BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: THE NEXT GENERATION The surviving MAIN characters are IMMORTAL!!! They cannot be killed, but they CAN be temporarily disabled/comatose, if you get my meaning. Crossovers are permitted, but BE CAREFUL!!! Remember that the Galactica cannot ever find Earth so that we can keep adding stories. Also, this takes place 17 yahrens after the original BG series, and of course, ignoring BG80. The title of this one probably should REALLY be BATTLEFREIGHTER GROOF, because that is the ship that most of this takes place. E-mail me at jchin01@kepler.poly.edu Well, Here we go... #13 There are those who believe that life here began out there, far across the universe, with tribes of humans who may have been the forefathers of the Egyptians, or the Toltecs, or the Mayans. That they may have been the architects of the great pyramids, or the lost civilizations of Lemuria or Atlantis. Some believe that there may yet be brothers of man who even now fight to survive, somewhere beyond the heavens. BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: THE NEXT GENERATION NOMEN Written by Joe Chin Based on Battlestar Galactica Created by Glen A. Larson Four vipers streaked through the darkness of space. *So, Mojo, how did you become an ensign so fast?* asked Tannia. *I am still keeping up with my Colonial Warrior's academy studies with the guidance of Captain Boomer. I mean, I am nowhere NEAR graduation yet. I am just working as I continue.* *Will you get promoted to sergeant soon?* asked Toria. *No,* responded Boxey. *He has to finish his studies under Captain Boomer, and then put in time as an ensign, but he will probably make lieutenant before any of us do.* The four pilots laughed. *I'll say that Mojo's rank should not be Ensign,* said Toria. *It should REALLY be GLORIFIED CADET.* There was more laughter. *One problem,* said Tannia. *And what's that?* challenged Toria. *There IS no such rank,* said Boxey. *Now if we're finished slamming humor at the expense of my wingmate, wifey, we've better get back or our commanders will have us all stationed under Commander Croft on the prison barge.* The four vipers made a one-eighty degree turn, and fired their turbos. Apollo waited in the landing bay as the two vipers came to a full stop. Seeing his father there, Boxey jumped out of the viper as the cockpit was still opening, walked along the front towards its nose, and jumped off, squatting as he landed on the deck. The two landing bay crewmen that were pushing the stairway/lift to the viper stopped and looked at each other. One shrugged his shoulders. "Were we late, Commander?" asked Boxey. "Only a centon, Sergeant, but that's not why I came down here to meet you." The trio headed towards the lift, and got on. "I have an assignment for you, Boxey," said Apollo, "Something that suits you very well. Chancellor Maga supports my thinking as well, as does Siress Tinnia and President Gaylin." "Well, what is it, Father?" "The Groof." "Huh?" responded both Boxey and Mojo simultaneously. "I am temporarily assigning you to the Groof," said Apollo, "If you'll take it." "Is it for the same reason my father assigned me to the Galactica?" asked Mojo. "Yes," responded Apollo. "Just as Mojo is here to learn our ways by living amongst us and working for us, Boxey, you will serve under Chancellor Maga and serve as a Borelian Nomen in training." "Me?" asked Boxey. "Yes." Apollo stood there as the lift came to a stop, and the trio walked off the lift. "I wanted to take the assignment myself, but got very strong objections from the entire Quorum, who did not want their fleet commander running off of the Colonial flagship. And from Maga, who was unwilling to relinquish command of the Groof to me or have me replace Bora as his right hand. He would have no other place for me but as his right hand; and did not want to have me as just a somebody on his ship. And Maga wanted no one else but you. You have a cycle to decide, Boxey." Boxey was in his quarters, holding a curved pole in his hand by its middle, slowly moving it and twirling it around. He then bent his knees and hunched over slightly, and then the door signal went off. "Come in," yelled Boxey. The door opened up, and Mojo walked in. "You are bent over too far," claimed Mojo. "And your feet should be flat on the floor." Boxey straightened up a bit, and rested on his heels. "I see that you have been making use of my practice poe, Box. That's good. But-" Boxey turned to Mojo. "But what?" "You probably should have come to me instead of trying to learn how to use it from the scans." Mojo held his open hand out to Boxey. "Toss it." Boxey tossed the poe to Mojo, who caught it by its middle, and held it horizontally. Mojo slowly swung it to his right as he bent his arm ninety degrees upwards and turned the poe, so that it was vertical when he carried through with the movement. He then swung the poe towards his front, and placed it into his other hand, and swung it to his other side, and then went backwards. Mojo kept it going back and forth, going faster and faster, until it was swishing through the air. Boxey watched with fascination. All of a sudden, Mojo tossed the poe to Boxey, saying, "Your turn." Boxey caught it, but by its ends in both hands. "If that was a REAL poe, Box," started Mojo, "You would have cut both of your hands. In combat, an honorable ally of yours may toss you a weapon to help give you a chance for victory. You have to catch it to use towards your advantage. Not injure yourself with it." "Let me try that again, Mojo." Boxey tossed the poe back, and Mojo caught it with one hand in its middle. "Keep your eyes on it, Box," instructed Mojo. "On the middle of it." With that, he tossed it back to Boxey, who tried to catch it with one hand just as he saw Mojo do, but it bounced out of his hand before he could get his grip on it. "That may have just given your enemy the advantage instead of you, Box," said Mojo as he retrieved the poe. He looked at Boxey, and saw the disappointed look. "I had missed it during my first times, too, but here is what my father had me do." Boxey watched as Mojo held it vertically, and then tossed the poe straight up, and then caught it in the middle. He did it again several more times, and then handed it to Boxey. Boxey tossed it straight up as Mojo had done... Boxey walked off the lift into the landing bay. He was still in his colonial Warrior's uniform, but without the cape or flight jacket, but he wore one sash containing four laser boles. Mojo was waiting for him, wearing one sash with four laser boles. "Well, Mojo, I guess that I'll see you when I get back." "I'm going to escort you in a viper," said Mojo. "There may be more I have to tell you that I did not think of." "Thank you, Mojo." Together, they both limbed into two vipers. Mojo flipped three switches, and then pressed three buttons, in front of him. Boxey pressed a button at the station in front of him. "Fighter and escort requesting permission to launch," said Boxey. *Launch,* said Apollo's voice. *And good luck.* Mojo pressed a button on his control stick, and was thrown back against the back of his seat. Out the front of the canopy, the launch bay moved backwards, and then they were out in space. The viper bay, and then the rear of the Galactica moved forwards, from the front of the viper to its rear. *I am nervous,* said Boxey. *That, my friend, will be your first downfall as a Nomen,* pointed out Mojo. *Walk in with confidence, as if you are ready to fight with the knowledge that NO one is strong enough to stand in your way.* The pair of vipers headed towards a freighter. On the side of the raider was the label, GROOF, and there were some strange marks painted beside it. After that, was a painting of two straight swords, laying in an 'X' formation. Out of the vipers, Mojo climbed down the from the side of fighter, followed by Boxey from his viper. Mojo signaled to Boxey to proceed. Awaiting were Maga. Beside him was Bora and Taba, and many other Borelian Nomen. Boxey walked towards Maga, but one of the younger Nomen stood in his path. Boxey pushed him out of the way with a growl, and kept on going. The Nomen stumbled aside, but still was on his feet, watching Boxey in amazement. Boxey walked up to Maga, and placed his right fist to his left shoulder, saying, "Chancellor Maga... I am here to serve the Code." Bora and Taba moved and stood between Maga and Boxey. "Who are you?" grumbled Bora. "I am Boxleitner... Son of Apollo." Maga put his hands on Bora's and Taba's shoulders, and the two moved aside. Maga said, "Boxey! Son of Apollo. Welcome to the Groof. I take your life into my hands." Boxey saluted to Maga again. Bora pointed out, "The assignments that you are going to get on the Groof were originally going to Vorta, the Nomen that you shoved aside. He feels that you are taking his honor away from him, and that you are not Nomen enough to belong here." With that said, Boxey turned to Vorta. He ran towards Boxey to try to tackle him, but Boxey fell to the floor and rolled towards Vorta. The large Nomen tripped on Boxey's upper arm, and fell flat on his belly. Boxey continued to roll, and then was back up on his feet. Meanwhile, Vorta got back up on his feet, and grabbed a real poe. This one had two straight metal blades connected by its handle. Vorta held it by the handle with both hands, ready to strike at Boxey. "BOX!" cried Mojo. Boxey looked at Mojo, who tossed him a short pole. Boxey caught it, which surprised Mojo, and himself. Boxey swung it up in the air horizontally, and from the both sides of short pole, two extensions popped out, expanding it into a long one. Boxey held one of its ends with his free hand, and pointed the other end at Vorta. Boxey also bent his knees and leaned slightly forwards, assuming a stance. Mojo was watching, his face showing grim dissatisfaction. Boxey was leaning a bit too far forwards again. Maga and Bora were both watching, with surprise on their faces. Vorta raised his poe in both hands, and ran towards Boxey. He swung his poe at Boxey, trying to cut him the top half from the bottom half of his body. Boxey turned his staff to block it, but Vorta swung the other end at Boxey. Boxey turned his staff to block again, and almost lost his balance. Vorta's poe end got Boxey, just cutting his Colonial warrior uniform and exposing skin on his side. "If you were a Borelian Nomen, or anyone else, you would be dead," said Vorta to Boxey. "If I were a real Borelian Nomen, you probably would not have challenged me, pointed out Boxey. "And if I did not know of your honor, Vorta," he continued, "I would still be trying to fight you." "What do you know about me?" "Think back, Vorta. In the command center on that Cylon basestar, you saved me and two of my friends with your combat skills..." {The gold Cylon turned, pointing his rifle at the Boxey, Toria, and Kritter. As he was about to open fire, a Borelian Nomen flew across it, kicking his rifle and causing him to miss. There was a glowing laser bole, charging to critical mass right on the side of its 'neck.' That Borelian Nomen was Vorta.} "... That, Vorta, was no small favor," concluded Boxey. "It takes skill and courage to actually kick the end of a laser rifle the way you did, and great precision to actually plant a laser bole like that while moving the way you did. But- I do not know what my assignment is, but I know that I will need YOUR help and guidance in carrying out my duties honorably." He turned his head, looking around, and then he bellowed, "I will need ALL of you to help me be a better Nomen than I am now." With that, Boxey looked at his hand holding middle of the long staff, used one hand to place his fingers holding it, and held his other hand on it, carefully placing his fingers of that hand on it. He then twisted, and the ends of the staff got sucked in. Vorta stared at Boxey. "I would have never thought that someone would actually recognize me from that minor deed. I only acted as any Nomen would have done. For you to have actually seen me, you must have eyes of a Borelian Nomen, and I never realized that you were a skilled fighter, Son of Apollo." Vorta placed a hand on Boxey's shoulder. "I would be honored in helping you." With that, he back away. Boxey checked the cut on his side, and was surprised to see that only his clothing was sliced, and his skin underneath the sliced garment was still intact. Maga and Bora approached him. "You ARE a somewhat good fighter, Son of Apollo," said Bora. "But you can use some improvement in your stances," pointed out Maga. "As you took your stance, you were leaning a bit too far forwards. That was why you almost lost your balance." "I realized that," said Boxey. "Mojo always has to correct me when he instructs me." "Since Boxey wants to become a Nomen of the Code, we will each recite a portion of our ancient stories, and have Boxey interpret their meaning." Maga was speaking to many Borelian Nomen who were sitting on the deck in a room with their backs against the walls. Among them was Boxey. "He may or may not have already heard or read our ancient stories. But we tell it again and again, not because we like to hear them again and again, but because we can sometimes get new interpretations from them that make us better Nomen. Vorta, you will start. Like I have always said, it does not have to be the exact words as in our scrolls, but make sure that you do not change the story itself." "Yes, Lord," responded Vorta. "Several millennia before today," he started. "There was a time before the Borelian Nomen. The people of Borallus had unity only within the nuclear families... that being the father, mother, and young children. And when the children grew to men and women and joined, new units were formed... always fighting for the better piece of land, or for some other disagreement. There were occasionally agreements between two neighboring families, but they were usually broken." The look in Vorta's eyes were eyes that were opened, but looking at nothing. Actually they seemed focused on one individual. Boxey was sitting next to Mojo, who was sitting beside Maga. "Noma was one such man who was unconventional," continued Vorta. "His father owned the best piece of land in the entire continent." {Noma was a skinny, wiry man who always went hunting but came home empty-handed. All the meat on the table of himself, his father, mother and younger brother were hunted down successfully by his father and brother. At their small home, Noma's brother, Nimo, walked in, saying, "Father, I cannot find Noma. I hope that he did not become prey of whatever prey he may have found. I want to go out again and try to find my elder brother." "He will be home," said the elder man. "He may not be strong like a man, but he is very smart," said the lady of the house. "If anything happened to him..." "Bah, he would make an excellent housewife," said the elder man. He and Nimo let out nice, loud belly laughs. "Father, I'm home." The three looked at the doorway, to see the skinny young man standing there with a wagon that was filled with a large, furry caucus. In his other hand, he held a pole with two shiny blades protruding from each end, its luster dimmed with the dead animal's blood. The three of them stared at Noma in shock. "THAT IS THE LARGEST PREY CAUGHT IN A HUNT THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN!" cried out the elder man, his eyes lit up. "All gutted and ready to roast, Father," commented Noma. "That was what took you so long to come home," commented the elder of the house. "We feast NOW! In your honor, Big Brother," cried out Nimo. Noma lifted the pile of fur that covered the raw meat underneath. "Mother, I hope that I did it right, but we can all use some new clothing as well." The lady of the household looked at the large piece of fur, and then put it aside. She nodded her approval to Noma. The elder man stared at the pile of meat, saying, "Even gutted, that is the largest quantity of meat that I have ever seen." Noma held up his pole, saying, "Killing the beast was easy. It was cleaning it and preparing it that took a long time. The hardest part, was carrying it back." He waved it around saying, "With this, I killed my first beast to put good food on my family's table. And, with it, it was easier to remove its insides." The elder man looked at the sharp weapon in his elder son's hand, at coat of the animal's blood on the two shiny blades...} "What is the meaning of this part of the story?" asked Maga. He was looking at Boxey as he asked that question. "Well," said Boxey. It was evident that he was nervous. "I look at everyone here in this room, and I look at myself. And I see strong people in this room, whereas I am not as strong as any of you. I believe that the story must say that a man does not have to be strong to succeed. Just smart." Maga looked around the room at everyone. He grumbled, "Yes, Box." Boxey then asked, "Does the term, 'Nomen' come from the name, 'Noma?'" A few chirps of laughter echoed. "Yes," responded Maga and Bora simultaneously. "That was a valid question," commented one of the elder Nomen. "Even I had asked that when I was a boy hearing the stories for the first time." "It is also the beginning of the saga of a hero," said Vorta. "It does not end there..." {"We have too much here before it spoils," said Noma. "Perhaps we should invite our neighbors here to help us eat it before it does spoil." "Trying to make Poe's father happy so that he may allow you to take his daughter?" asked his father. "He will NEVER allow it. You are not strong enough." Noma looked at his father with disappointment. "Very well, my son. Go get him."} "Poe had two sisters and three brothers, but was the elder of the six," continued Vorta. "The two families feasted well that night." "Vola..." interrupted Maga. "Please continue the story." "After they had feasted, Noma said to Poe's father... {"I will speak with you alone." The two of them walked out into the night. The only light was from a bright and large full moon in the sky. "What is it you want to talk to me about?" asked the elder from the neighbor household. "I want Poe," said Noma. "YOU???" responded the older man. "I must say that you brought to your home the best tasting kill that I have ever had, but you are not strong enough. Sure, my daughter speaks highly of you, but..." He approached Noma, clenching his fists. He held one up, and then let out a belly laugh. He then took a swing at Noma. Noma, with his fast eyes and reflexes, saw what was coming. He ducked the swinging arm, causing the elder man to miss. The elder man brought up his knee to smash Noma's face, but Noma used his two hands to block the blow. The elder man's knee hit Noma's palms, and Noma used the force of the blow to propel himself into the air. While up in the air, Noma flipped backwards, kicking the elder in his chest, causing him to fall backwards onto the ground. The elder man watched Noma land back on his feet. Angered, he got up, and ran towards Noma in an attempt to tackle him. Noma jumped out of the large man's way, but the large man anticipated his move. He stopped, turned, and grabbed Noma, pinning his arms to his side, and squeezed Noma in his arms. Noma could feel his life being squeezed out of him from the large man's grip. He thought fast, and using one of his fingers, poked the large man in his side. This caused the large man to let go of Noma as one of his legs gave, causing him to topple to the ground. Breathing heavily, the large man pulled himself off the ground, ready to attack Noma again. Before he was able to make a move, Noma jumped up in the air, turned around, and grabbed the large man in a head-lock with his legs. The large man jumped and swung around, trying to shake the young man off him, but to no avail. He tried to grab Noma's ankle to break his grip, but his feet kept moving, causing him to give the large man's neck a squeeze as he moved. He even tried to poke Noma where he was poked when Noma broke his grip on him, but Noma deflected those blows with his hands and wrists. "I can gouge your eyes out easily, Old Man. Do you yield?" The large man ceased his struggle, saying, "I yield to you, Noma." "Good. Now, take me back into my house." "I think that he just killed Noma!" said Poe. She had her face very close to Noma's father's. "You LET my father kill him!" she screamed. As if on cue, her father walked in, having to duck underneath the doorway, with Noma on sitting on his shoulders with a big smile on his face. To the looks of shock on everyone's faces, he walked straight over to Poe, and said, "My eldest daughter, I bring you your mate. He may not be strong, but he is very cunning..."} Boxey thought back. His good friend, Kritter, and his chief assistant, Valka of the Borelian Nomen had an interest in each other. The thing is, Valka will only get sealed in a tradition Borelian Nomen wedding, and Kritter is absolutely no match for Vola. {Noma jumped off her father's shoulders, landing on his feet. Noma and Poe ran into each other and embraced. Noma's mother said, "Well, my son meets her father's approval, to my surprise, but does SHE... meet MY approval?" "Hey," said Noma's father. "This is our son's happiness that we are talking about here." "She will meet your approval," growled Poe's mother. Poe's father turned to his wife, saying, "Hey, mate, that is for me... and Noma's mother to decide. You get to make that decision when it is our sons' turn to choose his mate." "That's right," Noma's mother said to his father.} "Noma's mother put Poe through a lot," explained Vola. "After Poe endured the hardships that she was put through, she actually ASKED Poe to be her eldest son's mate." Maga interrupted, saying, "And that tradition is still carried out when a mating between two young Nomen take place. We will continue on the next cycle." With that, everyone got up, and left the room. Boxey went to Mojo, and asked him, "Is that why Kritter and Valka has not pursued their relationship? Because Kritter is afraid of her father?" "That is exactly what I would think," answered Mojo. "You would have to ask Kritter yourself. Meanwhile, Box, we ALL know about Valka and the basestar Colonial engineer. My father knows, Vola himself knows, because Valka herself confides in her father. All that Kritter has to do is come to us and meet Vola." "That's it?" asked Boxey. "Our reputation is known throughout your people, Box. Many are afraid to approach us. Vola had confided in my father, who asked me about Kritter. After I told my father what I knew, he and Vola decided that Valka should have him come over for dinner and speak to Vola. His coming here would show enough courage, but he let Valka think that Kritter had to challenge Vola. Now go get some sleep, Box. You've got a busy day ahead of you, I hear." "I am assigning you to help with the laser boles, Box," said Maga to Boxey. Standing beside Boxey was Vorta. He turned to Boxey, saying, "I have been working with the laser boles for a few yahrens now, Box." Maga turned to Vorta, saying, "I am putting you in charge of the entire section, Vorta. We have not had a leader in that area, but apparently, everyone follows you as if you are their leader. Therefore, I am now making you their leader. You will oversee to everyone's work. Those who you have worked with... And Boxey's. Just make sure he does not kill himself. I do not want to have to tell his father that his son died under my command." "I will not fail you, Lord," responded Vorta. With that, the two of them synchronously saluted to Maga, and then Boxey followed Vorta off the bridge. "This is a dead laser bole," Vorta explained to Boxey. He held it up, and yanked at it, but nothing happened. Vorta went to the other end of the apparatus, and pulled out one of those laser boles. "This is a newly-charged laser bole. See the difference?" He held them both up in the air. The new one was white, but the dead one was gray. He yanked the white one, and it made its usual whine whose pitch went higher and higher. Then he threw it at a large pillar that had many black thin stripes precariously across it. "That is the last thing you do with the laser bole, to make sure it is fully charged." He went and retrieved the two pieces of the spent laser bole, put the two pieces together, returned with it, and placed it on one of the several sashes laying nearby. "And then if it works, put four per sash," said Boxey. "Do I have to tell you EVERYTHING?" exclaimed Vorta. "YES!" "Vorta, I just want to make sure I am doing things correctly, Leader," Boxey said in defense. "As I had said, I will need your help, as well as the help of other Nomen to be a worthy and honorable Nomen like yourself. I do not want to just merely be an honorable figure because of my father's friendship with the Chancellor, or my friendship with Mojo. I want to earn my own honor." "Spoken like a true Nomen, Boxey..." On the bridge, Starbuck said to Apollo, "Ensign Mojo never returned from the Groof, Apollo." "Nor will he return until Boxey's assignment aboard the Groof is over," responded Apollo. "I put Mojo on furlon to be with his friend and his people, but he is really on assignment to help Boxey out. It also means that Captain Boomer will be on out on patrol more often until their return." Out on patrol were Toria and Tannia of Silver Spar Squadron, and Boomer and Saul of Blue Squadron. The four vipers flew in a diamond formation. *I hope that Boxey is doing all right on the Groof,* mentioned Toria. *Ensign...* responded Boomer. *Your husband... is probably... LEADING those Borelian Nomen to their honor and glory.* Everyone laughed. Back on the Groof, everyone was assembled again as they did at the end of the previous cycle. Maga said, "I will continue the rest of the story myself. At the same time the incidents that Vorta and Vola had spoke of, something else was taking place far across the land. And it was not honorable... {An elder man and three younger ones were dueling with many men who were all dressed the same way, wearing metal vests. One of the younger ones sliced at his armored opponent's neck, sending his head flying. Right after that, three others stabbed him in both sides and his back. He fell dead. The elder man and the his other two sons were dead, too. One man, with the helmet that had a horn sticking out of the front, pulled his sword out of the elder man, and put it back into his scabbard. He turned to his men and said, "You, go and pick as much fruits as you can from the field." He turned to others, saying, "Round up all his livestock and riders." Then he turned to others, saying, "Gather as much water as we can carry." "Yes, P'tui," exclaimed half of the group, as they ran off. The rest followed him into the dwelling.} "His four daughters and wife were raped. The four younger ones were taken away, and his wife was left to die from starvation and thirst," finished Maga. He turned to Taba, saying, "Meanwhile, Taba, Noma had another of his unconventional ideas. Take it from there." {"I would like to live here with you, Mother, and Nimo," said Noma, "after I am mated to Poe." Poe was beside Noma as he made his request. It was, at their time, tradition for the son to go out and make a new home after getting mated, and for the man and woman to leave the households of their parents and begin new ones. His father stared at him, pondering. "I want to speak to Poe's father. You cannot stay in this house, but I do have an idea..."} "The couple's fathers spoke to each other," explained Taba. "Each of them gave up small pieces of land that bordered each other, letting Noma and Poe build their house and live on it when they were mated. The house that was built was larger than what their parents lived in, and was able to hold many more people inside than the both houses of their parents." "Noma and Poe must have probably planned on having many children," interrupted Boxey. All of the Nomen laughed. Boxey looked around, expecting to be scolded for interrupting. "My apologies, Taba," remarked Boxey. "I ended up saying it before I could stop myself." Maga said, "Do not apologize, Box. It shows that you were paying attention. Besides, you may be right. It was said that Poe wanted a very large house to live in. It was also said that Noma saw the future, and built such a large house to hold an army. But we will never know if that was the reason for the size of the house, unless someone can find a way into that time to find him and ask him." More laughter filled the room. "Continue, Taba," said Maga. "The large house was also built differently, out of the logs made from hardness of trees instead of fig stalks and leaves. {Noma chopped at a tree using his invention, putting wedges out near its bottom. Finally, the tree fell over. Poe, using another, swung at it with one blade, chopping one of its branches off it, and then turned it to chop another off with the other blade. As each of them dragged a log back, Poe asked him, "What do you call this?" as she waved the mysterious tool in the air. "How about we call it, 'Poe?'" answered Noma. "In your honor. It has served me well in my hunting, and has never failed me, just as you have been faithful to me, and never failed me."} "I must interrupt..." said Bora. "... to say that the poe is still used today in hand-to-hand combat. Even in today's society, with all our advances and modern technology, the poe has not failed us yet, except when used to fight an opponent using the same weapon." Mojo commented to Boxey, "That, Box, was the replica of the poe that I lent you to practice with, something that I have had since I was a small boy." Vorta then said, "And I challenged you with the real thing, Son of Apollo." Boxey acknowledged their comments with a nod to each of them, and after a few microns of silence, Maga said, "Continue, Taba." {The LARGE house was finally done. Logs laid on its side, and at the sides, the ends of more logs formed the sides. It was not merely a rectangular area where the house sat, but was built in the form of a HUMONGOUS letter 'E.' The main entrance was at the middle horizontal line of the E-shaped layout. THe door itself were two slabs of stone, with nicks and bumps showing evidence that the slabs were carved. Noma and Poe walked around he house, looking at it. Noma's arms had grown some from all of the chopping of the trees, carving out the indents on the ends of the logs so that they would stay in place, and lifting the logs to place them. The roof was also made from logs, covered with fig leaves to keep the weather from getting inside. Both sets of parents, Nimo, and Poe's five siblings were over, looking at the structure. "Looks strange," commented Poe's mother. "Ah, but it would stand up to the gusty winds better than ours or yours," commented Noma's father. "And your son seems to have grown some bulk," commented Poe's father. He turned to Noma's father, saying, "My eldest son, Pogo, has found a mate, and also requested that he stay on our land. I plan on giving him the land on the other side of the borderline." "I will give him some of my land and some seed for his plantations." Both Noma and Poe overheard. They both approached their fathers, saying, "This house is more than large enough to house all of us," said Noma. "Including the mates of our brothers and sisters," said Poe. To their parents, she continued, "And you four as well." They walked away from the house, looking at the land. The land given up by the Poe's father was where they built the house, and the more fertile land from Noma's father was where the plantation fields were. Inside the house, Noma's mother sniffled, saying, "Smells good. What's cooking?" Noma's and Poe's father looked around, somewhat surprised. "Poe made this kill," exclaimed Noma. "We did it together," she retorted. "With these." She held up a poe; its blades covered with the blood. "She actually went on a blood trail?" asked Noma's father. "It was not her first time," responded Poe's father. "Her first time... my three sons and I were actually on the trail of a beast, but by the time we were ready to make the kill, Poe herself had already made the kill, and we only had to carry it back. Just as your son is unconventional to our ways, so is my daughter."} "And so, Poe's brother, Pogo, decided to reside in Noma's and Poe's large house, with Pogo's mate," said Taba. "A while later..." {Noma, Poe, Nimo, Pogo, Poe's other two brothers and their fathers were out going through the woods struggling through the heavy winds as they went hunting, each holding onto their poes. Poe's father said to Noma, "This idea of yours, Noma..." He waved his poe around. "... DOES make the kill much easier." A gust of wind blew past, making everyone almost lose their balance. Noma's father said, "Nimo's mate and her family are coming over to feast with us tonight, so we have to make one of those kills special." Poe pointed outwards. They all looked, to see a fierce looking beast, showing its large canines at the eight of them. It stood on its hind legs, its long, sharp nails protruding from its claws of its forelegs. The eight of them surrounded the beast, walking around it in a circle, waving their poes in front of them, ready for it to lash out, each taking turns growling at it, and making it continuously turn to face an attacker. As soon as its back was facing him, Nimo jumped and landed on its back, stabbing it with his poe. Noma ran towards it, death grip on his poe. The beast lashed at him with its powerful claws, only for him to deflect the blow of one claw, and then with the other blade, sliced the other claw off. "We can have the feast at our place," said Poe. Poe and Noma was carrying one dead beast, and Nimo and his father carried another, and Poe's two brothers carried a third one. Noma looked at Poe, and then he said, "Yes, and show Nimo's mate and her family what a large unit we have become. Her father would surely approve of the mating since she will be part of a large unit."} "Power comes in numbers," commented Boxey. "That is true, Son of Apollo," said Bora. "You will find that out later on." {The table were full of smeared plates, some of them containing bones. All around three elder men sat with their mates, along with Noma, Poe, Nimo, his future mate, and Poe's five siblings, Pogo's mate, and two young boys and a young girl. Two others sat at the table as well. All of their bellies were full. "You know," commented Noma's father, "Noma's and Pogo's children are probably the first to have the fathers and mothers of their fathers and mothers as a grand part of their lives?" Poe's father's eyes lit up, saying, "Yes! I guess... we are their... grandfathers." A gust of wind whistled around the house. Poe said, "Father, I think that we should ALL spend the night here. Noma and I built this house to stand against the heavy winds. We would all be safer here." Nimo's mate's father, Landa, stood up, saying, "I have defied the strong winds many times. I will go back to my place." His mate said to him, "Landa, the young lady is right." "You and our children can do what you want. I am going back." With that, he walked away, with Noma chasing after him.} "After a good rest, They all went back to their houses, and found that Noma's house was the only one that still stood. Nimo' future mate, along with her mother, sister and brother, went back to their old home. They found the house leveled, and the broken body of her father." Taba sat there in silence. Maga asked, "What is the meaning of that, Box?" Boxey sat there thinking. "That Noma and Poe were right," he stated. "Landa would have still been alive if he chose to stay at Noma's house for the night." "As I had told many of my fellow Nomen," said Maga, "Do not stand against a force that you will definitely lose against. That was the mistake that Nimo's mate's father made. He stood against a force, that being the wind storm, a force that was too powerful to stand against." The next cycle found Vorta, Boxey, and Mojo in the landing bay, looking at the green Cylon raiders that were converted to daggits. There were also a few vipers in there, about four others besides the two that Boxey and Mojo arrived in. "The chancellor's daggit is about to land," said Vorta. "We are to check its systems, refuel it, and make sure that it is ready for battle." He turned to Boxey, saying, "I know that you know these fighters, because you helped with its retrofits, and you and Mojo had flown one, and you even flew one with your wife." The three watched the object approach from the opening in the landing bay, which grew into the front of a daggit. It came into the bay, and made a full stop, and its engines turned off. A ladder was lowered from its bottom, and the two occupants, Maga and Bora climbed out. After the three saluted their leaders, Boxey, Mojo, and Vorta climbed in. That night, they were all gathered again. "Bora, continue," said Maga. "P'tui and his men found a large house, made from logs as Noma's house was. The house itself was surrounded by large stones, to keep out intruders... {P'tui and his men entered the house, with their swords drawn. Instead of just the ten men that he had before, he had many more. As they moved into one large room, they were attacked by armored guards. "STOP THE FIGHTING!" screamed one elder man who came out of nowhere, wearing armor. They all stopped fighting, and looked up at the elder man. "I came to take this house from you," exclaimed P'tui. "And your land." "Well, you came to the right place, P'tui?" "Who are you, and how do you know who I am?" "I am your father. And no one should get to own this house except for my only son when I am gone. Look around, my son. You are not fighting just a bunch of simple people; you and your men are fighting your OWN army. YOU are their new Lord. I am just an old man now."} "The old man told him about his own conquests," explained Bora, "Of how the various houses around the place had to pay him tribute for his protection, and if they did not pay, he would send his men after that house. Soon after, the old man died, and P'tui was the new Lord. With his men, augmented by those who worked for his father, he managed to have many more houses paying tribute. That was, until they got up to Noma's house." Maga then said, "Mojo, continue." {We do not pay tribute to ANYONE!" cried Noma's father to P'tui. He and Poe's father, both of them with gray hair, along with Noma, Nimo, and Poe's three brothers and all their sons who have become strong, young men. "ATTACK!" cried P'Tui. All of P'tui's men attacked the band of men. Five of P'tui's men surrounded Noma's and Nimo's father, taking swings at him with their swords. The frail, old man was deflecting and blocking all of the blows that they were throwing at him with his poe. As one of the men behind him jumped forwards to take a swing at him with his sword, the old man pulled back his poe, stabbing him in his upper abdomen. The old man turned around and slashed his throat, and then used the blade on the other side to block another sword meant for his neck. He then brought the other side, slicing his head off. Finally, after he stabbed the last man through his armor, he ran towards P'tui. P'Tui threw a small knife at the old man, stopping him dead in his tracks. The last thing the old man did before he died was throwing his poe as a spear, which cut P'tui's leg by his knee. "RETREAT!" cried P'Tui. With that, all of the armored men ran towards P'tui, and lifted him, and continued running. Some of the younger men started running after them, but Noma yelled, "LET THEM GO!" Poe and Noma walked around, and found Noma's father and mother, dead. After walking around some more, the couple found Poe's parents, the mother dead, and the father dying. He held his hand out to Noma. Noma knelt beside his mate's father, and listened. "Noma... Avenge your father. He was a very good man. You were right... in us staying together... or we ALL... would have been killed... one by one... You were right." With that, the old man fell dead.} "Power comes in numbers," commented Maga. "As Box had mentioned to us last time." {"They will be back," commented Noma. "We must be ready." "Father, I say we go and attack THEM," said the oldest of the young men. "I agree with my elder brother," said another young man. Noma looked around at everyone, and said, "No." "Father, they will not expect an attack on their place so soon after they attacked one of the strongest families in the area." "He is right about that," said Poe, Nimo, and Pogo simultaneously. "Let them come here," growled Noma. "We know this territory better than they do." Finally, Noma's eldest son stood up, with poe in hand. "I challenge you, Father." Noma grabbed a poe as everyone stood aside and out of the way, as the eldest father and his eldest son dueled it out. The two of them circled each other. Finally, Noma took the first swing. His son blocked it with one end, and used the other end to get his father, cutting the only the fur of his clothing and exposing his skin on his side.} Boxey thought back to when he first arrived, and took Vorta up on his challenge. He realized that Vorta did the same thing to him, just cutting his clothing without injuring him... A very precise move. Vorta must be good... {Noma looked at the cut in his side, to find only the clothing cut, but he, himself was not injured. Then he jumped at his eldest son, using his poe to try to disarm him. The young man lost his poe, but he used the palm of his hand to slap his father across the face near his nose. Then using his father's micron of being surprised, he retrieved his poe. His father turned, and sneezed from the blow to his face that stimulated the olfactory nerves in his nose, and then found himself pinned down by his eldest son. The young man held the poe, ready to use it. "I could have killed you, Father, but you ARE my father," said the young man. "Too many in our family have already been killed from that battle. If anymore of us are to die, it will be fighting P'tui and his army." Noma looked at the young man, saying, "You are right, my son. I yield to you." The young man helped his father to his feet. Noma went and got a bowl, and used the poe in his hand and cut his palm. He then made a fist over the bowl, allowing his blood to drip into it. "It is time for revenge," Noma exclaimed. He was then pushed aside by Poe, who grabbed his poe, and followed suit. The young man then followed his mother, followed by Pogo, Nimo, and all of the men in the house. Soon after, the bowl was full. Noma stood behind it, saying, "REVENGE IS OURS!" Everyone repeated, "REVENGE IS OURS!" "WE ARE ..." Noma did not know what to say next. "What do we call ourselves?" he asked. "NOMEN!" cried the eldest son. "WE ARE NOMEN!" cried the entire household. "Nomen?" asked Noma. "Named in your honor, Father," claimed the young man. "BORALLUS WILL KNOW OF THIS DAY THAT WE RID THE TYRANNY OF P'TUI!" Everyone cheered. "WE ARE BORELIAN NOMEN!" cried Poe.} "The story of their victory against P'tui was known to everyone," said Mojo. "Everyone who was weary of the heavy tribute that they had to pay to keep P'tui's men from attacking them. During their travel to P'tui's place, they were cheered on, and some of the men actually joined Noma in his quest." During the sleep period, the alarms were blaring. Everyone jumped off their shelves, grabbed their laser bole sashes, running as they were tucking their ends into clothing. On the Galactica, Athena reported to Apollo and Starbuck, "Two basestars... One in front of us, and one at the rear of the fleet. And their fighters back there are converging on the Groof." Apollo and Starbuck looked at each other, and Starbuck said, "Do you think that the Cylons know of our secret?" "I don't think so," replied Apollo. "I think that they just happened to converge on Maga because he is the trailing ship." Boxey, Mojo, and Vorta got behind Maga and Bora, and followed the two leaders onto the bridge. They followed them up to the command deck. "What is going on here?" growled Maga. "Two basestars, Lord!" cried one of the Nomen from his station. "One in front of the fleet, and one approaching our position!" "Ready laser turrets," ordered Maga. "Four Hundred Cylon fighters heading coming towards us, Lord! Two hundred microns and closing!" cried the bridge officer. "Chancellor," said Boxey. "Mojo and I came in fighter vipers. I want to launch in mine and help from outside." "Against four hundred fighters?" responded Maga. "No, Box, I cannot allow the son of Apollo to die in battle for me. Your job here is to learn about us, not die for us." "I will go with him, Father," said Mojo. "And make sure he gets back safely. I give my word as a Nomen of the Code-" "No," said Maga. "Let ME go in Boxleitner's place, Lord," said Vorta. "Do you know how to handle a viper?" asked Boxey. "I have handled our daggits, and a viper looks easier to handle," answered Vorta. "Maga, they will not expect any vipers to counterattack from the rear of the fleet," said Boxey. "He is right about that," said Bora. He turned to Boxey, and said, "I stand by Maga's thinking, Son of Apollo. Remember the story about Landa and the wind storm. What would your father-" Cutting Bora off, Boxey then said angrily at Maga, "And you want me to just stand here while Borelian Nomen die needlessly when those Cylon fighters get here?" Maga looked at Boxey, surprised. Bora, Mojo and Vorta were shocked as Boxey said, "Chancellor, I challenge your leadership." That said, Boxey ran towards Maga to tackle him. Maga jumped aside, causing Boxey to miss, and bounce over the railing. Maga ran over and looked down the side to see Boxey hanging onto one of the railing bars with one hand. "Give me your hand, Box!" ordered Maga. Boxey looked down, saying, "It is not a long way down." "Boxey, I give my word as a warrior that I will not drop you. Now, do as I say." Boxey reached up, and Maga reached down, and helped Boxey back over the side and onto the command deck. The two then went back to where they were arguing before, and Maga said, "Very well. Go, you three. Box, lead us to victory." "I will, Lord," said Boxey. Maga turned to Bora, and said, "There are six vipers in our landing bay. Send three others to help them out." Bora pushed a button on the station there, saying, "Taba, take two more Nomen and meet Boxey, Mojo and Vorta in the landing bay. You will launch in the other three vipers and follow Boxey's orders as if they were the Chancellor's." *Yes, Father,* was the response. The six vipers were out in space as the Cylon fighters converged onto the Groof and some of the other minimally armed vessels. Boxey's voice came over their helmetcoms. *Activate CORA units,* he ordered. *And remember... We are NOT here to die in battle. We are here to protect the Groof and the other ships. Live so that we can complete our duty and we can ALL celebrate our victory in this battle together!* *Yes, Leader,* responded Vorta's voice. *BREAK!* ordered Boxey. The six vipers broke into three groups of two. On one of the Cylon raiders, The Cylon behind said, "Have our fighters concentrate on the bridge of that ship... Once it is destroyed, move onto the next one..." The Centurion on the left pilot seat said, "Better watch out for those vipers or we may fail..." "Vipers." "Six vipers..." The Groof's laser turrets were active. One turret fired at three approaching raiders and destroyed two of them. The third was destroyed by a viper behind it. In the front of the fleet, minute explosions were emanating from around the Galactica. They were not coming from the battlestar, but from the Cylon raiders being destroyed around it. The Adama was going through the same thing: minute explosions of Cylon raiders being destroyed near its hull. Up close, A pair of vipers were chasing three Cylon fighters that were firing its lasers at the hull of the green basestar. The vipers both fired simultaneously, and two of the raiders exploded. The third one was hit from a laser turret, and exploded before it crashed into its hull. Toria's face lit up with glee from behind the faceplate of her helmet at having destroyed the Cylon raiders. Over her helmetcom, she heard Sheba's voice. *Toria... Tannia... Give Boxey and Mojo a hand at the rear of the fleet. Let Red and Blue Squadrons and the rest of Silver Spar Squadron finish the job here.* *Yes, Colonel,* they both responded simultaneously. There were only a few Cylon fighters trying to overtake the Galactica and the Adama. By this time, the Galactica moved forwards, firing its lasers at the Cylon basestar. The Adama moved in alongside the Galactica, firing its lasers, too. Apollo said into the scanner, "Sheba, take the Adama to the rear of the fleet and give Maga a hand. We can handle the rest from here." *Yes, Commander,* Sheba responded. With that, the scanner faded. On the control center of the Adama, Sheba ordered, "Bojay, bring all shields to maximum power." "Executing, Commander," responded Bojay as he handled the console in front of him. Sheba then ran over beside Aurora, pressed a button, and said into the console, "Damon, I need all the power that you can give me transferred to the electronic shields and laser turrets." *I will give you all I can, Commander,* was the audio response. She then turned to the woman Borelian Nomen, and said, "Prepare missiles for launching, and take us in... flank speed." "Yes, Commander," responded Bojay and Valka simultaneously. Out in space, the green basestar moved towards the rear of the fleet, firing its red laser torpedoes at the Cylon basestar in the distance. The Cylon basestar started returning fire of white laser torpedoes. *Let's clean up at the rear of the fleet,* ordered Boomer's voice. A horde of vipers headed towards the rear of the fleet. *Here comes Blue, Red, and Silver Spar Squadrons,* said Boxey into his helmetcom. *And here comes the Adama. Borelian Nomen... Let's give the Adama a hand. Let's destroy some weaponry on that p'tui basestar.* The six vipers headed for the Cylon basestar in the distance. Several Cylon fighters pursued them, firing their lasers. The lasers missed, as the C.O.R.A. units took over and guided the vipers to evade the Cylon laser fire. Those Cylon fighters were destroyed by the other vipers from the Galactica and the Adama. The six vipers approached the basestar. *Vorta, Taba, with me.* said Boxey's voice. *Yes, Leader,* responded Vorta voice. *Mojo, Lead the rest in and take out their weaponry on the other side.* *Yes, Box,* responded Mojo's voice. *BREAK!* cried Boxey's voice. With that, two vipers headed left, and the other three headed right. "What in hades are those Borelian Nomen doing?" asked Sheba. Valka looked down at her station, and then responded, "Disarming the enemy, Commander." "If I am correct, Boxey and Mojo must be leading them," said Sheba. Three vipers fired at three laser turrets, making them all explode on the basestar's hull. *The best thing is,* said Boxey, *that the basestar's lasers cannot fire at us without hitting itself when it misses.* *Bah!* cried Vorta gleefully. *Missile launcher straight ahead.* commented Boxey. Two vipers fired as a missile was launching. Laser fire from one viper hit the missile, making it detonate way too prematurely, and destroying the launcher as well. The other viper's lasers punched a hole right in its hull, exposing the inside of the basestar to open space. The third one fired at another laser turret that was swiveling to hit one of the other two vipers. The other three vipers were being pursued by six Cylon fighters, firing at them, but hitting the hull of the basestar instead. *Reverse!* ordered Mojo. The three vipers drastically slowed down as three of the Cylon fighters went past them. *GAAAAH!* screamed Mojo into his helmetcom. The three vipers opened fire, destroying the three fighters in front. *FAN OUT!* The viper on the left veered left, and the one on the right veered the other way. The three pursuing Cylon fighters did the same thing, each following a viper, and firing its lasers. The viper on the right got very close to the basestar, and then veered off. The Cylon in pursuit could not turn as fast as the viper, and crashed into the hull of the basestar. With the Cylon in pursuit, and seeing that the viper on the right got rid of his hunter, Mojo veered left, and pursued the Cylon that was hunting down his fellow Nomen. Mojo fired one laser round, hitting the Cylon fighter and sending it out of control. That fighter crashed into the hull of the basestar. The viper on the right had turned around to pursue the Cylon fighter pursuing his leader. Afraid of hitting Mojo's viper, he waited until he got close, but he got too close as his viper's lasers fired, destroying the Cylon fighter, but the impact of the explosion caused his viper to lose control and crash into the hull of the basestar. Meanwhile, the Adama got in between the Groof and the Cylon basestar. "Aaaannnnd... LAUNCH!" ordered Sheba, waving her hand as she said, "LAUNCH." Valka flipped a red switch at her station. "Missile launched," she reported. *Colonel Sheba launched missiles!* cried Boxey. *Let's GO!* Five vipers headed away from the damaged basestar, firing turbos. They all converged back to one group. *Hey, someone's missing?* asked Boxey when he realized that there was only five vipers instead of six. *He died honorably, Box,* responded Mojo. *He died saving me.* The five vipers landed in the landing bay. The five pilots climbed out of them, removed their helmets, and tossed them into the cockpits. As if in synch the five ran towards the noses of their vipers, and jumped to the deck. They were Vorta, Mojo, Boxey, Taba, and another Borelian Nomen. They walked down the corridor, the four Borelian Nomen following Boxey. "You are more of a Nomen than I thought, Boxleitner," commented Vorta. "What are you talking about, Vorta?" asked Taba. "Box challenged my father," answered Mojo. "And I thought that the Chancellor was going to take him apart," continued Vorta. "So, Boxleitner acted as a true Nomen would when he knew that he was right," said the other Nomen. He then asked Boxey, "Leader, what made you challenge the Chancellor?" "Wanting to make sure that the remnants of the Borelian Nomen race did not go extinct," responded Boxey. "Those Cylons were heading right for the Groof." Finally, they made it to the bridge. Maga looked at the five of them, and said, "Well done." His eyes glared at Boxey. Boxey felt himself beginning to cringe. "You were right, Box," said Maga. "I was so intent on making sure that you returned to Commander Apollo that I did not take the safety of the Groof and my people into consideration. If the Groof was destroyed, you would have been dead anyway. Challenging me has shown us all that you have the heart of a Borelian Nomen." "I lost one man under my command, Chancellor," murmured Boxey, regretfully. "He died honorably, Box," said Maga. "The way a Borelian Nomen should die. Now be a true Nomen and be proud of your victory." "He died under MY command, Box," said Mojo, "To save me." He put a hand on Boxey's shoulder. The five of them saluted Maga, and then walked away. "I got some good blood wine, Boxleitner," claimed Vorta. "Let's ALL go and open that bottle before you and Mojo return to the Galactica." In a small room, Vorta poured a thick red fluid from a jug into five goblets. "What happened in the battle between Noma & P'Tui?" asked Boxey. "You will have to find out the next time your father allows you to serve with us again," responded Vorta, "But I think that you know how things turned out for Noma." The five picked up their goblets, clanked them together, and drank. In the landing bay, Maga, Bora, Vorta, and Taba were seeing Boxey and Mojo off. Boxey had two sashes, each containing four laser boles, as did Mojo. "You did well, Box," said Maga. "I look forward to having you serve again." "I learned a lot about your people, Chancellor," responded Boxey. "When you tell about us," said Bora, "speak well of us." "I will," responded Boxey. "You are an honorable people." Vorta said, "It was an honor, Boxleitner. And it is an honor to call you 'brother.' I will write your saga. Perhaps a song or two will also be sung about you. And you probably know more about laser boles than many of the Borelian Nomen here." Boxey smiled. "Thank you for all your help, Vorta," he responded. He shook hands with the four of them. Maga said, "And my son," directed at Mojo, "make sure his Nomen heart does not get him in trouble with Apollo." Everyone let out belly laughs at that comment. Then Boxey and Mojo climbed into their vipers. A pair of vipers headed for one of the Galactica's landing bays. *Exchange crew requesting clearance to land,* said Boxey's voice. Apollo, Starbuck and Boomer awaited in the landing bay as Boxey and Mojo climbed out of their vipers, removed their helmets and tossed them into the cockpits, and then ran down the noses of their vipers, and then jumped. "They are as bad as Silver Spar Squadron," commented Starbuck. Boomer and Apollo chuckled. "Welcome back, you two," said Apollo. The five started walking. "I heard that you earned the respect of ALL the Borelian Nomen on the Groof," said Apollo. "But Maga refused to give me details. What happened, Boxey?" "Uh..." said Boxey. "It is a long saga of its own, Commander," said Mojo. "You can read all about it when our friend, Vorta, is finished writing it." After a generation of fleeing from Cylon treachery, the last battlestar, Galactica, leads a ragtag fugitive fleet on a long and lonely quest. A shining planet known as Earth.