Battlestar Galactica
Past, Present, Future
Chapter 41
Commander Verga and Commander Bannon arrived at the auditorium where the senior officers waited, conversing in small groups. As Verga entered the stage, Bannon called the room to order. Verga made his way to his place at the center of the table, with the other members of the board taking their places.
Starbuck and Boomer stood at the steps leading to the stage with Captain Duggan already bring the records database up on his computer, linking it to the boards computers.
Verga looked to see if everyone was ready, and, getting affirmative affirmations from all, he motioned to Starbuck to bring in the rest of the Commander hopeful's.
Starbuck told Bojay to bring them in, and returned to the stage. Bojay opened the doors and ushered in the remaining candidates. Much to everyone's surprise, there were even fewer then when they had adjourned for the mid cycle meal.
"Where is everyone?" Bannon asked softly to Apollo. Apollo shrugged his shoulders and sent a message to Bojay at the door.
"Where are all the candidates? How many are here?"
Bojay replied, "Not sure. There were about forty when we went to break. Only twelve have returned."
Apollo forwarded the message to the others on the board and then told Bojay to close the doors.
Anyone that didn't show up on time were out of consideration.
"So who all do we have left Commander?" Verga asked Bannon.
Bannon messaged Duggan to update the list of potentials.
Duggan had the updated list sent to the board members in just a few microns.
Bannon looked at the list and leaned over to Verga.
"Looks like we have two former Ensigns, nine civilians, and one accepted cadet."
Verga looked at Bannon questioningly.
"An accepted cadet?" he said. "What does that mean?"
"According to her file, she was accepted to the academy the cycle before the Holocaust."
"And she claims the rank of "Commander" huh? This should be interesting." Verga said. Okay, lets get this over with. To Captain Duggan, he said, "Captain, call the next candidate please!"
Duggan nodded and brought up the first name.
"Ensign Fallor, please report to the stage. Ensign Fallor!"
A short, Cancerian with short grey hair and brown eyes stood up from the front row and made his way to the steps leading to the stage.
He showed Boomer his ID card and was waved up the stairs.
He walked slowly to the chair placed before the board and rendered a salute.
Commander Verga returned the salute and waved the man to the seat. He sat down slowly and looked at the senior officers.
Before they could start asking him any questions, he began to speak.
"Commander Verga, members of the board, I'd like to withdraw my name for consideration to be made a Commander in the Colonial Warriors." Fallor said shakily. "I don't feel that I am qualified to be a commander, nor do I feel I would be able to do the job. Truth is, I really don't want to be a Warrior any longer. I just want to go back to my family farm on Canceria and live out the rest of my days."
The members of the board exchanged glances while Verga stared at the man reflectively.
"Why do you feel this way Ensign Fallor?" Verga asked him softly.
"When the Cylons attacked, I was only out of the academy a yahren. I'd been assigned to a recruitment station on Canceria, in charge of records. I wasn't a very good Warrior, but I was a good records keeper. When the attack started, I went to the local shelter and hid with a lot of civilians. They all looked at me, wondering why I wasn't out there fighting. I told them I was a clerk, not a fighter. They laughed at me and threw me out of the shelter."
Several of the board members shook their heads at this. Verga started to correct the man about the Centurions/Cylons references, but decided against it.
"I made my way towards another shelter when I saw a squad of Warriors engaged with what looked like an entire phalanx of Cylons. I tried hiding, but they spotted me. One of the Warriors tossed me a laser pistol and told me to start firing. I pointed the weapon at the oncoming Cylons and started firing. I don't know if I hit any of them or not, I had my eyes closed. After a few centons, it got real quiet. I opened my eyes and I saw the Cylons walking amongst the dead Warriors. I was well hidden, so they didn't find me. Once they moved on, I ran to the shelter and was let in. The people there saw my tattered uniform and the laser and thought I'd just been in a great battle."
"Sounds to me like you were." Verga said. "Go on."
"I couldn't tell them that I'd run away after the Cylons killed all those brave Warriors, so I just let them think what they wanted. I sat down in a corner and started looking around. I knew this shelter, because I'd taken refuge there as a child during a Cylon attack. There had been an entrance to the underground of a giant shopping center. I searched around for a few microns, then found the doorway, covered with a false wall. We broke thru it and made our way into the shopping center. It was dark and there didn't seem to be any movement inside the huge building, so we made our way to one of the larger stores and broke in.
Once we were in, I was able to secure the door again."
"So why is it you don't want to be a Warrior any longer?" Asked Leonitus.
"I spent thirty eight yahren in that shopping center, hiding, keeping the three score people that were in the shelter with me safe. I did it because I had to. I felt responsible for them and their safety, but now that the war is over, I don't have to anymore. I don't have to be responsible for others!
I don't want to anymore!"
Verga nodded slowly.
"Well, far be it for me to try and make you do something you don't want to do." Verga said softly. "Ensign Fallor, I am placing you on the retired list, with the rank of First Lieutenant. I thank you for your past service and hope you find peace in whatever you do. You are dismissed!"
Fallor looked around at the faces of the board members, seeing a number of them simply nodding to him. He stood from the chair and saluted. Verga returned the salute and Fallor departed the stage and left the auditorium.
"Well, that was easy enough!" Bannon said. "I hope the rest of them go as smoothly.
"I doubt it will, but one can hope! Verga said.
"Captain Duggan, call the next candidate please."
Duggan nodded and called out the next name.
"Ensign Brooker, please report to the stage! Ensign Brooker!"
A large, dark skinned man with a shaved head stood up from the front row, now wearing a clean, fresh uniform of a Colonial Warrior, a far cry from the torn and tattered one he'd worn during the first meeting. He strode to the steps, his bearing that of a Warrior Commander. He stopped at the steps and presented an old, torn ID card which Boomer looked at. With his identification confirmed, Boomer waived him on.
As he started up the steps, a loud voice called out from the second row of seats.
"Will this process take all cycle again? Some of us have better things to do!"
All the members of the board jumped from their seats to see who it was that so rudely yelled out during the meeting. Boomer and Starbuck both stepped towards the seated individuals, their focus on one man.
He was a distinguished man of about ninety yahren, wearing a custom made Commanders uniform, only with flourishes of gold braid on the sleeves, reminiscent of a Colonial Admirals uniform. He had an expression of annoyance on his face.
"Who are you?" asked Verga somewhat angerly!
"I am Admiral Kellis." He announced smugly.
"You will stand when you address this board ….. "Admiral"!"
The man calling himself Admiral Kellis rolled his eyes and slowly stood, an expression of annoyance still on his face.
"By what right do you claim the rank and title of "Admiral" Sire Kellis?"
Kellis started to reply then stopped, having noticed that Verga did not refer to him by what he deemed his proper title. After only a moments hesitation, he spoke.
"I claim the rank and title because I have earned it and am the most qualified to lead the Colonial services into the future. I have not only lead my friends and followers thru the past thirty eight plus yahren without a single loss of life, but before the Cylon attack, I had run several of the most successful and profitable businesses in the Colonies! I truth, I was going to become the new President of the Council of the Twelve, but politics are boring! Running the Colonial military seems like a much more interesting challenge!"
Several of the people seated with Kellis nodded their heads enthusiastically at this.
Verga stared at Kellis with a look of shock and anger. He'd never seen a man so full of arrogance and pomposity in his life. Even the monumental ego of Commander Cain paled before this obnoxious fool!
"And what makes you think you're going to be placed in command of the Warrior services Kellis?" Verga said in a tone tinged in both anger and mockery. "From what I see and hear, you're not qualified to serve as anything above the position of a clerk!"
Kellis head jerked in shock at Verga's statement! He'd never been spoken to in such an insulant manner!
"How dare you speak to me in such a manner!" Kellis screamed! "I will have you brought up on charges of insubordination and thrown out of the service!"
Verga had had enough! He slammed his fists down on the table, nearly collapsing it, staring daggers at the fool Kellis!
"Kellis, you are not only unfit to be a Warrior Commander, you're not fit to even be a turbo flush cleaner! Now you, and this bunch of self important daggits get out of here before I have the lot of you placed under arrest and charged with impersonating Colonial Warriors!"
Verga looked to Boomer and Starbuck, "Commanders, escort these people out of the auditorium and see that they leave the area."
Boomer and Starbuck both nodded and moved forward to remove Kellis and his entourage with the help of Bojay and a score of Warrior security that had moved in behind the group without them knowing. Kellis and a few of the others started to protest loudly until the saw Ensign Brooker stepping towards them, his fierce expression instantly silencing their protests.
"Gentleman, I'd seriously consider getting your astrums out of here and not causing anymore ruckus, or you might end up needing medical attention, you feel me?" Brooker said in a low, commanding tone that left no room for argument.
Kellis and his group stared wide eyed at the massive Warrior and started moving with great haste towards the exit, Bojay and his detail herding them along. Once they had been ushered out, Verga, now calmed down sat back in his seat.
"Now that we dealt with that problem, let us get back to business at hand! Ensign Brooker, if you please." Verga said calmly, indicating to Brooker the seat on the stage.
Brooker nodded his head and ascended the steps to the stage. He approached the indicated seat, snapped to attention and rendered a crisp salute. Verga returned the salute and motioned Brooker to be seated.
Before Verga or the members of the panel could speak, Brooker began to speak.
"Commander Verga, I want to offer my sincerest apologies for my rude and unWarriorly conduct the other cycle. I offer no excuses for my behavior and hope you and the other members of this board will forgive me."
Verga looked at Brooker for a long moment, the other members likewise looked at him and exchanged glances.
After a few moments, Verga stood up and said, Ensign Brooker, we have all been under more stress than any humans in history. We came within a hairs breath of going extinct. Under the circumstances, with all we've endured as a species the past 40 yahren, hades, the past thousand yahren, I think we all have needed to blow off steam once in awhile. There is nothing in your words the previous cycle, nor your actions, that require an apology. As a matter of fact, I like a Warrior that is not afraid to express his feeling and thoughts ….. as long as it is done within the confines of proper respect and military decorum."
Brooker let out a breath that he didn't know he'd been holding and relaxed slightly. He only nodded in response.
With that, Verga returned to his seat and began the interview.
"Ensign Brooker, I'm sure you've seen how this process goes, so tell us what you did during the first centars of the Centurion attacks on the colonies, and what actions you took in the following yahren."
Brooker looked at the members of the panel. They all looked at him with interest at what he was about to say. He began.
"On the night of the attack, I was in my room at the academy. I had graduated only a few sectons before and was waiting for assignment. With word of the armistice coming, assignments were not a priority and a few of us were left hanging out without any real duties to preform."
Brooker turned to Apollo and said, "Your brother, Zac, was my best friend throughout our academy cycles. He even told me he was going to talk to his father about getting me stationed with him on The Galactica."
Apollo sat up straight, a thoughtful look in his eyes. "I remember Zac mentioning a Brooker when he came aboard, just as we were getting underway to the so called "peace" conference. He said he wanted to talk to father about getting a friend assigned to the Galactica after the conference."
Brooker nodded his head slowly.
"I thought he'd forgotten." Brooker said softly. "How is he doing?" Brooker asked.
A cloud passed over Apollo's face, his expression one of great sadness and regret.
"Zac was killed at the "peace" conference. He and I were on a routine patrol and discovered the Centurian trap. We were ambushed and Zac's Viper was hit, causing him to lose and engine. I went ahead to warn the fleet while Zac pushed his Viper as hard as he could to reach the Galactica. His ship was destroyed within site of the fleet!"
Brookers face lost some of it's color at hearing this. He leaned forward, his face in his hands. He sat back upright, the tears welling up in his eyes.
"I'm sorry for your loss Commander. Zac was like a brother to me. I'll miss him."
Apollo could only nod, his emotions at reliving his brothers death slamming him hard.
After a few moments of silence, Verga spoke.
"I am sorry for both your losses. It is never easy to lose the ones we love. We all lost so much in that damned war, but we owe it to them to keep going and make this world the best it can be. We can not let their lives and their sacrifices be in vain!" Verga said solemnly.
He paused for a moment, then went on.
"Ensign Brooker, do you feel like continuing?"
Brooker looked to Verga, the pain evident in his eyes.
"Yes sir! Like you said, we owe it to them to make our lives the best we can!"
All the members of the panel nodded their agreement.
Then let us continue. Ensign Brooker, what did you do during the attack and the first cycles after?
Brooker nodded his head, took a deep breath and exhaled, then continued.
"As I said, I was laying on my bed, in my room at the academy. I had been watching the video monitor showing all the people celebrating the armistice, that one reporter, Serina was talking about all the goings on in the city and around the colonies. I really liked her!"
Apollo's face clouded at yet another sad memory, but said nothing. Only Bannon seemed to notice Apollo's distress and messaged him on their computers, "Are you okay?"
Apollo read the message, turned to Bannon and nodded.
Bannon made a mental note to ask Apollo about it.
Brooker continued.
"I turned off the monitor, not feeling very enthusiastic about the situation. I thought with the end of the war, the Warrior service would start cutting back on it's personnel and I'd be one of the first to be cut loose as I was a recent graduate without an assignment. It was about that time I started hearing explosions. I figured it was just fireworks going off for the celebration, but then the explosions started getting louder ….. closer."
"I thru on my jacket and stepped outside to see what was going on. I heard the explosions in the distance, but I could tell those were not fireworks. I ran out into the open mall area and looked towards Caprica city! That's when I spotted the Cylon fighters attacking the city. There were thousands of them, making runs over the city, hitting buildings, the streets full of people. It was horrifying!"
Brooker stopped for a moment, the memories were overpowering. He took another deep breath and continued.
"I watch in horror, not being able to take my eyes of the scene, then I heard a loud voice calling. I looked around and saw Commander Varner running towards me. He was followed by several academy cadets, terror on their faces."
"Ensign Brooker, are you okay?" Commander Varner asked. I told him I was fine. He said to me, "Good, we need to prepare to defend the academy. The Cylons will be attacking here soon and will most likely use this as a staging area for their invasion fleet."
"I looked at the Commander for a moment and asked, "You want to try and defend the academy with a handful of cadets? Commander, with all due respect, we wouldn't stand a chance. The Cylons are going to annihilate every man, woman, child they can find. The fleet is gone and as far as we know, might have already been destroyed. We can't stop the Cylons! All we can do is try and save as many people as we can and find a place to hide and then work on a plan to take back the Colonies."
His mind took him back in time to the events of that night.
"Varner looked at the scared faces of the cadets, and knew I was right. There was no defending the academy! There was only survival at that point."
"Very well Ensign, I think you're right. Lets do what we can to save whoever we can. We'll need a place to hide, somewhere defensible and able to take a heavy bombardment."
"I suggest the Alpha bunker in the survival area, at the far end of the academy grounds. It's well fortified and well hidden. I doubt the Cylons will think to look out there."
Varner thought about that and nodded. He looked at Brooker and said, "Good idea. We'll need supplies …. and weapons. We'll split up, I'll take four of the cadets with me to get as many weapons as we can. You take the rest of them and get as much food, water, and medical supplies as possible. We'll rendezvous at the laser firing parapet in one centar."
"We should hit the motor pool and grab a couple of heavy transports to move everything." Brooker said.
"Good idea, we'll meet up at the laser parapet then!"
Brooker nodded and pointed to the three remaining cadets, you three with me!" he ordered. They made their way to the motor pool and found a couple of heavy transport vehicles that were perfect for their needs. They fired them up and made their ways to their intended destinations. Brooker and his group headed to the commissary first, instructing his cadets to grab as much of the non perishable foods as they could, anything that would not spoil or rot. He went to another section and started grabbing as many pieces of camping and survival gear as he could. He knew they would need it. He filled a cart with everything he could stuff in it, then rolled it out to the transport. He noticed that the explosions were getting louder and closer. Time was running out.
He loaded all the gear he'd grabbed into the transport and helped load all the food stuffs. They had a huge load of items packed in the back, enough Brooker thought for a hundred Warriors to last a sectar. The cadets all piled in and they made a beeline for the parapet. When They got there, Brooker backed the transport into a parking spot out of site. He turned off the lights and waited.
Then a group of Cylon fighters flew over the academy grounds, firing on the buildings. Explosions lite up the night as they made several runs on the buildings. Then they were gone.
He checked his wrist chronometer and saw that a centar had passed. There was no sign of Commander Varner or his cadets. Brooker looked at the three young cadets with him. "You, what's your name?" He ask, pointing to a young, first yahren cadet.
"Tabot sir!" he said coming to attention. Brooker smiled at that. "Okay Tabot, listen up, you are going to stay here with the food and wait. If you see or hear anyone coming around here, you hide, don't call out or try to see who it is. You just hide! Got it?"
"Yes sir!" cadet Tabot said.
"And knock off that "sir" stuff. Right now we need to focus on survival, not military protocol."
"Yes sir …. I mean sure!" Tabot said shyly.
Brooker chuckled and patted him on the shoulder. "It's okay kid, you'll get used to it. For now, just call me Brooker." He looked at the other two cadets, "What are your names?"
"I'm third yahren cadet Ricks" said a tall, thin kid with flaming red hair. "I'm second yahren cadet Semmas" the other said. He was a medium sized Leonis with dark skin and a wide grin.
"Alright, Ricks, Semmas, you're with me! We're going to head towards the armory and see what's going on with Commander Varner's group." They both nodded. Okay, lets go!"
With that, the three started off at a quick trot towards the academy armory. It was on the other side of the grounds, about two and half kilometrons from the laser parapet. Brooker used to think it was stupid to have the armory so far away, but then he realized that this was done to make the cadets march the distance to and from to help with their conditioning and infantry skills.
It took them about seventy centons to make it across that campus. They might have made it faster except they were trying to stay in the shadows, avoiding any open areas where they might be spotted by any Cylon patrols that might have landed. As they neared the armory, they noticed several places where laser blasts had hit the grounds and buildings. This did not bode well.
Brooker and his group moved more slowly, peeking around corners to see if there were any Cylons. They made their way cautiously thru piles of ruble and smoking pits in the ground.
They rounded the last corner and froze! There on the ground, were the bodies of Commander Varner and the four cadets he'd taken with him. They were burned and torn to pieces, still smoldering from the laser strikes. Both cadets with Brooker threw up, seeing their friends bodies. Brooker sympathized with them, but he had a mission to complete.
"Okay you two, there's nothing we can do for them." Brooker said softly. "Lets finish up what they came here to do."
Brooker stepped inside the armory and found it contents intact. A few pieces of equipment had been knocked onto the floor, but nothing looked damaged. He turned to the cadets. "Semmas, go look in the transport to see how much they already loaded. Ricks, grab that cart and start loading as many power cells and charger units as you can. I'm going to see if there are any heavy weapons in here."
Ricks rolled a cart to a shelf full of power cells and charging units and started placing them in the cart. Brooker went further into the room and rounded a corner. There he found what he'd been hoping to find ….. shoulder fired rocket launchers and photonic mortars, along with what had to be several thousand rounds for each. They were old tech, but still very useful in ground combat with the Cylons. He grabbed a cart that was in the room and started loading it with weapons.
Semmas came back and reported that the transport was only about a third full and had not been damaged that he could see. Brooker smiled at this. He told Semmas to roll the cart out he'd just loaded while he grabbed another one and started loading it with rockets and mortar rounds. When he finished, he pushed the cart out, finding Semmas and Ricks loading their gear into the transport. They loaded the ammunition into the transport and then looked around. Brooker looked at the armory door. He didn't want to leave all those weapons here where the Cylons could get their slimy hands on, but he also wanted to be able to come back for more if and when he could. It was then he noticed that Commander Varner had left his access card in the locking mechanism. He walked over and pulled it out, the door immediately closing. He reinserted it into the slot and the door opened again. Brooker smiled!
"Okay guy's, lets get out of here, the sun will be up soon and we need to make tracks!" Brooker said, slipping Varner's access card into a pocket. They climbed aboard the transport and headed back to the parapet.
When they reached the parapet, Tabot came out of hiding and greeted them.
"Where is Commander Varner, and Cass, and Brunt?"
Brooker walked over to the young cadet and placed a hand on his shoulder, "They didn't make Tabot."
Tabot's head dropped and he tried to stifle his tears, then he looked up at Brooker and said, "No more tears! We have a mission to carry out."
Brooker only nodded.
He looked at his troops, all so young and scared. Then he realized that it wasn't that long ago that he was that age, with the same fears and unknowing about what the future held. He'd do his best to keep them alive.
"Can any of you drive a transport?" he asked the three.
They all looked at each other and then Tabot raised his hand nodding. "We had machines on the farm I grew up on that are kinda the same. Brooker smiled and nodded. "Okay Tabot, You take the transport with the food, I'll take the weapons. We'll head for Alpha bunker and hunker down there until we decide what to do next."
"I thought we were going to set up there?" said Semmas.
"That was the plan, but the bunker is a huge place, too big for just the four of us to secure properly. We need a place we can secure easily and keep an eye out for the Cylons. The question is …. Where?"
They stood there thinking for a while, then a thought hit Brooker. He started to smile and looked at the three cadets!
"I got it! I know just the place!" he said.
"Where?" asked Ricks.
"Never you mind that just now, what I want you to do is go get some rest, we got a bit of a drive ahead of us in the morning. I'll take the first watch."
The three cadets looked at Brooker confusedly, but then went and found places to get some sleep. Brooker stood watching over the academy grounds. He hoped his plan would work.
The light of dawn was just coming up when Brooker woke up the three cadets. They rubbed their eyes and looked around.
"Why didn't you wake one of us up to stand watch Ensign?" Ricks asked. "You've been up all night!"
"That's okay, I'm used to it. Besides, I've been watching all the ships flying around the other side of the city. I can't make out who they are, but they have been busy."
"Do you think it's the Cylons?" asked Tabot.
"I don't know. Wish I could have found some optics last night." Brooker said still staring off in the distance. "I know they have em where we're going. Semmas, go grab some of those food rations out of the bunker for us. We'll eat on the road."
"Where are we going?" Semmas asked.
"To the one place I doubt the Cylons would ever think about!" Brooker said with a smile!
Once Semmas returned and handed out the rations, they hopped in the transports and started off. Ricks rode in the weapons transport with Brooker while Semmas rode in the food transport with Tabot. They drove down a back road on the vast academy grounds, one that was rarely used by the looks of it. They came to a gate near the furthest reaches of the academy and with a bit of effort, managed to get the old, unused gate to open up for them. They continued down the unused road for about two kilometrons before coming to an actual roadway. They turned onto the roadway, heading away from the city.
They passed dozens of personal hovermobiles on the road, most having been destroyed by laser fire, some seemingly just abandoned by their owners. They slowed down only enough to pass by them safely. They traveled several kilometrons out of the city, well into the more suburban areas of the Caprican capital. After what seemed like centars, Brooker slowed down and turned off the roadway onto an nearly invisible road heading into some tree covered hills. They drove down the road for about five kilometrons when they came to a tall fence with a large gate.
Brooker jumped out of the transport and walked over to a well concealed box on a pole. He opened the box and entered a code on the number pad inside the box. The gate started to slowly slide open as Brooker closed the box and covered it back up. He reboarded the transport and drove thru, closely followed by Tabot. The gate closed behind them.
Brooker drove down the road another half a kilometron when they came upon a large door, camouflaged to blend in to the surrounding woods perfectly. Again, Brooker jumped out, uncovered a well concealed box with another touch pad inside and entered a code, causing the huge door to slide open, lights turning on inside the cavernous area within. They both drove into the area and the doors slide shut behind them.
Tabot looked around, finding that they had entered an enormous loading dock! He watched as Brooker backed his transport up to the dock. Tabot followed suit backing into the space next to Brooker's transport.
They all jumped out of the transports, looking around in awe at the giant chamber they now stood in.
"What is this place?" Semmas asked, the wonderment evident in his voice. "Some sort of top secret military base or something?"
Brooker laughed and said, "Close, only much better. Come on!" He waved the cadets to follow him as he led them to the loading dock. They climbed up to the dock and made their way to a door. Once again, Brooker entered a code into a touchpad next to the door and the door unlocked. Brooker opened it up and walked thru, telling the cadets to follow him. They followed him into a long white hallway leading off for what seemed like kilometrons. They passed by several doors on either side but Brooker didn't give them a glance as he made his way knowingly down the hallway.
After the had walked for what seemed like a kilometron, they came to a turbolift. He bid them to enter the lift and he stepped in with them, punching the controls to go to the top level. The lift began to rise at a high rate of speed, causing the three cadets to fight to keep their feet. Brooker smiled. When the lift stopped, the doors opened up to a large room with numerous control consoles all around the room. All the video screens were dark, the stations having been secured. Brooker walked to an office just off the main room. There, he opened a drawer in the desk there and pulled a card on a lanyard out and stared at something on the desk. He walked back out to the main area and sat down at the console in the middle of the room, slipping the card on the lanyard into a slot on the desk. The computer came to life then, booting up.
"Sir, where in hades are we?" asked Ricks, his confusion evident.
Brooker didn't say anything right away. He was watching the computers as they came to life. Then, as if on que, he turned around in his chair and said, "You were asking if this was some sort of super-secret military base? It is something much better, Welcome my young friends to Caprican Funland! Just as he said that, every monitor in the room came to life, showing a different area of the Colonies biggest and best amusement park.
The three cadets were awestruck!
"How did you know how to get in here? How to get thru all those gates and doors and how to start these computers?" Semmas asked, looking at all the camera feeds.
When I was a kid, still in secondary school, I'd work here during the holidays and vacations. I got to know the head of security pretty well and he showed me how to get thru all the doors and gates, how to operate the security equipment, how to start up any and all of the attractions. From this one room, I can pretty much run the entire park!"
The cadets where shocked.
"The way I see it, we need a base of operations that is safe and secure, close enough to Caprica City that we can make excursions into town to look for other survivors and bring them to safety here, but far enough away from the city to keep the Cylons from getting too nosey." Brooker said.
"So, you and your three cadets opened up shop at Funland?" asked Bannon with a wry smile.
Bannon's voice brought his mind back to the present. He'd hardly realized that in his recounting of the events of the time, he'd started reliving the cycles in his mind.
"Yes sir!" he said distractedly. "We made Funland our base from which we could seek out other survivors and bring them there for safety. I knew that the Cylons would stay close to the cities for a long time, giving us a chance to gather our people together in a safe place."
"An interesting hypotheses Ensign Brooker." Commander Bannon said. "How many people were you able to gather in the park?"
"When the Colonial fleets returned, we had around seven thousand people living in the park, including a force of three hundred seventy seven Warriors."
The members of the panel exchanged glances of approval.
"And what did you and your "garrison" do during the time between your establishing your colony and the time the fleet returned?" asked Leonitus. "Did you stay hidden or did you take the offensive when possible?"
"We conducted hit and run attacks on the Cylon patrols in the city as well as attacks on their supply and communications hubs. We even were able to place a large explosive on one of their shuttles that when it returned to it's Baseship, blew up, damaging the landing bay."
The panel members again exchanged approving looks.
"How do you know your device did damage to the Baseship?" Bannon asked.
"We had cracked into their communications network, breaking their codes and encryptions." Brooker said with a smile. "We knew almost everything they did in real time for over thirty five yahren."
"How did you break their command codes?" Saxton asked. "Their codes are extremely difficult to break!"
"Yes they are, but one of the people we were able to bring in was a young Warrior from the PDC, an Ensign Leia. She was able to break their codes and decode their messages for us."
"Leia!" Saxton said softly aloud.
Apollo and Bannon both turned to look at him.
"Do you think you know this person Commander?" Asked Bannon.
Saxton nodded his head slowly.
"There was a young Ensign with Nader when I found him the night of the holocaust, and her name was Leia." Saxton said slowly. Then he looked at Brooker and asked, "Did this Ensign Leia have blond hair, about twenty yahren old?"
Brooker nodded. "Yes sir. Long blond hair, blue eyes, about one point six metrons tall, maybe fifty, fifty two kilons."
"It has to be her!" Saxton said. Then to Brooker he asked, "Where is she now Ensign? Is she still alive?"
Brooker had a questioning look on his face, but answered the question.
"Yes sir, very much alive. When I took over command, I made her my second in command."
"I thought you were in command from the time Commander Varner was killed?" Leonitus said.
"No sir, there was a senior officer amongst the survivors we rescued, a Captain Kamara, that took command for a few sectars before he was killed during a patrol. I took command after that."
Leonitus nodded his head slowly, making a notation on his computer.
"What else would you like to add to your statement Ensign Brooker?" Commander Verga asked. "Are there any other items that you'd like to tell us that could help our decision?"
"Only that for the past thirty eight yahren, I've done everything in my power to keep my people safe and disrupt the Cylon occupation. I've had the honor of working with some amazing people and watching dozens of young people grow up and become fantastic Warriors under the harshest conditions you could imagine. I'd be honored to continue working with them and guiding them as I have, if you see fit to allow me to."
The members of the board looked around at each other, wondering if anyone had more questions to ask. Verga, seeing that there were no more questions coming looked at Ensign Brooker and said, "Ensign Brooker. From what we've heard, you did an extraordinary job under extreme circumstances. Your courage and leadership led to you saving thousands of people and you contributed directly to the defeat of the Centurions by facilitating the launching of the planetary missile batteries during the final battle." Verga looked at the other members of the panel for a moment, then said, "Although we still have to confer as to wither or not you are a valid claimant to the rank of Commander, I feel safe in saying you will be at the top of our lists."
Several of the panel members nodded their heads at this.
"But, until we confer and go over our findings, you'll have to wait for the results. You are dismissed Ensign Brooker."
Brooker looked at all the panel members for a moment, then stood and saluted. Verga returned his salute and the giant warrior turned and left the stage.
Verga looked up and down the panel, I guess with all those civilian daggits gone, we have no more candidates left, am I correct?"
"Um, actually Commander, we have one more candidate to hear from." Bannon said, looking to a woman seated at the end of the front row of seats.
Verga turned his gaze to where Bannon was looking and saw her. He hadn't noticed her before.
"What is her name?" Verga asked. She doesn't look old enough to have been in the service when the holocaust took place."
"Well Commander, in truth, she was not in the service at that time, but she had been accepted to the academy the cycle before the holocaust and in it's aftermath, took command of a large number of civilians and eventually, formed a cohort of Warriors that she trained herself."
"Are you kidding me Commander?" Verga said softly, looking again at the woman in the front row.
"She can't be more that forty yahren old! She would have been a baby when the holocaust happened!"
From he file, it says she is fifty two!" Bannon said. "He was fourteen at the time of the Centurian attack."
Verga looked at the young woman again, not believing what he was hearing.
"She has an interesting history Commander. One we should all hear."
"What is one more interview Commander?" Leonitus said softly. "Besides, it might prove interesting as Commander Bannon said."
Looked at the two of them for a moment, then nodded his head, waving for them to proceed. "Captain Duggin, please call the last ….. candidate!" Verga said, not knowing how exactly to refer to this young woman.
"Cadet Solome, report to the stage please. Cadet Solome to the stage!"
The woman rose from her seat, wearing the uniform of a Colonial Warrior Cadet, with the rank insignia of a Warrior Commander on her collar.
She showed Starbuck the letter of acceptance to the Colonial Warrior Academy and the recently issued Warrior ID card given her when she first shown up when the call went out to all Commanders.
She was very apprehensive about the entire process, but was determined to see it thru to the end.
Starbuck looked at the letter for a moment, then to Solome. He handed the letter to Boomer, who also looked the letter over. Boomer folded the letter and climbed the steps to the stage. He walked over to Commander Verga, handing the letter to him and speaking to him in hushed tones. Commander Verga listened intently, nodding his head slowly for a moment, then he made a gesture to Starbuck to allow the woman to advance. Starbuck gave a quick nod and gestured to Solome to move up to the stage and take a seat in the seat every other candidate had sat in. She did as she was bidden, saluting as she came to attention next to the chair. Verga returned the salute, impressed by her military decorum.
"I'm at a loss as to how to address you young lady." Verga started. "You are not a Warrior, nor even a true cadet. So how should I address you?"
"My name is Solome sir. If that is appropriate for this evolution, then use my name if you like sir." She said.
Verga nodded his head slowly, casting a glance at Bannon, who gave a non-committal shrug.
"Even thou you were not truly a cadet, having not actually been inducted into the service, you do not rate the title of "Cadet" Verga said softly. But since you were it seems accepted to the academy, I will for this interview address you as "Cadet Solome. Are there any objections?"
None of the panel members had an objection.
"Very well then, let's begin!" Verga said. "the first thing I want to know is, why are you wearing that old style Commander's rank insignia, and where did you get it? That style insignia hadn't been used in the over thirty yahren before the holocaust."
Solome reached up to the ornate insignia at her neck, remembering the cycle she got it.
"It was given to my by my grandfather, Commander Solomon."
Several of the pane members straightened in their seats at that name.
"Solomon did you say?" Verga asked. "I knew Commander Solomon. We served together when I was fresh out of the academy. He was my ship's executive officer. He went on to command the Battlestar Hervecia and then the Eighth Colonial Fleet. He was a great officer, and a better man! Is he still with us?"
Solome frowned sadly and shook her head.
"No sir, he was killed during the first wave of attacks." She said. "I found him in the courtyard of his house, laying among some forty Cylons, two laser pistols in his hands and a dozen used up power cells on the ground around him."
Verga nodded his head slowly.
"Fighting to the end, like a true Warrior!" Leonitus said softly.
"So your grandfather gave you that insignia you wear?" Bannon said softly, trying to bring everyone's focus back to the task at hand."
Solome nodded and started talking.
"When I received the letter of appointment from the academy, I knew the first person I had to tell was my grandfather.
He'd always hoped I'd follow in his footsteps and join the Warrior service. I knew he'd be excited.
When he told me to meet him at his favorite club, the officers club in Caprica City, I was excited beyond words. He introduced me to several of his old friends and they all congratulated me on my acceptance.
Then he reached into his pocket and handed me one of his Commander insignias and told me, "You wear this when you become a Commander!"
She had a sad smile at the memory.
"He left not long after that and I went to show my friends the acceptance letter. I never saw my grandfather alive again."
"So what did you do after you found your grandfather?" asked Verga gently.
" I gathered up all the used power cells and lasers and thru them in the bag that was sitting near by. It held several fully charged power cells, a handful of charging units, and another five lasers. Once I'd gathered them all up, I checked his house for anything useful. I found the activation unit to his personal hovermobile and left the area, heading for the one place I knew I'd be safe, The Capital Shopping Center."
The members of the board exchanged curious glances at this.
"Why did you believe you'd be safe there? Asked Saxton.
She looked at him with a bit of a smile and said, "I spent most of my younger cycles there, hanging out with friends, shopping, having fun. I got to know some of the people that worked there and they showed me all the behind the scenes stuff most people never knew about. Back passageways behind every shop, doors leading to areas like the loading docks and storage areas, and the most important thing ….. the upper levels where all the offices and security were. One of my friends, Garth, was a security officer there, and he showed me everything. He told me where everything was, how to get thru all the security doors and how to lock down the entire center from one console. He said from that one station, he could see everything in and around the center and control everything inside."
"I can see why you chose that place!" Bannon said. "How many people did you have there?"
"That first few cycles, it was just me, Garth, a couple of his security buddies, some janitorial staff, and a few of my friends. About a dozen people I guess."
"So how many did you have there when the war ended?" Leonitus asked.
"I'd say around four thousand." Solome said.
The board members all had expressions of surprise on their faces. They hadn't expected there to be so many.
"How'd you go from a dozen to four thousand?" Verga asked.
"At first, we'd see people outside, trying to get in to get away from the Cylons. We'd see them on the monitors and send a few people down to the nearest entry and bring them in, then lock everything down. After a while, we'd start going out looking for survivors, bringing them back to the center."
The board members all nodded in approval.
"Did the Centurions ever try to get in to the center?" Asked Leonitus.
"They did, but they were unable to get in. We'd see them coming on the monitors before they got close to the building and we'd shut down everything, making it look like there was nobody there."
"You said you went out and looked for survivors?" Bannon said. "Did you ever have any offensive operations against the Centurions? Any sabotage or hit and run raids on them? Maybe try to steal some supplies?"
"Yes sir, we did!" She said with a smile. "We'd blow up anything we could when we were able to steal explosives from them. We didn't have any Warriors in our group, so we didn't try too many ambushes on the Cylons. We tried a few times to hit their patrols, but we didn't do so good. My friend Garth and two of his security buddies were killed during one of those attempts. After that, nobody wanted to even try again."
"Understandable." Leonitus said calmly. "Without any true Warriors amongst your people and none to properly train them, you were wise not to fight the Centurions directly."
"So, for the duration of the occupation, you stayed in this shopping center, bringing in survivors as you found them?" Verga asked. "Did you do anything else of note?"
"Well, we were able to gain access to our military frequencies and monitor activities on Caprica and the other colonies. And when the call came to man and launch the planetary missile system, I and a group of my people were able to go into the ruins of the PDC and activate the silos, launching a few of the missiles."
This made every member of the board straighten up in their seats!
"You fired missiles from the PDC building? Saxton asked. "I was there when the building collapsed. How'd you find anything in there that was still operational?"
"Well" she started sheepishly, "when I was scouting out the area for survivors or anything useful, I came across a Cylon patrol, so I ducked into some ruble to hide, not realizing at the time that it was the PDC headquarters. I made my way into the lower levels and found an old control room that was still intact. I started looking around and found that there was still power to that room and was able to bring the system back online. I didn't know how to operate any of the systems and controls, but just knowing they were operational was important. So I shut everything down, so as not to attract any unwanted attention and made my way back to the shopping center. When the call came from your fleet, they sent instructions to us and we powered up the weapons systems and well … the rest as they say is history!"
Everyone on the board sat in stunned silence. They didn't expect that this untrained woman had been the one that unlocked most, if not all the planetary defense silos."
"You realize, that your actions were paramount to making it possible for our people to launch those missiles. Had you not done that, most of the missile silos would not have functioned and we'd have lost the war!" Saxton said.
Solome had a look of shock on her face. She knew she had been able to fire a few silos, the computers showed her that they had launched. But she had no idea that her actions had sent an authorization signal to nearly every silo in the colonies, allowing them to go operational and be fired from their locations. That was beyond her understanding!
"I had no idea I'd done that much." She said softly.
"My dear, you are one of the most important and unsung heroes of the final battle!" Verga said softly. "We won because of you!"
Solome could not find words for what she was thinking or feeling.
"I think gentleman, that I have heard enough to make my decision." Verga said, looking at the other board members. "Cadet Solome, we thank you for your time, your patience, and mostly, the service to the Colonies. You will hear our decision soon. Until then, you are dismissed."
Still shocked by what she'd heard, she looked at Verga blankly for a moment, then at the other board members. She stood up a little shakily and came to attention, saluting. She then turned and walked to the stairs. She stumbled a bit going down them, but both Boomer and Starbuck were there to assist her down. She left the auditorium and returned to her room in the dormitory where she'd been housed during the interviewing process. She had a lot to consider.
"Well, that took longer than expected, but I think we found a good base for the rebuilding of the service, wouldn't you say Commander Verga?" Leonitus said exuberantly.
"Yes, now comes the real work!" Bannon said. "Going thru everything we learned and deciding who retains the rank of Commander and who gets reassigned to a lower rank ….. or dropped from the service all together!"
Verga leaned back in his seat, rubbing his face. The exhaustion of the past few cycles wearing on him. He was glad that the interviews were done, but like Bannon had said, "now the hard work begins!"
"Gentleman, I think we should call it a cycle and go back to our homes and rest. I'm sure all of you are as tired as I am and would enjoy some time to relax.
Tired nods were the answer to his question.
Very well then, let us all go and get a good rest and pick this up in the morning. All senior officers will be expected to attend. We'll convene in the large conference room in the new Colonial Service Headquarters at zero seven hundred. Captain Duggan, I'll expect you to attend as well. Your service these past cycles has been invaluable to our mission."
Duggan was at his desk, securing his computer and shutting down the network.
"Yes sir, I'll have everything set up and ready to go. I might need to have security on the conference room once everything is set up, just to be sure nobody tries getting into the system."
"I'll have Bojay set up a security detail around the conference room and the adjacent floors and offices, just to be safe." Boomer said.
"Good idea." Apollo said. "Have Bojay pull as many people as he needs from the Galactica."
Boomer nodded and went to set things up with Bojay and his team.
"Alright gentleman, until tomorrow, get your rest and be ready to rebuild the Colonial Warrior Service!"