Apparently that was one of those that got missed and for some reasons the Cylons found it and decided to put it back to use," Cyprian said as he walked around the conference table to where he would sit.
The door to the room opened and in walked Rear Admirals Nicholas Tattnall and Lewis Ware. Commander Susan Minerva, the Commanding Officer of the battlestar Gemenon, walked in behind them.
"Take a seat, I have some information to share with you," Sakura said as the officers took a seat at the table.
"What do you have for us, Admiral?" Tattnall asked.
"I recently revisited the Cylon communications buoy that Commander Cyprian had ordered tapped and after deciphering the information, Tactical came back with some interesting pieces of news," Sakura said as she passed out copies of the report she had received.
"Is there anything in there that can be used to our advantage?" Minerva asked.
"Perhaps," Sakura said before adding, "While we're still analyzing what we've discovered this much we have learned, there are factions in the Cylons that are apparently favoring peace with us and want to discontinue the war. Obviously there are those opposed to this, so perhaps we are starting to see a schism among the Cylon models," Sakura.
"Personally I'd prefer to that they just take their baseships and nuke themselves out of existence," Tattnall said.
"It would serve them right, but it would be more poetic if we were able to deliver the knockout blow," Ware said.
"Well, before we can do that we have other concerns," Sakura said.
"I was afraid there was going to be something along those lines," Minerva said.
"Whoever this Cylon known as 'One' has given a 'Four' a task force of baseships with the express purpose of hunting us down and eliminating us once and for all. It would appear we've become more than just an annoyance to them. They're trying to chase down the Galactica, but it looks as though we're tying down resources that they could use for that purpose," Sakura said as she turned the page to the part that she considered to be good news.
"So if we thought we were hunted before we're in for a surprise," Tattnall stated.
"More or less, but there is some positive news," Sakura said as she took in the looks of the officers sitting at the table.
"I'm glad there is some good news to come out of this," Ware said.
"The Cylons believe that there are perhaps two battlestars out there that they are still trying to track down," Sakura announced.
"Is there any clue as to which battlestars these are?" Tattnall asked.
Sakura shook her head, "It's unknown but they appear to be performing random hit-and-run attacks on the Cylons. They haven't stayed in the area long enough for a positive ID."
"At least we have a reason to be hopeful," Minerva said.
"I wish I knew who they are, but at least they're out there hitting the Cylons," Tattnall added.
"Tactical is going to take a look at the pattern to see if we can predict where these battlestars are and perhaps we can locate them. In the meantime, return to your ships and when I have a location for us to jump to we'll head there," Sakura said to dismiss the meeting and allow her Tactical Division a chance to see where these two mystery battlestars were operating from.
Hospital Ship Solace:
Emily Tolan sat in the office of Doctor Maurice Periera and did the one thing she had been doing every day since she had awakened from her coma…wait. She had heard from various nurses that this meeting would bring her good news, and with the possibility that Scott could be dead she was grateful to hear something good for a change.
"What's taking him so long?" she asked her sister.
"I don't know, maybe something came up," Andrea Graystone replied and patted her sister's hand reassuringly.
"I just want some good news for a change, lately it's been one setback after another," Emily said as her mind thought to all that had taken place lately.
"I know, and I realize you're dealing with something you thought you would have never have had to deal with," Andrea said.
"Yes, and Gods knows I can't stop myself thinking about Scott. His farewell video keeps playing in my mind and I wonder if he truly understood how hard it would be for me to move on."
Andrea gave her a sympathetic look. "Scott would want you to be happy. I think that meant more to him than anything in the worlds."
Before Emily could respond Dr. Periera entered. The elderly doctor from Gemenon had taken over her treatment and had done what he could to make sure she made a full recovery.
"Dr. Periera, it's good to see you again," Emily said pleasantly.
"Mrs. Tolan, I'm here to give you good news," Periera began, "Going by the results of our last visit I think it's safe to say that you've recovered from your head injury."
Emily could not help but smile. "That is great news! How much longer will I be on the Solace?"
Periera looked at the notes he had written. "I'm going to keep you for a few more days just for observation but I think that after that you'll be able to return to the Olympica, if you desire."
Emily nodded her head, "Yes, I would like us to go back there."
Periera got up and walked over to where Emily and Andrea were seated. "I cannot tell you how happy your recovery has made not only me, but also the staff in this section of the Solace. I know it was touch and go there at first, but you've managed to beat the odds. You should consider yourself blessed."
Emily smiled at him. "I don't know if 'blessed' is quite the term I would use, but yes I do feel a debt of gratitude to you and everyone who helped me get here."
"I understand," he said, "I have to go make my rounds, but I wanted to give you the news first. You can start making your plans for when you want to return to the Olympica."
"That's exciting news; you get to leave here and return to the Olympica," Andrea said with a smile as broad as her sister's.
"Yes it is. I just wish Scott could have been here to see it," she said as the thought of her husband came to her again.
"I know he'd probably be planning the kind of celebration that would make Zeus green with envy. For what it's worth, I have some news I was going to share with you today," Andrea said.
"What would that be?" Emily asked, wondering what her sister had to say.
"Reese got cleared to return to duty!"
"That's great news, where is he going to be stationed?" Emily asked. Major Reese 'Spartan' Pittman was a Viper pilot on the Victorious who Andrea had started a relationship with, a relationship that ended with a pregnancy. He had been attacked on the Olympica by a rogue member of the Eastern Alliance and had nearly lost his life. He too had been on the Solace recovering from his injuries.
"He's been promoted to Colonel and is going to help oversee the repair and refit of the Helios whenever it takes its turn in the mobile dry dock," Andrea said with no attempt to hide her excitement.
"There's only one thing for us to do, we need to do get down to the café and have some celebratory food and drink!"
The two women left the room with a feeling of happiness that had not completely been there when they had entered. In all of the sadness and heartbreak that they had dealt with it was nice to have something that was a reason to be happy.
Olympica, Argonne Plaza:
Kronus, Wallace, Bayonet, and the Robinsons stepped onto the large open public space known as the Argonne Plaza. Under the orders of the Olympica's captain, the plaza was empty of pedestrians. The bright artificial sunlight shone down on vacant cobblestone streets and shops that had neither customers nor employees in them.
"This place looks like a ghost town," Tank muttered.
"The only thing missing are the sheets of plywood covering the windows," Wallace said.
"Look over there," Kronus said as he pointed off to the distance, "There was some fighting here."
Heavy looked where the admiral had pointed. "Looks like some people were taken down before they had the chance to escape."
"It's a damn shame. Makes you wonder what Solis' end game is," Tank said.
"Doesn't matter what it is, the man's gone mental," Wallace commented.
"Shhh…" Kronus said before whispering, "Everyone take cover and draw your weapons. I think I heard footsteps off in the distance."
Wallace heard the sound of footsteps getting closer; it sounded as though it was from one person but was about all he could make out. He signaled to Kronus that he was going to go investigate and when the admiral nodded his permission he crept over to a nearby corner and mentally prepared himself to shoot an enemy if that was what he came across.
'One…two…three…' he mentally counted as he raised his weapon and turned the corner.
"Arthur, have you lost your mind?" Derrek 'Little Tank' Robinson asked incredulously.
"Can you blame me?" Wallace asked, "For all I knew you could have been one of the bad guys!"
"As soon as I saw you I thought to myself, 'Great, I pull his ass out of a fire of his own making on Amasen and he's going to put a bullet in my head!' You have an interesting way of thanking people," Little Tank said with a shake of his head.
"At least you ran into a friendly face as well, you're an excellent pilot but your brothers are better shots."
"I think your bias is showing, but it is nice to see someone friendly. I wasn't sure if those guys were going to find me or not."
Wallace nodded and looked at the building Little Tank had exited. "How exactly did you end up hiding inside the Corvus Chocolate Factory?"
"I might as well go ahead and say that it all started with a girl," Little Tank began.
"Well now, you really have me interested," Wallace said with an amused grin on his face.
Before Little Tank could respond the glass window behind them shattered with the impact of bullets.
"Frak me, I wasn't expecting to get shot at again!" Little Tank exclaimed.
"Must be more of Dante's people," Wallace said.
"Are you sure it's not a group of women you've pissed off?"
"Could be, but I doubt it this time," Wallace said as he looked up over the metal table that he had overturned when he went to the ground, "Definitely not, so it means the Marines must have missed a few pockets of Dante's people."
"We're coming to you," Tank called out.
"No you're not, I need you and Heavy to stay there and keep Kronus safe," Wallace called out.
"I'm coming your way," Bayonet called out and it was then that she started running to an empty shop across the street.
"Don't do it, Carmen!" Wallace called out.
"Too late, she's running," Little Tank called out.
Wallace looked and saw Bayonet darting across the street. He also heard the sound of gunfire in her direction and he hoped that she would be able to make it across the street. He saw her pistol in her left hand and he was immediately sure of two things. One was that she was a damn good left-handed shot. The other was that her left arm was hurt and it would probably cost her speed and accuracy.
"Let's give her a chance," Wallace said as he and Little Tank got out from cover and started firing at Dante's people. Three of them went down but there were still four more and at least two of them concentrated on Bayonet.
She raised her pistol and squeezed off a few shots but the pain in her arm was getting to her. She may have said that it was just a graze but it was a bit more serious than that. The doorway to the shop was within her reach and as she dived through the door she felt a sharp jolt of pain in her abdomen and knew she had been hit. Her body hit the ground with a loud thud and she had to fight the urge to scream from the pain. She curled up in the fetal position and wondered where she had been hit and how bad the wound was. This was nothing she could pass off as a flesh wound.
"No!" Wallace screamed when he saw Bayonet take a hit in her abdomen. He ran out onto the street and his training with the Ministry of Intelligence took over. As he squeezed off round after round toward the enemy he heard the voice of his trainer, Galit Malka, in his head as he took down the remnants of the enemy group while Little Tank provided cover fire.
Eventually Malka's voice faded from his mind as he heard Tank shout, "Arthur, you can stop now!"
Wallace shook his head as the fog cleared and he found his pistol was still pointed at a dead enemy and his trigger finger was still squeezing the trigger of a now empty weapon.
"I made it to Carmen, she's still alive but she's hurt," Heavy's voice called out from the shop that Bayonet had dived into.
The rest of the men ran to the shop to see how she was.
Wallace knelt beside her and took in the sight of the woman he had met on Caprica four years ago. Bayonet was on her back now with the wound on her abdomen still bleeding despite the towel that Tank had pressed to it. Her tan skin seemed pale and she was sweating.
"She's going to need medical help soon," Kronus said.
"We're going to need to get to the ship's hospital if she's going to have a chance," Heavy said.
"I'll carry her," Wallace volunteered. "I'll take her and the rest of you can go with Kronus."
"Not by yourself," Tank said.
"Carry her out; if she's going to have a chance you'll have to get moving," Kronus said. When he saw that Heavy and Little Tank wanted to protest he said, "We'll be fine; the Governor's Office isn't too far from here."
The two men nodded and quickly checked the ammo they had left in their weapons. Wallace nodded and leaned down to pick Bayonet up to carry her. Before he and Tank left the building he gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Hang in there."
"Okay, Robinsons," Kronus said to the remaining brothers as he began making his way out of the building. "Let's go find Governor Rush and see what's going on here."
"You know for Arthur's talk about him wanting to protect him, I don't think Kronus really seems to need our help," Little Tank said.
Heavy shook his head. "That's why he's The Iron Duke."
Olympica, Governor's Office:
Rush had retreated to his private quarters to gather his thoughts. He had been governor long enough to know that the months of his term felt more like years. He remembered all of the time he had spent second-guessing Richard Adar during both of his terms and now he began to wonder if this was a fraction of the weight that fell on the shoulders of the most powerful man in the Twelve Colonies.
There was a knock on the door and it brought Rush out of his thoughts. "Enter."
"Governor Rush, I heard you sent for me," Chaplain John Leishman, one of the chaplains on the Olympica, said as he entered the room.
"It's good to see you, John, how are Nina and Vera?" Rush asked.
"Thankfully they were on the Solace to do volunteer work so they missed out on all of the fun," Leishman said as he took a seat by Rush. Nina was his wife of the past twenty-one years and Vera was their eighteen year old daughter. The family and Rush had struck up a friendship during the early days of Olympica's maiden voyage. Truth was that Vera, who was planning to major in Political Sciences at Apollo University. She happened to bump into Rush the first day of the cruise and it paved the way for a friendship between the family and the talk show host. He felt a sense of happiness to know that even is a time like this David Rush was thinking of others.
"When the voyage began eight months ago, I don't think any of us imagined this would happen," Rush said.
"These are trying times we live in; many people are trying to interpret the events that have happened and I wonder if anyone truly knows the right answer," Leishman admitted.
"I've tried to make sense of what all has happened and I don't know if I can divine some purpose to this. Everything I've done since I took this job has been to keep this armada of ours from splintering into different groups," Rush said with a far off look in his eyes.
"I'm a chaplain and even I've had to try to make sense of what happened. People have asked me if the Cylons were some instrument of the gods sent to punish us, or are we going through some kind of trial that's going to make us all better in the end. It's an ironic thing that a man of faith can't interpret this in a way that suits everyone."
Rush chuckled. "I've found that when it comes to religion and faith it's impossible to make it fit everyone perfectly. All we can do in these times is doing the best we can with what we have. In some cases we have to do things we things we never dreamed we would have to do. I'm facing something like that now."
"I take it you're talking about this meeting you're going through with, I've heard from some of the people in your office that you agreed to meet with this Dante Solis person. Are you sure you can even trust him?" Leishman looked at Rush and tried to gauge where the man's thoughts were.
"Especially doing that, and I'm doing it to give people more time so that perhaps I can put an end to this. The responsibility of being the one in charge; I have to wonder how officers like Kronus and Tolan handled these kinds of situations."
"I know you feel you're doing the right thing but I do plan to say a prayer for you and those who are helping you on this matter," Leishman said as he stood up from where he was seated and turned to leave the room.
"Thank you, John; we'll see how things work for me."
Leishman nodded. "All things work themselves out for the best."
With Leishman gone Rush took a few moments to think over their conversation before he too left the room. As soon as he turned from closing the door he saw someone approaching.
"Mr. Governor, are you sure you want to do this?" Lieutenant Governor Michael Fowler asked.
"I agree with the Lieutenant Governor; aren't you opening yourself up to being assassinated by Solis and his people?" Aurelia Gilliam, the Sagittaron member of the Quorum of Twelve, asked.
"This is just something to give Mitchell Cain time to get in position and take a shot at Solis. I think with this group it'll be easier to take them out once their leader has been eliminated once and for all," Rush said.
"You should let me come with you," Fowler said.
"No, you need to stay here in case the worst does happen," Rush said before adding, "We need to keep some continuity of government going and that means you stay behind."
"In that case, perhaps you should allow me to accompany you," Gilliam said.
Rush raised an eyebrow. "I see you've gotten over your shock; are you going to try some of your trademark grandstanding in order to distract Solis?"
Gilliam did not take the bait; "I know I can bring some added weight to your presence by being there and I can be an asset to any negotiations you may want to have in order to keep events from spiraling out of control."
"You do realize that from what I've seen so far you've done a lot of screeching and little of actual substance," Fowler said.
"How can you say that, have you not noticed how I've kept the military honest?" Gilliam countered.
"If by honest you mean they haven't been able to fight the Cylons because they've been too busy laughing at you then…sure," Fowler said as he fought back the urge to laugh at her statement.
"I don't believe you truly appreciate all that I do for the people of this fleet," she said with no small amount of righteous indignation.
"That's enough," Rush said before Fowler and Gilliam started arguing. "Ms. Gilliam is going to come with me for this."
"It's like I've always said, Governor Rush is a man of great wisdom and is able to lead us in these trying times," Gilliam said with a smug sense of satisfaction.
"Let's not get carried away, Ms. Gilliam; I have plenty of audio clips where you've stated that I was a clueless half-witted warmonger firmly in the pocket of the military and would never be mistaken for having the stones of a Tauron," Rush said.
"I may have said some things in the heat of the moment when my emotions got the better of me, but that was then and this is now!"
"Right, well I suppose there will be other times to discuss this," Rush said before noticing one of his aides trying to get his attention, "What is it…Mister…"
"Willis Hayes, Mr. Governor, there's a call on the phone for you from Dante Solis. He wishes to speak with you," the aide said as he held a wireless phone in his hand.
"This should be interesting," Rush said as he took the phone from Willis, "This is Governor Rush; is this Dante Solis I have the pleasure of speaking with?"
"I bet you never had such an interesting guest on your radio show back in the day."
Rush kept his face neutral but there was no doubt the man on the other end of the call was in fact Dante Solis. "Funny that you would want to bring up life before the Cylons attacked."
"Just a reminder of how things were during our last days as a dying society. Can you look back on your life on Caprica and honestly say that you were better off?"
Rush shrugged even though he knew Solis could not see him. "I don't think our society as a whole was so bad. I think on all twelve worlds at one time or another there have been examples of each unique culture, both good and bad."
"We've lost our way and it's time to remedy that, in case you're wondering exactly why I'm doing what I'm doing. I'm not some madman with an insane plot; those are only in the movies."
'I'm pretty sure that's what you are.' Rush thought before asking, "What exactly is it that you're after?"
"I think it's important that we find a new world and allow our society to reset itself to a simpler time before we allow ourselves to be corrupted by the false god of technology. We need to cast that aside and take on a simpler lifestyle without all of the electronics and other items that we have become slaves to. We need to cast out the remnants of the government and allow a new and better society to arise from the ashes."
Rush shook his head. "What you're talking about is anarchy; do you know how many people would lose their lives in such an upheaval?"
"I'm a man of vision, Mr. Governor, and I am willing to sacrifice the weak few if it means a stronger and more purified society in the long run. All great moments in history have come with sacrifices both great and small. One of the differences between you and me is that I am willing to go to the lengths necessary to accomplish my goals."
"What are you hoping to accomplish with this current stunt you're pulling?"
"You are going to pass control of the government over to me and step down. From there I shall commence a search for a viable planet for us to settle. With that done, we shall take the necessary supplies and start to colonize our new home. The ships and other technological remnants will be cast out and destroyed so that we may move on in a different direction. If you don't do as I request, you will be responsible for the loss of one hostage an hour here in Olympica Security; I have people on other ships in this fleet and when I give the signal they will add to the body count. As I said before, I am a man of vision and also a man of action. If you think I'm not willing to do what it takes to accomplish my goals you had better prepare to deal with the blood on your hands."
"What if I offered to meet with you at Olympica Security? Perhaps we can negotiate this further. I don't want more bloodshed; there's been plenty of that already," Rush said and he hoped that Solis would be willing to go along with his request.
"You have half an hour to meet me at the main entrance, if you're not there by then I shall kill two hostages just because you were jerking me around. Good day, Mr. Governor."
"What did he say?" Fowler asked.
"Is he willing to meet with us?" Gilliam asked after Fowler had spoken.
"Yes he will meet with us and as for what he said…that man has way too much insanity going on in his head right now," Rush said as he fished a mobile phone out of his pocket and dialed a number.
"How are things at the office?" the voice of Mitchell Cain said on the other end of the phone.
"Solis has agreed to meet with us so that should buy you and your people some time to get in place. How's that coming along?"
There was a pause before Cain said, "We've reached a bit of an obstruction, it appears that the Colonial Line wanted to make sure Olympica Security was going to be hard to break into through the ventilation system."
"So are you saying you can't do it?" Rush asked.
"Oh please, are you forgetting who you're talking to?" Cain asked with no lack of incredulity, "When this is over, remind me to tell you about the time I broke into the mansion of Cepheus Amni. He was this crime boss on Gemenon that I had to eliminate; now that was a challenge!"
"How silly of me to doubt you, Cain. Well, I am going to put a group together to come with me to meet with our friend. Any suggestions?"
"You need to bring Magnus with you, showing that the Eastern Alliance is willing to negotiate will be helpful. Also, bring someone from the Colonial Fleet but not a flag officer. If one of his men gets trigger happy it may not end well. Also, bring Karin Briggs; if he thinks the head of Olympica Security is with you on this, it may help him to get arrogant enough to put his guard down."
Rush was impressed. "Did you think of all this off the top of your head."
There was a whooshing noise and a yelp of victory from Cain before he said, "You could say that, I've been playing the espionage game enough to know what needs to be done. Gods, some people out there are just too easy to play."
"I'll keep that in mind, Cain. Let me know when your people are in position."
"Copy that, Mr. Governor, we're not far from Olympica Security, so by the time you get there we'll be in position," Cain said before the line went dead.
"Looks like Ms. Gilliam and I are going to have some company for this meeting. Magnus, would you be kind enough to come with us?"
"If it means I get the chance to wrap my hands around Dante Solis' neck then I'd be more than happy to come," Magnus said.
"I think we can arrange something along those lines," Rush said before turning to Karin Briggs. "Ms. Briggs, I would also like you to come with me. It will give Solis the impression that you're with me on these negotiations."
"I'll gladly go with you. Solis is holding my people hostage and has taken over a place I consider home. If Magnus doesn't get to him first then I'd be happy to put an end to the bastard," Briggs said.
"Glad you're on our side," Hunter said before stepping forward, "I'd like to come with you, Mr. Governor."
"You're coming with, if anyone asks you're the liaison between Solis and the Admiralty," Rush said.
"I appreciate you letting me come with you; his people tried to kill me and perhaps I'll get to return the favor," Hunter said.
"Don't be too eager for a fight, Major," Magnus said.
"Are you coming along?" Hunter asked.
"I would but I'm needed here to make sure my people follow orders and aren't too 'liberal' with interpreting their orders," Magnus said with a knowing smile.
"I'd hate to see something like that happen; it wouldn't do much to help your image."
Magnus nodded. "A fact I've been made painfully aware of in the past."
Olympica Security Office:
Solis put the phone back into its receiver and smiled, "Is it wrong that I'm skeptical of the Governor's honesty?"
Faustin shook his head. "I think being cautious about people's motives has helped us to make it this far."
Solis nodded his head. "It all seems to have happened so easily. I technically lost the battle but yet I seem to be close to winning the war, and all I can think is that Rush is plotting something."
"I wouldn't be surprised if he was going to try something; the question to ask is if you're willing to double-cross him before he has a chance to do it to you?"
Solis was thoughtful as he pondered the question, "I've come too far to lose because of one man's deception. I'll have something up my sleeve for this meeting we're going to have, and if I think for even a split second that Rush is going to screw me over…there will be blood."