Disclaimer: No copyright infringement is intended by this author. This story is for fan enjoyment only. I am making no profit from it. New Friends by Sheryl Simpson " It’s a great idea in principle," commented Colonel Tigh. " But I don’t think you should approve it. " " Why Colonel? " Commander Adama wanted to know. " What happens if one of the warriors in the program doesn’t come back from a patrol or gets killed in a battle? These children have suffered so much already. " " I see your point but I think the benefits would far outweigh your concerns. The same could be said about the warriors. We have all lost so much. The thought of losing the loved ones we have left is sometimes too difficult to bear. But we do. We have to. Either that or we start to lose that which makes us human. And considering our image with the general population is not what it used to be this program should help. It will also give our warriors a chance to have a connection with the people they have sworn to protect. " " Sort of a public relations program then. " " Yes. In a way it is, " agreed Adama. "Do I have your support? " " Of course. I don’t know why you even bother to ask me my opinion," Tigh said with a smile. " You always have the answer figured out for yourself. " " Its nice to get a second opinion even if I don’t take it. Even after all these yahrens. " " I’ll spread the word to the crew. I wonder how many will want to participate." " I think you will be pleasantly surprised Colonel. " **** " Before I let you go there is one more thing, " Apollo said much to the dismay of his audience. The squadron meeting had taken twice as long as usual already. Amid a few groans he continued. " There has been a request from some of the instructors on the Orphan ship. They want to start a program that would link a child with a member of the military. From what details I have right now it would mainly involve an exchange of correspondence. If it is successful it may go further than that. It all depends on what type of feedback it receives. " " It sounds interesting, " said Sheba. " But how much time would this take? Its not like we all don’t have other things occupying our time." " A letter a secton at the most. All they are trying to do is give these kids someone to identify with. Mostly we will be answering questions on what are lives are like. All we have to do is give them the best answers we can. This will give the kids a chance to see that we are human just like everyone else in the Fleet. " " At least most of us are, " commented Boomer as he rolled his eyes toward Starbuck. " And just what is wrong with me? " Starbuck wanted to know. " Nothing if one of the kids wants to know how to cheat the house at one of the chanceries on the Rising Star, " said Jolly. " Or how to light a fumarillo, " added Greenbean. " Then there is 101 ways to crash a viper, " said Giles. " I think I’m sorry I asked, " said Starbuck. " But for the record I don’t cheat. I may know how but that does not mean I do. And its not my fault that my ships give up before I do. Besides I think I would be a great influence on one of those kids." " An influence, yes. Great, depends on your definition, " said Apollo with a laugh. "But the program is open to any and all volunteers. So how many want to have a new friend?" " I’ll do it, " said Jolly. " Me too, " was Greenbean’s response. " So will I, " added Giles. " Sounds like fun." Boomer thought for a moment before giving an answer. ‘ It is a great idea, ‘ he said to himself. ‘But am I ready to get so involved with a child. I still miss my nieces and nephews so much. But how would it look if only two members of the Commander’s squadron participated in this program?’ At last Boomer was ready to answer. "Count me in. " Sheba looked around the room and felt a pang of guilt. ‘ How could the others volunteer so easily?’ she thought. ‘They have to understand what this involves. Letting another person into your life, even if it would only be through correspondence, is an invitation to an emotional disaster. I just can’t do it. Not now.’ " I’m sorry Apollo I just can’t right now. Maybe later, " was what she finally said. " That’s o.k.," Apollo had a feeling as to why Sheba didn’t want to take part in the program. He felt the same way. " Starbuck? We haven’t heard from you yet. " Apollo said. " Sure. Why not. Maybe this will get me in good with the Colonel for a while. " " Until the kid ends up in a holding cell for taking whatever advice you decide to hand out, " joked Giles. Amid the laughter Apollo dismissed the group and made a mental note to himself to check with the pilots who hadn’t been able to attend the meeting. **** " Hey Jolly, you’ve got a letter, " cried Greenbean as soon as he saw his friend come through the barracks door. Jolly, who had just come back from a long range reconnaissance patrol, did not see what the fuss was all about. Right at the moment a shower and several centars of sleep were all that interested him. So he looked blankly at Greenbean and said, "A letter? " "Yeah, a letter, " replied Greenbean. " From the Orphan ship." He added helpfully. " The Orphan ship, " Jolly repeated. Then he remembered. " Really? " He said with a bit more enthusiasm. "You’re the first to get one. So hurry up. We’ve all been dying to read it since it arrived a few centars ago. " " Well you will have to wait a bit longer," was Jolly’s answer. He really wanted to read it but there were a couple of things he had to take care of before he would allow himself to open the letter. " I need a shower and a clean uniform first. I am sure that you can be patient for another few centons. And who said that you would get to read it anyway? After all it is addressed to me, " he added with a friendly smile. ‘ Funny,’ he thought a few centons later as he entered the shower, ‘how something so simple as a letter can get a whole squadron so excited. We’re a bunch of mature adults who are supposedly a hardened group of soldiers and yet a letter from a child gets us all emotional. I guess even warriors need something of the old days to cling to. And if a letter doesn’t signify a piece of our past I don’t know what does. It does seem that the phrase ‘its the little things that you miss the most’ is true.’ Finally he was ready to read his mail. With paper at a premium, like most other things, intraship communications were generally done by computer. ‘ Another piece of normalcy we have lost, ‘ Jolly thought bitterly. ‘There’s just something about being able to hold a personal letter in your hand. Damn Cylons.’ He sat down at the terminal and accessed the incoming personal files for Blue squadron. Under his name was one message originating from the Orphan Ship. He entered his password and the letter appeared on the screen. He felt two pairs of eyes on the back of his neck. He turned to address his audience. " OK guys, I hate to do this but this is my letter. Give me some privacy, huh? I promise I will share it with you. " " Sorry Jolly, " said Giles. " We’re just a bit jealous. " " Yeah, " agreed Greenbean. " Our letters will come soon enough. Enjoy yours. " The two wandered off. Alone at last Jolly turned back to the screen. It was a short letter, he saw, but it was all his. Based on the spelling the writer was probably eight or nine yahrens old. Any older and children were allowed to use a spelling corrector. Not that it mattered. He could understand it just fine. Deer Sargent Jolly; My name is Cassandra. My instructor told me that I got yu as a letter partner. My frends ar gelus cus I got a viper pilot and they didnt. But I cant brag about it cus my instructor says that is not nice. Where are you from? I was born on Scorpio. My family was killed by the Cylons. I live with my brother Castor on this ship. I dont like him rite now. He called me a name. I dont no what else to say. By; Cassandra Jolly sat back in his chair. The letter was not quite what he had expected but then again he wasn’t dealing with an adult. The things that kids found important sometimes seemed absurd to someone his age. Not that it was a bad thing. It was certainly more entertaining then having to read the messages that Colonel Tigh posted on a regular basis regarding one new regulation or another. He closed the letter making sure to save it in his personal file. Now he needed to come up with a letter of his own to send back. Hoping to get some ideas he got up and wandered over to where his friends were sitting. " It’s a girl. " he said to no one in particular. " Congratulations, " said Boomer. " How old? " asked Giles. " I don’t know she didn’t say. All she said was that her name is Cassandra. She was born on Scorpio and has a brother. " " That’s it? " said Greenbean. " Well she is just a kid. " said Boomer. " What are you going to say to her?" " I don’t know yet. I’ll have to think about it. " " Tell her about yourself, " offered Giles. " Something like, Hi. My name is Jolly. I’m a viper pilot. I live on the Galactica. " " She already knows that, " said Greenbean. " You should tell her where you’re from and about your family. " " But she’s too young to really remember the Colonies. And I don’t think she really wants to hear about my family when she has lost hers, " Jolly replied. " Why not? " asked Boomer. " We’re supposed to show these kids that we’re human too. If we give them something to identify with it could help them cope with all that is happening. And telling them about the Colonies isn’t a bad thing. We can’t just forget what we left behind. If we want to survive as a culture, or to be more accurate, as several cultures, we need to remember what we once were. And in order to do that we need to teach the children of the Fleet our history. " " Thanks, " said Jolly. " I think you’ve given me some ideas. And reminded me what this program is all about. " " Anytime, " answered Boomer. **** It wasn’t until well into the next cycle that Jolly found the time and privacy he needed to write back to his new friend. Dear Cassandra; Thank you for your letter. I really enjoyed hearing from you. It has been a long time since I had a letter waiting for me when I got back from a patrol Your instructor is correct. You shouldn’t brag about having a viper pilot for a letter partner. Without all the other people who work on the Galactica, like the people on the bridge or the ones who take care of my viper, I couldn’t do my job. So remember that we all have important jobs even if you only hear about what the pilots do. I was born on Caprica but I spent some time on Scorpio. It was a really beautiful planet and the food was great. The only thing I didn’t like was Fried Scorpian Desert Worm. I tried it twice but got sick each time. I guess I just couldn’t get used to the way it looked on the plate. Even cooked the worms still looked like they were alive. I lost most of my family to the Cylons too. We were living in a place called Umbra when I was very young. One night the Cylons attacked and my parents were killed. I then had to live in foster care with my younger sister. There were times when she would drive me crazy but I guess all brothers and sisters do that. I would call her names too. But that didn’t mean I didn’t love her. So don’t stay mad at your brother for too long. I’m sure he doesn’t mean everything he says to you any more than I did with my sister. Hope to hear from you soon; Jolly Finished with the letter Jolly saved it and then forwarded it to the Orphan ship. Hopefully his new friend would be eager to read it and respond. It seemed that they had much in common and if he could help her the way people had helped him as a child this program would be well worth his time. To be continued....