Chapter Twelve: Ready to Roll
Raptor 2453:
"Amasen is coming into view," Lieutenant Raquel 'Gold' Maddox announced from her seat behind the controls of the Raptor.
"Here I was thinking we would just leave from the Olympica and board the ship," Ensign Lacey 'Ghost' Tolan said as she craned her neck to look out the Raptor's window at the space station off in the distance.
"I'm sure this Major Wallace person thought changing the game plan on the fly was going to be to his advantage," Major Mark 'Archangel' Hunter said with a sardonic smile.
"Don't you mean to our advantage?" Lacey asked.
Archangel shook his head. "Like I said, to his advantage."
"You don't trust him, do you?" she asked even though she could tell from his response before that he had issues.
"He's from the Ministry of Intelligence. When you spend your life guarding secrets and working in the shadows it's got to become second nature," he said.
"Are you telling me you know a thing or two about working in the shadows?" Lacey asked more as a joke than a serious question.
"So, Ensign, how are you feeling about your skills with a Viper?" Archangel asked instead of answering the question.
"I'm ready; I actually want to get back to flying. It beats being stuck on the deck with nothing to do," she responded with what she was sure sounded like the usual cockiness of a Viper pilot.
"I can imagine. I would have been grounded if Admiral Kronus hadn't have wanted me for this mission," Archangel said.
"I suppose we were both in the right place at the right time," Lacey observed.
"At least you're not a complete rook, that helps me out some," Archangel said teasingly. He knew Lacey had to have had some flight experience but he was not sure how much combat experience she actually had.
"I was supposed to have been at Ostarsis when the rescue operation took place but I wasn't able to, I'm sure if I had been there I'd have ended up with a great scorecard," she shot back.
Archangel held up his hands in mock surrender. "I'm not going to argue with you on that one!"
"Hunley, this is Raptor 2453 coming in to dock," Maddox said to whoever was monitoring communications on the stealth ship.
"Raptor 2453 this is the Hunley, you are cleared for docking," the voice of a woman announced through the radio.
"Looks like that's going to be our temporary home," Lacey said as she looked out at the small ship they were closing in on.
"That's a stealth ship, if it doesn't live up to its name then we're in for a short mission," Archangel said as he viewed the Hunley with a mixture of admiration and cautiousness.
He had heard of experimentation with stealth technology but only on a ship that was on the smaller side of the spectrum in terms of size. Hunley itself fell somewhere in between the small patrol craft that were used mainly when the patrol corvettes were not available. Archangel had spent time on a patrol frigate and he remembered that being claustrophobic when compared to a battlestar, and the Hunley was even smaller. When the Aresa docked at Lampetia Shipyard he had never been so happy to leave a ship.
The composite material that provided the stealth coating made the Hunley as black as outer space. The only sign that it was there was provided by the lighting of the docking bay and the ship's name illuminated by the four lights at each corner of the square nameplate. Archangel was sure that was turned off whenever the ship was deployed, and then the thought came to him, 'What was the Ministry of Intelligence doing with a vessel that could easily be mistaken as belonging to the Colonial Fleet?'
Stealth Ship Hunley:
Iris Duran watched as the airlock hissed open and the two pilots stepped off the Raptor that had attached itself to the Hunley. The two took in their surroundings and she could tell that both of them looked as though they were trying to find a polite way to describe their surroundings.
"I don't know what you know about the Hunley, but I'll be happy to fill you in once you're settled in your cabins," she said to the two as a way of announcing her presence.
"I'm sure it's an interesting story…" Archangel said leaving an opening for her to introduce herself.
"Captain Iris Duran, I'm currently in charge of the Hunley while it's docked here at Amasen," she said.
"Major Mark Hunter," Archangel said.
"Ensign Lacey Tolan," Lacey said after Archangel had introduced himself.
"I only received word a few minutes ago about our mission, and I was asked to meet with you and escort you to your cabins. I think you'll find them to your liking," she said with a knowing smile.
"Care to explain to me why you're smiling? I kind of figured you already knew something we didn't," Archangel said as he hid his irritation with the Ministry of Intelligence officer.
"Follow me and I'll explain the history of how the Hunley came about," she said as she turned and started down a nearby corridor.
"Lead on," Archangel said with a nod of his head at Lacey to follow along.
"The Hunley started out as a Colonial Auxiliary Fleet vessel, and would have been the first of a class of enlarged surveying ships. The project was cancelled when the ship was about forty-seven percent complete and the Ministry of Intelligence bought the ship through one of our dummy corporations. The ship was finished and equipped to our standards. Officially, the Hunley was only supposed to be used for was surveillance, but it was decided to arm the ship for more covert activities," she said.
"Well, that's a shocker," Lacey whispered to Archangel.
"Took the words right out of my mouth," Archangel whispered back.
"Because of the work that was put into the latest refit, the Hunley can operate on what the Colonial Fleet would consider a skeleton crew and that allows us to provide separate accommodations for both crew and visitors. Major Wallace, or Arthur as he prefers us to call him, specifically requested that the two of you be made comfortable as soon as possible," she said as she turned a corner towards another corridor that was lined with doors.
"I have to ask, why isn't he here to meet with us?" Archangel asked.
"He wanted to be but there was an issue that he wanted to deal with before we left," she said as she stopped where two doors were opened.
"I take it these are our rooms," Archangel commented.
"Yes, feel free to make yourselves at home and know that food is available for you at any time of the day should you need it," she said before motioning for Lacey to enter the door on her left. Lacey nodded and walk through the door.
Duran thought it over and mumbled, "Frak it! I should have bet on few days."
Archangel overheard her and his curiosity got the better of him. "What bet?"
"The crew started a betting pool on how long it will take Arthur to sleep with your little Viper pilot," Duran explained, who put her cubits on four days.
"I doubt he'll have much luck in working himself into her pants," commented Archangel and as his curiosity continued to get the better of him he asked, "How much it the pool?"
"Well it's not quite like that," offered Iris, "100 cubits to buy in and winner gets a week of R&R on the Olympica."
"Well them, put me down for never," Archangel said with a wicked smile on his face. From the short time he had gotten to talk to Lacey Tolan he felt certain that it was one bet he was easily going to win. A moment later he had pulled the money from his billfold and passed it to Duran.
Duran smiled at the handsome but very misguided fool before taking the money and then turned around and left the way she had led the two pilots.
Olympica:
Presidential Suite:
President Michael Fowler drummed his fingers on his desk as he pondered the request that had just been put before him. "Are you sure this is really a good idea?"
Major Arthur Wallace flashed one of his more convincing smiles. "Mr. President, I believe you know deep down that what I'm proposing is for the best. Would I have a reason to lead you wrong? I think not."
Fowler shook his head. "For the past eight months I think everyone is looking out for themselves to a certain extent."
"I remember when you were waiting for your chance to run Libran. I don't believe you were so pessimistic back then," Wallace countered.
"What you see as pessimism I see as realism," Fowler shot back.
"I'm in this with you until the end; we have a history that goes back to before the Cylons attacked. You have to realize that our fates are linked together now, so there's really no reason for me to betray you," said Wallace. He was telling the truth when he said that he was with Fowler to the end, well at least the end of Fowler anyway.
Fowler shook his head. "I need time to think it over. Why don't you go get something to eat? By the time you're done I'll have a decision."
"Fair enough, but in half an hour I need to know so I can make the arrangements," Wallace said as he turned and left the room.
Fowler let out a long sigh. "Is it wrong that I have issues with trusting the Ministry of Intelligence?"
Wallace entered the corridor and began walking aft towards Argonne Plaza. He noticed a pleasant scent and realized that someone walking near him was wearing perfume. He turned to look behind him and saw Erica Abbot, Fowler's top advisor, walking near him.
"Miss Abbot, do you have a moment to spare?" Wallace asked.
She gave him an annoyed look and said, "For most anyone I do, but you may have to get in line."
"I'm sure you're going to see President Fowler, and I need your help," he said.
"You've never struck me as the type who needs help, so what is so important that you're asking me to help you?" she asked, her features had the look of someone who was ready to refuse a request immediately.
"I've proposed a plan to the President that I think can aid my upcoming mission," Wallace began, "I would like for him to pardon Commander Caden Charka so that I can use him on my stealth ship."
She immediately asked, "What is it that this Commander Charka needs to be pardoned for?"
"He was in command of the Ark Royal at the time of the Cylon attacks and to make a long story short he made mistakes and found himself in the brig."
She pressed him with another question, "What did he do?"
"He may have made the tactical move of sacrificing an escort battlestar and it didn't go over very well. That's not important, what is important is that I need a Commanding Officer for the Hunley and he's the best I can probably get right now. Admiral Kronus will probably not like the idea, but if the President goes along with it then it's a different story."
"I'll mention it to him, but I want you to know that if you try to screw me again you'll be sorry," she said as she walked off before he could get a word in.
Wallace watched her as she walked away and he had to admit the petite blonde was somewhat immune to his charms now, but perhaps one day he would find a way to get on her good side again. Wallace just grinned as he thought back to their last date which ended well for him but did not end so well for her. He would probably never admit but there was a part of him that felt genuine regret that events had turned out the way they had.
Mitchell Cain's Suite:
Mitchell Cain blinked his eyes open and looked over at the alarm clock on his nightstand. There was a light on the adjacent bathroom and he heard water running. He was trying to remember if someone was with him or if he had left the light on and the sink running before he fell asleep. As his eyes began to adjust to the light he began to feel the throbbing ache in his head. The odds were better than good that he may have had a little too much to drink.
When he had left President Fowler's office he had decided to let off some steam in the Club District of Olympica. He had gone into a club called Gratia and then what had happened…
Cain massaged his temples to try to ease the headache so he could focus. He remembered having a few drinks then a woman pulled him out of his seat and onto the dance floor. After however long on the dance floor they had found a secluded booth on the club's second level and there was more conversation and more drinks. After that it was kind of blurry. He had not had that much alcohol to drink since his brother Timothy had taken him out after his first mission with the MoI. Who was that woman from the other night? He pictured her in his mind and there was something familiar about her and yet he could not place her.
The running water stopped and out of the bathroom stepped Helen Octavia. She was wearing one of his button-up shirts and looking at him with an amused smile on her face.
"When you secret agents decide to unwind you certainly go above and beyond," she said as she walked over to where he sat and rested her head on his shoulders.
"Would you be upset if I said I don't remember much from last night?" he asked as a feeling in the pit of his stomach began to form. Not only had he let his guard down and have a few drinks, he also had spent the night in bed with a woman he had last seen in the sea of reporters at a press conference a while back. He began to wonder just what he might have told her that he could not remember.
"I wouldn't be surprised, but just so you know this was your idea. I had no idea you were so taken with me last night. All those things you said when you poured your heart and soul out to me," she said with a small amount of joy at making Cain squirm uncomfortably.
"Gods, just what did I tell you about?" Cain asked with his headache growing stronger.
"You told me all about Virgon, and your time spent in retirement…oh and there was also all the fun things you did here on the Olympica too. I really had no idea you had lived such an adventurous life," she said.
"Some of my colleagues from my days in the MoI would look at this and say I've really fallen from grace," Cain said in an attempt to try to hide his mortification at what had taken place.
"Sleeping with women who also happen to be reporters may be a nice change up for you," she said with a mischievous tone to her voice.
"I have to ask, was I set up?" Cain asked; the MoI training was starting to come back now.
Octavia feigned indignation. "Mitchell Cain, you have a lot of nerve to accuse me of that!"
He fixed her with a more serious look. "I have to know and you know it."
She let out a deep breath, "I swear I it was only at the club that I saw you and I thought you looked like the type of guy I'd like to have a few drinks and talk to. When I heard the music I thought I'd dance with you then things just progressed from there. For what it's worth, the Virgon story was very touching…being near death really got to you."
Cain buried his face in his hands. "Gods, why did I have to talk about Virgon."
"Because you were betrayed by someone and shot by the Basileus. They in turn left you for dead; I'm surprised your superiors didn't send you to therapy before they kicked you to the curb."
"Let's go get some food; I think a hangover cure may be in order," Cain said as he got out of bed and began looking for his clothes.
"You're taking me out, word could spread quickly on the ship," she teased.
"In all my years I have never slept with a woman then the next day not at least taken her out to eat. There are some principles that are just sacred."
"You've already gone a step up from the last guy I met when I was out and about," Octavia said as she too got off the bed and started putting her clothes back on.
"Dare I ask what happened there?" Cain asked.
"He didn't even take me out to eat afterwards," she said matter-of-factly.
"You probably know the other thing I want to know…about what all I told you," Cain said and he could tell by the look on her face that she realized what he meant.
Octavia walked over and lovingly patted him on his cheek, "Don't worry, I'm not going to go and share all of your deep dark secrets."
Persephone Rose Restaurant:
Wallace entered the restaurant and was surprised to see that it was busy with patrons, it seemed as though life on the Olympica was returning to normal more quickly than he had imagined. He noticed that there was no server to direct him to a seat so he took a seat at the nearby bar and promptly ordered a soda. The television located on the left corner of the bar was broadcasting a story about an upcoming pyramid game involving Leon Delroy's Gemenon Twins.
As he watched the star athlete giving the reporter an interview that seemed to try to break the record for the number clichés used in a single statement Wallace could not help but shake his head at what an insufferable jerk that man was. He had met Delroy once on Picon, and it was all he could do not to introduce the man to his fists. He honestly felt that the man's face was a natural magnet for a punch to be drawn to it.
"I'll have a glass of water," a woman said as she took the seat beside him.
"Sure you don't want something a little stronger?" the bartender asked.
"If I wanted something stronger I'd have ordered it, but thanks for the suggestion," she said in a way that was pleasant enough to not sound insulting.
"Well that was a nice way of letting him know to mind his own business and get you what you asked for," Wallace said as he turned to find himself facing a woman he was familiar with from reading a certain dossier.
"Don't worry, if I had to be mean about it I'd have done it," Marian Sanders said to him.
"You know, I think I saw a nice booth over there that's just begging for two people to occupy it. I think we should take advantage of it," Wallace said.
Sanders read into what he was saying and nodded, "I don't think you're asking too much of me."
The two left the bar after Sanders had been handed her glass of water and sat down in the booth on opposite sides but leaning in so that what they were going to discuss would not be overheard.
"I didn't think you were going to be so quick in getting in touch with me," Sanders said in a hushed voice.
Wallace shrugged. "Plans got moved up; there are some things are even out of my control."
"Can you explain to me what's going on?" she asked.
"A situation fell into my lap and it's too good for me to pass up, it's really as simple as that," Wallace said.
"Do you care to share?" she asked.
Wallace shook his head." Sorry, I'm not very good at that."
"I'm a member of the Quorum of Twelve; I'm sure it's something I can know about?" she asked.
Wallace shook his head. "Sorry, I'm afraid it's not something I'm allowed to talk about. It's one of those things that happen to be my business."
Sanders pressed. "What if I want to make it my business?"
Wallace smiled at her. "That would depend on what you mean by business. If you mean official business there's a pretty long line ahead of you of people who want to do that. If you mean unofficial business there is an even longer line ahead of you."
She let out a laugh and said, "Here I was thinking all of you Ministry of Intelligence people were a bunch of cocky bastards."
Wallace held his hands up to quiet her. "Fine there's something I'm dealing with that requires a mission into Cylon-held territory. Now if you leak this I will deny it and then some. Of the available MoI personnel, I'm going to lead the mission."
"So you're going to put yourself into harm's way; where's the logic in that?"
"It's a lot easier to put yourself in harm's way than to ask others to do so, at least that's how it works for me anyway," Wallace said and adopted his most sincere expression in an attempt to sell what he saying
"So is there a particular reason you wanted to meet with me so badly? I doubt it's got anything to do with how good I look."
"I need a favor from you before I leave, think of it as the price for me securing your spot on the Quorum when the special election is held. Just so you know, Marian, I'm not in the mood to take No for an answer."
Sanders knew it was coming and mentally she had tried to prepare for when Wallace was going to call in a favor like this, she had just assumed she had more time. "Is that what you outlined in that note you sent me earlier today?"
"I thought it would be better to do it this way instead of doing it here where prying ears could overhear us."
Sanders sighed. "There's no way out of this for me is there?"
Wallace shook his head. "Not really, you know as well as I do that this was going to happen when you came to me for help."
Sanders resigned herself to what she was going to have to do. "You're annoying. Do you know that?"
Wallace shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, that's what I've been told. Sometimes I've even called worse than that."
"For all that talk you gave me about wanting an Aquarian you could trust on the Quorum I thought we would have the chance to do great things for the Aquarians in the fleet. I thought you actually gave a damn."
Wallace again smiled at her. "I do, because otherwise you'd be dead by now. Enjoy your water."
Sanders watched as he left the table and began walking out of the restaurant. The waiter came by and asked her if she was ready to order, as hungry as she was she actually had to force herself to order something to eat. She knew she needed to secure her spot on the Quorum, but what Arthur Wallace was asking her to do could backfire under the wrong circumstances and then she would be in a world of trouble.
Admiral Kronus' Office:
Fowler entered Kronus' office expecting to find the Admiral of the Fleet hard at work. He was surprised to see that Kronus was in the process of having lunch.
"Mr. President, what can I do for you?" Kronus asked.
"Admiral Kronus," Fowler began before taking in the sight of what the admiral was having for lunch, "What happened to your war on cholesterol?"
Kronus looked down at his food and back to Fowler, "Let's just say it's a tactical retreat and leave it at that."
"With your health issues and all, are you sure you shouldn't be having something healthier?"
Kronus laughed. "At my age, if something tastes good I'm pretty sure I shouldn't be eating it."
Fowler shook his head and laughed. "Have you ever eaten anything that's actually good for you?"
"Of course I have," Kronus said before continuing with, "You don't reach my age without good genetics and good eating habits. Sometimes you just want to eat something you're not supposed to. The doc will get onto me and I will regret nothing. So, why did you want to see me?"
"I'm kind of stepping into this without really knowing what it entails, David Rush isn't here to give me advice and let's face it, Hector Alonzo and I did not exactly have a strong working relationship."
Kronus was thoughtful for a moment before he answered, "When Admiral Stryker retired and I took over as the head of the Colonial Fleet he gave me a piece of advice. He told me to learn what I could and then make the job my own. I like to think I was able to put my own stamp of the Fleet during my time at the top. It's not that different from now, you'll learn things and then you can step in and put your own stamp on the presidency. I see you've already done that by allowing Major Wallace to go on this mission."
"I didn't think it was a pure military decision at the time, and I know him well enough to have an idea of how he works," Fowler said.
"Okay then, tell me what you think about him," Kronus asked.
"Well, I'll deny saying it until my dying day, but Arthur is one of the best officers I've met from the Ministry of Intelligence," Fowler said.
"From all the years I've been around the MoI I've always had an uneasy feeling about them. I've always thought the people there don't brush their teeth without an agenda."
Fowler nodded. "I know there are a lot of people who share your feelings on that."
"I'll be willing to change my judgment if Wallace can deliver those FTL Vipers he told me about; it'll give us an advantage and truth is, right now we need every advantage we can get."
"I wasn't sure if you would have approved, or not see that you were being put between the proverbial rock and a hard place."
Kronus smiled. "A smart officer can find room between a rock and a hard place; it's nothing that all that new to me."
"Funny thing about that. Major Wallace would like you to pardon Commander Caden Charka so that he can come along on this mission," Fowler interjected
"I've read the reports on that one, I suppose in a situation like this I can afford to give him a conditional release; considering Wallace is MoI he can just shoot the guy if he gets out of hand," Kronus said half jokingly.
"I'm glad you can, but we also need to know what can happen if this blows up in your face. If this makes you look bad there could be consequences," Fowler said.
Kronus' tone changed to a more serious one. "We'll worry about that but you had better not try to throw me under the bus like Adar did. I'm only going to tell you once, Mr. President, if this plan fails and you go out before press and try to make me look bad you'll be bringing a knife to a gun fight."
"No worries, Admiral Kronus, I'm not the fool Adar was," Fowler said in an attempt to smooth things over.
"Gods, I hope not! That idiot could politicize a rainy day!" Kronus exclaimed before saying, "If you don't mind, I'd like to get back to lunch before my schedule becomes too crowded again.
Fowler turned and excused himself from the room.
Olympica:
Dome Three:
Douglas Oaklund Memorial Gardens:
Nestled on the far end of Dome Three was the area that the Colonial Line had christened the 'Douglas Oaklund Memorial Gardens'. Wallace read the plaque at the entrance and now knew that the garden had been named in honor of some Colonial Line director who had spearheaded the design of the Olympica. The garden boasted collections from all twelve of the colonies, though Wallace wondered whether that was true or not.
At this time of the day, the garden was empty for all intents and purposes, and it was because of this fact that it became the ideal meeting place for him and the Robinson brothers. He had a plan that he had to put into action; this recon trip to Canceron was going to be a part of it and it was probably going to be one of the most dangerous that he was attempting. He heard footsteps coming up the path behind him and he turned to see the three people he had been expecting.
"I'm glad you could make it," Wallace said.
"When you requested a meeting here this time of night; it didn't take a genius to figure it was serious," Derrek 'Little Tank' Robinson, the youngest of the Robinson brothers, said.
"You'll have to overlook our little brother," David 'Heavy' Robinson said with a nod of his head toward Little Tank, "We thought it was serious enough to bring him along."
"Not that he was too happy about being taken away from whatever it was he was doing," Darrell 'Tank' Robinson said.
"So, Little Tank, what did you have going on?" Wallace asked and he knew he was letting his curiosity get the better of him.
"I was visiting an old friend. Nothing wrong with that," Little Tank said defensively.
"Depends on who the old friend is," Tank said.
"Do you remember Shauna Willis? She's still with the Colonial Fleet and she's stationed on the Olympica. She's working in Fleet Command," Little Tank said.
"Ah yes, the one who got away," Heavy said.
"The one who broke his heart," Tank said.
"You should have never let her go, you should have begged her to stay," Wallace said as it appeared both he and the older Robinson brothers remembered how hard Little Tank took it when things ended between the two.
"Yeah that would be her," Little Tank said before quickly changing the subject and asking, "I got the message that we needed to leave soon.
"Glad you got to reunite with her," Wallace said before getting to the point of why he was meeting them. "I'm going on a mission to Canceron to try to recover two FTL-capable Vipers from a secret Ministry of Intelligence base."
"You're taking us into Cylon-held territory, has one of your women on the side finally slapped you so hard you lost your mind?" Little Tank said before saying with no attempt to hide his sarcasm. "That is why I love you, Arthur. You're always willing to risk our lives at any given moment."
"None of you are going," Wallace replied with an even tone.
The words hit the three brothers like a sledgehammer. For Heavy and Tank it was impossible to think that their friend would not want them there to have his back on such a dangerous mission. For Little Tank it confused him because the last thing he would have expected was for Arthur Wallace to have them stay on the sidelines for something like this.
"Care to explain?" Tank finally asked. "After all we've been through; I think we need more of an explanation."
"This mission is far from guaranteed, it's going into the frozen wastelands of Canceron where there's no telling what the Cylons have done to that place since they took over. Little Tank is my best pilot and you and Heavy are the two people I would trust to have my back at all times. I can't ask you to take on the risks this time," Wallace said.
"That's never stopped you before," Little Tank countered.
"This time it's different, and as your leader my first responsibility is not my safety, it's yours. You may not like it and you may be mad at me right now but I hope someday you understand it."
A pause came over the group and it as it was starting to become uncomfortable it was Wallace who broke the silence.
"So, now you know everything that I know," Wallace said.
The three Robinson brothers laughed at hearing that statement.
"That's never the case and you know it," Tank said.
"Before it's all said and done you'll understand why," Wallace said as he turned and started towards the exit without saying a word or looking back.
"I guess the only thing left to do is head back to Amasen," Heavy said.
"I agree," Tank said.
"I think we've spent enough time here, I'll fly us back," Little Tank said.
The three brothers left the dome and headed to the shuttle bay where Little Tank's Raptor was waiting for them.
Fifteen Minutes Later:
Hunley:
Wallace stepped through the airlock and was immediately greeted by Duran. She motioned for him to follow her and he obliged.
"You're back so soon. Did Little Tank give you a smooth ride this time?" she asked light-heartedly.
Wallace shrugged. "What can I say? I missed your smile. Just so you know, Little Tank didn't fly me back here. I caught one of the transports to Amasen. Anything happen I that I missed while I was away?
"Commander Charka arrived here before you, I set him up in the one remaining officer stateroom we have onboard," she said.
"I'll meet with him in due time," Wallace before adding, "By the sound of things you had a big night last night."
Duran looked at him quizzically. "I'm sorry, Arthur, what do you mean?"
Wallace gave her a knowing smile. "These ships have thin walls, and you can hear a lot of what goes on if a person is loud enough."
Duran immediately realized what he meant. "Oh Gods…"
Wallace nodded. "Yeah, you really said that a lot last night."
"I had no idea you were in your stateroom when that was going on," she said as her feelings of embarrassment increased.
Wallace decided to throw her a bone. "I'm going to let this awkward moment fade before I say something else."
The two did not say another word to each other until they reached Wallace's quarters.
Commanding Officer's Quarters:
Wallace was going over some paperwork when the door to his office opened and in stepped the person he had been expecting.
"Ensign…I suppose that should be Lieutenant now," Wallace said with what he hoped was his most charming smile.
Lieutenant Raquel 'Gold' Maddox did not seem to be taken in by the charm. "I was recently promoted to Lieutenant. I have to ask you about these orders. I was about to get back onto my Raptor and head back to the Victorious when I received a message from Commander Graystone informing me that I have been assigned to this ship."
Wallace had to admit the blonde Colonial Fleet pilot was being very direct in questioning him. "I was in need of a pilot and I heard that you were going to be delivering my two pilots; so I called in a favor and got you transferred to the Hunley."
"I appreciate you wanting me for this assignment, but what exactly have I been drafted into?" she asked.
Wallace was impressed by her and he could not deny it. Lieutenant Maddox may have been from the cosmopolitan city of Ulysses on Scorpia but she had the direct manner of someone from Aerilon.
He smiled at her, "Okay, Lieutenant, here's what's going on. We're going to Canceron, to investigate a secret Ministry of Intelligence base that should be housing a pair of FTL-capable Vipers. The Admiralty needed it investigated so I said to Admiral Kronus that I'd be more than happy to investigate it for him, keeps him from having to waste time and resources."
"So I'm flying my Raptor into Cylon-held territory?" she asked.
"No, you're flying this ship into Cylon-held territory. I've read over your file and you scored highly in ship navigation before you decided to take the path to becoming a Viper pilot. I also know that your Viper was badly damaged during the engagement over Ostarsis so for now you are flying Raptors," Wallace said as he looked over her records.
"In that case, is this going to be only for this mission? When I return I'd like to return to the Vic," Maddox said.
"Of course, but you may enjoy being a part of my motley crew of rogues and you may not want to leave," Wallace replied still smiling at her.
This time she returned the smile. "If you can make it worth my while I may give it just a few seconds of thought."
When she left the room Wallace put her file away and stretched, all of the running around he had done on the Olympica was starting to wear on him.
He picked the phone receiver out of the cradle on his desk and was about to get a connection to the Gemenon when the door opened in stepped Cinta Melati.
He quickly put the receiver back into its cradle. "You read my mind, I was just thinking of you."
Melati, the leader of the pirate group Erebea, gave him a cold look. "You had a lot of nerve to ask this of me."
Wallace shrugged. "I need someone I can trust and someone who is capable. You fit both of those descriptions nicely."
Melati shook her head. "Trust is a funny thing, Arthur; you know damn well I can't trust you like I once did."
"It was a mission I was on, and obviously I didn't kill you because you're still alive and here to tell the story."
Wallace had been a part of a top-secret mission to eradicate the Erebea for the part they had played in the kidnapping of President Adar's sister and niece. The Battlestar Libran had been recommissioned to lead this effort and Wallace had worked behind the scenes undercover as a weapons dealer. If it had not been for the Cylons attacking the Colonies he would have eliminated her and the Erebea in one strategic blow. Since that day their relationship had run hot and cold.
"You had the Gemenon ready to explode and if the toasters hadn't have attacked you would have gone through with it; how does that not keep you up at night?"
Wallace decided that honesty was best and said, "I sleep just fine, both as an MoI officer and as a man. Listen, I think we should go back to when we weren't talking about it. Fact is, right now I need you and you're the best person I can think of to have my back on this. Just know we're doing the right thing."
She was quiet for a moment and then said, "Even when you're doing the right thing it can still go terribly wrong."
"We're in the fight of our lives, Cinta, and you're the only person I know besides me who knows how to both fight hard and fight dirty," Wallace said.
"If I were smart I wouldn't be doing this," she finally said.
Wallace walked by her and locked the door before walking over to his bed and patting the mattress with his hand. "Come sit by me."
Melati rolled her eyes. "You think now's the time for us to work out some stress before we go into battle?"
"If we're going to go down in flames we should at least be entitled to one last good time."
"You've got a pair of stones on you, Arthur," Melati said.
"Some would say that having a pair of stones means knowing the cost and going ahead anyway," Wallace countered.
"You are a piece of work; sometimes you're utterly charming and other times you're an incredible bastard," she said.
Wallace gave her a quizzical look, "Here's what I'm trying to figure out. Actually, there are two things I'm trying to figure out. Why are you so mad at me after all this time and why aren't you staying on the Gemenon where it's going to be safer?"
Melati was quiet as she thought over her answers. "The fact that you've slept with these other women doesn't bother me so much. It's the fact that you worked your way into both my heart and my bed knowing damn well you were going to kill me."
"Guilty as charged. I was on a mission and I did what I had to do. Can you tell me that you wouldn't have killed me if you had found out that I was an officer with the MoI?"
"No, I wouldn't have," Melati said immediately.
Wallace clapped his hands. "Now who's telling a lie?"
Melati was taken aback, "What makes you say that?"
"You spare the life of an MoI officer, when word got out to the Erebea that you had done it, you'd have been through as their leader. Those under you would have seen a leader who was going soft, and that's a crowd you cannot afford to appear merciful to," Wallace shot back.
"If the Cylons hadn't have attacked, would you have gone through with it and killed me?" she finally asked.
"The Cylons attacked, so it's all just a bunch of academic uselessness. The thing to remember is that you're not dead and that past is a chapter of our lives that we shouldn't dwell on too much."
"Gods, why are you always trying to make this sound like it's not as black and white as I think it is," she said.
Wallace shrugged his shoulders, "The MoI needed me to blur the lines and thanks to my training I am very good at it."
"So you were trained to be dishonest, between the man you are and the man I thought you were…I don't really know the real you," she said.
"I'll be honest with you; this may have started out as a mission all that time ago, but it turned into something more. Now I need to know one thing from you, why are you so eager for this mission?"
Melati knew the answer and did not have to think about it too much, "I have no place in the Colonial Fleet; you'd think my time with the Erebea would have made me ideal but I just feel like an outsider. Most of my people have adapted nicely but I just feel like I wasn't mean to be the XO of a battlestar. For me, it's just not the best fit."
"In that case, welcome to the team, Cinta; I think you'll fit in just nicely."
"As long as you're not trying to kill me, I think we'll get along just fine," she said.
Wallace smiled at her. "For something like this, I think so."
"Answer me this, on a scale of 1 to 10, how dangerous is this?"
Wallace did the math in his head and said, "In the interests of complete honesty, it's somewhere between a 12 and a 15."
She gave him a smile, "In that case, I think you're right about what you said. If we're going down in flames we might as well have a good time beforehand."
Two Hours Later:
Space Station Amasen, Commanding Officer's Quarters:
Wallace had left Cinta Melati on the Hunley and flown over to Amasen with Lieutenant Maddox's Raptor. He could have easily just walked through the airlock and stepped onto the station but he felt a flight around the station and the armada that now surrounded it would be a good way to clear his mind and think about the plans for the upcoming mission without being disturbed. When he was ready he landed the Raptor onto one of Amasen's flight pod and was brought down to the hangar deck. From there it was a matter of turning over command of the station then clearing his possessions out of his quarters. He had spent most of the hour afterwards walking around the space station that he had commanded and had become his home for all intents and purposes. Now he was in his quarters packing up the items he had brought with him eight months ago whenever he had landed his vintage Viper Mark I on the Battlestar Stryker.
He knew the score when it came to what was about to take place, this whole endeavor was going to be dangerous and he felt that his returning was far from certain. Perhaps he would meet his end out in the cold vacuum of space or maybe it would happen on the surface of Canceron. He thought about that and he chuckled at the irony if that had happened. It was almost seven years ago when he was almost shot by members of the Basileus crime syndicate during a research mission in preparation of the mission to save President Adar's sister and niece, and if his commanding officer had not intervened in a timely manner he would not be here now.
He walked over to the desk and retrieved what was perhaps one of his most prized possessions. It was a leather-bound journal with pages that had colored slightly from age, and Wallace knew that considering how old the book was it was not all that surprising. This was the journal that Admiral Jonas Stryker had kept during the early days of his career up through the Cylon War. It was how Wallace not only knew about the existence of Amasen but also how to board the station and activate it. Without this there was no telling how long both he and the Stryker would have survived against the Cylons. This place was a source of salvation for so many people, and it was perhaps the one shining light humanity still had left.
"You look deep in thought," a familiar voice said from the doorway.
Wallace looked to see Lieutenant Rebekka Stotland, Amasen's Tactical Officer, and he smiled, "Rebekka, I was wondering what you were doing tonight."
Stotland walked over and put her arms around him, "I was wondering what had happened with you over on the Olympica."
"I was shot at, but it wasn't anything serious," Wallace said as he tried to make light of the danger he had been in during the Dante Solis' coup attempt.
"I'm glad you're back, but why did you turn command over to Colonel Bradford?" she asked.
Wallace put his arms around her and held her close, "I'm being sent on a mission, Admiral Kronus and President Fowler wanted me to lead a recon mission to Canceron."
He knew he was twisting the story around but he knew she would probably not be too thrilled with the idea that he had volunteered for this mission.
"I know it's selfish but there's a part of me that wishes they had chosen someone else to do this."
He gave her a knowing smile, "Believe me, I wish I had been in a position to decline."
"Are you sure I can't come with you?" she asked hopefully.
"This is going to be dangerous enough for me to leave the Robinsons behind; I can't possibly take you on this and have something happen to you. I don't know if I could ever forgive myself," he said.
"When you come back I hope we can make up for lost time," she said as she pulled away from him and began walking out of the room.
"I'll make sure of it," he said as he walked her out of the room. He was alone now with just his thoughts and memories of all of the things that had taken place in this room while he commanded Amasen came back to him. He soaked it all in and reflected on how this was his last time in this room as the CO.
He had turned command of the station over to Colonel Cecil Bradford; now it was time for him to clear out his stuff and head over to the Hunley. He knew Bradford would be more than able to be the station's commanding officer; and he was at peace with the Colonial Fleet officer being his successor. Wallace put the items into the carryon bag he had brought along for this and he started toward the door. He stopped at the frame and took one last look around before he smiled and turned off the light and closed the door behind him as he started down the corridor.
Minutes later he stepped onto the hangar deck and saw his Raptor in the process of being inspected by members of the deck gang.
"Arthur, your Raptor is ready to fly," Chief Alice Johnston said as she walked over to Wallace.
"Hey Alice, I wouldn't expect anything less than excellent from your knuckle draggers," he said with a smile.
"We heard that you had turned command over to Colonel Bradford, what's going on with that?" she asked.
"I'm leaving for an important mission, and if the worst happened I wanted to make sure there weren't any issues with who was in charge of Amasen," he said.
"I'm sure he'll be happy to turn command back over to you whenever you get back," she said.
"I'm sure he will, but if things bank hard to port and I don't make it back…" he said and he saw the look on her face, "Why Alice, I'd almost think you enjoyed working under my command."
She laughed, "You're charming Arthur, but you're not that charming."
The deck gang had stepped away as Wallace stepped into the Raptor and took his place in the pilot's seat. As the Raptor was maneuvered into place he locked eyes with Johnston again and this time she made it a point to give him a salute.
He returned her salute then looked ahead as he mentally focused on flying the Raptor to the Hunley.
Hunley:
Helm Station:
Maddox had no gear to stow away and with no set time table for when the Hunley was to leave for its mission she had decided to get a quick bite to eat and then take a power nap in the quarters that had been assigned to her. After that she went to the helm station, the spot where she would be piloting the stealth ship from, to go over the console and get a feel for where she would be sitting. As she eased into the black leather chair she stared ahead through the view screen she remembered her time at Abry Military Academy and the flying simulator she had used for training.
It had not been that long ago that she had stepped onto the Abry campus feeling a sense of excitement at what lay ahead for her. Her parents and her two younger brothers had come with her from Scorpia to see where she would spend the next four years of her life. She allowed herself a smile as she remembered how proud her parents were of their only daughter attending the premier military college of Caprica and her brothers told her that they wanted to come to Abry when they were old enough.
When she took her first class on piloting her ship her professor, Colonel Archer Sangamon, told the students that every ship was different and had a unique personality. For some ships they would handle easily and others would be more like a wrestling match.
"So which are you going to be?" she quietly asked allowed as she took hold of the controls and tried to imagine how the ship would respond to her maneuvering.
"The helm officer talks to the ship…that's going to make things interesting," a man's voice said behind her.
Maddox turned to see a dark-skinned man wearing the uniform of a Colonial Fleet Commander. She immediately stood up and said, "Lieutenant Raquel Maddox, sir."
The man gave her a friendly smile, "Commander Caden Charka, I've just been assigned to command the ship."
"I was just assigned as the helm officer," she said.
"Where were you at before your assignment?" he asked.
"I was a pilot on the Victorious," she said.
Charka nodded, "The Vic was my last command's sister ship. Were you a Viper jock or a Raptor wrangler?"
"A bit of both actually; I was a Viper pilot but at Ostarsis my plane was so shot up that I was given temporary duty flying a Raptor."
"If it will help you fly this ship better then by all means feel free to do it, I just need to know that you won't let me down if the Cylons catch us," he said.
She nodded her understanding. "I'll try not to let you down, sir."
Charka started to walk away, but as he did so he said, "I hope so, Lieutenant Maddox, for all of our sakes."
She sat back down and mentally kicked herself for the way she thought she sounded. At this stage of the game she knew she had to be at her best, there were so many lives at stake that the last thing she needed was to be anything less.
She closed her eyes and started breathing in deeply and exhaling slowly.
"Okay, people, it's time for us to go," Wallace announced as he stepped onto the bridge.
"All departments are reporting in that they're ready," Charka announced.
"Excellent," Wallace said before he walked over to Maddox, "How's our new helm officer; you ready for this?"
Maddox nodded. "Helm is ready whenever you give the order."
Wallace smiled at her. "I know that the helm is ready, but what about you?"
"As well as I can be. I won't let you down."
He gave her a reassuring pat on her shoulder. "I have the utmost faith in you."
"Releasing docking clamps," Maddox announced as she pressed the buttons that would detach the Hunley from Amasen.
There was a loud hiss and a series of thuds that reverberated through the hull as the Hunley freed itself from the liner.
"Take us within a safe distance and then prepare to jump," Wallace said, before silently looking back toward Amasen and whispering, "Anito," an Aquarian word.
Amasen:
Deck 6 Viewing Area:
The Robinson brothers looked out the large viewport and watched as the Hunley detached from Amasen and began a slow journey away from the ship and the rest of the fleet.
"He's really doing it," Tank said.
"Yeah, I thought he would have changed his mind and had us come onboard," Heavy said with a tone of disbelief that matched Tank's.
"I don't think he's coming back," Tank said.
Heavy and Little Tank turned to look at him and he said, "You saw the way he was acting when he was talking to us."
Little Tank added, "I may not exactly like him a whole lot but even I would have come on this mission just to make sure the two of you made it out alive."
"I hate to say it, but I think Little Tank is on to something," Heavy said.
"You sure it's not just him being on something?" Tank quickly replied.
"I know Arthur's one of your best friends," Little Tank said to Tank, "The thing is that he must be pretty sure this is a one-way trip because that's got to be the only reason he'd leave you behind."
"There's got to be more to this," Tank said.
"Sometimes, brother, it simply is what it is," Heavy said.
The three of them watched silently as the Hunley disappeared in a flash of light as its FTL engaged and the stealth ship jumped to Canceron.
A/N:
It's a bit of wait and for that I apologize. Between things such as writer's block and life in general keeping me insanely busy my free time was severely limited and unfortunately my writing suffered because of it. I hope everyone has enjoyed this chapter and if all works out then there won't be as much time between this chapter and the next.
-Wes