Battlestar Pegasus-Starlos Isn't Far
Virtual Season 5-Episode #14
By Eric Paddon

Chapter One

     The copy of the Book of the Word that lay on Cain’s desk was old and
battered.  The result of many yahrens of reading.  It wasn’t his copy. 
In fact, the Juggernaut had never owned a physical copy of the Holy Book
due to his lifelong indifference to religious tradition.  Even as that
softened in recent yahrens, he still didn’t think he needed a physical
copy since the texts were readily available on computer files and if he
wanted to consult the texts, the computer would be far simpler.
     His marriage to Kylie several sectans ago had changed that.  In
order for Adama to perform the service via the communications hook-up
with the Galactica, Cain and Kylie would need to place their hands on a
copy of the Book of the Word to act as a substitute for the formal
practice of having the ceremonial medallion wrapped about their wrists. 
So Cain had asked Tolen to go through the personal effects of the Pegasus
crew who had been evacuated to the Galactica three yahrens ago and see if
any of them had left a copy behind.  That was where the copy that had
been used for Cain and Kylie’s sealing had been found.  And now, once
again it was being used in a sealing ceremony.  Only this time, Cain as
Master of the Pegasus would be performing it for the first two members of
his crew to follow the example he and Kylie had set.
     I had a feeling it would be them, he thought as he looked at the
happy faces of the couple standing across from him with their hands
clasped.  
     “The tradition of a ship’s master performing a sealing ceremony goes
back many hundreds of yahrens in Colonial history,” Cain began, “Though I
have never once performed this duty in all my yahrens as Commander of the
Pegasus, I am honored to finally be a part of that great and noble
tradition.  As today, in the presence of Professor Ila witnessing, we
bring together in the ceremony of sealing to one another, this man,
Technician Bremer.....and this woman, Master Chief Livia.”
     Watching, Ila felt a rush of gratitude that the long-term fates had
been kind to this couple. It hadn’t been too long ago when Bremer,
depressed over the permanent separation from a lost love of his in the
Galactica Fleet, had mentally cracked and attempted to steal Ila’s
shuttle in a would-be effort to go off in search of the Galactica.  He
had even threatened to blow up the landing bay and potentially destroy
the Pegasus if he wasn’t allowed to leave.  It was only because of Ila’s
gentle negotiations that Bremer finally backed down and willingly
surrendered himself.  Placing himself in extended psycho-therapy to
recover from his breakdown.  It was during that therapy that his superior
in the Maintenance Division, Master Chief Livia, took it upon herself to
care for Bremer.  And to finally make him realize that she’d been in love
with him all the time that he’d been pining for a lost love who wouldn’t
have taken him back even if he’d made it to the Galactica.  With Cain’s
announcement that the ban on relationships in the ranks was no longer in
force, the way was clear for the two of them to finally reveal their
feelings to each other.  And now.....they were about to join Cain and
Kylie as the second newly married couple in the ranks of the Pegasus. 
And the third overall, joining Wallis and Kelli, the refugee Agro-Techs
from the Galactica who’d joined the Pegasus at Brylon Station.
     “Bremer, will you at this time state your vow of devotion to Livia?”
     The technician looked adoringly at his bride.  ““I pledge myself
unto Livia as her husband for all time, unto the rest of my life.  I
pledge before the Lords of Kobol to protect her and give my undivided
love and devotion to her, so that I may be truly worthy of this great
responsibility."
     “Livia, will you at this time state your vow of devotion unto
Bremer?”
     The thirtyish woman who had spent so long thinking love would never
enter her life looked at Bremer with glistening eyes.  “I pledge myself
unto Bremer as his wife for all time, unto the rest of my life.  I pledge
before the Lords to honor him and to give him my undivided love and
devotion so that I may be truly worthy of this great responsibility.”
     “Bremer, Livia in the absence of any ceremonial medallion to
consecrate this event, please place your hands on the Book of the Word.” 
They did so and then Cain felt a rush of nervousness go through him.  He
now had to recite the formal words of consecration that Adama had written
down and sent to him.  He could have easily just printed them out and
read off that copy, but his sense of dignity wouldn’t permit that.  If he
was to do justice to the tradition and to Bremer and Livia, he needed to
speak the words as if he’d performed a thousand marriages in the past.
     “These simple words are the most powerful in the universe.  They
seal a union between this man and this woman, which is not only for now
but for all eternity.  Bremer, Livia, under the eyes of God and bound by
the symbol of the faith of the Lords of Kobol, I declare you sealed.” 
Thank the Lords I didn’t forget a word!  He thought with relief as Bremer
and Livia kissed each other......but not letting it last too long.  They
both knew they would have to return to their duties in the Maintenance
division, performing thorough tech inspections of the battlestar’s
complement of vipers, shuttles, small tankers and freighters that had
come courtesy of the Zykonians, and last but not least, the sixteen Cylon
raiders at their disposal.  For Bremer and Livia, there could be no
honeymoon period.  Just the simple pleasure of knowing they were at last
bonded to each other.
     After Cain and Ila offered their congratulations, the happy couple
departed to return to their duties.  Leaving the Juggernaut and the
Academician alone.
     “Well, I’m glad that’s done,” Cain sighed as he dropped back into
his chair, “I was less nervous when it was me getting married.”
     “You did fine, Cain,” Ila smiled.  “I couldn’t be happier for them. 
After what poor Bremer went through.....it’s wonderful that he’s
recovered now and that he finally realized how much Livia always cared
for him.”
     “Yes, that was my fault,” the Juggernaut admitted.  “You made me
realize how foolish it was to make them think relationships in ranks had
to remain off-limits.  And I think their getting married helps the rest
of the crew realize that the change wasn’t just to accommodate Kylie and
me but applies to all of them.  Of course I know we’re still dealing with
a big imbalance in male to female crew because of the evacuations that
took place three yahrens ago, but even so......the crew knows there’s a
chance for them to have meaningful relationships again.  Even if they
have to wait until we reach the Colonies and liberate them.”
     “That seems to put a lot of people’s minds at ease about the
future,” Ila sat down in the chair across from Cain’s desk, having been
on her feet throughout the ceremony.  “I think....that’s also one reason
why Ensign Wynn’s recovery is progressing too.”
     Cain didn’t respond at first to her mention of Wynn.  She knew how
difficult that subject was for both the Juggernaut and for his wife
because the circumstances behind Wynn’s rescue were still blocked from
Cain’s mind and Kylie’s as well.  There were details that Ila knew she
could fill in.....but that was something she wasn’t ready to tell him or
Kylie.
     “I’m glad Wynn is coming along.” he said simply.  “Having him back
alive and well did a lot for the morale of our pilots after we’d lost two
at Cannes.  I’ve told Skyler to clear him for duty at the soonest
possible opportunity.”
     “We’ve had quite a few morale boosters of late,” the Academician
mused, not showing her relief that Cain hadn’t brought up the other
matter.  “Not the least of which is the Resistance knows we’re coming.”
     “Yes,” Cain nodded.  “I assume you’ve read Adama’s update on how
much they’ve been told, as well as how things look on their end.”
     “Yes, I was up all night going through that report,” Adama’s wife
admitted.  “From what Anders describes, the overall situation hasn’t
changed too much since I left.  The local commanders on Caprica and Gemon
give the Resistance free reign to act so they’ve made the biggest impact
of all the planets.  The only significant change is that Piscera is now
free of troops and the other Outer Colonies are starting to flex their
muscles more now that they’ve got better intelligence on the right places
to attack.”
     “And the leadership thinks the presence of one fully armed
Battlestar in the Colonies can make the ultimate difference.....if the
area remains free of baseship reinforcement.”
     “Assuming we don’t run into any unaccounted for baseships out here,
all of the remaining ones in the Cylon Fleet have to be guarding the
solar system that contains their Home Planet,” Ila said.  “And that makes
the theory we’ve had from the beginning about why the Imperious Leader
hasn’t sent out reinforcements to prevent the losses in the Empire all
the more probable.”
     “You’ve never gone into great detail about that theory, Ila,” Cain
leaned back in his chair.  “I think we’re getting to the point where it
requires some elaboration.”
     She faintly smiled, “Well.....mind you, it’s all theory.  It’s not
based on firsthand knowledge or even secondhand knowledge from Commander
Valan or Commander Vulpa.  But......it’s a theory that fits the known
facts.  And it all begins with our basic understanding of how the Cylons
were able to mass produce centurions and  weapons throughout the history
of the Thousand Yahren war.”
     “Because the solar system of the Cylon home planet contains a
limitless supply of Neutrino,” Cain nodded.
     “Usable Neutrino,” Ila corrected.  “Most supplies of Neutrino known
to exist are in an alloy state.”
     “Yes, I know,” Cain acknowledged, “My old CO on the Pegasus,
Commander Summner, once told me the Cylons were the only race that had
access to near-pure Neutrino.  Just enough of an alloy to render it
vulnerable to direct laser fire, but otherwise the strongest metallic
substance in the known universe.”
     “And what if they’d been able to mass produce centurions and
baseships from 100% pure Neutrino, without any trace of alloy mixture?”
     Cain let out a guffaw, “If they ever had that, they would have
conquered the Colonies hundreds of yahrens ago.  The greater the purity,
the more intense the laser fire has to be to cause destruction.  The only
reason we were able to compensate for our own lack of access to Neutrino
was increasing our laser-fire capability, and making our capital ships
faster and more maneuverable in battle than Cylon capital ships.”
     “Exactly,” Ila nodded.  “And the fact that Colonial ships are faster
and more maneuverable than even the best Cylon baseships ever designed is
why the Cylons may have run into disaster trying to experiment with
refining Neutrino for baseship and centurion construction.  So they could
make it totally pure, and give them a state of total invulnerability.”
     Cain took in her remarks.  “That’s the theory?  They experimented
with their Neutrino refinement to make it pure and in the
process.....they lost the ability to mine it altogether?”
     “That’s one theory and it’s based on the fact that Commander Valan,
the command centurion on Caprica, acknowledged that Cylon Science has
been trying to develop such a refining process for yahrens without
success,” Ila said, “The other possibility is that the existing Neutrino
alloy supply in the home quadrant has become tapped out.  But whatever
the explanation is, the Imperious Leader clearly doesn’t have the
resources at his disposal to mass produce centurions and warships at this
point, or else putting down the Resistance in the Colonies would have
been the easiest thing to do.”
     “No question,” Cain paused, “They would have done more than send a
new task force to finish off the Colonies with scorched planet attacks,
they would have sent more baseships to go after Adama  even after they
knew Baltar had defected back.  And they would have loved an opportunity
to plunder the Ziklagi, Zykonians and the Risik once they found them. 
The fact they haven’t done any of that means it isn’t just Centurion
Enlightenment that’s stopping them.”
     “Yes,” Ila nodded.  “I’ve gone over everything Anders has told his
cousin on the Galactica via their telepathic link.  He unfortunately
doesn’t have anything to add to what I already knew when I left regarding
the state of the Cylon Empire.  They’re only limited to what Commander
Valan on Caprica finds out, and what Commander Vulpa may have heard when
he comes in from Arcta.”
     “Do they have any idea when Vulpa’s likely to come again?” Cain was
glad she’d brought the subject of Arcta up, because he knew it would
allow him to ease his way into the next thing he wanted to talk to her
about.
     “There’s no fixed time to it.  It always depends on whether Dr.
Ravashol has something new to pass along to the Resistance leaders, or
whether he has to make a visit for purposes of show to prove to the
Imperious Leader that he’s trying to give the Loyal Cylons things that
will help them root out the Resistance.”
     “Obviously it would be to our benefit if we reached Arcta before
Vulpa departs for the Colonies again,” Cain said.  “To clarify one
thing......Vulpa doesn’t travel from Arcta to the Colonies in a
baseship?”
     “No,” Ila shook her head, “He travels in a fast shuttle.  Designed
to go from one planetary system to another using a smaller version of the
hyper-drive engine Ravashol designed for my one-man shuttle.  Dr.
Ravashol reasoned that if this form of fast interplanetary travel could
be harnessed to a standard transport shuttle, then the Cylon High Command
would approve of the fact they wouldn’t have to dispatch a baseship to
take Vulpa back and forth between Arcta and the Colonies.”
     “Which would serve the High Command’s purpose of keeping whatever
baseships they have left in their home system, and at the same time
preserve Vulpa’s cover by insuring that a baseship wasn’t going to come
and discover that Vulpa and his entire garrison have been double agents
working for the Resistance all this time.  Unless the one from Cannes had
been dispatched to check things out.”
     “Exactly.”
     Cain rubbed his chin, “How long does it to take to travel from Arcta
to the Colonies in one of those ‘fast shuttles?’”
     “Usually no more than one sectan’s flight time.  The engines for the
shuttle are limited in their overall range.  Cannes I think would have
been reachable, but barely.  They couldn’t possibly have reached
Gomorrah.”
     “Not unless Ravashol expanded the engine capacity to the level of
what your shuttle has,” Cain decided it was time to get to the point. 
“And since we’re on the subject of that, Ila.......there’s something else
I wanted to bring up.  Something that......I don’t think we can avoid
talking about for too much longer.”
     The blonde Academician’s expression grew pensive.  She knew exactly
what this was going to be about.  She wondered if she should cut him off,
but she knew if she did that, it would only make Cain press on.  She
decided it was best to hear what he was going to say on a subject she’d
tried to keep buried for a long time.
     “Ila......,” Cain came forward in his chair and looked her straight
in the eye, “I think you need to start looking at the possibility of
going home.  To Adama.”
     She lowered her head and didn’t respond.
     “I’m not talking about right now,” he pressed on, “I’m talking about
after we wrap things up at Arcta.  I need you to introduce me to Dr.
Ravashol and Vulpa so I can get the full measure of what  he has to offer
not just the Resistance, but what he can also give the Pegasus so that
when we reach the Colonies we’ll be even more formidable.  Then, we can
do some serious communicating with the Resistance via the Galactica that
you should supervise because once we’re done at Arcta, I can set a final
timetable for when the Pegasus will arrive that they’ll know about.  It’s
when that process is done.......that I think it can be said that your
work will be done as far as the Resistance is concerned.”
     Ila brought her hands together, as if she were on the verge of
assuming a prayerful posture.  Finally, she broke her silence.
     “I’m not sure I like the idea of cutting out on them just at the
point when they’d be going through their greatest challenge.”
     “Ila....if I were flying in blind and those leaders like Deval and
Anders didn’t know it was me coming, I’d still need you for your
diplomatic skills to help integrate me into the Resistance command
structure.  But thanks to Lieutenant Hunley’s ability to contact them,
that’s now off the table.  The Resistance knows it’s me coming and not
the Galactica.  And I’m getting time to pass information to them and
they’re getting time to relay information to me so the process of
integration will be complete before I get there.  And it *will* be
integrated, Ila.  I’ve learned a lot from you this past yahren about how
the success of the Resistance requires me to put aside some old habits of
mine in order to achieve the goal of liberation.  The point is.....it’s
not necessary for you to act as an intermediary between me and the
Resistance any longer.”
     “I can always go back to what I did before I left Caprica,” her
hands were still together, her face still looking down.
     He let out an incredulous snort, “Going back to commando missions? 
Ila, don’t get me wrong, I know you handled yourself well in them.  But
you’re not indispensable for that kind of work, either.  You’d
be.......Lords, I don’t want this to sound harsh, but......you’d be
wasting yourself.  You’d be cutting yourself off from where you’d be
needed most.  And after we’re done at Arcta, that won’t be here on the
Pegasus or in the Colonies.”
     She remained silent.  Her position still the same.  Even with her
face lowered, Cain could sense the conflict inside her.  The conflict of
someone torn between a sense of duty.....and her heart’s greatest desire.
     “Ila,” her in-law said as gently as he could, “I’m not
second-guessing that you stayed with us when I made the decision to turn
back and help the Resistance instead of follow Adama when we were that
close to him.  You made a decision from the heart that the Lords meant
for you to stay with me and give me the help I needed during some
critical stages in the journey back.  And Ila......I thank the Lords
every day that you made that decision, even though it came at such great
cost to you.  I needed you to not just inform me about the Resistance, I
needed you to teach me lessons in diplomacy that helped us avoid
potential disasters on the way.  And I needed you to be the.......friend
and counselor I’d never had before who could talk to me on an equal
footing and hold your own in a discussion with me.  The fact that we
found out we had the common bond of family between us thanks to Apollo
and Sheba I’m sure helped that, but.....even if we’d never found that
detail out, I know I would have needed you just the same for what you’ve
given me.  And I’m grateful for all of that, Ila.  You’ve made a
difference in a way I can’t even begin to quantify.  As far as I’m
concerned, the day we found your shuttle and you became part of our lives
is the day this ship and its crew was reborn.”
     Ila finally raised her head so that she was looking at him again.  A
faint smile had formed on her face which revealed how much she
appreciated his words.  But even with that, she still seemed to lack the
strength to say anything.
     “And I’ll add this,” Cain smiled, “Thank you for playing matchmaker
and bringing Kylie and me together.”
     Ila broke her silence with a chuckle, “I just gave what was already
there a helpful nudge.”
     “Ha!” Cain exclaimed.  “More like a kick in the you know where!”
     She laughed and then it trailed off into a deep sigh,
“Cain......thank you.  And.....believe me, what you’ve been talking
about......I’ve thought about it a lot.  But......let’s not decide this
today.  It’s still too early for that.”
     “Fair enough,” he nodded.  “I’m not trying to force the issue today
either, Ila.  But the honesty we’ve had between us all this time means
you’re entitled to know where I stand on this.”
     “And I know Kylie feels the same way,” Ila said.  “I sort of got
that vibe from her the last time we had one of our private talks. 
And.....I do understand that now that you two are married, you can rely
on her for counsel and comfort in ways that even I could never give you.”
     “That alone would never be a reason for me to encourage you to go
home, Ila,” Cain said with total seriousness.  “It’s only because I truly
believe you’re nearing the limit of how far you can help the Resistance.”
     “I understand,” the blonde Academician rose from her chair, “We’ll
talk about this again.....another time, Cain.”
     “Of course,” he nodded, “Thank you, Ila.”
     When she left the room, Cain sighed as he realized that for Ila, the
question wasn’t as simple as it might have seemed.  He knew how much she
longed to be with Adama and her family again.  He also knew how devoted
she was to helping the Resistance.  And he also knew that there wasn’t
necessarily a guarantee that her shuttle could carry her safely across
the galaxy to the Galactica.  Especially when they had journeyed so far
back toward her original starting position and the Galactica continued to
move further away in the opposite direction toward its final destination
of Earth.
     Maybe that’s why she’s apprehensive about the possibility of using
that shuttle again.  Because she’s not certain she could make it.  And if
that happened......
     The Juggernaut decided it was best to let that thought go
unfinished.


     “Phoenix leader calling Silver leader.”
     Captain Skyler hesitated for just a fraction before acknowledging. 
It was the first patrol he’d flown with Flight Leader Gryphon of Phoenix
Group since the Cylon command pilot had received his new voice.  No
longer the traditional synthesized growl of centurions but a human voice
reprogrammed by Dr. Arnoff utilizing an old video-com recording from an
entertainment broadcast as a reference guide.  The technique of upgrading
the centurion voices was something the Zykonians had introduced to them
at Brylon station when there had only been the four Cylons in their ranks
from the Delta Aquinas garrison.  Commander Cobre, the lead Cylon had
been given the voice that had been that of the IL Cylon Lucifer.  The
other three had been given human voices the Zykonians had on file.  In
the case of the forty odd Cylons who had subsequently joined the Pegasus
after the negotiated truce at Gomorrah (plus an additional six who were
the sole survivors of the Cylon garrison at Cannes), their new voices had
to come from the old entertainment recordings so they could be totally
innocuous to the human ears of the Pegasus crew.  It was a process that
had been implemented gradually.  Centurions were free to decide when they
wanted their voices changed as part of the “Enlightenment” process since
they knew a human-sounding voice effectively elevated them to the same
level as the IL class and the civilian DG class.  But some had been asked
to hold back from having their voices changed because they might be
needed for missions that involved infiltrating random Cylon listening
posts that still existed in the Alpha Quadrant between Cannes and Arcta. 
If a centurion could infiltrate such an outpost, it would be possible to
gauge whether the crew of such a facility might be won over to joining
the Resistance.  But it would require having one centurion present who
still talked like a typical centurion.  A human sounding centurion would
have to remain silent.....until the right opportunity presented itself.
     In keeping with that practice, Gryphon had undergone the change in
voice, but his two pilots, who still carried the designations “G1" and
“G2" had not.  That way his team would be ready to spring into action if
they found a listening post to investigate during this patrol.  
     “Silver leader acknowledging Phoenix leader.  Go ahead,” Skyler
answered him.
     “Our scanning indicates possible readings on the asteroid in sector
delta, four-two-two.  Metallic structures......and possible indications
of metallic crafts.”
     “A listening post?” Skyler asked.
     “There are no active power emanations from the asteroid.  It is
possible this is an abandoned facility.”
     “Okay, just to be on the safe side, go to full cloak immediately. 
And maintain radio silence while we make our scanning pass.”
     “Affirmative.”
     Fully cloaked thanks to the Zykonian technology they’d been given,
the single Raider and single Viper moved in on the asteroid.  Skyler
instinctively looked at his instrument panel like he always did when
going into cloak mode.  No matter how many times he’d used the
invisibility shield, he could never completely overcome the apprehensive
fear that one day he’d flick the switch and then discover he couldn’t see
his instrument panel.  Thankfully, his fears had proved groundless once
again.
     “More details on scan,” Gryphon’s voice reported.  “One central
structure.  Approximately five craft of indeterminate nature housed
inside structure.  Also indication of......one sentient life form.”
     “Life form?” Skyler’s head tilted up in surprise.  “Is it
potentially human?”
     “Unable to determine.  However......scanner does not indicate
presence of life forms to indicate Cylon personnel.  Whatever this
sentient being is......it is quite alone.”
     “That adds up to something I don’t think any of us expected,” Skyler
noted.  “Okay, here’s my tactical judgment.  We both land cloaked so that
way neither of us wastes fuel......but I do the investigating since a
sentient being may not react positively to the sight of a Cylon.”
     “I concur with your judgment, Captain Skyler.”


     Five centons later, both ships had landed on the asteroid at a point
some fifty metrones from the structure.  Closer scanning showed that the
structure was in an abandoned condition.  If it had been used as a Cylon
listening post at one point, it clearly wasn’t being used for that
purpose now.  As Skyler stepped out of his viper and approached it, he
felt a sense of foreboding that he might have felt if he’d been
approaching a proverbial ‘haunted house’. 
     “I’m headed in,” he reported on his com-line to Gryphon, who
remained inside the raider with his two pilots.  “My com-line will stay
open so you can hear everything I say.  But I would suggest not
contacting me unless I signal you first.”
     “By your-----,” and then Gryphon stopped and said, “Affirmative,
Captain Skyler.”
     Old voice gone, and with it an old habit, Skyler smiled wryly as he
reached what looked like an outer door that led inside.  It was slightly
ajar as if it had been pulled open and partially closed by hand since it
was clear that whatever power once controlled the door mechanism was no
longer active.  Cautiously, he reached for the exposed edge and with only
moderate effort found he was able to push it far enough so he could get
inside.
     Here goes, he thought as he stepped in and instinctively unholstered
his laser pistol.  He looked about and saw he was in landing bay area. 
It was clear that the only way ships could enter and exit this area was
when the giant steel wall lifted up.  Clearly the wall wasn’t capable of
doing that any longer, leaving the few remaining ships that were in here
trapped inside forever.
     As Skyler’s eyes adjusted to the dimly lit conditions, he recognized
the familiar contours of several ships.
     “Okay, I’ve just spotted two, three, four Cylon fighters lying
inside here.  It’s obvious this place used to be a listening post for
them.  As to why they left these fighters here......probably because they
were in a damaged condition at the time this base was abandoned?”
     Hearing nothing on the com-line, he added, “That was a question I
was putting to you, Gryphon.”
     “My apologies,” his new human sounding voice answered.  “Yes, if an
outpost as small as this needed to be abandoned on short notice, they
would leave behind any fighters not capable of flying.”
     “And facilities like this didn’t have their own self-destruct
mechanism?” Skyler took a few more steps closer to one of the raiders. 
He could see cable lines snaking out of the bottom which confirmed its
inoperable condition.  “Why bother leaving all this standing and risk
having it plundered by someone else?”
     “Traditionally, the Cylon attitude would be that whatever they found
to be of no value could surely not be of value to anyone else.”
     “Good point,” Skyler acknowledged as he resumed walking towards the
rear end of the landing area.  “Okay, resuming my general observations. 
There seems to be one ship here that isn’t a raider.  It looks more like
a......no wait.  This doesn’t look familiar to me at all.  It’s clearly
neither Colonial nor Cylon in origin.  Undoubtedly constructed by another
race.  I’d say it’s probably not a fighter, but not big enough to be a
transport shuttle.  Maybe more like a private civilian shuttle.”
     He saw an open hatch on the strange craft.  Raising his pistol to
chest level, he approached the opening and cautiously stepped in.
     He could see an empty pilot’s seat at the front and a dormant
instrument panel.  Looking toward the rear, he could see a blinking light
providing the faintest level of illumination.  It was at the very back of
the ship.  Slowly, he walked toward it.  As he drew closer he could make
out more clearly the shape of stacked crates lining the sides of the
hull.  And then......the sight of what seemed like a blanket covering a
form lying on the floor.
     The Captain kept his pistol trained in front of him as he cautiously
knelt down, reached for the blanket with his left hand and pulled it
back.  He was greeted immediately to the sight of a sleeping humanoid
form in tattered, disheveled clothing.  And then, a split second later,
the body turned toward him and opened it’s eyes.  Revealing the suddenly
terrified face of a sandy-haired woman in her early twenties.  She let
out a gasp of horror.
     “Easy, easy!” Skyler said as gently as he could, pushing back the
stunned surprise he was feeling.  “I won’t hurt you.  I won’t hurt you.”
     “I won’t go back,” she whispered as she pushed herself back against
the rear bulkhead wall.  “I won’t go back.  Kill me instead.  I came here
to die in peace.”
     “I’m not going to kill you, and I’m not going to.....take you back
to wherever it is you came from.  I’m.....here to help you.”
     He could see her eyes squinting as if she were trying to make out
more details in the general darkness of the ship.  “Who.....who are you?”
     “I’m Captain Skyler of the Battlestar Pegasus,” he said.  “You can
trust me.”
     The fear in her face suddenly turned to confusion, “You’re
a.......Colonial warrior?”
     “Yes.  Yes, I am.”
     “It’s not possible,” she shook her head disbelievingly, “They said
there were none of you left.  That you were all destroyed.”
     “Well it’s not true.  There are still a lot of us left,” Skyler’s
voice grew more gentle, “What’s your name?”
     “Jocasta,” her voice quivered.
     “Jocasta,” he repeated.  “Where did you come from?”
     “I.....I fled.  I.....had to get away from home.  My ship......out
of fuel, so I landed here.”
     “You can’t stay here, Jocasta,” Skyler said with concern.  “Even if
you brought your own supplies, you’ll eventually run out.  Nothing grows
here in this place.  It’s an abandoned complex.  Staying here means
you’ll die.”
     “Better than where I was,” she turned her head away from him,
“Better than where I might have ended up if I hadn’t fled.”
     “Fled from where?” he asked. “From the Colonies?”
     “No,” the woman named Jocasta shook her head, “I’m not from the
Colonies.  I’m from.....the Colonial settlement on......Starlos.”
     Skyler’s eyes widened as her back story started to fall into place.
     “Just give me a centon,” he said as he got to his feet and stepped
back towards the cockpit area of the ship.  He reholstered his laser and
took out the com-line.  “Gryphon, did you hear everything?”
     “Yes.  Do you have instructions for me?”
     “Yes, I do,” Skyler’s gratitude that Phoenix Leader no longer had
his old voice had increased a hundred fold.  The last thing he was sure
Jocasta wanted to hear was the sound of a Cylon voice.  “I want you to
take off and head back to the Pegasus.  Contact them and tell them I’ve
found a human survivor in this abandoned outpost who needs help.  Request
a shuttle with med-tech to get here as soon as possible.  And be sure to
tell Commander Cain that the survivor comes from Starlos.  Repeat,
Starlos.”
     “I will do so,” Phoenix Leader acknowledged.  “I presume you intend
to wait.”
     “That is correct.  I’m staying put with the survivor until a shuttle
arrives.”
     “Good luck, Captain Skyler.  Signing off.”
     This way she won’t find out about Cylons in our ranks until she gets
back to the Pegasus, Skyler thought as he walked back to where Jocasta
was still huddling at the rear of the ship.  We can’t let her know about
that yet.
     “Okay, Jocasta,” he knelt by her and said tenderly.  “The other ship
in my patrol is going back to get help for you.  You’re going to come
back to the Pegasus and you’ll be safe.”
     “The Lords do exist,” she seemed on the verge of crying, “I’d come
to believe they weren’t there.  Not after......everything that’s happened
on Starlos.”
     “Suppose you tell me all about it,” he reached out and gently
touched her shoulder.  “Everything you know about what’s happened on
Starlos.”
     For the first time, Jocasta seemed to relax.  And she began to talk.

Chapter Two

     “Starlos?” Cain asked as Kylie summarized everything over the
vid-com from the Bridge.
     “That’s where Captain Skyler said the survivor is from.”
     “You’ve already sent out a shuttle, I take.”
     “Yes,” the Senior Bridge Officer nodded.  “Bryce and McCalla are
piloting.  They have a med-tech with them too.  As a precaution, I also
sent out Lieutenant Tegran to act as a viper escort.  Given the magnitude
of the situation, the shuttle shouldn’t go unaccompanied.”
     “Smart thinking,” Cain nodded, feeling glad that his wife was
showing proper command initiative when she needed to demonstrate it. 
“How long will it take them to get there?”
     “Probably not for a centar at least, based on were the outpost lies. 
Then give them time to attend to the woman, and allowing for the return,
they probably won’t be back earlier than two centars from now.”
     “Okay, keep me posted on anything else that happens, Kylie.”
     “Yes, sir,” the vid-com went dark.
     Cain immediately turned his attention to the Executive Officer, “So
after all this time, we finally get some inkling of what’s happened to
the one ‘Open Planet’ in the whole Alpha Quadrant.”
     Tolen nodded, “It certainly vindicates your decision not to check
Starlos when we were still wandering this area of the galaxy before we
found Ila.”
     “Even if things on Starlos were still status quo, it wouldn’t have
been safe to check.  Her status as an Open Planet meant there was a Cylon
zone and a Colonial zone amidst all the races that had access to the
planet.  Keeping our presence a secret would have been next to
impossible.”
     “And even more so now,” Tolen said.  “The Cylons must have
overthrown the Vizier’s government and conquered the planet.”
     “I’m not sure it’s as simple as that, Colonel,” Cain idly picked up
his swagger stick and brushed it against the edge of his desk.  “If
Starlos had been conquered just after the Destruction or any time up to a
yahren or two ago, that information would have been in the Lucifer memory
banks.  Starlos was too significant a planet for him to not know it had
been brought under Cylon control.”
     “That’s true,” Tolen admitted and then his eyebrows knotted
slightly, “And come to think of it.....given the fact that Starlos isn’t
that far from Arcta......wouldn’t Ila have known something about the
planet from Commander Vulpa?”
     “Yes, you’re right,” Cain said as he reached for the vid-com button,
“I think we need to ask her about that.”
     “And Commander Cobre too.”


     “The Lucifer memory banks did not indicate there had been any change
in the status of Starlos following the conquest of the Colonies,” Cobre
was saying.  “The Grand Vizier of Starlos was apparently quite adamant
that the Cylon conquest of the Colonies did not change anything regarding
Starlos’s status as an Open Planet to all alien races.  That meant the
human colony living on the planet was still safe from any harassment by
the Cylon enclave.  Presumably, if there were any refugees from the
Colonies that sought sanctuary on Starlos, the Vizier would have likely
extended it......provided they weren’t numerous.  One or two stray ships
as opposed to any kind of deep convoy.”
     “So if any change did take place, Commander Lucifer would have been
unaware of it.” Cain observed.
     “Most likely.  Since Commander Lucifer’s responsibility was to
proceed into deep space in pursuit of the Galactica, it’s not surprising
he wouldn’t have been kept up to date on the status of planets far behind
him that the Galactica never visited.  Remember, his information was not
fully up to date regarding the situation on Cannes.”
     Cain looked over at Ila, “And you never head a word about Starlos
from Commander Vulpa?”
     “Not a word,” the blonde Academician shook her head, “Vulpa never
mentioned any contact with Starlos.  It’s closer in terms of distance to
Arcta as opposed to the Colonies but Vulpa never had any reason to go
there.  The Cylon counsel would technically have limited authority if the
Grand Vizier still holds the upper hand.”
     “If he does after all this time, then he’s a more cunning leader
than any of us would have figured,” Cain grunted, “You would have thought
after the Destruction of the Colonies that nothing would have prevented
the Cylons from moving in on Starlos......unless they were too
preoccupied at the time.”
     “Perhaps,” Cobre acknowledged.  “But if it is true that conditions
on Starlos have become intolerable to the human community which prompted
this lone female to escape.......we have not yet ascertained that is due
to any High Command activity.”
     “That’s true,” the Juggernaut conceded, “We need to wait and find
out if what she’s describing is the result of increased Cylon
activity......or if the Vizier decided to safeguard his position by
withdrawing protection for the humans on the planet.”
     “And when we find out, what are our options?” Tolen asked.
     Cain smiled grimly, “That is a question we’re going to have to give
some careful consideration to, Colonel.”


     After leaving Cain’s quarters, Ila decided to go to Dr. Arnoff’s lab
since there were some things she wanted to discuss with the Electronics
Chief.  That meant walking with Commander Cobre who did most of his work
in the Lab.  She could have gone at a quicker walking pace than the
Cylon, but she’d long ago recognized it was smart diplomacy to stay
alongside him, even if no conversation passed between them.  As it turned
out, the command centurion did want to talk to her.
     “Professor Ila,” Cobre said as he walked alongside her in the
corridor.  “In light of the conversation we just had with Commander Cain,
when will it be appropriate to inform him of the matter we discussed
several sectans ago?”
     Ila turned her head to him without breaking her stride.  She didn’t
say anything though.
     “I was referring to the recording the Galactica sent you of the
individual whose voice is the same as------,”
     “I know what you’re talking about, Commander Cobre,” Ila didn’t want
him to finish the sentence.  “I’m afraid right now, we can’t talk about
that subject with Commander Cain or anyone else on the Pegasus.  That
could lead to a reopening of the circumstances surrounding Ensign Wynn’s
rescue, and also what happened to Commander Cain and Captain Kylie when
they found him.  This isn’t the right time for that.”
     “I respect your judgment, Professor, but......I confess to being
puzzled because this information would obviously be of interest to not
just Commander Cain, but to all other Cylons as well.”
     “Yes, I understand, Cobre.  It does touch on a significant matter
for both humans and Cylons alike, but......I think the right time to
bring this up would be when we reach Arcta and can have a full exchange
of information with Commander Vulpa.  Would that be agreeable?”
     “I have no objection to whatever you believe should be the right
timetable, Professor,” Cobre admitted.  “I only wished to confirm that
this information *will* be addressed eventually with the others and that
it is not being consigned to a permanent classified file as you
instructed.”
     “No, certainly not,” she injected as much reassurance into her
voice.  “It will be dealt with at an appropriate time.  You have my
promise.”
     “Thank you, Professor.”

     
     “I was born on Starlos in the Colonial zone,” the woman named
Jocasta had begun.  “My....family had lived there for over six
generations.  I don’t even remember which Colony our ancestors originally
came from.  Our family was......prosperous in merchant trading with all
the races who had their own zones on the planet.  The Delphians.  The
Orions.  The Hasari.  Starlos.....was a wonderful place to live, even
with the Cylons having their own diplomatic and trading zone.  They
weren’t allowed to harm anyone because of Starlos’s status as an Open
Planet, and they valued Starlos too much as a trade partner.”
     “When did that change?” Skyler handed her a container of water he’d
retrieved from his viper.  She took it gratefully and downed half of it
in a gulp.
     “A little over a yahren ago,” Jocasta wiped her mouth.  “Grand
Vizier Pasha revoked all the diplomatic protections for most of the races
on Starlos.  The Cylons were now free to round up whoever they wanted to
become their prisoners.”
     “Prisoners?” Skyler was surprised, “You mean capture alive and not
kill?”
     “Yes.  They.....didn’t want to kill us, they wanted us
for.....something else.  Some kind of......slave labor.  It wasn’t just
the humans they were allowed to round up, they also took the Delphians
and the Hasari too.”
     “But  they left the Starlosians alone because the Vizier gave the
Cylons permission to do what they wanted.”
     Jocasta nodded as she drank the rest of the water from the
container.
     “Were you captured by the Cylons?”
     “My fiancee Teper was,” she coughed once,   “For about six sectars,
my father and I were in hiding.  We’d fled to the Orion zone because they
were the only race the Cylons weren’t allowed to round up.  I think it
was because Orion was still too important to the Vizier as a trade
partner that he declared them off-limits.  But any individual Orion
caught harboring someone from one of the targeted races was subject to
arrest by local Starlos authority, so we had to be kept hidden from them. 
An Orion businessman my father knew put us up in the attic of an
abandoned storehouse he owned.  We were housed there with a  family of
Hasari.  Never able to go out or open the windows.  Always waiting for
our benefactors to bring food.  We were safe but it was a prison.  My
father soon began to crack from the whole ordeal.  One day he-----,” she
shook her head and trembled.
     “Easy, easy,” Skyler reached out and put his arm around her.  “It’s
okay.  If it’s too painful, you don’t have to go into all those details.”
     As if on impulse, she leaned closer to him, “No....I’ve got to tell
you.  I need to tell someone.  My father couldn’t take it any longer.  We
were having our morning meal together with the Hasari family and
suddenly......right in the middle of it, without a micron’s warning, he
suddenly bolted for the door that led to the outside.  The Hasaris had to
tackle him and get something over his mouth because he was screaming that
he couldn’t take another day of it any longer living like this.  But that
didn’t work and finally.......” she shuddered again.  “They had to kill
him.  He was making so much noise it would have attracted attention from
the people walking down the street in front of the building.  The Starlos
authorities would have been called in and they would have inspected the
building and likely found us.  Oh Lords of Kobol, it was so awful.  These
Hasari were our friends, and they had no choice but to kill him!” she
burst into sobs and suddenly embraced Skyler, burying her head on his
shoulder.
     The Pegasus captain was at a total loss for words.  All he could do
was hold her and let her have his shoulder to cry on as she finally
expended her grief over what she’d been through.
     Finally, after more than two centons, and with her still clinging to
him, he found the strength to ask her a question.  “And after that?”
     “The....Orion businessman, Mr. Kraler, who was harboring us realized
I couldn’t stay there any longer.  I didn’t blame the Hasari family for
why they acted, but.....we both knew we couldn’t look each other in the
eye again if we kept living in the same hiding place.  So Mr. Kraler
looked for a way to get me off the planet.  That was really my only
option.  Get me aboard a shuttle I could fly and hopefully find a planet
I could escape to.”
     “All by yourself?” Skyler’s horror increased.
     She lifted her head from his shoulder and let out a mirthless
chuckle, “I had trained to become a transport pilot to help my father’s
business interests.  That was where I’d met my fiancee, who’d been my
instructor.  There was no question I could fly a transport ship.  The
only question was how far could I get.  The only place that seemed viable
was the Hatari System, because the information we had on that region was
that it had been abandoned by both sides in the war ten yahrens ago.”
     “If you were trying for the Hatari System, you went in the wrong
direction when you left Starlos.”
     “I had to dump out of my programmed navigational heading just after
I escaped the planet’s atmosphere,” Jocasta leaned back against the wall,
“Starlos Security runs a constant patrol around the planetary perimeter. 
Apparently they’d instituted a new policy for all non-Cylon craft leaving
the planet.  You have to give a special code to get past them, or else
you have to return to Starlos and if you don’t......they open fire on
you.  If I hadn’t remembered what.......” she stopped and shook her head
to try and force back a new wave of emotional breakdown from surfacing,
“What my fiancee had taught me.....I wouldn’t have gotten past them. 
They....didn’t have the range to pursue so they didn’t follow me.”
     “But you couldn’t get your navigational fix on the Hatari System
back,” Skyler finally added things up.
     “No,” the young woman shook her head.  “Star navigation wasn’t
something I’d mastered yet.  Once I lost the programmed heading......I
couldn’t find my way back to it.  I’d gotten away from Starlos Security,
but.....I was totally lost.  All I could do was keep flying away from
Starlos and hopefully find a place I could land on.  But......after three
cycles of non-stop flying without any sleep, this was all I found.  An
abandoned Cylon listening post.  Breathable atmosphere, but......no food
or water beyond what I already had with me.”
     He looked up and down at the row of crates.  “How long would your
supplies have lasted?”
     “Oh......probably a few sectans,” she then looked him in the eye,
“And to answer your next question, yes, I would have killed myself
eventually.  I wasn’t going to let myself die from starvation or be taken
back by a party from Starlos.  But.....I wasn’t going to rush that.  It’s
easy to say you’re going to kill yourself at some point, but.......you
don’t want to commit to that until you know you’ve got no other choice. 
So......I stayed curled up here in the back of the ship eating and
drinking what I had until.......there you were.”
     “And thank the Lords of Kobol, I’m here,” Skyler touched her arm. 
“A shuttle’s on it’s way and they’ll take you back to the Pegasus. 
You’ll be safe there.”
     “You’ll go with me?” an edge of longing entered her voice.  “I.....I
couldn’t feel safe going anywhere without you.”
     He was taken aback by her remark and almost let go of her arm. 
“Well.....I have my viper.  I have to fly that back.  I’ll be alongside
the shuttle the whole time.”
     “Please,” her voice was pleading, “Please be there for me.”
     “I will, I will,” Skyler knew he had to sound reassuring for her and
not do anything to upset her.  “When we get back to the Pegasus they’ll
probably take you to the Life Station, and I promise you, I’ll be there. 
You have my word.....as a warrior.”
     She looked him in the eye and then impulsively, she threw her arms
around him again.  Only this time, she also kissed the warrior firmly on
the mouth.  Once again, Skyler found himself too startled by this sudden
display of emotional release.  But he found himself unable.....or
unwilling to push her back.
     After fifteen microns she let go of him and an apologetic look came
over her.
     “I’m sorry,” Jocasta whispered, “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to act like
some lovesick daggit. It’s just......it’s been so horrible.  What I had
to go through, and what.....might have happened.”
     “I understand,” the Captain knew he had to keep an even keel. 
Already, he was feeling guilt inside him.  Guilt that by not pushing her
back, he might be leading her on about how he felt about her.  And guilt
that he was betraying an oath he’d taken to stay true to his former
girlfriend on Gemon, Shayleen.  He had yet to give up hope that she might
be among the survivors in the Resistance.  The merest hint of involvement
with another woman was something he’d never wanted to contemplate.  And
yet.....the ordeal Jocasta had gone through showed a woman who
desperately needed someone to lean on emotionally.  And as the one who
had found her, it was going to be impossible for her to look to anyone
other than him.
     Lords of Kobol, I’m grateful she’s alive, but I feel like I’m
stepping into something too big for me to handle, he thought.
     “There’s a lot more I haven’t told you,” she went on,
“About.....what the Cylons are doing with the humans they’re rounding up
on Starlos.  What I might have faced if I’d been turned in......But I
just.....” she shuddered.
     “It’s okay,” the gentle reassurance entered Skyler’s voice.  “It can
keep.  It’s going to be more important for you to tell Commander Cain
about all that.  So you can save it for when you talk to him, and that
way......you don’t have to repeat all these other details twice.”
     “Thank you,” Jocasta said gratefully, “Thank you, Skyler.”
     That she didn’t address him as ‘Captain Skyler’ wasn’t lost on him. 
“You’re welcome,” trying to break the mood, he then added, “I’ll get you
some more water.”
     As he walked back down the narrow passage of the shuttle, with his
back now turned to her, he let out a slow exhale to relax himself.  Too
much was happening too fast for Silver Spar Leader.


     After finishing her business in the Lab, Ila had returned to her
cabin to ponder the matter Commander Cobre had brought up.  Before Cain
had broached the subject of her possibly returning to Adama and the
Galactica at long last, this had been the most difficult thing on the
Academician’s mind.  The connection between a man her family had crossed
paths with more than once called Count Iblis.......and the very creation
of the Cylon robotic race itself.  A connection made clear by the fact
that when Ila had been playing a recording of Count Iblis speaking that
Adama had sent her, Cobre had wandered by and immediately recognized the
voice of the Imperious Leader.  Subsequent conversations with Adama,
Apollo and Sheba had revealed a lot more about Count Iblis and his true
nature......but for now Ila had to keep silent about all that with Cain
and everyone else on the Pegasus.  Whatever Cain and Kylie had learned
about the mysterious figure when Ensign Wynn had been rescued had been
blotted from their memories, and Ila could only regard that as the
intervention of a Higher Power that didn’t want the truth about Iblis to
be known.....yet.
     But the things she had learned had been hard to push out of her
mind.  Especially with the cryptic references Cobre and the other Cylons
on the Pegasus had made about “The Makers.”  Reinforcing the same cryptic
references she’d heard from Commander Valan and other Enlightened Cylons
on Caprica from time to time.  
     The Makers.  The ones responsible for helping the original Cylon
race create the Cylon robotic race.  And Count Iblis, with the same voice
as the Imperious Leader, is the Maker who was responsible for turning the
robots against their creators.  And according to Adama, Apollo and
Sheba......Iblis is a fallen member of......the Guardians of the
Universe.  The servants of the Almighty.
     But it wasn’t possible to simply view the Cylons as the spawn of
Evil itself.  That would have been true if Iblis had created the robots
singlehandedly, knowing they would eventually turn against the original
race of Cylon reptiles and destroy them.  But the use of the term
“Makers” implied something different, especially in the context of
newfound Enlightenment on the part of so many Cylon robots.  Cylons
reaching back for the first time into the deep Mystery behind their
origins.  When the original intent had perhaps been......for good.
     It would explain so much, Ila thought.  It would explain the whole
reason *why* this phenomenon of Enlightenment has taken place.  Because
for the first time, in their deep subconscious, they’re recalling that
their original purpose was *not* to destroy!  That their original
programming was corrupted by the one whose voice has ruled over them the
last thousand yahrens.
     Like the theory she had described to Cain about the Cylon inability
to reinforce their war machine, it was a theory that fit the facts.  But
still just a theory.  And because of the connection to what Cain and
Kylie had gone through, she couldn’t do any open speculating about it. 
Not until Arcta, when events would force her hand on that point. 
Commander Cobre’s desire for following the matter up would have to be
addressed, and doing it in the presence of Commander Vulpa would offer
the best opportunity.  That would in turn lead to informing Commander
Valan on Caprica, and then the Resistance itself.
     And once that happened......would Cain’s memory as well as Kylie’s
be loosened regarding the events that had taken place pertaining to
Ensign Wynn’s rescue?  Would the real truth that likely explained why
Kylie had come back from that event with a tumor that needed to be
removed and leave her unable to have children be explained?
     And how does this ultimately impact what Apollo, Sheba and Adama
have gone through?
     Too many questions.  Ones that made Ila extremely reluctant to
contemplate the idea that she was fated to leave the Pegasus and the
Resistance before they were fully resolved.  No matter how much she ached
inside to be with her husband again.
     

     “Status?” Cain asked as he arrived on the Bridge.
     “They’re on the way back,” Kylie said.  “They should be aboard in
ten centons.”
     “No one else but the one woman?”
     “No one else.”
     The Juggernaut went to the Navigation Board and looked at it
intently.  He pointed his swagger stick at the top where the location of
the abandoned Cylon listening post was.
     “Using that abandoned outpost as a starting point, how much flight
time from Starlos would we be?”
     “Three cycles at normal speed,” Kylie said without hesitation.  The
six yahrens she’d spent manning the scanners and helm before her
promotion meant she could compute the distances from one point to another
in this part of the Alpha Quadrant instantaneously.
     “And probably out of the range of the normal security patrols the
Starlosians would use to keep people from escaping,” his eyes narrowed,
“It’s going to be essential to stay completely out of their range.  We
can’t let anyone there know we’re out here.  Especially now.”
     “Commander, incoming message from the shuttle,” Altair reported from
the communications terminal.  
     Cain slipped on his headset and keyed the mic, “Go ahead shuttle,”
     “Commander, the refugee’s been given full medical treatment,”
Lieutenant Bryce reported.  “Her name is Jocasta, and she’s willing to
talk to you immediately when we land.....provided you honor one request.”
     “And that is?”
     “She insists Captain Skyler be present.  He’s clearly had a calming
effect on her.  She wanted him to be with her on the shuttle and when he
told her he had to fly his viper back, she was ready to have a meltdown. 
The Captain’s had to keep talking to her on a com-line for most of the
journey back just to get her to obey the Med-Tech.”
     Cain let out a grunt, “Request granted, but she’s going to have to
learn not to make a habit of that.  Is she showing signs of......mental
instability?”
     “Well, she’s clearly been through a rough ordeal, sir, and I think
because Skyler was the one who found her, she feels safer with him
around.”
     “Understandable.  Have them both report to my quarters immediately
upon landing.”
     “Yes sir.”


     As Cain listened to Jocasta repeat the same story she’d told Skyler,
he noticed how the woman was practically clinging to the Captain for
support.  She spent the whole interview seated across from him with
Skyler standing next to her chair holding her hand.  The Juggernaut’s
eyes could tell that Jocasta was squeezing Skyler’s hand tightly as
though she couldn’t bear the thought of letting go.  Already, he found
himself wondering if this was going to cause further complications.
     “And that’s everything......Commander,” her voice trailed off, as
though she had gone through another ordeal that she was glad was over. 
“When I realized I had nothing left but the supplies in my shuttle that
had been given me, I was just.....ready to die when the time came.”
     “I see,” Cain digested everything.  “Tell me Jocasta.  You say the
Cylons have been rounding up the humans on Starlos, but not to kill
them.”
     “No,” she shook her head.  “They made it clear they wanted us
for.....slave labor.”
     “Where?” he asked.  “Obviously not on Starlos itself.  And the
Resistance in the Colonies has no knowledge of human prisoners from
outside being brought back there.”
     “I’m not sure, Commander Cain,” Jocasta shook her head vigorously as
she trembled again.  “I honestly don’t know.  Some other outpost outside
the Starlos system I imagine.”
     Cain decided to delicately probe, “What about the Cylon home world? 
Did you ever hear anything that might suggest that was a possibility?”
     The young woman’s face took on a contemplative air.  “Now that I
think about it.....yes.  Yes, not on the Cylon home world itself,
but.....in the same solar system.  I didn’t hear that directly in any
kind of proclamation, but that was the rumor going about that that’s
where the Cylons were taking their prisoners.”
     Score one for Ila’s theory, Cain thought.  “But no hint as to the
purpose?”
     “I really don’t know.  But if they weren’t going to kill us in some
kind of public show, it would have to be for some kind of slave labor. 
That was the sense all of us had, and why we knew we had to stay hidden
at all costs.”
     “I understand,” Cain nodded as he leaned back in his chair.  “Now
this change in policy by the Grand Vizier only happened a little over a
yahren ago?”
     “Yes.”
     “So for two yahrens after the Destruction of the Colonies, things
were still pretty much the same on Starlos?”
     “Well.....yes.  Not that we weren’t uneasy about it.  It kind of
helped that we actually learned about the Destruction when Pasha made a
speech about it and he wasted no time making it clear that Starlos would
remain an Open Planet and that all treaties regarding existing
settlements would still be honored as if nothing had happened.  That
meant the Cylons couldn’t move on our settlement or any of the others or
else Pasha would have ordered their expulsion from the planet.”
     “And the Cylons just accepted that?” this surprised Cain.
     “I don’t know what means Pasha had to make them accept his edict,
but for two yahrens they accepted it and......life went on for us until
the Pasha revoked his protection for all other races save the Orion and
one or two others.”
     “One last question,” the Juggernaut leaned forward.  “You are aware
that a number of Cylons throughout the Empire have turned against the
High Command and are helping us now.”
     “She was briefed on that during the trip back,” Skyler spoke up for
the first time.  “We felt it was important to let her know that in case
any centurions were in the landing bay at the time of our return.”
     “Yes,” Jocasta nodded and she seemed to tremble slightly as though
this information had unnerved her and she hadn’t come to terms with it
yet.  “Yes.....I know, though I don’t.....understand.”
     “Then I have to assume you never saw any Cylons on Starlos
developing what we’ve called ‘Enlightenment’ or any unwillingness to
follow the High Command’s edicts?”
     “No,” she vigorously shook her head, “Never.”
     “I think that will be all then.  Jocasta, I know you’ve been through
a terrible ordeal, but that’s all over now.  You’re in a place of safety
that will remain safe since we don’t plan on getting ourselves into any
major engagements with the Cylons until we reach the Colonies and join up
with the Resistance.  As far as finding a suitable designation for you,
that can wait while you take some much needed time to rest and
recuperate.  I think for now you’d better bunk in the Life Station for
the next twenty-four centars so they can make sure your vitals are okay. 
After that, I’ll have your permanent quarters ready.”
     He activated the switch to the door, which slid open.  Lieutenant
Bryce, the head of Colonial Security, had been standing outside waiting. 
He promptly turned and entered.
     “Bryce, escort our guest to the Life Station for now.  Twenty-four
centar observation.”
     “No!” Jocasta blurted as she impulsively grabbed Skyler’s arm,
“I.....please.  Could.....Captain Skyler take me there?”
     Cain was slightly taken aback by her impulsive gesture.  He glanced
at the Captain, who had an uncomfortable look on his face, though he
refrained from prying himself loose from the young woman’s grasp.
     “There are matters I need to discuss with the Captain, Jocasta,”
Cain said gently.  “You can trust Lieutenant Bryce, and you can trust Dr.
Laughlin and his staff.  There’s nothing to worry about.”
     Reluctantly, she let go of Skyler and slowly rose from her chair. 
There was a look of trepidation on her as she made her way to the door
where Bryce awaited.  She quickly looked back over her shoulder at Skyler
and Cain.
     “You’ll see me later?” her words were directed at Silver Spar
Leader.  Skyler felt his face turning red as he glanced at Cain, who
faintly nodded his head.
     “Yes, I’ll be by later, Jocasta,” he finally said.  “But for now,
you go with Lieutenant Bryce.  He’s okay.”
     “This way, miss,” Bryce said gently as he motioned his arm.
     Jocasta nodded and with a great slowness in her steps walked toward
him.  When she stepped out into the corridor and the door closed, Skyler
let out a nervous exhale.
     “Well, well, Captain,” Cain noted dryly, “It looks like our new
guest has quickly grown attached to you.”
     “Sir, I did not lead her on or anything, I----,”
     “I never thought you did, Skyler,” his tone grew reassuring, “You
were the first friendly human face she’d seen in probably close to a
yahren after that ordeal she went through.  She trusts you instinctively
and doesn’t want to be away from you.  That’s understandable.  You just
need to make sure she gets over it quick enough.  If she’s still trying
to hang on to you after a couple cycles, then try to get her to talk to
some of the women on board like Kelli or Chief Livia.  I’ll do the same
with Kylie and Ila.”
     “Thank you, sir, although......I don’t have any objection to helping
her as a friend.  It’s just that.......” he trailed off.
     Cain decided to finish the thought for him, “It’s just that you
don’t want to give her any false hopes that you’re interested in her
romantically.”
     “Yes sir, that’s exactly it.”
     “I understand.  I assume you have...... a personal reason for
feeling that way.”
     “I do, sir,” Skyler decided he should be open with him.  “I
have....had a girlfriend on Gemon.  We’d broken up before the Pegasus
shipped out to Molocay, but......I can’t be free of the past until I know
beyond any doubt she’s dead or.....involved with someone else now.”
     “We’ve gotten the names of survivors in the Gemonese Resistance. 
Her name wasn’t there?”
     “No sir.  But.....I don’t consider that final proof.  There could
easily be other pockets of humanity that have stayed hidden somewhere and
never connected with the Resistance.”
     “Well that’s your personal business, Captain.  It’s none of mine
unless you let it interfere with your duties.  Just don’t let it disrupt
your ability to handle this new arrival of ours properly.  Especially
since we’re going to be relying on her to get more information about how
things are on Starlos.”
     “We’re going there?”
     “Not all the way,” Cain acknowledged, “But close enough to launch a
shuttle under cloaked conditions so we can do a little investigating. 
And we’re going to need her help in order to prepare for that.”

Chapter Three

     Skyler wondered if he should go to the Life Station right away and
give Jocasta some quick reassurance.  But he decided it was too soon for
that.  After spending close to the last twelve hours in her presence both
physically and by com-relay during the flight back to the Pegasus, he had
to give her a chance to go a few centars without any contact with him.
     He retreated instead to the Officers Club which was largely empty. 
Two off-duty maintenance workers were sharing one table, and all alone at
another was the newest arrival on the Pegasus prior to today.  Or more
accurately......the returnee.
     “Hi, Wynn,” Silver Spar Leader said cheerily as he sat down at his
table.  “Mind if I join you?”
     The pilot who had been missing for over two yahrens before his
miraculous return looked up with a cautious air.  “Sure, Cap.  So long as
you don’t ask me the same stupid questions I’ve been hearing from
everyone else since my return.”
     “I promise, I won’t, Wynn,” Skyler said with total sincerity as he
signaled the bartender to bring him a glass of mock ale that had come
from Brylon Station and the Zykonians.  “As far as I’m concerned, that’s
a closed subject and if you’re being harassed about it, you let me know
and I’ll put a stop to it.”
     “Nah, don’t do that,” he warily let out a sigh.  His features were
sunken compared to how he’d looked before his disappearance, his hair
visibly streaked at the sides as though he’d undergone a frightening
trauma.  Happy as everyone on the Pegasus was to have their comrade back,
one look at him was enough to arouse anyone’s curiosity about what he’d
gone through.  “I don’t want to come off like a whiny cadet running to
his instructor.  I just.....want the questions to go away.  I can’t
answer them, and......I don’t think I ever want to.”
     “I understand,” Skyler said sympathetically as his drink arrived. 
“We’re just grateful to the Lords you’re back, Wynn.  That’s all that
counts.  And I hope it won’t be too long before you feel up to flying
with us again.”
     “I want to get back to that,” the Ensign nodded.  “Especially now
that everything’s..... changed from what it used to be.  I mean.....the
idea that we’re headed for home to help a Resistance movement, and that
all these Cylons have switched sides, and that we’re even able to talk to
the Galactica.......I never would have figured on any of that in a
million yahrens.”
     “That’s why the Grumblers don’t exist anymore,” Skyler then chose
his next words carefully. “I guess you fell into that category, didn’t
you?”
     “Yeah, but......that’s ancient history too, Cap,” he said quickly. 
“I’m just glad we’ve got a future again.  That we’ve got a chance to do
something that long-term means we can live normal lives again if we
succeed.  It’s having that kind of *hope* that makes all the difference. 
Kobol knows I didn’t have any back then.  That’s probably the reason
why......I screwed up and let whatever happened to me, happen. 
But.......I’m learning to get over that.”
     “That’s good,” Skyler decided the next question on his mind was also
risky but he decided it had to be asked since he’d need to know the
answer from a command responsibility standpoint.  “So.....what do you
think about the big change in Kylie’s life?”
     Wynn suddenly chuckled, “Lords......that was unexpected, but it
really doesn’t surprise me.  We all knew how she felt about Cain.  The
only surprise is that Cain finally realized how she felt about him and
they got together.”
     “And you don’t resent her meteoric rise in the chain of command?”
     “Why should I?” Wynn looked him in the eye, “I may not remember what
happened on that planet, and she doesn’t either, but........I do know
that whatever happened......she put herself on the line for me.  That
much I do know.  And that’s the ultimate proof she’s earned her rank and
her position.”
     “Glad you think so.  There are a few people in our ranks who think
she got promoted a little too fast for their tastes.  It’s not a
widespread view but it does crop up now and then with a few pilots and
guards.”
     “I’ll tell them to shove their opinions if I ever hear them say it
in front of me,” he said.
     “I wouldn’t be too hard on them.  Sometimes I think they miss Major
Ham more than they resent Kylie.”
     “Well, from what I heard, the Major got himself a nice little
retirement deal on Cannes,” he looked at Skyler, “That makes you #3 now
in the Chain of Command, right?”
     “For now, yes, but I think the more command experience Kylie builds
up on the Bridge over time will probably mean bumping her up to #3
eventually.  That would suit me fine.  I love commanding the Squadron but
commanding a Battlestar was never something I aspired to when I first
joined the Service.”
     “Likewise.  I just wanted to fly.  And I do want to get back to it,”
Wynn looked down, “I think I just need.....a little more time to be sure
whatever happened to me doesn’t come back to haunt me.”
     “Have you had any bad dreams or sudden flashbacks?”
     “Not really.  I mean......there’s always this sense that wherever I
was, it was bad and horrible, but I can’t put anything specific to it.  I
don’t have an image of a place or anything or anyone
specific......but......” he trailed off.
     “But what?” Skyler leaned forward.  “Wynn, I’m not interested in
prying, but since I’m the final word on whether you can get back to
flight duty soon, I’m the one you’re going to have to tell these things
to.”
     “I understand, Cap, and that’s exactly why I don’t mind telling you
any of this.  The only thing I’ve had that would qualify as a flashback
is......something I heard.”
     “What?”
     “Well......it’s those two Cylons in Doc Arnoff’s lab.  Not Commander
Cobre, the two regular ones.”
     “Festus and Serpentine,” Skyler said.  “What about them?”
     “It’s their voices.”
     “Reprogrammed human voices from old recordings.  You’ve heard them
on Commander Cobre and some of the Cylons who joined us from Gomorrah.”
     “Yeah, but.....the voices on those two Cylons......I keep getting
this feeling I’ve heard them before.”
     “Well we are using a lot of recordings of old vid-com entertainments
and finding voices of actors to use for the centurion voices.  It’s
probably from-----,” abruptly Skyler stopped and shook his head.  “No
wait a micron, that only applies to the Cylons from Gomorrah.  Commander
Cobre and his team got their voices reprogrammed when we were at Brylon
Station.  Cobre got his voice from an IL Cylon we captured, Commander
Lucifer, and the Zykonians came up with the other voices from human
recordings they had on-file.”
     “That’s really odd,” Wynn shook his head.  “Because every time those
two talk, I know I’m hearing voices I’ve heard somewhere before......and
I keep wondering if it was in that......horrible place I must have been
in.  But I wasn’t here when you were at that place and met
those......Zykonians.”
     Skyler finished his drink and set the empty glass down.  “Wynn, I’m
going to give you the most practical advice I can.  If you really want to
put that experience behind you and get yourself back to flying, then
don’t dwell on whether or not you’ve heard voices before.  Do you
*really* want to know the answer?”
     Wynn looked down thoughtfully and finally said simply, “No.  Like I
said, I want the questions to go away.”
     “Then make them,” he said, “Look ahead to what we’ll all be able to
do when we finally liberate the Colonies.”
     The Ensign smiled weakly, “I’ll keep trying.”
     The door to the club slid open and Lieutenant Bryce entered.
     “Captain, you’re needed in the Life Station.”
     Oh frack!  Skyler thought as he knew right away what that meant.  He
warily rose from his chair and followed the Security Chief out.


     When Skyler arrived in the Life Station, he saw Dr. Laughlin and the
middle-aged woman med-tech Ivy hunched over the bed that Jocasta was
lying in.  There was an expression of tight-lipped resistance in the
Starlos native’s expression.
     “What’s going on?” Skyler asked.
     The Aerian doctor looked up, “Ah, Captain, thank you for coming. 
Perhaps you can tell the young lady that unless she agrees to a nutrient
injection to compensate for the poor diet she’s had for too many sectars
now, her bodily functions are going to be out of whack.”
     “I need to hear him say it’s okay,” Jocasta was looking off into
space, her defiance quiet but firm.  “I need to hear the Captain say it’s
okay.”
     Skyler tried not to sound annoyed or irritated as he came up
alongside her bed.  “Jocasta,” he said gently.  “You’re to do
*everything* Dr. Laughlin and Med-Tech Ivy tell you to do.  When you hear
them tell you something, you might as well be hearing it from me because
I’d be in complete agreement with them.”
     She looked at him and immediately the tight-lipped expression
dissolved into a relaxed one.  “All right,” she said,   “You can do it
then.  There’s nothing that can....harm me?”
     “No, nothing.  It’s all to make you feel better.”
     Jocasta nodded her head and then med-tech, an imposing woman known
for her brusque bedside manner with warrior patients who weren’t anxious
to get back to duty, administered the injection.
     “Now I hope this will be the *last* of your complaints!”  Ivy’s
Aerian accent was even thicker than Dr. Laughlin’s.  “We have enough to
do as it is.  You’ll feel better now that you’ve had this, and if you
just let yourself sleep.”
     Jocasta still had her gaze locked on Skyler.  The look of someone
deeply smitten.
     “When can you come by again?” she whispered.
     “I have my duties to attend to, Jocasta,” Skyler kept his voice
level.  “I can’t make much time to come by here.  When you’re out of the
Life Station and in your own quarters, Commander Cain will want to talk
to you again.  And you *must* cooperate with them and anyone else who has
instructions to give you like Dr. Laughlin.  Can you do that?”
     When he heard no answer from her, he then added, “For me?”
     And then, Jocasta nodded vigorously, “Yes.  Yes.  I’ll.....do
anything.....for you.”
     Her head rolled slightly to the right and her eyes closed as she
drifted off to sleep.
     “Lords of Kobol be praised,” Ivy said with relief, “Wallis and
Kelli’s children are easier to deal with compared to her.”
     “Don’t be so hard on her,” Skyler abruptly said with a defensive
air.  “She’s been through a horrible experience.”
     The middle-aged Med-Tech glared at him, “Haven’t we all, *Captain*?”
     Skyler turned away from her and then saw Dr. Laughlin motioning him
to indicate that he wanted him to come into his adjoining office.  The
Captain obliged.
     “Ivy can be a bit too brusque at times,” Laughlin said as the door
closed behind them.  “But it’s clear our new arrival is
quite......fixated on you.”
     “Yeah, I can tell.  And we’re going to need her help to handle the
situation at Starlos, so I’m well aware how important it is that she not
go over the edge.”
     “The recent experience with Technician Bremer forced me to bone up
on psychiatric medicine for the first time since my student days,” the
Aerian said.  “And the psychologist on the Galactica, Dr. Tarnia has sent
me some texts she still has at her disposal.  I’ve relearned enough to
see that Jocasta is latching on to you because you’re literally her
Savior.  You ended the nightmare she’s gone through that started a long
time ago when she had to go into hiding in that place in the Orion sector
on the planet.  Whoever helped her get off the planet after her father
died wasn’t a Savior to her in the way you are, because you ended the
ordeal.  You’ve given her hope again, and because of that she’s going to
feel bonded to you for the rest of her life.”
     “I get it, Doc,” Skyler sighed.  “And look.....I admit she’s an
attractive woman.  But I wouldn’t feel right taking advantage of her.  I
know she’s doing this because I was the first one she saw, and if it was
any other pilot who’d found her, she’d be doing the same to him.  I guess
the only way it could have been avoided would have been if a female pilot
had found her.”
     “Possibly.  If that had happened, she probably would have latched on
to the first male crewman to attend to her after that.  Whatever the
case, it’s fallen on your head, Captain, and you’re going to have tread
carefully.  Especially if, as you say, the Commander’s going to need her
help for intelligence work.”
     “Cain says it might help to get some of the women in the crew like
Kylie and Ila to approach her.  Give her someone to connect with on a
sisterly level.”
     “I’d certainly be in favor of that, but it may not be enough given
how much time you already spent with her on the asteroid before she was
brought here,” he paused, “I’m only saying that to keep you from thinking
that’s going to be the automatic answer to your problem.”
     “Thanks for the advice, Doc,” Skyler said as he rose and left
without waiting for the Chief Medical Officer to say anything else.


     “According to Jocasta, the Cylons based on Starlos are rounding up
prisoners for transport back to the Cylon solar system,” Cain said that
night over his regular dinner chat with Ila, “If the purpose is slave
labor.....then maybe there’s a tie-in with this theory that they’ve run
into a problem mining Neutrino for military production purposes.”
     “Possible,” Ila conceded, “And if they are using humans for slave
labor in the Cylon home system, that might explain what happened to a lot
of other humans in the Colonies just after the Destruction.”
     Cain lifted an eyebrow, “You mean in the early period, before you
went underground?”
     “Yes.  That was when the Cylons were ordering us to surrender
voluntarily before they were going to start poisoning the ecosystems of
all the planets.  I’m beginning to think I know why Valan and the other
Enlightened Cylons were able to get away with not carrying out that full
poisoning of each planet.  Because the leadership that would have cracked
down on them for not carrying out orders, had already left the Colonies
at that point to take the human survivors they’d rounded up back to the
Cylon home system.”
     “That’s an interesting theory,” Cain conceded, “It could mean that
if there’s a problem with Neutrino mining, it cropped up in just a few
sectans after the Destruction.”
     “And that might explain the context of some other decisions that
were made just after the new Imperious Leader took over following the
death of the old Leader at Carillon,” Ila said.  “Like why the new Leader
decided to spare Baltar and send him in pursuit of the Galactica.”
     “Because he needed to keep experienced Cylon commanders closer to
home to deal with this other problem,” Cain saw things start to fall into
place.
     “Exactly,” the blonde Academician nodded, “But it may go even
further than just that.  From what Adama’s told me, Baltar’s initial
orders weren’t to destroy the Galactica but to capture her and bring her
back to the home world, Cylon.  He was under the assumption the new
Imperious Leader was anxious to see her presented to him prior to
destroying the ship.  But maybe.......the original idea was to keep the
Galactica preserved because the High Command wanted to make use of her.”
     Cain nodded, “If you’re suggesting that a sudden loss of their
Neutrino mining capacity meant they wanted to see if they could adapt
themselves to constructing a battlestar type ship, I can see the
connection.  But that’s all speculative and it doesn’t explain why
eventually they gave up on that idea of capturing her and bringing her
back.  By the time we fought the Battle of Gomorrah, their objective was
to destroy her.”
     “True, but by then I think a lot of other things had changed.  I’m
only thinking in terms of what the initial decision making might have
been.”
     “Fair enough, but let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves,” Cain
cautioned.  “The fog may be starting to lift on these things, but it’s
not clear enough to see the whole picture.  That requires more
investigating and hopefully we’ll get some answers at Starlos.”
     “How do you intend to handle that?”
     “We’ll have to send in a team on a cloaked shuttle that can get past
their orbital security ships,” Cain said.  “We’ll also need to have all
members of our team disguise themselves as Orions since they’re
supposedly still off-limits from being taken prisoner.  But as a
precaution, at least one or two centurions who haven’t had their voices
altered will accompany them as well since the sight of them moving about
with Cylons should keep their cover intact.”
     Ila waited several microns before asking her next question.  “Do you
intend to have Jocasta go back?”
     “May not be avoidable,” Cain sighed. “None of us have been on
Starlos.  We’ll need her just to know how to get around on the planet
since we can’t get close enough to scan her and make all the maps we’d
need for infiltration purposes.  Of course given how fragile her whole
mental state appears to be, that’s not going to be an easy sell for her.”
     “No it won’t, from what you’ve described.  But from a tactical
standpoint, I understand why you’d have no choice but to send her.  I
just wouldn’t rush her too fast.”
     “Only for a couple days at most,” Cain said firmly, “And
then......we have to act.  With the Resistance waiting for us, we can’t
slow walk anything else we still have to take care of.  That’s why I’m
about ready to decide that after we take care of this business at
Starlos, we’re done with all other preliminaries before reaching Arcta.”
     And putting me one step closer to what he wants me to do, which is
go home to Adama in the shuttle, Ila thought.  Why does the thought of
that just make me so.....uneasy when it should make me happy that I can
go home to the ones I love the most?  Am I suddenly afraid of the *idea*
of going home after all this time on the Pegasus?  Am I just too
comfortable with how things have worked out for me, where I can stay
committed to the goals of the Resistance and still have the ability to
talk to Adama and my children?
     Those were questions Ila had no desire to dwell on as she helped
herself to another portion of food, and the conversation moved to safer
topics about their grandchildren on the Galactica.


     Skyler had gone down to Alpha Launch Bay to give his viper a
once-over inspection.  He was engaged in a conversation with the lead
launch crew supervisor when the unicom sounded.
     “Attention.  Captain Skyler, please report to the Life Station,
immediately.”
     Frack!  Skyler felt himself tense up.  It was clear this was
becoming more serious than he could have ever expected.  When he reached
the Life Station five centons later, he could already hear the by-now too
familiar sounds of crying from the next room.
     “What now?” he looked over at Dr. Laughlin, who stood by the
entryway to the room.
     “She woke up screaming incoherently.  Probably a nightmare.  She’s
refusing to believe she’s in a safe place unless she sees you.”
     He let out an exasperated sigh, “Doc, I can’t be here twenty-four
centars of the cycle!”
     “I know you can’t, Captain, but for now, you’re the only solution
we’ve got to keeping her calm,” he motioned his hand indicating that
Skyler should go in immediately.  Reluctantly, he did so, where he could
see two male med-techs holding Jocasta back and an exhausted Med-Tech Ivy
seated across from her bed.
     “I give up, Captain,” the middle-aged Aerian sounded beaten, “I just
flat-out can’t get her under control.”
     Drawing himself up, Skyler moved in front of the bed and with a
firm, but friendly voice said, “Jocasta.”
     Abruptly, the woman stopped thrashing about and her cries ceased. 
Her head tilted up and the instant she made eye contact with him, a smile
and wave of relief passed over her.
     “You’re real,” she whispered.  “It wasn’t a dream.  I thought-----,”
     “What did you think?” he kept his voice gentle as he motioned the
med-techs to let go of her so he could sit down beside her bed.  They
dutifully backed away and then left the room followed by Ivy, which left
Skyler alone with the troubled young woman.  It seemed to relax her even
more.
     “I.....thought, you’d been a figment of my imagination,” her voice
was near normal now. “That I hadn’t really been saved.  That I was back
on Starlos and I’d been captured and I’d just.....dreamed about you.”
     “You didn’t dream any of it,” Skyler now put a harder edge in his
tone, knowing that if he sounded too gentle, it could get dangerous after
a bit.  “You’re on the Battlestar Pegasus surrounded by friends. 
*Everyone* here is your friend, Jocasta.  We’re all here to help you and
that’s why you can feel comfortable in front of everyone you see here. 
And that even includes the Cylons on our ship because they’ve switched
sides.  They’ve fought with us and we’re all in this new effort
together.”
     “The Cylons,” Jocasta shook her head slightly, “Cylons switching
sides.”
     “It’s the truth,” he said.  “You believe me, don’t you?”
     “I have to,” she looked him in the eye, “If I can’t believe
you.....I might as well be dead.”
     “Don’t think that,” he turned up the edge just a bit.  “You’re
alive, you’re well, you’re among friends, and from this point on you can
trust us.”
     She slowly exhaled, “What’s going to happen next?”
     “That isn’t up to me, that’s up to Commander Cain,” he wasn’t about
to drop any suggestions that she might be needed for some hard work in
the near future.  “But we trust his judgment.  Whatever he has to tell
you in the next few days......you can trust him too.”
     “I guess I have to,” she paused, “It’s not as if I have anywhere
else I can go.”
     “That’s true of all of us,” Skyler then decided he needed to be
candid about one thing.  “Look, I won’t lie to you and say that
everything in front of us is going to be totally calm and tranquil. 
We’re a warship with a mission in front of us that requires all of us to
do our part.  But we’ve come a long ways because we know how to work
together and look out for each other. And I think someone as resourceful
and courageous as you’ve proved yourself to be has a lot we can learn
from.”
     Jocasta showed no reaction to his words.  He didn’t know if she was
giving them any thought or whether emotions of disappointment were going
through her.  When she finally spoke, her tone was flat.
     “Are we going back to Starlos?”
     “I don’t know,” he lied without skipping a beat.  “That isn’t my
decision.  But like I said, whatever Commander Cain decides for us, we
know we can trust him.”
     Another long pause, “I couldn’t handle being near that place again.”
     Frack, Skyler thought.  How do you handle a problem like this?  
     “Just go back to sleep,” he said simply.  “And remember......you’re
safe.  Just concentrate on that and you won’t have another bad dream
again.”
     She dimly nodded her head, “I’ll try.  I.....need to believe you.”
     He turned to leave but before he was out the door, she called out
again.
     “Skyler!”
      It took all his strength to turn around and face her.  This
time.....for the first time, she was smiling.
     “Skyler,” Jocasta said simply, “I....hope we can spend some time
together after they let me out of here.”
     “I’m sure we will,” his tone was friendly-neutral, “There are a lot
of people here who’d like to get to know you too.”
     And then, without waiting to see or hear anything more from her, he
left the room.
     I may end up volunteering for deep patrol for the next five days if
I can just avoid talking to her long enough.

Chapter Four

     Two days passed as the Pegasus drew closer to that star system that
contained the planet Starlos.  Cain had asked Dr. Laughlin how Jocasta
was coming and the word he’d gotten back was one of marginal improvement. 
She no longer went into hysterics over Skyler’s absence, but she was
still tentative and cautious in the presence of others and not overly
talkative.  To see if she’d react to a friendly female presence, Cain had
asked Kylie to spend some time with her.  It had made little difference
as Jocasta only seemed to tolerate her presence and didn’t engage her in
conversation.  For the Senior Bridge Officer, it proved to be a
frustrating centar before she finally gave up and left.  That night, as
she recounted the experience to Cain, she was quite emphatic.
     “I really think it would be dangerous to have her go on any mission
that involves setting foot on Starlos again,” Kylie said.  “She’d likely
go to pieces and blow everyone’s cover.  We can’t afford to take that
kind of risk.”
     “Unfortunately I think we’re going to have to,” her husband grunted
as he glanced down at a report on his desk.  “We don’t have any maps of
Starlos that would let a team find their way around unless someone had
been there before.  And there’s no one on the Pegasus who has.  If they
don’t know that much going in, they’re never going to last a micron
without drawing suspicion no matter how good their Orion disguise is.”
     “Why don’t we have accurate maps of Starlos?” Kylie frowned, “I know
you ruled out going there after Molocay, but didn’t we have that data
when we last left Caprica?”
     “We did, but it turned out that file was part of a group I had you
transfer off the Bridge Computers to the backup servers in the Lab after
Molocay.”
     “Oh yes,” his wife nodded as the memory came back.  “I remember. 
You wanted to free up the comp space on the Bridge so it wasn’t filled
with ‘non-essential files.’”
     Cain nodded, “And the Lab, as you no doubt also recall, then took a
hit during the Battle of Gomorrah and we lost all of those
‘non-essential’ files.  We’re lucky  it’s taken over three yahrens to
finally learn  one of those files wasn’t so non-essential after all.”
     “What about checking with the Galactica?  Maybe they have some old
maps on file they could transmit to us.”
     “I did check with them,” Cain sighed, “Turns out they went through
their phase of discarding files from the main Computer banks that were
deemed non-essential too.  That’s not to say they might exist in a
private comp or a comp system on one of the other ships in the Fleet, but
it would take too much time to track that down since we’d need it no
later than tomorrow.”
     Kylie looked at him thoughtfully, “And you’ve also exhausted the
available Cylon data bases?”
     “Not just the Lucifer memory banks, but I even had Commander Cobre
contact Gomorrah to see if they had anything,” he threw up his arms,
“Nothing.  Cobre pointed out that so long as there remains an active
Cylon presence on Starlos, maps and charts of the planet aren’t necessary
for them because all they have to do to know where they’re going is
transmit a recognition code that will give them the coordinates for
landing clearance in the Cylon Zone.  And then once they’re on the
ground, they have no problem making their way around.”
     His wife sat on the edge of his desk.  “So you’ve decided Jocasta
has to go on the mission.”  It was a statement rather than a question.
     “I have no choice,” Cain avoided looking at her, “And not just
because she’s the only one who knows the basic geography of the planet. 
We also need her to connect us with someone who can elaborate more on
what the Cylon High Command is up to on that planet.”
     “Who?”
     “I had in mind the Orion businessman  who sheltered her and her
father in that safe home with the Hasari family until he helped get her
out.  Jocasta has to give us his name, where he works and if we find
him......he should be willing to help.”
     “Assuming he hasn’t been found out by either the Cylons or local
authority on Starlos.”
     “That’s why our other option is to see if one of our centurions can
infiltrate the Cylon sector and get some answers.  Of course the risk
there is that since we’d have to use a Cylon whose voice hasn’t been
reprogrammed, that means we’d be using one whose loyalty to the cause of
Enlightenment can’t automatically be taken for granted.”
     “Maybe I need to be sold a bit more on why it’s necessary to check
things out at Starlos,” this was the kind of comment Kylie could make now
that she’d been promoted to her new position as Senior Bridge Officer. 
She knew Cain appreciated her willingness to speak up on such matters
because it demonstrated that Kylie as Senior Bridge Officer was showing
independent initiative.
     “One big reason,” the Juggernaut said.  “If we find out why the
Cylons have this need to send prisoners back to their home system for
slave labor, we may unlock the whole secret that gives us the key to
winning the war.”
     She lifted an eyebrow, “How so?”
     “If Ila’s theory is right and the Cylons have lost their ability to
mine Neutrino in the home system and they’re using slave labor to try to
rectify that, then we know they’re two steps away from teetering on the
brink of collapse,” he said.  “If we cut off their access to Starlos,
then maybe.....they lose their ability to have an uninterrupted flow of
slave labor and once that happens......they can’t do a damn thing to fix
their lost access to Neutrino which means they will *never* be able to
rebuild their Fleet to meaningful level.”
     His wife didn’t answer and that made him look up at her.  Her eyes
had narrowed which indicated she was giving it a good deal of thought and
trying to apply this information into a command level scenario.  He gave
her no prompting and waited a centon for her to finish her silent
analysis before she spoke.
     “You’re assuming that Starlos is the only place they can rely on for
additional slave labor,” Kylie said.  “That means they’ve probably tapped
out what there is in the Colonies?”
     “Probably,” Cain nodded.  “Especially if they rounded up everyone
they felt they needed in the early period of occupation when Ila and
everyone else in the Resistance went underground.”
     “What about other planets?” she pressed.  “Starlos isn’t the only
planet with humans or humanoids in the broader sweep of this quadrant.”
     He smiled, impressed by her challenging questions.  “That’s true,
Kylie, but remember this.  The Cylons have lost their ability to root out
those systems like Equellas and Serenity because they’ve lost too many
baseships either from destruction or defection.  And even when they still
had a baseship at Cannes they *could* have used for that purpose, they
didn’t act.  Just like they never told the leadership at Gomorrah about
the outbreak of ‘Enlightenment’ among centurions in the Colonies.  If
Starlos is the only planet they’re utilizing to find usable slave
labor.....then maybe the Cylons in charge of rounding those prisoners up
are the only ones left the High Command can still trust to leave the
Cylon Home System and obediently return.”
     Kylie eyes narrowed, “If that’s true then are we looking at another
potential combat engagement to take out those forces?”
     “Not if I can avoid it,” he said.  “Any engagement with Cylon forces
at Starlos would blow our cover and put the Enlightened Cylons on Arcta
helping Dr. Ravashol at risk.  We *have* to maintain our cover and keep
the High Command unaware of our existence until we’ve first been to Arcta
and then reach the Colonies.”
     “Why not put Starlos on hold and go to Arcta first?” Kylie found it
amazing she was still coming up with new questions.  “Maybe Commander
Vulpa and Dr. Ravashol know something about the situation there that
could help.  After all, we’re relying on out-of-date information
regarding what they’re supposed to know.”
     “Fair point,” her husband conceded.  “But I want Arcta and the
meeting with Ravashol and Vulpa to be the last item on our agenda before
we head for the Colonies.  If they don’t know what’s going on at Starlos
then we’ll have wasted a trip there for nothing and set the timetable
back on getting to the Resistance.  This is one time I have to play to my
gut instinct and that tells me we check out the situation at Starlos
first.”
     She smiled faintly, “And your decision is final on that?”
     “It is,” he returned it, “But thank you for making me defend my
decision.”
     Kylie lowered her head, “I still wish you didn’t have to send
Jocasta on this mission.”
     “If there was any other way, I’d avoid sending her.  But there
isn’t, so that’s that.”
     “But you know what that’s going to mean.  Skyler will have to go to
keep her calm, and that means we’re without our Squadron Leader for the
duration.”
     “So be it.  He knows the risks.  If that’s what it takes for the
mission to be a success, then he goes,” he looked up at her, “And this
time, you’re not going.”
     “I wasn’t going to ask,” a flicker of pained memory came over her,
“I.....need a little more distance from my last planetary mission before
I’ll feel up to another one.”
     He nodded silently in understanding and then he rose from his chair
and came up to her, tenderly putting a hand on her shoulder.
     “You’re......not haunted by it are you?”
     “No.” Kylie sighed and looked at her husband, “Are you?”
     “No” Cain admitted as he leaned over and kissed the back of  her
neck, “But I guess so long as both our memories are black holes about
what really happened on that planet when we rescued Wynn, we’ll never be
completely over it.  But......we both know we did fine, don’t we?”
     “Yes,” she relaxed herself, “That’s what keeps me going.  That inner
voice telling me that I can’t waste my time dwelling on *what* happened
because I know whatever I did, I did right.  It’s just.....I still have
to cope with the reality of........” she trailed off.
     “Don’t think about it,” he said tenderly, “Our life together will
still be a blessing even without children of our own.”
     “I know,” Kylie nodded her head vigorously, “I know.  I accept that. 
The sad thing is......it’s getting harder for me to enjoy spending time
with Wallis and Kelli’s children like I used to.  I try to push it out of
my mind, but when I hold one of those two little darlings in my arms I
keep getting a flash of how much I wanted to have one or two of my own
one day.”
     “You may need to step back from that for awhile, even when you do
have time to see them,” Cain gently kissed her on the neck again.  
     “But I don’t want to,” she was emphatic, “If I suddenly cut them out
of my life and wasn’t there to be Auntie to them any longer I’d make it
worse for myself.  Besides, I’ve got to learn how to play that role over
the vid-com for your grandchildren.”
     “It’s your decision, Kylie,” Cain said simply.  “Just so long as
you’re okay.”
     She looked at him and managed to smile, “I am,” her tone then grew
longing, “Now take me to bed.”
     With an obliging nod, he tenderly carried her across the room to
their shared bed for a night of wedded bliss.


     Skyler had received a briefing from Colonel Tolen telling him he
needed to begin preparations for a likely infiltration mission on Starlos
that would see him pose as a native of Orion.  That meant spending a day
boning up on Orion cultural practices and then making arrangements to
have Lieutenant Angus assume the duties of Acting Squadron Leader during
his upcoming absence.
     “Ordinarily, this isn’t the kind of assignment we’d send a viper
pilot on, let alone the Squadron Leader,” Tolen had told him,
“But......you know why we have no other choice.”
     Skyler had nodded obediently, and was grateful the Executive Officer
didn’t elaborate further.  He also knew there was no point protesting
since the order had clearly come from Cain and arguing with him would be
even more futile.
     That night, he’d laid awake in his bunk in the pilot’s barracks,
thinking about the awkwardness of the whole situation.  An infiltration
mission of this kind didn’t fall under the work he’d trained for as a
viper pilot, and he knew it was going to be rough for him on all levels. 
The burden of command would be on his shoulders because of his rank,
which meant he couldn’t just go along and defer things to someone better
trained for this like Lieutenant Bryce or anyone else in Colonial
Security.  And all the while, he’d be dealing with Jocasta’s fragile
mental state, knowing she was the key to the mission’s ability to have
any chance of success.
     I’d prefer going up against a baseship with a ten to one
disadvantage to this, he sighed as he felt the annoyance of insomnia
keeping his eyes open and making him stare at the gray metal ceiling. 
Where his thoughts were drifting back to Shayleen and the promise he’d
made to find out if she was still alive among the survivors on Gemon. 
And if she was alive.......
     Yeah, if she’s alive and hiding with some other group cut off from
the main Resistance headed by Anders’ group, then what?  Do I charge back
into her life and throw myself at her feet?  Do I take for granted that
she’ll want me back even though we’d called it quits before the Pegasus
left for Molocay?  Or maybe all of this is irrelevant because she’s been
dead since the night of the Destruction.  The bottom line is I need some
closure to that part of my life.  *Any* kind of closure.  And I won’t get
it for probably a yahren at least if at all.
     He then let out a rueful sigh.  And if I can’t get closure even
after we liberate the Colonies.....will I be able to enjoy life again? 
Or will this thing leave me scarred the way Jocasta’s life seems scarred? 
Oh boy, that almost sounds like I’m supposed to think that maybe the
power of the Lords is somehow bringing the two of us together because
we’re really meant for each other.  I’m not going to let myself fall for
*that* cliche!
     And then, as if he felt angry that he was letting himself stay awake
pondering all these questions he turned himself over on his stomach and
finally willed himself to sleep.

 
     The next morning, Skyler had reserved the Flight Operations Center
to give a briefing to the team that would accompany him on the mission. 
He’d picked Lieutenant Bryce to accompany him since he wanted the top man
in Colonial Security to be part of this, even if he was going to be in a
subordinate role.  For the second member from Colonial Security, he’d
picked Sergeant Keuchel.  From the ranks of the Cylon crew with unaltered
voices, he’d selected a centurion with the designated name of Kleitos. 
He was one of just six Cylon survivors from the Cannes Garrison who’d
been rescued after the destruction of the massive complex caused by the
Pegasus detonation of two lethal tylium based bombs.  With Cain’s
blessing, Skyler felt it was time to see just how deep the conversion to
Enlightenment thinking ran in one of these newer arrivals to the Pegasus
ranks.  To put Kleitos at ease, Skyler had asked Commander Cobre to
assist in the briefing.
     Jocasta was the last to arrive.  Accompanied by Med-Tech Ivy, her
expression was tentative and halting but when she saw Skyler standing at
the front of the room, she seemed to relax.  He took no time to
contemplate the meaning of that as he realized it was time to begin the
briefing. 
     “Thank you for coming,” Skyler began.  “Lieutenant Bryce, Sergeant
Keuchel, Centurion Kleitos, and Jocasta......you are here because
tomorrow, we will be leaving the Pegasus to return to Starlos.  The
reason for this is to find out why the Cylon High Command is currently
transporting prisoners to their home system instead of simply targeting
them for execution in keeping with their original mandated philosophy.”
     He looked directly at Jocasta, “We need you to come with us because
you’re the only one who can help lead us to people we need to talk to on
the planet and where to go.”
     The young woman said nothing for several microns.  And then she said
simply and devoid of emotion, “If you need me......I’ll go with you.”
     Skyler knew he had to let the relief over her willingness to go on
the mission outweigh the realization that she was doing this only because
her mind was justifying it as part of a devotion to him.  Which meant
that she was prepared to do anything he asked of her at this point.  That
was good for the mission......and a lethal time bomb for afterwards.
     “Thank you,” he said simply and then shifted his gaze away from her
so he could focus on Bryce and Keuchel.  “For the purposes of this
mission, we’re going to have to disguise ourselves as Orions because we
know from Jocasta that they are still operating under the Vizier’s
protection.  That will mean blonde wigs for all of us and wearing Orion
tribal dress, which means don’t *ever* show the lower part of your face
in public.  And when you talk.....talk very slowly and keep your
sentences short.  Orions aren’t know for being garrulous.”
     And then, he motioned to Cobre to handle the Cylon portion of the
briefing.
     “I am here to explain your purpose in this mission, Centurion
Kleitos,” Cobre said in the voice that had once been that of the IL Cylon
Lucifer.  “Your presence is needed to provide security for the others in
the team.  If they are seen accompanied by a centurion, then no Cylon
based on Starlos will have any reason to view them with suspicion or have
them stopped.  During whatever periods when you must be left alone, try
to mingle among other centurions and find out what there is to be known
regarding the High Command’s operations on Starlos, and their reasons for
rounding up prisoners for transport back to Cylon.  And if you detect any
signs of Enlightenment among other centurions......do not reveal yourself
to them.  Simply report  what you see to Captain Skyler.”
     Cobre then added with emphasis, “Remember, Centurion Kleitos.  The
High Command deceived you and every other centurion of the Cannes
Garrison.  And they were prepared to let you die in the ruins of the
garrison.  You owe them no allegiance, just as I and your fellow Cylons
aboard the Pegasus owe them no allegiance.  You understand all of this?”
     Slowly, Centurion Kleitos’s head nodded, “By your command.”
     The flatness of the response in the traditional monotonic voice
caused an uneasy twinge in Skyler.  One that he found even more uneasy
than what he’d been feeling for the last several days about Jocasta.  He
quickly buried it and resumed control of the briefing.
     “Thank you, Commander Cobre.  Now returning to our primary
objectives on the mission.  Jocasta, we need to seek out the Orion
businessman who sheltered you and your father.  Could you tell us what
you know about him and where he’s based in the Orion sector?”
     Jocasta took a breath before answering, “His name is Kraler.  He
specialized in the selling of Orion spices to sell to food merchants like
my father.  The name of his business is called ‘Flavor of the Sun’ in
honor of how Orion’s sun is said to provide the key to the exotic taste
of Orion spices.”
     “And he had good relations with all races on Starlos?”
     “Yes.  He dealt with everyone.....except of course the Cylons who
had no reason to trade for his goods.”
     “And you have no doubt as to his character?”
     For the first time a look of annoyance came over her, “He *never*
betrayed me or my father!  And he risked his life to get me off the
planet.”
     “Does he have family of his own?” Skyler leaned forward.
     “He is a widower.  He has no children.”
     “That’s good to know.  It means that he has no loved ones the Cylons
could harm to blackmail him into doing their bidding.” he paused, “What
about those who work for him?”
     She shook her head, “I.....don’t know about them.  I only know what
my father said about how good he was, and he proved that to us.”
     “But when food was brought to you and the Hasari family you stayed
with, was it someone in his employ or did he bring it himself?”
     “He.....usually brought it himself.  Sometimes, his personal
secretary did it.  Her name was Miep.  We never saw anyone else.”
     “Okay.  That helps because it means when we approach him, he has to
be alone or with no one else but his secretary.  I wouldn’t trust any
other associate of his unless it was someone you met personally while you
were in hiding.” another brief silence before pressing further, “Anything
else you can tell us about the area you were hidden in?  Did Cylons
generally have free access to the Orion Zone?”
     “I......don’t remember much.  We were shut up inside the place and
not able to look out the windows to see who came down the streets.  When
I was being smuggled out......the Cylon presence was minimal.”
     “But not non-existent?  That’s important because we don’t want
Centurion Kleitos’s presence to seem out of the ordinary when he’s
accompanying us.”
     “Not non-existent,” Jocasta shook her head.
     “Okay, that should cover everything we need to know from you,
Jocasta.  Make sure you have your Orion clothing and make-up ready and be
prepared to report to Alpha Launch Bay tomorrow at 0700.  Get some rest
until then.”
     The young woman faintly nodded her head and rose.  Med-Tech Ivy, who
had been sternly silent the whole time guided her out.  Once she was
gone, Skyler then dismissed Commander Cobre and Centurion Kleitos from
the proceedings, leaving him alone with Bryce and Keuchel.
     “All right gentlemen,” Skyler leaned forward, his tone more
informal, “Now’s your chance to express any misgivings you have regarding
the other two members of the team.”
     “Can’t we take one of the centurions who’ve been here from the
beginning?” Keuchel spoke up.  “I trust them.  But this one is from
Cannes and I’m not sure anyone from that group is going to be reliable if
they find themselves surrounded by loyal Cylons and they have a chance to
blow the whistle on us.”
     “Can’t be avoided,” Silver Spar Leader shook his head.  “Festy,
Serpentine and Cobre have all had their voices replaced so they can’t go
on an infiltration mission.  That also applies to over half of the new
arrivals from Gomorrah now, including Flight Leader Gryphon.  We have to
take someone along who still sounds like a Cylon.  And the fact that
Kleitos wasn’t a pilot is another point in his favor because it means
we’re not sacrificing flight manpower beyond me for this operation.”
     “The instant he said ‘by your command’ I didn’t get a good vibe,”
Bryce said.  “I’d feel a lot better if he wasn’t going with us.  Is it
really necessary to have *any* Cylon tag along?”
     “I’m afraid it is, Bryce.  We need to take advantage of a chance to
get the kind of intelligence on High Command activities we’d never have a
prayer of getting ourselves.  Plus, if we were to cut them out of
participating in an operation like this, then so much for making the
Enlightened Cylons think we’ve overcome our own prejudices.”
     “Okay, granted,” the Security Chief conceded, “Still....I would have
preferred a Cylon we had an established history with.  Giving them these
new voices kind of defeats the purpose of being able to make use of them
even if it does make them more friendly to us.”
     “It’s not an easy balancing act,” Skyler nodded, “But that isn’t new
for any of us.  We just have to learn how to do this with Centurion
Kleitos *and* with Jocasta.”
     “I’m sure you know how to handle her,” Bryce said dryly.  It was the
kind of remark that might have earned a reproach if Skyler had wanted to
pull rank, but he decided to let it pass. 
     “Yeah, I know how to keep her in line, Bryce.  Now meantime, you and
Keuchel keep your worries about Kleitos in line and to yourself.  Too
much is riding on this.  Go down and get your Orion clothes and makeup
and be ready to go tomorrow morning.  Starlos isn’t far.”
     The two rose and left, and now Skyler was alone in the Flight Ops
room.  Never before had the weight of command responsibility seemed so
heavy to him.  


     “The Cylon Ambasssador to see you, Grand Vizier.”
     Pasha, the 18th Grand Vizier of Starlos looked warily across his
desk at his chief aide.  Without saying anything, he waved his hand to
indicate his acknowledgment.  A micron later, the door slid open and the
Cylon Ambassador to Starlos, a DG civilian class robot named Orcus
entered the room.
     “Grand Vizier,” Orcus respectfully bowed, his voice humanoid like
that of the IL class Cylons.
     “Ambassador Orcus,” the ruler of Starlos nodded his head faintly,
keeping his tone level.  He never liked dealing with Orcus or any other
emissary of the Cylon Empire, but he knew his ability in handling them
was the reason why the relationship between Starlos and the Empire was
still on what he considered an equal footing.  “What brings you here?”
     “In accordance with our treaty, I am giving you advance notification
that our baseship is due here in the next cycle.  And in further
accordance with treaty obligations, she will maintain orbit around the
Alpha Moon and not intrude on planetary orbital activities.”
     Pasha always found it amusing how Cylons used the feminine gender
term to describe one of their own ships but he refused to let himself
smile.  “And I assume that under treaty obligations, your baseship will
not remain in the Starlos system in excess of three cycles?”
     There was no immediate response from Orcus as the twin orbs of his
robotic head moved back and forth.  That caused the Grand Vizier to come
forward in his chair with a visible frown.
     “You know that the presence of a baseship in our territory in excess
of three cycles is not permitted under terms of our treaty, Ambassador
Orcus.”
     “The Treaty also entitles us to take up to 500 prisoners from the
designated races no longer under Starlos protection,” Orcus said.  “Our
baseship intends to remain until we have met that quota limit.”
     “If your command centurion has 500 prisoners waiting for transport,
then you may take them all with my blessing.  But it has always been our
understanding that the time limit takes precedence over the number you
take with you.”
     “With all due respect, Grand Vizier, that is not how the Cylon High
Command interprets the language of the Treaty,” Orcus’s tone was not
hostile, but pointed.  “If we are in need of fulfilling the quota limit
of 500 prisoners, then that must take precedent over any time limit.”
     “Then your baseship should remain outside the Starlos system until
you’ve reached that quota,” Pasha held his ground.  “A sustained presence
on the part of a Cylon warship in our territorial space conveys the
impression that the Cylon Empire no longer views its relationship with
Starlos as one of mutual give and take, but one in which you are
potentially planning an military encroachment.”
     Orcus let out a chuckle.  “Esteemed Grand Vizier.....surely you
don’t think we have any interest in adding to our existing burdens of
conquest?  We made it clear to you that the subjugation of Colonial
Civilization and the Delphian Empire was the full extent of our imperial
ambitions.  Have you seen us engage in *any* aggressive military
campaigns of conquest since then?”
     “Perhaps not, but the mere existence of the Treaty between us was
rooted in a direct military threat,” Pasha folded his arms.  “For over a
millennia, Starlos has prided itself as a truly open civilization where
*all* races, including those at war with each other could freely operate
on our planet.  Your Imperious Leader however, essentially threatened our
planet with conquest and subjugation if certain races weren’t removed
from the protected list.”
     “Unfortunate, but necessary,” the Cylon Ambassador’s words would
easily have accompanied a shrug of the shoulders gesture......if the DG
class Cylon were capable of doing so. 
     “Why?” he asked pointedly.
     “Grand Vizier, you know it is pointless to ask such a question.  I
only carry out the directives of His Eminence.  He desires prisoners to
serve the needs of the Empire and you have the ability to provide them
without risking the independence Starlos has prided all these centuries. 
In the end, our Treaty has made little to no impact on the vast majority
of those who live under your benevolent protection.”
     “Perhaps not,” Pasha said coolly, “But I find it hard to believe
that the Cylon Empire can’t deal with a labor shortage by utilizing its
military might away from Starlos where there are plenty of other
inhabited planets it can make use of.”
     Again, Orcus gave the equivalent of a verbal shrug, “Perhaps we have
found that we don’t wish to extend our resources so far when it isn’t
necessary.”
     Or possible?  The Grand Vizier left the two words in his head go
unspoken.  He had heard unconfirmed rumors that behind the Cylon Empire’s
bravado that had imposed the new Treaty obligations on him, lurked
weakness and rot.  But after more than a yahren, they remained just
rumors.  And he was too cautious a leader by nature to think of pressing
that point with the Cylon Ambassador or anyone else.
     “I expect constant updates from Command Centurion Moros on the
overall progress of this operation,” he said coldly, “If he needs to take
any extraordinary steps to get to the maximum level permitted, so be it. 
But I sincerely hope there is no slow-walking to keep the level of
prisoners down so that your baseship will have an excuse to maintain its
presence in the Starlos System longer than three cycles.”
     “What you call ‘slow-walking’ is not part of the Cylon drive for
efficiency, Grand Vizier.  I am sure the commander will act with
necessary aggressiveness in those sectors where you have generously given
us free rein.”
     “I’m glad we have that understanding, Ambassador Orcus,” Pasha
leaned back, “I believe that takes care of all outstanding matters.”
     “Good day, Grand Vizier.”
     “Good day, Ambassador.”

Chapter Five

     Per his usual custom, Cain arrived on the Bridge fifteen centons
after Kylie had arrived to assume her duties as Senior Bridge Officer. 
He saw her standing with Tolen by the Navigation Board on the Upper Level
and made his way over.
     “Our team’s left?”
     “They engaged their cloaking device just now,” Kylie said.  “ETA to
Starlos, two centars. They’ll stay cloaked until they set down in the
Orion Zone.”
     “Good.  I assume we’re holding our position to avoid scanner
detection from their end?”
     “Yes, Commander,” Tolen said.  “We’re now in a circuitous heading
that will put us back to our original position when the shuttle launched
every eight centars.  They’d have to send a long-range patrol out from
Starlos to become aware of us.”
     “Which we know they don’t have the capability to do so that means
we’ll be okay.” Cain looked over the map where Starlos was indicated in
the upper right part of the screen.  “Our two biggest dangers would come
from our party being captured and forced to reveal our existence, or if
the Cylon baseship that comes to Starlos to pick up prisoners were to
intrude in our scanning range.  If either of those two events
happen......then it’s going to put us in a difficult position.”
     “It’s obvious that if a baseship becomes aware of us, then we’ll
have to fight her and destroy her,” the Executive Officer said.  “But
what are our options if we don’t hear from Skyler and can’t tell what’s
happened to him?”
     “That is the more difficult scenario, Colonel,” Cain admitted.  “At
bare minimum, we’d have to send in another team to find them.  In a
situation like that we can’t operate in the dark as to whether or not our
existence has become known to the Cylon High Command.”
     “There is a sure way to avoid that,” Kylie said simply.  “Cancel the
mission and put Starlos on the back burner until after we go to Arcta.”
     Cain and Tolen both turned their heads toward her as soon as she
finished.  The Executive Officer knew that Kylie had been encouraged to
speak her mind now that she was Senior Bridge Officer, but the way she’d
spoken had the ring of someone who’d been doing it for yahrens.
     “You think there’s little to gain from going to Starlos at this
point, Captain?” Cain asked.
     “Yes Commander, I think what we can learn from Starlos is something
that should come after we’ve been to Arcta and dealt with matters that
are of far greater importance to the Resistance,” her words were precise
and her bearing ram-rod straight.  “In my opinion we are jumping the gun
by going there first and running the risk of losing the element of
surprise we still need.”
     “Noted, Captain,” Cain nodded.  “We are carrying that risk.  But if
we were able to ascertain the truth behind the Cylon need for prison
labor......and the truth of what’s happening on the Cylon home planet,
then we’ll be one giant step closer to liberating the Colonies than we
could have imagined.  I’m willing to take a gamble on learning that when
the opportunity is there.” he paused, “Do you want the record to formally
note your opposition?”
     “Yes sir,” Kylie didn’t hesitate.
     “It will be so noted,” Cain turned to Tolen, “Colonel?”
     “I don’t object to the mission, sir,” he said, also without
hesitation.  “But I would recommend that as a precaution we send forward
patrols to the Starlos region, properly cloaked of course, to monitor
activities there while our team is on the surface.  We rotate them in and
out every few centars so that way.......Starlos is kept under observation
until we know Skyler’s team is headed back.”
     “Sound thinking, Colonel,” Cain was impressed and turned back to his
wife, “Inform Silver Patrol Group teams to stand by to launch in two
centars from now.  I don’t want them away until after we know Skyler’s
team has to be on the surface.”
     “Sir,” Kylie nodded respectfully and departed the Bridge since she
would need to go to Flight Operations to give the order.  Cain watched
her leave and only when she was gone did the Juggernaut crack a smile.
     “Well, Tolen, she’s really growing into the job.  Totally unafraid
to speak her mind and challenge me when she thinks I could be wrong.”
     “And if you are wrong, sir?” Tolen asked.  “What do we do if our
cover gets blown?”
     He turned and looked the XO in his eye, “Think positively, Colonel. 
Think positively.”
     Without waiting for a response, Cain left the Bridge.


     “ETA to Starlos, twenty centons,” Keuchel reported from the pilot
seat of the shuttle.
     “Any sign of their outer patrol craft?” Skyler asked as he adjusted
the Orion head-covering which he’d found was causing his scalp to itch.
     “Not yet.”
     “Their orbital position is narrow,” Jocasta spoke up, her voice
sounding faraway.  “You won’t find them more than a few hundred
kilometrones out.  The idea is to cast a tight net around unauthorized
traffic.”
     Skyler looked over at her.  Dressed in the loose Orion clothing, her
expression was just as it had been yesterday at the briefing.  Distant
and vacant as if she were detached from reality and lost in her own
private thoughts.  Thoughts that he hoped weren’t about him.  
     Damn it, I should stop fixating on that.  It’s probably more about
what she went through locked up in a windowless dwelling for all that
time with no ability to anywhere and living in constant fear of a knock
on the door.  No matter how cooped up the Pegasus feels like, we’ve at
least got some room to move about and get off it from time to time.  And
if you’re locked up in a prison cell you at least know where you stand
with the enemy.  But in her case......it was different.
     “Okay, Starlos is now showing up on long-range scan
and.......there’s at lest twenty ships in close orbit about the planet,”
Keuchel sounded.  “Even at full cloak we’re going to have to thread a
tight needle to get through that perimeter.”
     “Anything else in the region?” Skyler asked.
     “Scan’s not wide enough yet.....wait.  Wait a micron.”
     “What do you see?” Skyler came up behind Keuchel and looked over his
shoulder. 
     “The one moon of Starlos is just coming into outer edge range,
and.....”
     “Bryce, readjust the scan beam to the vicinity of the moon.”
     “Adjusting scanning beam,” Bryce activated the switch.  The
navigation map changed in appearance as the image indicating Starlos
shifted from the upper center to the left side of the screen, which
brought the solitary moon of the planet into view.  And then.....the
three men saw a telltale shape on the scanner just above the moon that
they immediately recognized.
     “Frack,” Bryce whispered.
     “Cylon baseship in orbit around their moon,” Skyler nodded.  “That’s
going to make things on the planet a lot more.....interesting.”  He
turned around and made his way back to the front row where Jocasta sat. 
“You didn’t notice a baseship when you fled the planet?”
     “No,” she shook her head and visibly shuddered.  “They.....only come
when they’re ready to take prisoners away.”
     Skyler then went to the second row of the passenger seating where
Centurion Kleitos was. He found himself wishing that Cobre was here to
provide the Cylon newcomer something in the way of reassurance.
     “Centurion Kleitos,” he said respectfully, “If there’s anything you
want to say or want to know from us, feel free to speak up.”
     “I understand the mission objective,” Kleitos spoke.  “Everything is
clear.”
     Skyler skipped a beat before asking, “And the mission objective is?”
     “I am to assist in gauging the full extent of Cylon operations on
Starlos, and to determine why the High Command is rounding up prisoners
for transport back to Cylon instead of merely executing them.”
     “Thank you, Centurion Kleitos.  We appreciate your working with us.”
     From the front of the shuttle in the left cockpit seat, Bryce kept
his eyes forward so no one behind him could see them roll upwards.
     I shouldn’t have had to ask if I had no doubts, Skyler thought as he
resumed his seat next to Jocasta, but we haven’t built up the same level
of instinctive trust with the Cannes Garrison survivors like we have with
the others.  I hope this doesn’t come back to bite us in the astrum.
     Trying to push that thought of his mind he turned back to Jocasta,
“You’re okay?”
     “I’m fine,” she nodded vigorously.  And then, she looked him in the
eye, “I can handle going back to Starlos because......you’re there.”
     He gave her a reassuring smile and tried not to put a negative spin
on her gratitude.
     “Fifteen centons to Starlos,” Keuchel called out, “Course plotted to
take us down to the Orion Zone on planetary backside.  Let’s hope there’s
a big enough opening to navigate through the scout ships or else we’ll
have to waste time on a second orbital pass.”
     “Fortunately we don’t have to worry about a time element on keeping
the shuttle cloaked,” Skyler said.  “The Lords bless Dr. Arnoff for
removing that bug in the system.”
     “But it’s not indefinite, is it?” Bryce asked.
     “No, not indefinite, Bryce, but at least we have the luxury of
leaving it unattended for up to three days instead of having only twelve
centars.  If we can’t get information in that much time, then that means
we’re not doing our job right.”
     “And if we aren’t finished in three days?” Bryce pressed.
     Skyler wondered if Bryce, who always seemed to have a mild attitude
problem, was expecting him to make some kind of flip remark on the order
of ‘then the Lords help us all’.  He decided not to give him that
satisfaction.
     “Then either you or Keuchel flies this out of here to tell Cain
what’s going on,” he said.  “That sound simple enough.....Lieutenant?”
     Five microns of uneasy silence went by before Bryce let out a
slightly caustic, “Yes....*sir*!”


     Conversation was kept to a minimum over the next fifteen centons as
the cloaked shuttle reached the perimeter of Starlos patrol ships in
orbit above the planet.  There were over thirty spaced apart, which
Jocasta noted was more than had been the case when she’d made her escape
from the planet.  And that also revealed just how serious the
repercussions had been as a result of her escape.
     With deft piloting skill, Bryce and Keuchel maneuvered the shuttle
safely through the available gaps between patrol ships.  Soon, the sight
of space gave way to the swirling clouds of the planet’s atmosphere and
then the shuttle was in open sunshine.
            “Okay, we’re over the capital city,” Keuchel reported.  “How
far from the center is the Orion section?”
            “Three kilometrones,” Jocasta said.  “It adjoins the Hasari
and Colonial sections.  Sorry—I should say the former Hasari and Colonial
sections.  The Cylons have free rein in those areas now.”
      “Scan that area for the best place to set this down,” Skyler
ordered.
     “Scanning that area,” Bryce said.  “Okay, we’ve got a large parkland
region that’s over twenty square kilometrones in diameter and which
registers next to nothing in life forms.”
     “The Main Reservoir for all sections,” Jocasta spoke up. “No one
section could have its own independent water supply.  It had to come from
a common source.”
     “Is it accessible to the public?” Skyler asked.  “Is it a place
where you can go walking?”
     “Yes.  There are recreational fields located throughout the park,
but they’re not open at this time of the yahren.  It’s the cold season.”
          “Perfect.  That’s going to give our ship the ideal hiding spot,
and then we make our way back out to the trail that leads to the Orion
Zone.  We may have to hike for a bit, but we’re all game aren’t we?”
     “Yes sir,” Bryce mumbled.
     “We’ll keep ourselves spread out just a bit when we emerge and not
give away the fact that we’re together.  Jocasta and I will be at the
front followed by Centurion Kleitos.  Bryce and Keuchel, you’ll bring up
the rear.  We all stay in sight of each other at all times, but we don’t
pack together again until we reach the office of this Kraler person.”
     Bryce, his eyes still forward, felt a wave of satisfaction over this
order.  Keeping the lone Cylon in the middle of the group meant that a
pair of eyes would be on him at all time and meanwhile the one person who
knew her away around the planet would be in the lead position.  It made
him express a thought he knew he could never utter aloud to anyone.
     Smart man, the Captain.  Thank the Lords Cain drew the line making
his concubine number three in the chain of command when he promoted her. 



     The shuttle, safely cloaked, was left behind in an empty
recreational field within the vast reservoir park that provided water for
all sections of Starlos’s capital city.  Because it was the cool season,
the outdoor facilities weren’t being used which cut down the risk of
anyone walking into an invisible solid mass.  And the number of people
from different races walking the trails and pathways were also at a
minimum at this time of the yahren, which allowed the four humans and one
Cylon to reach the pathway unnoticed by anyone else.  Only now, the
humans were properly outfitted as Orions with whitish blonde wigs and
cloaks that completely covered the lower halves of their faces.
     From the lead point, Skyler and Jocasta walked the path for over a
half kilometrone before they finally saw an approaching figure from the
other direction.  It was a male native of Starlos with the telltale
features of a swarthier complexion and six digits on each hand.  He said
nothing to them as they walked past each other but he did stop to tilt
his head slightly as if the sight of two Orions seemed slightly unusual
to him.  Skyler found himself fighting the urge to turn around and see if
the male was reacting the same to Centurion Kleitos and the two trailing
humans dressed as Orions.  For now, it was important to act casually.
     It took ten centons of walking before they reached the end of the
trail which fed out into both the Orion sector and the now Cylon occupied
Hasari sector of the city.  Glancing towards the latter, he noticed there
were centurions assembled further down the main street but thankfully not
stationed at the entrance to the park which meant they’d avoid
confronting them at this stage.
Only when they had entered the Orion sector did he break his silence.
     “About how far to Kraler’s business?”
     “At least one more kilometrone and then the entrance is located on
Side Street Delta.” Jocasta was calm.
     Skyler deliberately stopped and made the pretense of adjusting the
folds of his cloak which gave him a micron to look back and see that the
other three were still following.  Only now, Bryce and Keuchel had closed
the distance behind Centurion Kleitos.  Turning to his right he could see
at least two more centurions on the other side of the street walking in
the direction of the Park, perhaps so they could get access to the entry
to the former Hasari section.  The sight of them relieved the Captain
because it meant that Kleitos’s presence would be treated as normal by
everyone else in the Orion sector.  
     As they resumed walking, it gave Skyler a chance to take in more the
general underlying atmosphere of the Orion sector.  The main street was
devoid of hovermobile traffic though once, what seemed like a public air
taxi moved by.  He also noticed that there were no stores or business out
in the open on the pedestrian sidewalks.  He was sure that was
deliberate.  With centurions moving up and down at unpredictable
intervals, no merchant would want to take the risk of conducting any kind
of business that a Cylon might deem suspicious.  That also meant no
outside tables for eating at any of the restaurant establishments they
passed.
     It’s normalcy but with underlying paranoia, just like Jocasta
described.  The Orion have seen other races who used to mingle freely on
Starlos enslaved and they know it could just as easily happen to them
anytime.
     “There!”
     Jocasta’s voice broke him out of his train of thought.  He turned
and saw her pointing to a sign marked “Delta”which led to a side street
off the main avenue.  A row of elegantly designed buildings reflecting
the Orion style of architecture rose to a height of no greater than five
stories.  
     “How far down?”
     “Third door on the left side of the street,” she said.
     Skyler deliberately slowed his walking pace as they crossed the
avenue and entered the side street.  By the time he reached the entrance
to the establishment with the sign,   ‘Flavor of the Sun’ prominent on
the facade, Centurion Kleitos had caught up to them.
     “Centurion,” Skyler turned to him.  “At this point I’d like you to
accompany us inside.  I think it’ll expedite our ability to see Kraler
privately.”
     Kleitos nodded but said nothing.  From behind, Keuchel and Bryce had
reached them and Skyler said quietly, “Keep walking around the block. 
I’d recommend checking out a couple other businesses and get a sense of
what the general mood is here.”
     “Want us to keep our com-lines on?” Bryce asked.
     “For now, no.  Just stay in the vicinity and check back here in half
a centar.”
     “Yes, sir,” Bryce nodded as he and Keuchel moved by them.  Skyler
then took a breath and entered the sliding doors of the establishment
with Jocasta and Kleitos close behind.


     For the Orion businessman named Kraler, the day had been like so
many for the past yahren.  A day full of tension as he tried to balance
his responsibility to keep no trace of suspicion from falling on his
business with his inner sense of guilt and shame over what the planet
that had been his home all his life had descended to.  Despite his Orion
background he was, like many inhabitants of Starlos, part of that second
and third generation group that had been born on the planet and never
visited their ancestral place of origin.  That was why the idea of going
back to Orion, which was still free and independent, was anathema to him.
To Kraler, going to Orion would have been a declaration of cowardice on
his part, and he knew he’d never be able to live with himself.
     So he’d stayed on Starlos all this time, determined to maintain his
obligations to the business his family had started over a hundred yahrens
ago and the people who worked for him....as well as his obligations to
those who had been his friends and neighbors and who had now been
betrayed as a result of the Grand Vizier’s policy shift.
     When he heard his office intercom buzz, he didn’t answer it at
first.  He had left strict instructions with his long-time secretary of
twenty yahrens, not to disturb him because recent events surrounding the
arrival of a Cylon baseship around Starlos’s moon had left him on-edge. 
It meant that his situation was at its most precarious until he knew for
certain the warship had made good its departure for the Cylon home
system.
     The persistence of the buzzer forced him to answer it.
     “Miep, I told you I didn’t want to be disturbed.”
     “You have three visitors, sir,” his secretary’s tone was cautious
and guarded.  “I think it’s important you see them.”
     “Not now, Miep.”
     “One of them is a centurion.”
     Kraler came upright in his chair and frowned.  He had long ago
instructed Miep that if any Cylon ever made their presence known inside
the building, she was to drop everything and come into his office to warn
him and give him some time to prepare himself.  For her to ignore those
instructions meant something was amiss that went beyond the mere fact
that a Cylon was outside with two others.
     “All right,” he chose his words carefully, “Send them in.”
     He waited with a tense air for the door to slide open.  When it did
his eyes widened in stunned disbelief as he saw someone he immediately
recognize enter the room followed by a stranger and the lone Cylon.
     “Hello Mr. Kraler,” Jocasta had removed the blonde Orion wig and
lowered her face covering.  “Don’t panic.  Everything’s safe.”
     “Jocasta!” he bolted up and blurted in shock, “I don’t understand. 
How----,”
     “I’ll explain everything, Mr. Kraler,” Skyler spoke up as he made
sure the door was closed securely behind them.  “I’m Captain Skyler of
the Battlestar Pegasus.  We rescued Jocasta last sectan.”
     “You’re with the----,” he shook his head, trying to come to terms
with this triple shock.  Seeing Jocasta back when he’d gone to such great
lengths to get her off Starlos safely.  Hearing another man say he was
from a Colonial battlestar when there were supposedly none left except
for one that had gone all the way across the galaxy.  And finally, the
incongruous presence of a Cylon with them.
     “I know it’s confusing, Mr. Kraler, but please hear us out.  And let
me assure you, Centurion Kleitos is on our side.  You aren’t in any
danger.”
     “Excuse me,” Kraler slowly sat down.  His right arm was extended in
a gesture demanding silence.  “This is too much for me to take in. 
You’re asking me to accept three impossibilities.”
     “Mr. Kraler, this isn’t a trap!” Jocasta drew closer to the desk, “I
haven’t been captured and  I haven’t been brainwashed or blackmailed to
betray you and Miep.”
     “I believe you, Jocasta.  I believe you,” he kept his arm extended. 
“But I’m going to need to have all this explained very slowly and
carefully.  Now you----what did you say your name was?”
     “Captain Skyler of the Battlestar Pegasus,” he said slowly.  “I’ll
explain everything as carefully as I can, but it’ll be important to have
it all wrapped up in no more than a centar.  We have to fulfill our
mission objectives here in no more than three days.”
     “All right, Captain.” Kraler looked him in the eye.  “Talk.”


     Bryce and Keuchel circled around the back streets of the Orion
sector before returning to the main avenue, denoted by a large sign
“Avenue Alpha.”  They could now see a higher volume of Orions moving
about.  All of them dressed in the telltale outsized robes and with the
lower parts of their faces concealed.  They could also see a number of
native Starlosians, the majority dressed in what looked like official
uniforms.  The number of Cylons they saw were minimal, but seemed to be
grouped among the uniform-clad Starlosians.  
     They moved past Delta Side Street which led to Kraler’s business and
noticed further down the avenue a sign that indicated a tavern.  The two
disguised Colonials exchanged nods and entered the establishment. 
Immediately, the were struck by how quiet it was compared to every other
bar and tavern they’d frequented in their lives.  No music sounded from
any live instruments or sound system.  And the cluster of Orion natives
who were seated around circular tables were not engaged in levels of
conversation sufficient to generate the type of loud murmur one ordinary
associated with such places.
     Suddenly, Bryce realized that the customers seated at the tables
closest to them had turned and were staring at them.  Their expressions
clearly suspicious.  In an instant, the security chief remembered
something from their briefing.  Orions always removed their facial
coverings the instant they entered an interior space of any kind.  He
quickly pulled his down as did Keuchel as they made their way forward to
the bar where several other customers were seated in outsized stools that
were meant to accommodate the folds of their robes.
     “And you’ll have?” the bartender asked.  He wasn’t dressed in the
usual outsized robes Orions favored, and if it weren’t for the telltale
blonde hair he wouldn’t have stood out as one.
     Bryce glanced at the customer to his right who was drinking a
greenish liquid in a small shot glass.  He idly pointed his finger and
said in a clipped tone.  “Same as him.”
     “And you?” the bartender looked at Keuchel.
     “Likewise,” Keuchel matched the clipped tone.  Both knew that asking
for something specific might run the risk of asking for something not
available on Starlos.  The safest course of action was to follow the
leads of everyone else.
     When they were served, Bryce took a sip and almost gagged.  The
greenish liquid was clearly some derivative of aspand, which had been
banned in most of the Colonies because of it’s supposed side-effects. 
Skorpia was the only one of the twelve worlds that had ever legalized it. 
In the early days of his training as a Colonial Security Guard there had
been briefings on illegal smuggling operations from Skorpia to the other
Colonies and how Colonial Security units were responsible for
intercepting those shipments.  When he’d been given his first assignment
aboard the battle cruiser Caelum, his superior loved to recount the time
he’d intercepted one such illegal shipment of four crates bound for
Gemon......but only reported three of them to Fleet Central with the one
extra case held for his personal stock.  Bryce could remember being
forced to sample the liqueur to celebrate his promotion to
Sergeant......and feeling so sick from it afterwards that he’d seriously
considered turning his superior in.  Only the fear of exposing himself as
a snitch had kept him from following through.
     “You don’t strike me as the aspand type,” the bartender said with a
stone-faced expression.  “Why’d you ask?”
     Bryce shot a glance at Keuchel who had sipped his without batting an
eyelash.  He then looked back at the bartender and offered only a
wordless shrug of the shoulders as he picked up his drink and toyed with
the shot glass, but didn’t take another sip.
     “As a matter of fact,” the bartender hunched down so that he was now
at eye level with the two men, “You don’t strike me as authentic Orions. 
And the rest of the people in here probably think the same.  And if you
were Starlos security, you’d be a lot better in your disguise so I’m
assuming you’re from the Colonial section which means you’re in trouble.”
     Bryce summoned all of his training to avoid looking rattled.  “Is
this a threat to turn us in or an offer to help?”
     “That depends on you and your friend,” the bartender motioned, “Come
to the back where it’s more private.”
     The two Colonials pushed their drinks aside and followed him through
a beaded curtain into the back room.  An open safe was visible on the
back wall.  In front of it, seated at a table  was a heavyset Orion, his
robes off like the bartender, who was organizing several piles of coins
and notes.  He didn’t look up but it was obvious the noise had alerted
him to the new arrivals.
     “What is it, Gar?”
     “Two Colonials in disguise wandered in, Japheth,” the bartender
said.  “You’d better find out what they want.”
     The man named Japheth looked up at the them and frowned, “Two
Colonials?” he motioned the bartender to leave, “How long have you been
in hiding?”
     “A long time,” Bryce wasn’t going to reveal anything he knew he
shouldn’t with total strangers.  
     “You’d be better off going back to wherever you’ve been hiding,
because I’m not putting my place at risk for Colonials or any other race
that’s now on the blacklist.”
     “We’ll be happy to leave if you can just answer a few questions for
us, Japheth,” Bryce said.  “Can you give us a few centons of that?”
     “That would depend on what you’re asking.”
     “All right, I’ll come to the point,” Bryce took a step toward him,
“Why are the Cylons rounding up prisoners for transport back to their
home planet instead of just having all the blacklisted races executed?”
     “How in Hades should I know?”  Japheth shrugged.
     “Because people talk.  Especially in places like this.  I’m sure
you’ve heard your share of stories, just like your bartender has heard
them.”
     The proprietor leaned back in his chair, “Maybe I have heard rumors
here and there. Some of us do have dealings with Starlos Security, and
they hear things from the Cylon enforcers.”
     “Then enlighten us,” Keuchel spoke up for the first time.
     “What do I get for doing so?”
     “Our leaving out the back way as quickly as possible so you don’t
have to worry about us any longer,” Bryce said forcefully.  “It’s obvious
you don’t want to take the risk of harboring anyone on the blacklist, but
you sure as Hades don’t want to turn anyone on the blacklist in.  You’d
rather be left alone in peace, and the sooner you can answer our
questions we can be on our way and leave you in peace.”
     Japheth cracked a smile, “I’m beginning to realize why you’ve
survived all this time since you’re clearly no dummy, Mr.......”
     “No names,” Bryce shook his head, “You’re better off not knowing.”
     “I guess so.  As to your first question.  We didn’t realize
initially the Cylons wanted prisoners from those on the blacklist.  We
just thought the Vizier was giving them free rein to kill them so long as
the bodies would be removed from the planet.”
     “When did you realize the blacklist targets weren’t being executed?”
     “When the Cylon Ambassador demanded quotas and set asides of food in
order to feed the prison population.”  Japheth said.  “That’s why I
charge higher prices than I’d like to.  We’re feeling the pinch the most
because we’re the one section that’s stayed off the blacklist.”
     “And why is that?” Keuchel delicately probed.  “Is it because the
Vizier values your home planet, or is it because your home planet has its
own arrangement with the Cylons?”
     Japheth let out a dry chuckle, “If any of us cared about what our
home planet thinks, or what arrangements they’ve made, we wouldn’t be
here on Starlos.”
     “That doesn’t mean you’re ignorant,” Bryce said coldly.  “So which
is it?”
     The proprietor leaned back and sighed, “Both.  Our home planet
signed a non-aggression pact with the Cylons right after the Colonies
were destroyed and used their trade relationship with the Vizier as
leverage to make sure the Cylons never went back on it.  Starlos has its
own trade missions on Orion that they rely on and the last thing Pasha
needs is to see the Cylons conquer the planet and turn it into a
wasteland.  So long as that balancing act exists where Orion is important
to Starlos.......then we know that our home planet and our section is
perfectly safe from being blacklisted.......unless of course individual
Orion are caught harboring those on the blacklist.”
     “I see,” Bryce nodded, knowing this was important from the broader
diplomatic standpoint.  “But now that brings us back to why the Cylons
round up the blacklisted races as prisoners instead of just executing
them.  What rumors go around about that?”
     “Just rumors,” Japheth said simply.  “And the one that comes up the
most is that.....the Cylons learned that their natural impulse toward
exterminating their opponents backfired on them in a big way.”
     “Meaning they need slave labor,” Keuchel said.
     “Yes.”
     “Why?”
     “What difference does it make to you?” his expression grew
quizzical.  “Do you really care one way or the other why the Cylons would
want to keep you alive for slave labor instead of just executing you?”
     “We’ll be the judge of that,” Bryce said coolly.  “What have you
heard?”
     He let out a reluctant sigh, “Only that it has to do
with.....mining.”
     “What kind of mining?”
     “You’re asking very strange questions for a Colonial whose only
concern should be how to get off this planet,” for the first time an edge
of hostility came over the proprietor named Japheth. “Unless.....you’re
pretending to be more than just a disguised Orion.”
     “I assure you we’re not Hasari or Delphian.”
     “That isn’t what I meant,” Japheth’s eyes narrowed.
     “The more you keep asking us questions, Japheth, the longer you’re
prolonging our stay here which I don’t think is what you intended. 
Unless your bartender is right now trying to find someone in Starlos
Security or even a Cylon and you’re stalling us until they come?”
     Japheth’s eyes narrowed even more in visible anger.  He slowly rose
from his chair and for the first time, the two Colonials could see that
he was an imposing man in height.
     “I don’t like any insinuation that I’m a snitch.”
     “Then just answer the question,” Bryce refused to be intimidated. 
“What kind of mining does the Cylons need prisoners for?  If you don’t
know, fine.  But if you’ve heard so much as one rumor, tell us.  As for
why it’s important, you leave that to us.  You’re better off not knowing
a lot of things about us so you can plead ignorance if Starlos Security,
or the Cylons decided to ask questions.”
     “I guess so,” he admitted.  “Okay.....one rumor that goes about it
is that the Cylon home planet.....hasn’t been able to function at normal
capacity the last couple yahrens.  And that they’re suffering from a
manpower shortage that keeps them from using their own ranks to try to
compensate for that.”
     “Is that the only rumor?” Bryce pressed.
     “There’s also talk the Cylons can’t build new weapons unless they
fix this problem,” Japheth said.  “Don’t ask me how that’s possible. 
That’s just the rumor that goes around when a Starlos security goon who’s
in a position to hear things has his tongue loosened by two slugs of
aspand.”
     The lieutenant looked at him and decided he’d heard all he was going
to hear.
     “Okay,” he nodded, “That helps.  Is there a way out back?”
     “Nope,” Japheth shook his head, “And if you were remotely familiar
with Orion architecture you’d know that we don’t have back entrances. 
Which tells me that the two of you have never been in this section
before, and that maybe......you’re not from Starlos at all.”
     “We’ll never confirm that to you one way or the other, Japheth,”
Bryce flashed him a crooked smile.  “Have a nice day.”
     He motioned to Keuchel and the two of them left the back room.  When
they re-entered the bar, they were greeted to the same sound of
near-quiet, with all the customers hunched over their respective tables. 
Neither of them looked over at the bar to see if the bartender was
watching them.  When Bryce reached the main door and it slid open, he
promptly pulled at the top of his cloak but remembered not to lift it up
to cover the bottom of his face until he’d taken his first step out. 
     “Where to?” Keuchel asked.  His facial covering also secure.
     “We nonchalantly go back to Mr. Kraler’s place of business and
rendezvous with the others,” Bryce avoided eye contact with him, “But
let’s unobtrusively take the long way around the block back.”
     The two began walking down the street.......unaware that twenty
paces behind them, a man in the black uniform of Starlos security began
to discreetly follow them.

Chapter Six

     Kraler had listened to Skyler explain everything for nearly a half
centar.  The Orion businessman kept his questions to a minimum, directing
them more than once to Jocasta for clarification on several points.  By
the time the Captain had finished, Kraler seemed satisfied with his
explanations.
     “I knew about the Battlestar Galactica and her fleet of refugee
ships from the Colonies,” he said.  “I don’t think anyone believed
another battlestar still survived, least of all the Pegasus.  We’re
familiar with the accounts of the Battle of Molocay.  But even so, that’s
not the most surprising thing to hear from you.  It’s this news about
Resistance in the Colonies and......Cylons switching sides.”
     “We prefer the term ‘Enlightenment’,” Centurion Kleitos spoke up. 
It was the first time the Cylon had spoken since their arrival and it
slightly jolted Kraler, causing him to rise part way in his seat.  He
wasn’t used to seeing or dealing with Cylons in this context at all.
     “I’m assuming this isn’t something that’s ever come up with the
Cylons stationed here on Starlos,” Skyler said.
     “There certainly haven’t been any rumors that I’ve been aware of,”
Kraler said as he settled back in his chair.  “All I know is that the
Cylons are still in a position to intimidate the Vizier into giving them
what they want, which is free access to round up all races who no longer
have protection from Starlos authority.”
     “Colonials, Hasari and Delphians.”
     “Yes, but now it’s only the former two because there are no
Delphians left,” Kraler said, “Given their....distinctive appearance,
there weren’t many among us willing to harbor them.  The Cylons had an
easier time flushing them out.”
     “What about your people?” Skyler asked.  “What’s the penalty for an
Orion found to be harboring someone on the blacklist?”
     “The Cylons can’t take any of us as prisoners, but Starlos Security
has the right to throw us into permanent detention here.  The Orion
Ambassador made it clear that no protests will be filed on behalf of
anyone who gets caught so long as the Cylons aren’t given final say on
our punishment.  That’s why we have to worry about both of them in our
section.”
     “Have there been any major crackdowns here in the Orion sector?” 
     “A few,” Kraler’s voice grew soft and pained.  He glanced at
Jocasta, whose Orion wig was still off.  “Just two sectans ago, they took
away Mr. Kleimann the jeweler.”
     “No!” she touched her cheek in horror as the wig fell out of her
other hand to the floor.  Skyler felt compelled to reach out and put his
arm around her to steady her.  It had a relaxing effect on the young
woman and she stopped trembling but he also knew he couldn’t dare let go
of her for at least a few centons.
     “I’m afraid so,” Kraler sighed and looked at Skyler, “Mr. Kleimann
ran a kiosk that specialized in Orion precious jewelry two blocks from
here.  He was hiding four Colonials, two of whom I believe were refugees
from the Colonies after the Cylons destroyed them.”
     “What happened?” Skyler asked, his arm still around Jocasta.
     “Unfortunately the fact they were refugees who’d had a previous
relationship with him made Mr. Kleimann an easier target for Starlos
Security.  They’re less apt to search the homes and establishments of
those whose only business dealings were with established Colonial
residents of Starlos.  That’s why I’ve managed to escape scrutiny from
them because I never dealt with any refugees from the Colonies.”
     “You’re still harboring the Hasari family that was with Jocasta and
her father?”
     “Yes, the Essien family,” Kraler’s eyes narrowed, “Are you asking me
to harbor you with them for however long you remain on Starlos?”
     “Only Jocasta,” he released his hold on her, “Now that she’s helped
us find you, our team needs to gather whatever information we can before
we have to leave in three days maximum.  I think Jocasta will be safer in
a secure place until its time for us to leave.”
     “No!” the woman instinctively grabbed hold of Skyler again, “Let me
stay with you, Skyler!”
     “Jocasta,” he gently touched her shoulders and looked into her eyes,
trying to keep his voice gentle, “It’s a lot more dangerous for you to
stay with us while we’re moving about on the planet trying to infiltrate
Starlos Security and potentially the Cylon section too.  You’re much
better off staying with people you know until it’s time for us to leave
and then we’ll take you back with us to the Pegasus.  I promise you, you
won’t be left behind.”
     “But if something goes wrong and they capture you, I’ll be trapped
alone back in----,” she began to tremble violently and shook her head
vigorously, “I *won’t* be locked up in that place again.  I won’t!”
     “Captain,” Kraler said gently, his tone grave.  “I really don’t
think it’s a good idea to have Jocasta return to the hiding place.
     “Mr. Kraler, unless you have another place in mind I think you’re
not going to have much choice in the matter.”
     “No!” Jocasta kept shaking her head, “No!”
     “I’m assuming Jocasta has told you about her experience in the
hiding place, Captain,” the Orion businessman was on his feet now, his
hands behind his back.  “It was not a pleasant experience for her, nor
was it for the Essien family.  The reason why I put my life at risk to
get her off this planet was because the situation there had grown
intolerable.  Her father’s breakdown meant the Essien family had to kill
him to keep him from barging out into the street at a time of day when
Starlos Security makes its presence known.  Leaving Jocasta with them
again for so much as five centons is an invitation to disaster for
everyone.”
               “And having her accompany us into more dangerous areas of
this planet is an even bigger invitation to disaster, Mr. Kraler!” Skyler
raised his voice slightly.  “I wish we knew the layout of your planet
better so that Jocasta didn’t have to leave the Pegasus and come with us
to help us find you, but we didn’t have any choice in that matter.  I’m
concerned with her safety as much as you are, and are you really trying
to tell me with a straight face that having her wander the streets in a
makeshift disguise is better for her?”
     “She seems to feel much safer with you, Captain,” he noted dryly. 
“You do feel safe with him, don’t you Jocasta?”
     Still clinging to Skyler, she turned her head and looked at Kraler. 
The tears visibly streaking her cheeks.  “Mr. Kraler, I’m grateful for
all you did for me.  Please understand that.”
     “I do. Jocasta,” he nodded in understanding.  “But you’d rather stay
with the Captain, wouldn’t you?”
     She nodded vigorously.
     Frack, felgercarb and shit!  Skyler thought.
     “In fact, you’d rather take the risk of being captured as opposed to
returning to the hiding place, wouldn’t you?”
     “Yes,” she looked up at Skyler with a pleading expression.  “I
promise I’ll behave.  I promise I won’t get in the way.  Just please
don’t----,”
     Skyler felt angry and embarrassed.  He knew that sound command
procedure meant not letting Jocasta tag along into a danger spot.  If he
was going to prove himself worthy of being entrusted to important command
decisions in the future, he knew he couldn’t let Jocasta’s emotional
feelings prevail.  But he was facing the potential danger of putting her
in a situation where she might have a total breakdown and creating a
scenario that could put Kraler and the Hasari family he was still
harboring at risk.
     Lords of Kobol, what a mess!
     Before he could summon a response, the intercom sounded and Miep’s
voice filled the room.  “Mr. Kraler, two men have arrived.  They say
they’re with the others.”
     “They are alone?” Kraler inquired urgently.  
     “Yes sir.”
     “Let them in.”
     The door slid open seconds later and Bryce entered followed by
Keuchel.  The lieutenant was slightly out of breath.
     “Bryce you should have waited for us to leave this place before
rendezvousing,” Skyler said as he finally pushed Jocasta away from him,
determined to not let her distract him from this conversation.
     “Sorry Cap, but it couldn’t wait.  We ducked into an Orion tavern
run by someone named Japheth.  He wasn’t the most friendly of people but
we did pick up some information.”
     “I hope you didn’t reveal much about yourselves to Japheth,” Kraler
said with clear concern,   “I wouldn’t trust him or any of his employees
on anything.”
     “We didn’t give any hints we were outsiders to Starlos,” Bryce said. 
“We did get some indirect confirmation that the Cylon need for prisoners
is slave labor and that it probably is tied to mining needs.  He says
that’s the rumor that goes around in Starlos Security circles.”
     Skyler looked back at Kraler, “Is that what you’ve heard?”
     “I know they want slave labor but I never tried to find out why,”
Kraler said.  “I decided long ago that if I showed the slightest sign of
being too inquisitive about anything, I’d be calling attention to myself
that I can do without.”
     “Understandable,” the Captain nodded.  “So that means if Starlos
Security has heard rumors, we’ll have to snoop in their area.  Do their
operatives just roam freely in the Orion section or do they have a
security office of their own here?”
     “They have a security office near the hub that leads to the
Reservoir and the other sections.  But still within our section.”
     “Then we’ll check that out,” he turned and then glared at Jocasta,
“You can’t come with us, Jocasta.”
     “Please,” she pleaded, “Please don’t leave me.”
     “What about here in Mr. Kraler’s office?” he added quickly.  “Would
you feel safe here while we take care of our business?”
     For the first time, her sense of fear gave way to uncertainty,
“Well......” she then shot a glance at the Orion businessman who was
trying to hide the exasperation from his face.
     “Captain, I don’t run an all-night business.  A few centars is one
thing, but keeping Jocasta here overnight is out of the question because
one light burning in this office after business is closed will bring
Starlos Security here in an instant.”
     Before Skyler could respond there was a buzzing sound on the
intercom.  It came in a rhythmic patter and immediately Kraler’s
expression turned to one of horror.
     “That’s Miep’s signal that there’s someone from Starlos Security
outside,” he whispered. 
     “Frack,” Skyler knew he had to act quickly to prevent a disaster
from happening.  “Jocasta, get that wig back on, now!”  He then turned to
Kleitos, “Kleitos, listen to me.  Act like you’re the one in charge. 
That’s the only thing that’s going to make him go away.  Do you
understand?”
     The centurion nodded his head but said nothing, and inside Skyler
felt a wave of sick doubt filling him about the Cannesian Cylon’s
reliability.  But he couldn’t let any of that show.  Any sign that he
didn’t trust Kleitos would be enough to make the Cylon reconsider
everything he’d been taught about Enlightenment.
     Skyler looked back over and saw that Jocasta had reattached the
whitish-blonde wig.  She quickly threw the hood of her garment back over
her head and he made sure that she wasn’t showing any signs of trembling
or panic.  As he motioned Bryce and Keuchel to line up on either side of
him, the rhythmic buzzing of the intercom continued.
     “Captain?” Kraler whispered with rising impatience.
     “All right, answer her.  Act like you’re conducting an important
business arrangement with us that the Cylons have given their approval
to.  Make whoever that is feel like he’s committed the biggest mistake of
his life by coming in here.”
     “This won’t be the first time I’ve had to talk my way out of a
situation like this, Captain,” the Orion clenched his teeth to hide his
mounting anger as he then pressed the button, “Yes, Miep?”
     “Sir, Officer Tolson of Starlos Security is here and wants to talk
to you.”  The secretary’s voice was calm though everyone knew she was no
doubt filled with just as much inner panic as the rest of them.
     “Yes, let him come in,” Kraler’s voice was full of authority.  Five
microns later the door slid open and the black uniformed Starlosian
entered.  Like all natives of the planet, he was largely humanoid in
appearance but with a swarthier complexion and with a distinct sixth
digit on each hand.  A characteristic that also applied to the feet which
weren’t visible.  He was brandishing a laser pistol and had an angry
looking expression......that rapidly faded the instant he saw Kleitos
standing among the group.
     “Oh, I-----,” the Security Officer stammered, not having expected to
see this.
     “Yes?” Kraler demanded angrily, “Just what is the meaning of this,
Officer.....Tolson isn’t it?  I know I’ve met you once before.”
     “Well, I-----these men....”
     “These men and this woman are here to help me negotiate an important
transaction between my company and Cylon authority over food resources
for their prisoners.  Isn’t that correct, Centurion?” he looked over at
Kleitos and inside, Skyler, Bryce and Keuchel all felt themselves tense
to see what happened.
     Kleitos looked directly at the Security Officer, “That is correct.”
     “So there’s literally no reason for you to be here, is there,
Officer Tolson?” Kraler then added sharply.
     Security Officer Tolson slowly began to back toward the door.  “No. 
Obviously if Cylon authority is aware of these men, there is no reason
for me to ask any questions.”
     “You would be advised not to mention this error of yours to your
superiors,” Kleitos spoke again.  “That way, nothing need be said to my
superiors about it either.”
     “Of course, of course!” the Starlosian bowed his head respectfully
as he continued to back up.  The door slid open again and he continued to
back out until the door closed.  After he was gone there was an uneasy
silence in the office as if no one wanted to say anything until they were
sure it was safe enough.  Ten microns later, another sound of rhythmic
buzzing from the intercom filled the office, and this time, Kraler
immediately relaxed.
     “He’s gone,” the Orion businessman sighed.  “It’s safe now.”
     A loud collective exhale went up from the four Colonials.  Jocasta
impulsively embraced Skyler.  He allowed her five microns before he
gently pushed her away and then angrily turned to Bryce and Keuchel.
     “He obviously followed you here.”
     “We didn’t see anyone tailing us,” Bryce protested.  
     “Which isn’t acceptable, Lieutenant but I’ll let that go for now.  I
have to assume that if you weren’t acting suspiciously while walking the
streets, someone in the tavern decided to inform on you.”
     “That’s possible,” Bryce conceded.
     “I’d say very possible if it was Japheth or one of his men,” Kraler
didn’t hide the disdain in his tone.  “And right now we’d better hope
that Officer Tolson doesn’t go back there to follow up.  The Centurion’s
presence clearly rattled him, but he may not let the matter lie there.”
     “Why?” Keuchel spoke up, since he felt that he and Bryce shared
equal blame for why they’d blown their cover and he didn’t want the
Lieutenant to take the full rap.  “If Starlos isn’t familiar with Cylons
becoming Enlightened, they shouldn’t have any reason to be suspicious.”
     “Yes, you’re right about that, Keuchel, that is a point in our
favor,” Skyler conceded.  “Whatever the case, we can’t waste any more
time.  We have to get more definitive information about the Cylon need
for prisoners.  If it’s true that rumors fly amongst Starlos Security
officials then that means that Cylons are talking among themselves as
well.”
     “May I offer some advice, Captain?” Kraler said sourly which Skyler
took note of.  Clearly, the Orion businessman, despite his personal tie
to Jocasta had no regard for the rest of them and felt as if he’d been
used and needlessly put at risk.
     “By all means, Mr. Kraler,” the Captain was deliberately
deferential.
     “I respect the centurion’s ability to put one member of Starlos
Security at bay, but knowing what I do about the Cylons on this planet,
they won’t be so easily trusting of him.  These Cylons stress efficiency
above all other things, and if he doesn’t have proper credentials for the
location you send him to, they’ll move against him in an instant.”
     “That is not an insurmountable obstacle,” Kleitos spoke up, which
caused all heads to turn in his direction since he had not been
instinctively talkative throughout the mission.
     “Go on, Kleitos,” Skyler said politely.  The doubts he’d felt a few
centons ago had now largely dissipated.
     “Assuming the centurions here operate as they did on Cannes, each
centurion will have his own individual identity tag.  I would only have
to take the place of another centurion to gain access to wherever he is
stationed.”
     Skyler took a micron to let that sink in, “So you’re saying we
should kill a centurion and you can take his place and move about where
that centurion would ordinarily have access to.”
     “I will handle the matter of termination and disposal,” Kleitos said
firmly.  “You need not put yourselves at risk.  It will be easier for me
to act alone.”
     The uncertainty immediately returned to Bryce and Keuchel because
that meant trusting Kleitos to go off by himself to perform the
task.....and kill a fellow Cylon in the name of Enlightenment.  This was
always the biggest test for any Cylon who had renounced the High Command. 
How willing were they to kill their fellow Cylons?  For Bryce there had
been doubt about whether Cylons in general could *ever* become
Enlightened and it had taken many sectars for him to finally acknowledge
it in the first group of Cylons who had come to the Pegasus led by
Commander Cobre.  And he had by now come to accept it in the Cylon pilots
from Gomorrah.  But Kleitos was one of that small handful of Cylons saved
from Cannes who had survived the Colonial destruction of the garrison. 
How serious was his commitment to Enlightenment?  Would he prefer to
betray his rescuers and let the High Command know that the Battlestar
Pegasus in fact still lived and was on its way back to the Colonies to
help the Resistance movement?  If that happened, then *everything* that
had been done by Cain, Ila and the entire crew of the Pegasus for nearly
a yahren would have been for nothing.  Maintaining the element of
surprise was something they needed if the goal of Liberation was to have
any real chance of success.
     If there was uneasiness in Bryce, there was something else inside
Skyler.  The weight of the most burdensome command decision of his life. 
Trust Kleitos to do this alone and it could mean the difference in the
success of the mission, but it could also mean the unraveling of
everything else.  But if he didn’t trust Kleitos then word would
eventually get back to the rest of the centurions aboard the Pegasus and
it could undo many sectars of hard work integrating them into life aboard
the battlestar and treating them as equals.
     The decision on what to do was his.  And his alone.  Cain wasn’t
there to hold his hand. The Juggernaut had entrusted him to succeed Major
Ham as #3 in the overall chain of command.  He had to demonstrate he knew
how to be in command for things that had nothing to do with flying .  And
he had to make them quickly without any sign of uncertainty.  And so,
less than two microns after Kleitos had finished his sentence, Skyler was
quick to answer.
     “Thank you, Kleitos.  You’re right, you certainly won’t attract
attention if no one else is alongside you.  When we leave this place,
we’ll keep an eye out for a random centurion and then you can take things
from there.”
     Kleitos respectfully nodded his head but said nothing.  It only
unnerved Bryce further.  He would have felt more at ease just to hear a
simple, ‘by your command’ from the Cylon.  Similar thoughts passed
through Keuchel, but like his fellow warrior he didn’t show any of it.
     Skyler turned back to Jocasta who had gravitated toward Kraler’s
desk, standing close to the Orion businessman, “You’re going to wait here
until we get back, Jocasta.  And Mr. Kraler, I promise we won’t force you
to keep the lights on all night.”
     “Do you trust him, Jocasta?” Kraler’s tone revealed his ongoing
skepticism and suspicion.
     Slowly, she nodded her head, “I trust him.”
     “All right then,” Kraler knew there wasn’t any point arguing
further.  “Do what you have to do, just so long as you’re back in no more
than four centars from now.”
     “Thank you, Mr. Kraler,” Skyler bowed his head respectfully, “You
have my word as a warrior.”  He then motioned to Bryce, Keuchel and
Kleitos.  “Let’s head out.”
     The four of them departed the room, leaving Jocasta and Kraler alone
in the office.  Slowly, she took off the blonde Orion wig and dropped
into a chair.  The man who had been her benefactor for so long and helped
her escape Starlos looked at her with a quizzical air.
     “Jocasta,” he said gently, “You shouldn’t have come back with them.”
     “Skyler said it was important,” she was looking away from him.  “He
said they needed me to help.”
     “You just had to tell them what they needed to know and they could
have come without you.  If they’d shown up and mentioned your name, I
would have believed them,” he lowered his head , “I guess it’s too late
to go over that.  I just.....was so glad you got away safely that the
last thing I expected was to see you back again.”
     “I’d be dead if it weren’t for Skyler,” her voice grew distant and
Kraler could see a look in her eye that he’d seen once before.  On the
night when he’d managed to get her safely to the aerodrome and into the
shuttle she’d used to escape from Starlos.  But this look went beyond the
one he remembered which had been one of gratitude.  It  also had clear
overtones of love.  
     I shouldn’t be surprised if it’s true she lost her way and nearly
starved to death until he found her.  But this devotion to him isn’t
normal.  But then again nothing about her life has been normal ever since
the Colonials went on the blacklist and she had to go into hiding.  And
that was why Kraler now knew it was important to tread lightly with her,
especially when it came to her devotion to Skyler.
     “All right, I understand why you want to help him, Jocasta,” he
backed off from his earlier hostility and skepticism.  “I just.....don’t
want to see anything bad happen to you after everything else you’ve
already gone through.  And if something happened to him and you found
yourself stranded here......” he trailed off and he saw her shut her eyes
and tremble.
     “I couldn’t spend another micron in the same room with the Essiens,”
she managed to whisper.  “I don’t hate them because they had to kill my
father, but.....I can never look any of them in the eye again.”
     “I understand,” he then added, “For what it’s worth......they were
glad to know you got away from Starlos safely.  Believe me, Jocasta, they
don’t feel any ill will toward you.  It’s been rough for them just like
it was for you and your father.”
     “But they’re content to stay where they are,” she kept looking away
from Kraler into space, “I guess Hasaris by nature are more used to being
in confined places than humans.”
     “But it also means they can never get medical attention if its
needed, and they have to rely on just the food Miep and I can provide. 
They may have greater inner reserve about it, but eventually they’ll
start feeling the same inner demons and pressures your father suffered
from.  Maybe not now, but if there’s no end to this horrible status quo
we’ve been living under, it’s going to happen to them too.”
     Jocasta finally turned her head to face him, “Skyler says the
Pegasus will beat the Cylons one day.”
     “So he says.  But even if that’s true, that’s clearly a long time
off in the future.  And by then, its going to be too late for a lot of us
here on Starlos.”
     “I trust him,” she repeated in the same devoted whisper that Kraler
found unnerving.  He decided he needed to find other things to talk to
her about and to occupy her time until the Captain returned.
     And I hope that’s soon, he thought as he hit the intercom to ask
Miep to get them some food and drink.


     The bartender named Gar was polishing a newly clean tankard when
suddenly he realized that even the ordinarily low murmur of the patron
conversation in the Orion tavern had come to a stop.  He looked up and
then he froze when he saw standing in the open doorway a man in a Starlos
security officer uniform.  A man he knew very well.  And the expression
on the Security Officer’s face was one of total anger which immediately
made Gar’s Orion blood start to chill.  The Security Officer said nothing
as he made his way toward the bar.  But when he reached it, he didn’t sit
down.
     “You’re off-duty now,” he said coldly.  “I want a word with you in
someplace private.”
     Gar uneasily looked toward the back.  
     “Take ten microns to tell him you’re off-duty,” the Security
Officer’s hostility grew, “And if you’re not following me out the front
by then, I’ll drag you out.”
     The bartender gulped and nodded nervously.  It took him exactly ten
microns to do as he’d been commanded and when he returned he was already
following the Starlos official out of the tavern.  He remembered to raise
his facial covering the instant he stepped out.
     “I don’t make a point of pressuring you or Japheth to tell me
anything you’re trying to keep secret from Security or the Cylons,” the
Security Officer’s voice was quiet but the anger was evident.  “But when
I get a tip from you to check something out, I expect it to be
legitimate.  Instead, you sent me into a trap that could have gotten me
thrown into the Capital Stockade!”
     “Trap?” Gar’s eyes widened in bewilderment, “Tolson, what are you
talking about?”
     “Those so-called ‘fake Orions’ you said I should follow, are
perfectly legitimate!” the Starlosian named Tolson hissed, “They’ve been
vouched for by Cylon authority!”
     The bartender froze.  If his mouth had been visible, Tolson would
have seen it hanging open in shock. 
     “Well?” the Security Officer demanded.  “What have you got to say?”
     “That’s impossible,” Gar vigorously shook his head, “They’re *not*
Orions, and they couldn’t possibly have been vouched for by anyone in
Cylon authority!”
     “I personally met a centurion who *did* vouch for them!” Tolson
retorted, “Who do you think I should believe?  You or him?”
     “But----,” Gar shook his head.  “It’s just not possible.”
     “And why not?”
     Gar hesitated for a centon.  If he answered Tolson’s question he’d
be committing a breech of protocol that Japheth would never forgive him
for.  But the anger and fury in the Starlos Security Officer was too much
for him to ignore.  He knew if he didn’t give Tolson a satisfactory
answer, he’d be a marked man with Starlos Security.
     “Japheth talked to them,” he said.  “He *knows* they weren’t
legitimate.  Ask him!”
     Tolson’s eyes narrowed.  He knew Gar had never involved his boss
when it came to giving out tips and leads for Security to follow.  Even
if Tolson suspected the information came from Japheth, Gar’s practice was
to never acknowledge that and preserve the image of being an independent
informant.  Just as he’d done with this last tip.  If Gar was prepared to
break this protocol.......then there was clearly more to this than Tolson
could have fathomed.
     “All right,” the cold fury had disappeared from the Starlosian’s
voice.  “Let’s go back inside and have a nice long chat with Japheth.”



     Centurion Kleitos had exited Kraler’s place of business first and
started walking down the side streets instead of returning to the main
avenue.  When the three Colonial warriors emerged ten micros later, with
their Orion face coverings in place, they kept a discreet distance behind
the Cylon, not wanting to look as if they were with them, but at the same
time making sure not 
to lose sight of him.
     “How long do we keep this up?” Bryce whispered without breaking
stride.
     “Until he see a solitary centurion to move on,” Skyler said.  “Then
he can act.”
     “Assuming he doesn’t betray us,” Keuchel grunted.
     “The slightest hint of that would just mean two dead Cylons instead
of one,” the captain said firmly.  “Kleitos knows that.  That’s why I
think he’s on the level.”
     “If only he weren’t part of the Cannes group, I’d feel secure about
that.”
     “He could have betrayed us when that security guy barged in on us,”
Skyler reminded.  “Unless you’re assuming he’s got a more devious mind
than the average centurion is capable of, he had his chance then.  If he
were really still loyal to the High Command, he would have done the
simplest thing and exposed us then since he knows Starlos Security is
cooperating with the Cylons based here.”
     No more words passed as they came to another intersection, from
which a dozen Orion crossed in front of them.  Two centurions and a gold
command one were leading them with two more centurions at the rear.  One
centon after this group of five Cylons and fifteen Orion had crossed the
intersection another centurion emerged from the side street.  It was at
that point that Kleitos, who had stopped for the procession, began to
move again.
     “This may be it,” Skyler said as he deliberately slowed his pace so
that the Colonials could pure more distance from Kleitos.  They saw the
Cylon in their group intercept the trailing centurion before he reached
the intersection crossing.  The centurion stopped and from a distance the
Colonials could hear the monotonic sound indicating that the two Cylons
were conversing with each other.  The words though were indistinct. 
Under his lower facial covering, Skyler felt himself biting his lip
anxiously.  Outwardly he’d expressed calm confidence.  Inwardly, he felt
many of the same worries Bryce and Keuchel had verbalized.  Now, they
would find out.
     The captain kept his eyes trained on the two Cylons as they
continued to slowly move forward so as to not look suspicious.  Then, he
could see Kleitos point in the direction the other centurion had just
come from as if he wanted to talk to him there.  And then, the two slowly
headed back in the opposite direction the other centurion had come from.
     “I hope there isn’t a crowd down there,” Bryce uneasily said. 
“We’ll end up losing them.”
     Skyler nodded and the three of them picked up their pace.  It took
thirty microns for them to reach the intersection.  Before reaching it,
they could see a hovermobile emerge and make a right turn where it passed
them as it headed down the street in the opposite direction.  When they
reached the intersection, Skyler turned to his left and he stopped when
he saw that one of the centurions was standing flush against the base of
a light pole.  The other was walking back towards them.  Skyler realized
to his horror that he’d made a tactical blunder by letting the two of
them out of his sight for so much as brief instant, because now he
couldn’t tell which centurion was Kleitos.  
     “Don’t break stride or say a word,” he whispered to Bryce and
Keuchel as they kept walking and drawing near to the
centurion.......until the Cylon abruptly stopped and spoke.
     “It is done.”
     A wave of relief rushed through Skyler, “How did you do it?”
     “A technique that those of us based on Cannes were taught by
Commander Cauda in the event we discovered base personnel were not
operating according to desired levels of efficiency. Centurions possess a
vulnerable spot in the right shoulder area that while shielded from laser
fire, can be severed at close range by the battle sword.”  He touched his
side weapon.  “It was administered to coincide with the micron the
hovermobile passed by so that his short circuit would make no sound to
anyone nearby.”
     Skyler’s eyes widened since this was information he was unaware of,
and he wondered if Dr. Arnoff and all the tech people on the Pegasus were
aware of it.  But that was a subject for another time.
     “He’s completely dead?”
     “He could be reactivated if the circuit area in question were
manually repaired, but it is a procedure that would take quite some
time.”
     “All right,” Skyler nodded, “What about his identity tag?”
     “It is secure,” Kleitos pointed to a mark on the upper right
shoulder that Skyler wouldn’t have noticed if his attention hadn’t been
directed to it.  It was a small triangular shaped object, greenish in
color.  “This identifies me as Centurion #283, assigned to Orion Section
detail under Command Centurion Moros.  This information is memory
encoded.  It is the duty of this section to ensure no Orion is harboring
members of any race that has seen their protection withdrawn by the Grand
Vizier of Starlos.  They have the freedom to question, provided that they
be questioned only at a Starlos Security base.”
     “Okay,” Skyler nodded, “Then that command centurion we saw among all
those Orions a few centons ago had to be Command Centurion Moros.”
     “The real Centurion #283, before he was dealt with, told me that
twelve Orion were being taken for questioning to the Starlos Security
Office that Mr. Kraler referred to earlier.”
     Skyler knew it was time to make a quick tactical decision.  One that
demonstrated just how much he was willing to trust Kleitos.  
     “Okay, Kleitos.  Go to the Security Office and try to listen good
and without being too conspicuous, find out what other centurions are
willing to say to each other.  Then after about four to six centars,
leave on the pretext of scouting out other areas to look for more
suspicious Orions and return to Mr. Kraler’s office.  We’ll be there
waiting for you.  If you can’t make it back in six centars, then use your
com-line and without saying anything.....send out two sustained beeps to
indicate you’re detained and can’t make it back.”
     “By your command,” he started to move off toward the intersection
crossing, but then he stopped and looked back at the three disguised
warriors.
     “I believe there is an expression among you that would be
appropriate for this occasion,” the centurion paused, “Wish me luck?”
     Three pairs of eyebrows went up when they heard this.  Immediately,
Skyler felt a wave of relief go through him.  For the first time, the
Cylon veteran of Cannes truly sounded like one of the “Enlightened.”
     “Good luck to you, Kleitos,” the captain said with total sincerity.
     “Likewise,” Bryce chimed in, “We all know you can do it.”
     “Ditto,” Keuchel added.
     The centurion nodded and resumed walking down the street towards the
intersection.  The  three warriors watched until he disappeared in the
crowd further down the block.
     “What now, Cap?” Bryce broke the silence.
     “We go back to Kraler’s office,” Skyler said, “But not just to wait
for Kleitos.  I get the feeling Kraler may not have told us everything we
need to know given his.....less than personable attitude.”


     “I admit I don’t approve of Gar acting as informant to you or anyone
else,” Japheth gave Tolson a cold look as he sat at his table in the back
room of the tavern.  “But I’m not going to let you hold him responsible
for something that isn’t his fault.  Those men you tailed were no more
Orion than a Cylon is.”
     “Then who were they, Japheth?” Tolson demanded.  “What race?”
     “Human.  They’d probably been holed up in the Colonial sector or
been harbored by someone here for who knows how long.  They sure didn’t
sound like they’d been kept informed about anything.”
     “What do you mean?”
     “Well, they were asking a lot of......questions about where the
Cylons take their prisoners and why,” the tavern owner mused, “The sort
of thing you and your buddies loosen up about after you’ve had one aspand
too many.  And before you threaten me about that, Tolson, I’ll just make
sure it goes in the record that I got that information directly from
you.”
     “You’re not in trouble,” Tolson quickly dropped the threatening
posture now that he knew it wasn’t going to get him anywhere. “I just
want to know what they wanted to find out.  And how they could possibly
have any connection to the Cylons that would make a centurion personally
vouch for them.”
     “That’s not my problem, Tolson,” the tavern owner snapped.  “I
wouldn’t have a clue as to what kind of connection there is because they
sure didn’t act like people who were tight with the Cylons.  Unless the
Cylon who vouched for them is ignorant of the fact there are two humans
passing themselves off as Orions.”
     The Starlos Security Officer’s eyes narrowed.
     “Now I hope there isn’t anything else you need to pester me about,”
Japheth rose and now with his imposing bulk he looked more threatening
than Tolson had just a centon earlier.  “I’ve told you all I know, and
you’re on your own as far as figuring out what it means.  Just don’t
expect to get any more tips from Gar in the future.  The pipeline’s
closed there since that’s the only way I’m letting him keep his job.”
     Knowing he was beaten, Tolson drew his shoulders up and with an
angry haughty flourish turned his back on Japheth and left the room.
     Weird, Japheth thought.  But it’s not my problem.  I can’t make any
of it my problem.  That’s the only way any of us on this planet can still
survive.


Chapter Seven

     Aboard the Cylon baseship orbiting Starlos’s lone moon, IL Series
Cylon Commander Dagora was in his private office that no member of his
crew was permitted to enter.  In this room, the baseship commander could
handle all outside communications in the strictest privacy.  In
particular the most important communications link on the ship.  The
long-range system that enabled him to speak directly to the Imperious
Leader on the Cylon home planet.  As one of the few Cylons who knew
exactly why no centurion could ever have access to that communication
link, Dagora made sure that his crew understood that so much as one
solitary step inside his chamber would result in permanent deactivation
and recycling.  The intimidating order had done the trick, but inside
Dagora was the sense of perpetual unease that just maybe, the harshness
of his order was enough to trigger the disease that he knew infected so
many centurions throughout the Empire.  An Empire that he knew had been
diminishing significantly in the last two yahrens to dangerous levels for
a second reason that went beyond the centurion disease.  And  for which
he’d been given the task of carrying out the only policy the Cylon ruler
had come up with to try and address the problem of the second reason. 
Only when that problem was corrected, Dagora knew, could the issue of the
centurion disease finally be addressed.
     If it can ever be addressed.  At this point, it’s getting impossible
to know if any centurion can still be trusted!  Especially if what His
Eminence said about what happened at Gomorrah is true.  He stopped from
dwelling further on that point as if it were dangerous to even think of
what the Imperious Leader had revealed to him just before his ship’s most
recent departure from the Home System.  That the outer capitol was now
lost because the Disease had for the first time spread to an IL Cylon,
Commander Volahd who had seized power and cut off all communications to
the Home World.  Combined with the news that Cannes Garrison had also
gone silent which indicated the Disease had spread there as well.
     If it is true that we’ve lost Cannes, then His Eminence is further
undermining the case for staying in power, Dagora thought.  We had two
planets of potential slave workers under our control in that system who
could have been brought back to Cylon to perform the necessary tasks
without having to bother with Starlos at all.  But keeping the news of
the Disease and Crisis secret from the rest of the Empire mattered more. 
Now we’re paying the price for that to the point where Starlos is our
last viable outlet for dealing with the Crisis at home.
     But over the course of his last two trips to Starlos, he’d been
picking up an uneasy vibe 
from Ambassador Orcus that the viability of Starlos wasn’t very
long-term.  And it was the sort of vibe that Dagora knew he couldn’t
easily dismiss just because Orcus came from the inferior class of DG
Cylons.  He was all but certain that when the Ambassador contacted him in
the next few centons, as he was expecting, that the news would be worse.
     Right on schedule, the message from his command centurion that Orcus
was on the com-line direct from the Cylon Embassy on Starlos came
through.  With no acknowledgment to his subordinate, Dagora activated the
switch and the DG Class Cylon’s face filled the monitor.
     “Greetings, Commander,” Orcus’s voice was properly deferential.
     “Ambassador,” Dagora stayed polite for now.  “What is the latest
news on the number of prisoners available?”
     “Unfortunately, Commander, the news is not good.  I’ve just spoken
with Command Centurion Moros in the Orion sector.  They’ve brought in a
dozen Orions for questioning on who might be harboring additional
Colonials, Hasari and Delphians but it seems our previous efforts have
been efficient to the point of nearly rooting them all out.”
     “Give me a number, Orcus,” the politeness began to disappear.
     The DG Cylon let out an uneasy sigh, “At present, we have thirty
prisoners confirmed for eventual processing.  All of them are Colonials
who fled to Starlos in the immediate yahren after the Conquest.”
     “Thirty?” if he had facial muscles, they would have contorted. 
“That’s all in the last six sectars since we were last here?”
     “Commander, at some point we couldn’t avoid the problem of
diminishing return.  There isn’t a limitless supply of sentients we can
round up as prisoners......unless we change our policy and force Pasha to
remove protection from the Orions.”
     “Is he open to that possibility?”
     “No,” the Ambassador didn’t hesitate.  “He’ll only do that if His
Eminence breaks the non-aggression treaty with Orion  and issues a formal
declaration of war on them *and* makes it clear that Orion is facing
imminent conquest by Cylon forces.  Absent that, he’s not going to bend.”
     The Baseship Commander had no immediate response to that.  Orcus
decided to take advantage of that.
     “I’m assuming His Eminence still has no intention of conquering
Orion?”
     “I am not privy to whatever His Eminence has in mind for Orion,”
Dagora snapped.  “Perhaps you should tell Pasha that he may not have any
say in the matter if it’s clear we need to draw from the Orion sector.”
     “If the Orions are supposed to compensate for this labor shortage in
the home system, then why not go straight to the source on Orion and
launch an all-out strike on the planet?” Orcus wasn’t intimidated.  He
was getting a reminder of how tiresome it could be to hear an IL Cylon
assume such lofty airs of superiority simply because all Imperious
Leaders had come from the ranks of their class for centuries now.
     A few microns passed and then Commander Dagora let out an ironic
chuckle, “You fancy yourself a military strategist now, Orcus?”
     “I have no intention of threatening Pasha with something I know
you’re not going to carry out,” Orcus held his ground.  “Unless you’re
prepared to tell me otherwise?  *Do* you have authorization from His
Eminence to destroy and conquer Starlos if their Grand Vizier becomes too
uncooperative?”
     There was no answer from the IL Cylon.  He was getting a reminder of
why Orcus had been kept at arms-length from the Cylon capital.
     “I thought as much,” for the first time an edge of contempt entered
the DG Cylon’s voice.  Something he’d never allowed himself in all the
yahrens since his initial programming.  “If His Eminence were really
serious about threatening Starlos with destruction, he would have sent
more than just your ship.  You may have the capacity to inflict terror
and destructive power, but you *don’t* have the capacity to subjugate the
planet.  And you know as well as I do that while Pasha doesn’t want to
see an attack happen, he does know that when it comes to a fight for the
planet itself, his side would still prevail if the only occupying force
he’s up against is your crew and the existing personnel on the ground.”
     “We don’t need to belabor the obvious,” Dagora knew he couldn’t
counter anything Orcus had said, and the last thing he needed was to hear
him get too inquisitive on subjects the Ambassador was still in the dark
on.  “If you were to tell Pasha that I’m prepared to extend our time in
orbit around his moon another five cycles if need be to meet quota
obligations......he’ll still have no choice but to agree?”
     “I’ve already told him that you’re prepared to stay until quota
obligations are met.  For a low-level threat like that, he easily bends. 
But if there’s still no significant rise in prisoners for transfer after
a sufficient period, he’ll  be less cooperative.  So I would strongly
recommend that you not linger here for the long-term, Commander.”
     “Done,” Dagora knew it was pointless to argue or carry on the false
bravado of an IL Cylon intimidating a DG one.  “I’ll assume
responsibility for explaining to His Eminence that we’re dealing with, as
you say, diminished resources on Starlos.”
     “And if I may say one other thing......off the record, Commander
Dagora?”
     “You may.”
     “Don’t assume that because I’ve never received a briefing from you
or anyone else in the High Command about why all these prisoners are
needed for slave labor, I don’t have some idea as to what the real reason
is.  From time to time, certain talk spreads from centurions who’ve
talked to some of your centurions during processing.  And after
awhile......a picture begins to emerge that explains other things, like
why for instance it’s never more than just your baseship that arrives to
take these prisoners, or why His Eminence has no intention of declaring
war on Orion or Starlos....or any other planetary system we haven’t
previously conquered.” he paused for effect, “I’m not going to ask you to
confirm or deny anything, Commander.  I just want you to be aware that
we’re not as ignorant as the High Command would prefer us to be about
any.....Crisis that exists in the home system.”
     “So noted,” Dagora wasn’t surprised since it was clear that Orcus
was nobody’s fool.  “You have my word that His Eminence will not be
appraised of your.....suspicions.  Provided of course that you choose not
to undertake certain actions......on your own as it were?”
     “I have no reason to be disenchanted with the status quo as it
exists on Starlos,” Orcus parried back.  “I think we’ll remain a content
lot if we are able to maintain it.”
     “That’s all I need to know,” Dagora knew he couldn’t go any further,
“Inform Pasha that we will stay upwards of five additional cycles, but
that we will leave at the end of that period regardless of how many
prisoners are ready by then.”
     “And those who are already in detention?”
     “For now, leave them be.  We’ll take care of all of them at once 
prior to departure.  That is all.”
     “By your command,” Orcus respectfully bowed and the transmission
ended. 


     When the three warriors returned to Kraler’s office, they found that
Jocasta wasn’t there, and they also could see that the Orion businessman
was in a less than friendly mood.
     “Before you ask, Captain, Jocasta is in the Conference Room having
some food.  I also told her to get some rest there when she’s done,” he
paused and then added, “I think you’ve put her through enough as it is.”
     Skyler knew he was going to have to adopt a firm line with the
Orion, but without losing his cool.  “I haven’t put her through anything,
Mr. Kraler.”
     “Oh really?” the Orion retorted.  “Dragging her back to a planet
that she isn’t safe on, and which I took considerable risk trying to get
her off of?  A planet where she had to see her fiancee die and her father
mentally crack before the family she was forced to stay in hiding with
had to kill him?”
     “It wasn’t my decision to have her come on this mission, Mr.
Kraler,” he kept his tone patient, “That was my superior officer’s order. 
It’s been so many yahrens since a Colonial battlestar actually came to
Starlos that we don’t have any maps of the planet on file.  Jocasta had
to come with us so we could be led to your office quickly and save us
some badly needed time to get information we need because time is a
luxury we don’t have.  We have to leave sixty centars after we arrived on
the planet and not a micron later.  I’m sorry I had to bring Jocasta back
to this planet, but the good of the mission dictated otherwise.”
     “And what *is* the good of your mission, Captain?” Kraler didn’t let
up.  “You don’t plan on driving the Cylons out, do you?”
     “No,” he shook his head.  “That’s not on the agenda.  But as I told
you before, the information we can learn here on Starlos might give us
some insights into how to defeat the Empire as a whole, and once that
happens then Starlos will be free of any further Cylon domination.  You
have to look at this from the long-term picture, Mr. Kraler.”
     “Right now, Captain, the only long-term picture I’m interested in,
is seeing Jocasta safely off this planet once and for all.”
     The Pegasus warrior leaned forward and raised his voice slightly,
“You’ll get us closer to that, Mr. Kraler, if you’d just think first of
*helping* us instead of condemning us.  I want to get off this planet
quickly too and have Jocasta back safely on the Pegasus, but the only way
I can do that is if people like you will just *help* us!  Are you willing
to do that?  For her sake at least, if not for ours.”
     Kraler looked at him in total silence for nearly twenty microns. 
But Skyler could see that the businessman’s hostility was spent, as if he
were too tired to keep it up.  When the Orion spoke, his voice was quiet.
     “What else can I do, Captain?” he asked.  “There’s not much else I
can tell you.”
     “I need some more insights about the leadership on Starlos. 
Especially the Grand Vizier.  Is he a willing collaborator with the
Cylons, or a reluctant one?  Would he welcome the idea of seeing them
defeated one day?”
     “Everyone on Starlos is a reluctant collaborator.  None of them love
the Cylon cause.  They do what they think they have to, just to keep the
Cylons from destroying the planet.  That means showing no mercy to the
ones the Cylons want as their prisoners which is why there’s no real
difference between getting caught by Starlos Security or by a Cylon.”
     “But if they really knew just how much the Cylon Empire has been
forced to retrench itself, and that they’re *not* going to be sending out
any task force of multiple baseships to try and secure this planet for
conquest......maybe they’d become less militant in doing the Cylons
bidding?”
     Kraler shrugged, “I can’t say one way or the other, Captain. 
Because even if its true that the Cylons can’t secure this planet, one
baseship is more than sufficient to leave much of it a wasteland before
they’d make their exit.  And that kind of moral victory would be less
than meaningless from the Vizier’s standpoint or any other Starlos
native,” he paused, “But maybe if you enlightened the Vizier himself with
what you’ve told me......you might find him willing to be less
cooperative than he needs to be with the Cylons.”
     “That’s one possibility,” Skyler nodded.  “How does one get access
to the Grand Vizier?”
     “Your only hope is to go to the Orion Ambassador.  As I told you
before, he won’t intervene to save any of us who harbor fugitives because
those are his orders from the leadership on Orion.  But......he’d
certainly listen to what you have to say, if properly presented and you
get him to agree with you, he might try to get you access to
Pasha.....the Grand Vizier.”
     “How well do you know the Ambassador?”
     The edge of hostility suddenly returned to Kraler’s face and voice. 
“If you’re asking me to take you to him----,”
     “Yes, I am,” the Pegasus warrior abruptly cut him off.  “If you’re
not going to do the helpful thing to get me to see him, then don’t waste
my time telling me I should see him.  I asked you to *help* me and my
team, Mr. Kraler and that means finding out just how much of a risk
you’re willing to take for us.”
     Kraler bit his lip, “If I present you to the Ambassador, then that
means he’ll know right away that I’ve been harboring people on the
blacklist.”
     “Is your Ambassador the kind of man who’d willingly rat you and
other Orions out to Starlos Security and the Cylons?”
     “No,” he said quietly.  “But it would put him in an awkward position
since he does have orders from the Orion government not to protect any of
us who are caught.”
     “To Hades Hole with that,” Skyler’s patience was running thin, “Do
you, or do you not want to see some real changes take place on this
planet, Mr. Kraler?  Because if you do, then you’re going to have to be
willing to take some more risks that go beyond keeping people hidden or
in Jocasta’s case getting them off the planet.”
     Kraler slowly took a breath but still seemed to hesitate.  Skyler
decided he needed to up the ante.  This would represent a tactical
decision he’d need to explain to Cain later if it came to it, but at this
point he was prepared to do anything he was capable of doing for the good
of the mission and not let tentativeness derail its potential for
success.
     “Mr. Kraler, if it’s your personal safety you’re worried about, then
I am willing to offer you safe passage off of Starlos and back to the
Pegasus with Jocasta if that’s what you’d prefer.”
     “No,” he shook his head, “No, I have no desire to run like a coward
from what I regard as my home planet.  If I wanted to run, I could have
easily pulled out and gone to Orion, but I’m like many Orion who live on
Starlos.  We were born here and this planet has been our true home, and
not our ‘mother world’,” He sighed, “I’ll get you to see the Ambassador. 
But it won’t be earlier than tomorrow.”
     “That suits our purpose just fine, because by then we’ll have found
out if Kleitos has learned anything.”
     “Or if he’s decided he’d rather be back among his fellow Cylons
again.”
     Skyler glared at him, “Well Mr. Kraler, if your desire is to stay on
Starlos to the bitter end no matter what, don’t expect me to give you a
half-micron to say I-told-you-so before my team clears out of here.”
     “I guess not,” he hit the intercom, “Miep.....please contact the
Orion Embassy and tell them I need to see Ambassador Kleeburg tomorrow. 
And tell them it’s a matter of extreme urgency.”
     He leaned back in his chair and looked at Skyler without saying
anything.  Nor did Skyler say anything back.  There was only a mutual
recognition that no matter how much they clearly didn’t care for each
other personally, things had now moved to a level where they both knew
they needed each other.


     
     Officer Tolson of Starlos Security had returned to the headquarters
division located near the central hub that fanned out into what had been
the different “Open Zones” of the Capitol, but which had now been reduced
to just the Orion Zone and the Cylon occupied ones.  He could see several
Cylons in the building, including the easy-to-spot Command Centurion
Moros, who was engaged in conversation with his immediate superior, the
division commander, Captain Jawan.  When he got close enough to the desk
he could tell that the conversation was quite animated given the
exasperated tone in his superior’s voice.
     Oh boy, Tolson thought.  He’s probably not going to be in a good
mood to hear what I’ve got to tell him.  But he’s *got* to know.  But not
until the Cylons are gone.
     “I’m well aware of the latitude your personnel have, Commander
Moros, but to bring in a dozen Orion and not so much as a single
blacklisted race member is pushing things too far.”
     “I have maintained respect for protocol by bringing them here to a
Starlos facility as stipulated,” Moros said in the lower-tone drone of a
command centurion, “There is no proscribed limit on how many we can
gather at once.”
     “You know perfectly well how limited our detention facilities are!”
Captain Jawan snapped.  “We can’t have a dozen Orion detained here
indefinitely, especially when there’s no proof they’ve harbored anyone.”
     “We will find out if that’s true after they have been properly
interrogated.”
     “And just how many centurions did you bring in for that?” Jawan
retorted, “I only see five others with you.”
     “Four,” Moros corrected him.
     “Five!” Jawan held up five of the six fingers on his right hand.  “I
can count better than you can, Moros.”
     The command centurion turned around and saw four centurions standing
no more than three metrones behind him.......and a fifth centurion on the
opposite side of the room.
     “Centurion!” he pointed and called over.  The fifth centurion
immediately moved forward toward him and came to a stop in front of
Moros, assuming the respectful posture centurions always observed toward
a superior.
     “Identify your number.”
     “Centurion #283, assigned to survey operations for Orion harboring
Colonials, Hassari and Delphians.”
     “Your order was to continue searching the residential district off
Intersection A  for additional evidence,” even in the monotone, the body
gestures of Moros indicated displeasure.
     “There was no additional evidence to be found.  It was prudent for
me to report back and await your further instructions,” he respectfully
bowed.
     “Come on Moros,” Jawan growled.  “Be grateful he showed up.  It
means you’ve got an extra one on hand to speed things up.  Now if you
*really* want to show some respect for protocol, why don’t you get
started and do all your interrogating so I can get them out of here?  Or
at the very least, get those four Colonials we rounded up last sectan off
of our hands.  Those are your prisoners, not ours.”
     Moros continued to stare at the centurion who had identified himself
as #283.  When he spoke, he made a sweeping motion of his arm.
     “Bring the four Colonials up for transfer.”
     “By your command.”
     As the centurion moved off, Moros turned back to Jawan, “We will now
begin interrogation operations of the Orion.  You will be informed when
we decide whether or not they merit further detention on your part.”
     Without saying anything, the command centurion moved off.  Captain
Jawan disdainfully watched him go and then mimicked under his breath, “By
your command.”
     “Sir?” Tolson uneasily cleared his throat.
     Jawan finally noticed his subordinate for the first time, “What do
you want, Tolson?”
     “Sir......there’s something I need to talk to you about......in
private.”
     “My office is loaded with listening devices that Moros has planted
over the last yahren, Tolson,” the captain said.  “Just keep your voice
low enough while they’re gone, and they won’t know anything about it.”
     “All right sir,” Tolson took a breath, “I ran into
something......unusual today.”


     In the sub-basement level of the building, a lone duty officer sat
at a table two meters from the nearby-turbo lift and four meters from the
stairwell.  Behind him was an old-style metallic gate that led to the
holding cells in the back area.  The facility itself was over a hundred
yahrens old and was in most respects obsolete compared to more modern
detention facilities.  The reason it had never been upgraded was because
in the days when Starlos had truly been an Open Planet, crime wasn’t a
rampant problem and whatever happened within a designated “Free Zone” was
always considered the business of the race that controlled that zone. The
Starlos Security office was meant to act as a mere holding facility for
minor cases that involved disputes between people from two races. 
Consequently, the holding cells were small and cramped and the basement
not well-regulated temperature wise, being unbearably hot in the warm
season, and frighteningly chilly during the cold season.  Today, because
the outside temperature was moderate, the holding area was going through
one of its few days were things were manageable.  Even so, it made the
shift no less tedious for the duty officer who had to put in his eight
centars before he could be freed from the dungeon.
     The turbo-lift door slid open and he saw lone centurion step off
which immediately made the duty officer come to his feet since the
arrival of a Cylon usually meant one of two things.
     “Yes?”
     “Centurion #283 reporting.  By order of Command Centurion Moros, the
four Colonial prisoners are to be transferred to Cylon custody.”
     “About fracking time,” the duty officer said with visible disdain as
he moved toward the gate and pressed the button that caused it to slide
open with a noisy, clattering sound of machinery that was in need of a
good oiling.  “They’ve taken up a cell for over a sectan ever since we
found out that jeweler  Kleimann was harboring them.  I thought you were
all anxious to take them back to your home planet?”
     There was no response from the centurion who was looking straight
ahead down the passageway and not directly at the duty officer.
     “Don’t understand why you’d need them,” he went on as he motioned
the centurion to proceed.  He was used to this kind of silent treatment
from Cylons and it allowed him to let off steam by speaking his mind in
front of them.  He knew that under the agreement, Cylons couldn’t take
action against any Starlos national simply for being condescending to
them.  “I’d have figured you’d have all the slave labor you’d need for an
eternity after what you did to the Colonies.  But I guess what they say
is true.  You’ve *really* got problems back home to deal with that you
can’t handle yourselves.”
     The centurion turned his helmet toward him, “And who is ‘they’?”
     The duty officer nearly stopped in his tracks as he was taken aback
to hear a response but he then quickly shook his head.
     “Oh no.  You don’t get me to rat anyone out.  Even when its people
from *your* side who like to whisper and complain.  I know that isn’t
typical.”
     The centurion abruptly stopped walking.  “Perhaps I am one of them
too.”
     The duty officer looked suspiciously at him, “One of.....them too?”
     “Those that may have reason to think that all is not as it should
be,” the centurion’s tone was cryptic.  “That perhaps this need for
prisoners reflects a *very* serious problem.”
     “Wouldn’t you know?”
     “Our superiors are not inclined to tell us everything.  Perhaps it
makes some of us.....determined to find the truth for ourselves.  From
those who are.....willing to express their discontentment to others.”
     The duty officer’s bewilderment deepened.  This was something he’d
never seen before.  He had overheard talk among centurions in the past
that he wasn’t supposed to hear, but never had a centurion been
so......forward before.  As if this centurion was suddenly more than a
simple drone. 
     Ordinarily, he might have considered it the best part of discretion
to say nothing.  But he had the advantage of knowing that Cylons were
forbidden to take action against any ethnic native of Starlos.  That
meant in theory he had absolutely nothing to lose.
     “You mean......you haven’t heard anything from other centurions,
even though.....you think something’s wrong?”
     “You reason well.”
     Incredible, he thought as they slowly resumed walking down the
passageway.  “Well.....don’t quote me on this, but I’ve heard a couple of
your fellow centurions  mention that the only thing that could possibly
explain the need for all these prisoners would be for mining projects in
the home system.”
     “Neutrino,” he said simply.
     “I don’t know what you call it.  All I know is that apparently your
glorious Imperious Leader can’t afford to have you centurions perform
mining operations any longer and that’s why you’ve made us withdraw
protection for all the other races except for the Orion.  That’s what
apparently your colleagues say to each other.  Don’t hold me to any of
that.”
     “I will keep your remarks in confidence,” Kleitos said as his brain
processed all of this.  “They are most.....interesting.”
     They came to a stop in front of a dimly-lit cell.  At the back of
the room were four humans in tattered clothing, all of them seemingly
huddled up against each other as if to lean on them for some kind of
mutual protection.
     “Okay!” the duty officer shined a light inside as he pressed the
button that caused the metallic door to slide open with the same metallic
groan, “Get yourselves up!  You’re being transferred!”
     Slowly, two of the four figures rose.  One was a middle-aged man
with a receding hairline.  He was gaunt and had the look of someone who
at one time had been slightly overweight but had now lost the weight due
to excessive malnourishment.  The other was a woman with disheveled curly
brown-hair and dark eyes.  Their complexions were pale indicating they
hadn’t been out in sunlight for quite some time.
     “Come on!” the duty officer barked.  “All of you!”
     “There’s only us two left,” the man forced his words out through
cracked lips.  “The others are dead.”
     The Starlos official glared at them, “What happened?”
     “They killed themselves,” the woman forced her words out.  “They
knew it was pointless.  We didn’t stop them.  I’m only sorry we don’t
have the same courage to do it.”
     “You could have at least said something and I could have had their
bodies hauled out,” the duty officer said with disgust as he stepped
inside.  “All right, let me have your names so I can have the records
processed.”
     “The dead ones are Professor Habakkuk and his wife Sarai,” the man
said wearily.  “My name is Jeremiah.”
     “And yours?” the duty officer pointed at the woman. 
     She took a breath and said simply, “Shayleen.”


     “That’s the story,” Tolson said as he finished his summary to
Captain Jawan, who was looking dubious.
     “Doesn’t make any sense,” Jawan muttered as he idly tapped a stylus. 
“Two humans, probably Colonials disguised as Orions asking questions
about the Cylons......and when you tail them back to.....whose office was
it?”
     “Kraler.  The spice dealer.”
     “Kraler.  And when you tail them there, they’re in the company of a
centurion who vouches for them as legitimate Orions?”
     “Yes sir.  You’re.....not going to tell Moros about this?”
     “Not a chance,” Jawan shook his head.  “I’ve heard rumors about some
of his centurions acting a little weird, but this goes further than
that.”
     “Weird?” Tolson lifted an eyebrow.  “How so?  You make it sound like
the centurion I talked to *knows* they’re not Orion.”
     “Well isn’t that what it seems like to you, Tolson?” Jawan stared at
him.  “If it was something as simple as the centurion being duped by a
disguise that couldn’t possibly hold together for the long-haul, you’d
have bypassed me and gone straight to Moros.  Clearly, *you* think it
goes further than that.”
     Tolson nodded, “You’re right.  I think it does.  I just can’t figure
out what, though.  But what did you mean about rumors of centurions
acting weird?”
     “Oh......just that from time to time I get reports from others in
the division who’ve had to work more closely with centurions.  They say
they hear them saying things to each other that you wouldn’t ordinarily
expect them to say.  Signs of.....discontentment with their superiors.”
     “But if that’s the case, then......could this mean there’s a Cylon
openly collaborating against his fellow Cylons with fugitive Colonials?”
     There was no response from Jawan other than the continued tapping of
his stylus against the desk.
     “Sir?”
     The Captain shook his head, “Drop it, Tolson.  Whatever it is, it’s
not our problem unless we find those Colonials again ourselves, and not
in the presence of any Cylon.”
     “But what about Kraler?  Doesn’t this mean he’s clearly harboring
Colonials?”
     “Maybe it does,” Jawan said.  “But for now......I’d keep some
distance from him.  Keep his office under surveillance......but don’t
move on him unless you get a direct order from me.”
     “Yes sir,” Tolson nodded and moved off into the bustling throng of
security officers inside the station.
     As Jawan went back to his paperwork, he noticed two human prisoners
being led toward the entrance by the one centurion who’d been sent to the
sub-basement to retrieve them for transfer.  The only reaction the
captain could summon was a rueful sigh of longing for the old days, when
life had been so much simpler and uncomplicated on Starlos.


     “Yes, it’s extremely urgent, Ambassador Kleeburg,” Kraler said over
the private extension line which meant no one else in the office could
hear the other side of the conversation.  “I have information that could
very well impact the entire.....status quo that’s existed on Starlos for
some time now.”  He paused.  “Tomorrow at 1100.  That will work
perfectly.”  A pause, “Yes, I trust your discretion in this matter
completely, Ambassador.  Thank you.  Goodbye.”
     He put down the receiver and looked across at the three Pegasus
warriors.  “You have your meeting with the Ambassador, Captain Skyler.  I
hope you’ll be able to make your case to him.....effectively.”
     “I think I’ll be able to,” Skyler held his ground.
     “Of course if your friend Kleitos doesn’t return soon, you may have
less to offer him in the way of.....tangible proof of your claim to be
who you are.”
     The intercom sounded again.  “Mr. Kraler, the rest of the staff has
gone home.”
     “You can go Miep.  Thank you.” He turned the intercom off and leaned
back, “So now we sit here for the night, Captain.  I hope that your bluff
with the Security Official worked so they don’t act suspicious when they
see the lights still burning in the windows well into the evening.”
     “Let’s cut through the felgercarb, Mr. Kraler,” he leaned forward,
“While we were out, did you try to convince Jocasta to go back to the
Safe House......if I would be willing to spend the night there with her?”
     The Orion’s face flushed slightly and the Pegasus warrior
immediately seized the opportunity to press on.
     “Oh yeah, I can tell that’s what you tried to do, because you’ve
seen how......attached she’s become to me.  That wasn’t something I asked
for, Mr. Kraler.  I saved her life from a fate that could have been worse
than what she went through in the Safe House because she was about to die
a slow death from starvation on an abandoned Cylon outpost because that
was as far as the shuttle she escaped in would carry her to after she
lost the navigational coordinates for the Hatari System.  So because I
happened to be the one who found her, she’s become obsessed with staying
close to me and I’ve had to accept it and adjust to it.  But for you to
exploit that just to protect yourself by trying to get her out of the
office.......I think that’s contemptible, Mr. Kraler.  And it makes an
absolute mockery of everything you did for her when you were protecting
her and trying to get her off the planet.”
     “Yes, I would have preferred she go to the Safe House with you!” he
bolted up, “I’m taking the greatest risk possible by having her here for
the night, Captain.  I’ve told you that any office that stays open past
normal centars of the business cycle is an open target for any patrolling
member of Starlos Security and any Cylon who’s patrolling the area.  And
since you told me that you personally saw nearly a dozen Orion being
rounded up for questioning just blocks from this business, I certainly
have good reason to think your little bluff with the Security Officer
earlier today isn’t going to buy us security for the night, *especially*
if your friend Kleitos hasn’t returned.  If another security official
were to walk in now, you’d have nothing to bluff your way out with.  So
yes, Captain, I did suggest that if you were with her in the Safe House
all night, she wouldn’t have to be afraid of anything.  And I’m not going
to apologize for that, because I was thinking of her well-being first!”
     “And what did she say?” Skyler parried.
     He let out an exasperated sigh and resumed his seat.  “She
said......while she’d feel safe with you there, she still can’t look the
Essien family in the eye because it would remind her of what they had to
do to her father.  Even with you present.  That’s apparently too much for
even you to help her with, Captain.”
     “So now that you know the matter of where we stay for the night is
settled, let’s drop the sidebar remarks and make do with the situation. 
Agreed?”
     He nodded, “Agreed,” he then motioned toward the door at the rear of
the room, “That door leads to the conference room upstairs where she’s
resting.  There should be some food left. I suggest you have some.”
     “Someone’s got to stay here in case Kleitos or anyone else shows
up,”
     “We’ll stay for now, Cap,” Bryce broke the long silence of the other
two warriors.  “You eat first.  If anything happens.....we’ll sound your
com-line.”
     “Okay,” Skyler knew that Bryce was sending the subtle message that
he should probably face Jocasta alone to explain things and he knew he
was going to have to do it to keep her at ease.  He rose from his chair
and headed to the door at the rear of the office and opened it.  As soon
as it had closed behind him, Kraler shot a disdainful look at the other
two warriors.
     “A stubborn man, your Captain.”
     Bryce rose from his chair and glared at him, “Captain Skyler is one
of the finest warriors aboard the Pegasus.  He’s number three in the
chain of command and has the responsibility of leading all of our pilots
into battle.  If you find him stubborn, Mr. Kraler, it’s because he knows
how to properly exercise command responsibilities.  We may offer him our
tactical advice, but when it comes to the chain of command, we honor and
respect it.  So don’t try to play us against him, Mr. Kraler because it
won’t work.”
     “I’m not suggesting anything of the sort,” Kraler held his ground,  
“I am only concerned for the well-being of that woman up there.  I’ve
known her since she was a little girl because her father was one of my
closest friends in the Colonial sector.  That’s why I took the greatest
possible risk to try and keep her and her father alive when so many other
Orions would have washed their hands of the humans and told them they
were on their own.  If I’ve been less than personable to you three, it’s
because I’m still angry Jocasta was brought back here, even if as you
say, I should be blaming your Commander for that.”
     “Blame the war, Mr. Kraler,” Keuchel spoke up for the first time
since his return.  “Blame the madness of the Cylons and the failure of
our side to stop them from unleashing their Destruction on us and Kobol
knows how many other races between the Colonies and Gomorrah.  It’s
frankly a miracle that your home civilization hasn’t suffered the same
Fate, because that’s the only reason your entire race has been able to
stay alive on Starlos.”
     “Perhaps so,” the fire and hostility was gone from his voice now,
replaced by a more thoughtful air, “You really think you can bring an end
to it eventually?”
     “The Lords of Kobol have been with us for the past yahren ever since
we learned about the Resistance in the Colonies, and the fact that Cylon
strength has been collapsing all throughout their Empire,” Bryce said. 
“If our luck holds......then yes, Mr. Kraler, I think we’re getting
closer to a day when the universe as we know it will be a true Open Zone,
and not just Starlos.”


     Skyler hesitated before opening the door.  He was hoping Jocasta
would be asleep and that he could just eat in silence without disturbing
her.  But at some point, he knew he was going to have to have some kind
of straightforward talk with her to let her know exactly what his
feelings were about her.  He couldn’t let her continue to harbor such
dangerous hopes and dreams any longer or else a trauma worse than
anything she’d gone through would await her.
     When he finally opened the door to the conference room he saw a
large circular table upon which several boxes of food lay.  One of them
was half-empty indicating how much she’d helped herself too.  It was only
when he took several steps in that he saw her lying on a couch in the
corner of the room, further away from the table.  He slowly made his way
to the table and sat down at the head of it, located on the opposite side
of the room from the corner couch where she was resting.  Moving slowly,
he opened a box and saw a piece of what he recognized to be two pieces of
deep-fried poulon, a simple delicacy he hadn’t had in yahrens.  He picked
up the piece and had taken two bites, enjoying it even in its now cold
state when he heard the distinct sound of movement.  Looking up, he could
see that Jocasta had awaken and was looking across the room at him with a
smile of relief.
     “You’re back,” she rose from the couch, “The Lords of Kobol be
praised.”
     He pressed on with his eating, as if filling his mouth with food
would help him put off the inevitability of talking to her.  She sat down
in one of the chairs at the conference table, though to his relief it was
several positions away and not next to him.
     “You must be hungry, I won’t bother you,” her voice was full of kind
deference.
     After swallowing his food he forced a reply, “No bother.  I hope you
had enough.”
     “I had enough,” she nodded, “So.....what did you find out?”
     “Not enough to act for now.  We’re all spending the night here in
the Office.”
     “All of us.....in this room?”
     “You can stay here in this room, and Mr. Kraler will probably come
up later.  I’ll have to go back down and wait with Bryce and Keuchel for
Kleitos to come back and the three of us should stand guard for the night
down there.  It’ll be better that way.”
     “I guess so,” she didn’t protest.  “And.....tomorrow?”
     “Well, tomorrow, we should know what we need to know.  Assuming
everything goes our way, I’m hoping we’ll be back on the Pegasus by this
time tomorrow.”
     “I hope so,” Jocasta was choosing her words carefully.  “There
are.....so many nice people I’ve met there.  Dr. Laughlin.  Med-Tech Ivy. 
Captain Kylie.  And.......you.”
     Skyler finished off the first piece of poulon and set the bones down
in the box.  “Well, like I’ve said before, you can always consider me a
friend, Jocasta.  Just like everyone else on the Pegasus is your
friend..”
     “I’m grateful,” the young woman nodded and took a breath,
“Skyler.....I know I’ve behaved like a silly fool in front of you since
we met, especially when I was in the Life Station. But......you were
there when I’d given up all hope.  You were there to listen to me about
what I’d been through on this planet for so long after we had to go into
hiding.  And......there’s so much I still haven’t told you about that
whole awful experience.  Things that......I feel like I can only tell you
and not Dr. Laughlin or Ivy or Kylie or anyone else.  I know they mean
well, but......with you, it’s so different.”
     Frack, Skyler found his appetite for a second piece of poulon gone
now.  He decided he was going to have to start being firm with her.
     “Jocasta.....if there are other things you want to tell me about
what you went through, they should wait until we’re back on the Pegasus.”
     “But.....as long as we’re here alone and there isn’t anything else
to do—,” she lowered her head and sighed.  “Skyler, I.....please.  Just
hear me out.”
     Feeling beaten on the subject and knowing he shouldn’t put off the
inevitable he pushed aside the box and motioned her to go on.
     “When my father and I went into hiding in the Safe House, my fiancee
was supposed to join us.” she started.  “My father and I were already in
the Orion section when the order came down that Colonials were no longer
under Starlos protection.  That’s why Mr. Kraler got us into the Safe
House within a day.  But Teper, my fiancee was still at the aerodrome
giving a flight lesson.  I had sent a com-text to him telling him what
had happened and that he needed to get back to the Aerodrome and get to
the Orion Sector immediately.  He got a message back to me that he was
returning and he wanted to make sure his passenger was safe first and
then he’d join us.  So when we went into the Safe House originally, we
were convinced we’d all be together soon and......that first day, I
wasn’t even scared of what was happening.  I was.....almost thinking of
it like some kind of new adventure before us that we were going to face
and eventually survive because......maybe I had too much foolish faith
the Vizier would eventually reverse himself and stand up to the Cylons,
but......the thought that I’d be safe with my Father and with Teper
......I was a totally naive child that first day.  It took me just one
night and no further word from Teper to suddenly realize what a nightmare
it really was, and that I’d never see him again.  Mr. Kraler eventually
found out he’d been taken that first day.”
     She lowered her head and let out a long sad sigh, “The horrible
thing is......he could still be alive somewhere in a Cylon prison back in
their home system doing these......labor projects you’ve talked about,
and......there’s nothing you can do about it, is there?”
     “Not likely,” Skyler said quietly, knowing he had to be honest, but
inside he was feeling that tug of emotions back the other way again. 
“Going to the Cylon home system isn’t part of our plan, Jocasta.  Maybe
someday if all the Enlightened Cylons are able to overthrow the Imperious
Leader and the rest of the High Command, they *might* release anyone they
have who’s still alive, but......that’s out of our hands.  I’m sorry if
you’ve had any hope......”
     ‘No, no, it’s not that,” Jocasta vigorously shook her head.  “I’m
not that naive, Skyler.  It’s just.....it’s frustrating to never have the
last piece of closure about those you’ve loved so much.  I could accept
the thought of him dead.  But I’ll never know when he died or if he lived
for a long time afterwards.  And in a way.....I get nightmares about that
even more than I do about my father dying after the Essien family had to
kill him.”
     She then looked at him with longing eyes, “Can you understand what
that’s like, Skyler?”
     The Captain took a breath as he felt the weight of her words hit
close to him.
     “Yes,” he said simply.  “I can, Jocasta.  I’ve.....had a bad dream
or two like that myself.”
     “Have you?” she was surprised to hear this.
     I don’t believe I’m doing this, he thought.  “I’m going through the
same thing right now regarding someone I knew back in the Colonies on
Gemon,” he said.  “I have no idea if she’s alive or not.  The early
reports from the Resistance indicate she’s not among the survivors in the
main group on Gemon, but......that’s not to say there aren’t any other
pockets of survivors in hiding on the planet who haven’t linked up with
the Resistance.  At any rate, it’s a subject I don’t have any closure
about either.”
     Jocasta looked at him thoughtfully, “You loved her?”
     He didn’t hesitate, “Yes.”
     She managed to smile weakly, “Maybe that’s why I’ve......felt so
comfortable around you, Skyler.  Because we’ve both shared that kind of
experience.”
     “It’s true of a lot of us on the Pegasus,” he tried to deflect her
point a little but inside, he had to admit she’d managed to touch him
emotionally for the first time by expressing herself in a way he could
easily relate to.  Before he’d felt like a mere sounding board for her
problems that she was taking advantage of in her traumatized state.  Now,
for the first time he was beginning to realize she was more of a kindred
spirit than he’d been willing to admit.  And he didn’t know what to make
of that.
     “I suppose so,” the blonde woman admitted.  “Still......I can see
more clearly why I’ve felt so at ease with you for reasons more than just
the fact you were the first to find me.  If.....I’ve seemed like a silly
lovesick fool to you, Skyler.......I’m sorry.  I don’t want to force
myself on you.  I just.....want you to give me a chance.”
     “I’ll always be your friend, Jocasta.”
     She rose from her chair and slowly went over to the one next to
Skyler where she sat down.  So that she was now just separated from him
by inches.
     “Could you ever be more than that, Skyler?” she whispered longingly.
     To his horror, he found himself unable to say anything.  He was
feeling his body tense, and he was also becoming aware of how this time,
without that perpetual expression of wide-eyed fear and trauma that had
been on her face from the time he’d met her until now, Jocasta was a very
attractive woman.
     Slowly, she closed her eyes and lowered her mouth towards
his.......and impulsively he felt his mouth moving towards
hers.......until their lips met in a kiss.  It lasted for over fifteen
microns and then he could feel her hand reaching out and squeezing his
wrist while the intensity of the kiss deepened.........
     And then, the piercing beep of Skyler’s com-line sounded and he
abruptly pulled away from her and got to his feet so he could answer it.
     “Yeah?”
     “I think Kleitos is back, Cap!” he heard Keuchel’s voice.  “We can
see a centurion on the security monitor feed approaching.”
     “Is he alone?”
     “Yes, Cap.  He’s alone.”
     “I’m coming down.  Tell Kraler to come up here and stay with
Jocasta.  If it isn’t Kleitos we’ll have to take him out.”
     He quickly made his way to the door, “Jocasta, I want you to wait
here and only let Mr. Kraler in.”
     The blonde woman nodded and drew up her legs so her feet were
touching the seat of the chair.  “I trust you, Skyler.”
     And then as soon as he was gone and the door had closed behind him,
she closed her eyes and then said aloud, “I love you, Skyler.”


     On his way down the stairs, Skyler could see Kraler already making
his way up.
     “Get inside there and lock the door behind you.  If it’s Kleitos,
I’ll send Bryce up and give the all-clear.”
     “And if it isn’t Kleitos?”
     “Then pray to the Lords of Kobol with all your strength.”
     “Orions don’t believe in the Lords of Kobol, Captain, but I’ll pray
just the same.”
     Skyler moved past him and went out through the door that led back to
Kraler’s office.  He could see Bryce and Keuchel with their laser pistols
out and ready to raise them to a firing position.  From underneath the
folds of his Orion robe, Skyler pulled his out but didn’t raise it.
     “Don’t assume firing position until you see me do it,” Skyler
whispered, “If it is Kleitos, I don’t want him to think we didn’t trust
him.  We’ll have more than enough time to get the drop on just one of
them if he’s hostile.”
     They assumed a triangular formation around Kraler’s desk waiting for
the door to slide open.  They could hear the whirring sound of a
centurion’s eye in the outer office growing louder with each passing
micron.......until finally the door slid open revealing the lone figure
of a centurion.
     “I have returned from my mission objective,” Kleitos spoke.  “I have
much to tell.”
     The three warriors tried not to let their relief become too obvious. 
Skyler motioned Bryce to go up to the conference room while he sat down
in the chair in front of Kraler’s desk.
     “We’re glad to see you, Kleitos,” he said, “Were you followed?”
     “Those I saw on the streets were more anxious to avoid my presence.”
     “Yes, of course.  So.....where did you go and what did you find
out?”
     “In assuming the identity of Centurion #283, I found myself with
access to the holding area of the Starlos security station.  The humans
who were being harbored by the one called Kleimann were awaiting
processing for transfer to the Cylon detention facility outside the zone. 
Two of them were dead, but I was charged with moving the two survivors.”
     “So you’ve been to the Cylon holding area for prisoners?”
     “That is correct.  At present there are only twenty-eight prisoners
in detention awaiting transfer to the baseship in orbit about the moon. 
All of them from the Colonial sector.  There are no remaining Delphians
left on the planet and no Hasari are part of this group.”
     “When are they scheduled for final transfer?”
     “According to the other centurions on duty at the complex, they will
all be moved at he end of a ten-cycle waiting period.  The baseship was
scheduled to be here only five cycles, which is the standard practice,
but the Cylon Ambassador persuaded the Grand Vizier to grant an
extension.”
     “More like demanded, I’ll bet,” Keuchel grunted, but Skyler motioned
him to keep quiet.
     “What about the reason for the prisoners?” the Captain asked
pointedly.  “Is there any talk among the centurions about why they need
these prisoners instead of just killing them?”
     “There are centurions who may be showing latent signs of
Enlightenment,” Kleitos said.  “Those who feel it, talk among themselves
as to why this change in Cylon policy has happened and they have
occasionally heard things from centurions who are part of the crew on the
baseship.  As you have suspected, it is tied to the home system’s
inability to produce Neutrino.”
     Skyler let out a sigh of relief.  The primary goal of the mission
expedition had now been fulfilled.  They had received confirmation that
this was the reason why the Cylon High Command had never been able to
send out any pursuit task force of baseships in search of the Galactica
or to even strengthen operations at their now lost outposts on Gomorrah
and Cannes.  Or why they simply didn’t deal with the problem of the
Resistance in the Colonies and the problem of Centurion Enlightenment by
mass producing more centurions and delivering a final scorched planet
campaign of destruction on the Colonies to make life uninhabitable for
all sentient creatures.  Something had happened to the Cylon ability to
mine the very source of what had contributed to their military might over
the course of a thousand yahrens.  And the Imperious Leader had chosen to
engage in a cover-up of that crisis in all areas of the Cylon Empire so
that no one based outside the Cylon home planet system was aware of what
had happened.  But because this baseship came and went from the Cylon
home system, it was impossible for those centurions who could feel the
stirrings of Enlightenment to avoid revealing the nature of the Crisis to
fellow centurions on Starlos.
     “And they think sentient slave labor is more capable of getting
results?”
     “The exact details are not known, but the absence of additional
capital ships and the fact that conquest of Starlos is not a viable
option with what exists, is more than sufficient to indicate to those who
talk among themselves, that the Cylon Home System is in a state of chaos
regarding this development.  The fact that the baseship will not be
returning to Cylon with its usual quota of prisoners only makes this
sense of......chaos loom even larger.”
     “Not the usual quota?”
     “Ordinarily, the baseship leaves with five hundred prisoners to take
back to Cylon for processing.  On this trip though, they have only
twenty-eight potential new prisoners.  It is clear that unless the Orion
were extended to the blacklist, Starlos can no longer provide the level
of prisoners the High Command clearly still needs.”
     “Incredible,” Keuchel murmured.  Even with all the developments that
had taken place over the past yahren since the arrival of Ila had first
revealed these problems in the Cylon Empire, the magnitude of how serious
it was never seemed more clear than it did now.  For the first time, the
Cylon Empire truly seemed like a desperate pathetic shell of its former
imperial might.  And like a wounded animal, it was presenting itself
ready to be killed......provided the Pegasus maintained the element of
surprise until its return to the Colonies. From Keuchel’s standpoint, it
was now clear that to keep that element of surprise, it was imperative to
leave Starlos as soon as possible and return to the Pegasus.
     “Kleitos, thank you.  You’ve performed admirably in the true spirit
of Cylon Enlightenment,” Skyler said, feeling relaxed and at ease for the
first time since their arrival.  “You didn’t have any trouble leaving the
detention center to get back to the Orion Section?”
     “When I had finished processing the prisoners I was tasked with, I
returned to the Orion Sector on a hovercraft under the pretense of
reporting back to Commander Moros to resume the regular duties of
Centurion #283.  Instead, once I reached the Orion section, I returned
here immediately as you had ordered.  No one asked for my identification
during that time.”
     “That’s good to know,” Skyler nodded.  And then, he absently
inquired.  “These.....prisoners you had to process.  Did you learn
anything from them?”
     “They were not in a talkative mood to me or even to each other for
that matter.  They were originally a group of four, but two of them had
committed suicide in the Starlos holding cell.  The only time they spoke
was when they gave their names for processing.”
     “I see,” Skyler felt a measure of sadness going through him as the
door at the other end opened and Bryce emerged followed by Kraler and
Jocasta.  “And their names were?”
     “There was a man named Jeremiah, and a woman named Shayleen.”
     The next sound in the room was the clattering noise caused by
Skyler’s laser pistol hitting the floor after it had fallen out of his
hand from the numb shock he felt in his entire body.

     “Anything to report?” Captain Jawan stifled a yawn as he listened to
a private com-line report from Tolson.
     “A centurion entered the building a half centar ago and hasn’t come
out,” Tolson’s voice crackled in his ear.  “He’s either been killed
or......it could be the same one who vouched for those fake Orion.”
     “And Kraler hasn’t left the building?”
     “Apparently not.” he paused, “What do I do now?”
     “Stand down,” Jawan said without hesitation.  “I’ll decide where
this goes next.”
     He pulled off his headset and wearily rubbed his eyes.  This was his
responsibility as to what to do next.  He could tell Command Centurion
Moros and in the process he’d probably invite a whole contingent of
centurions descending on not just Kraler’s office, but every Orion
business in a ten block radius.  The thought of that didn’t appeal to him
in the least, even though it was possible he’d get a commendation for it.
     No, he thought, he’d play it half-way.  He’d notify someone for the
sake of informing him of what was going on, and perhaps he’d get some
suggestions on what a proper course of action should be next.
     He would call the Orion Ambassador in the morning.
     

     What a crazy day this has been, Tolson shook his head as he headed
back through the now largely deserted streets of the Orion Section.  If
he felt like facing Gar again, he might have stopped in the tavern, but
he wasn’t in the mood for that.  He’d just head to the central Hub and
from there catch a public transport back to his one-room dwelling in
downtown Starlos City.
     The phosphorescent street lights cast their blue glow over the empty
streets which made it impossible to conceal anyone from view.  An upgrade
of recent sectars to prevent those in hiding from being able to slip out
into the night and think they could move unnoticed.  Somewhere in the
random blocks, there was likely another Starlos official like him or a
centurion making rounds to keep the Orion population on their toes and to
strike any further psychological terror to those in hiding that they
could never dare leave their hiding places and that for all intents and
purposes they were living the rest of their lives in prison.
     He came to the main intersection and as he idly glanced to his left
to see if any traffic was approaching or any random individuals, he
frowned when he saw standing awkwardly against a lightpost, a lone
centurion.  Tolson was reasonably sure he’d seen that same centurion
earlier when he’d made his way to Kraler’s for the stake-out.  And the
centurion had been standing that way even then.
     Cautiously he decided to turn to his left and approach the centurion
to find out what was going on.  Ordinarily, it wouldn’t have been his
business to ask, but he couldn’t believe the Cylon had been standing in
the same position for centars on end.
     As he drew closer he noticed something else was amidst.  The total
silence.  He should have been hearing a back and forth whirring sound of
the Cylon eye.  By the time he was within three feet of the Cylon he
could see the face clearly and there was no sign of a light at all.
     “What the—?” he said aloud as he reached out and touched the
centurion’s arm......and immediately the Cylon fell away from the
lightpost and crashed to the sidewalk in a dead heap.
     Tolson stared at the motionless pile of robotic machinery and
realized that he wasn’t going to be sleeping in his own bed tonight.

Chapter Eight

     There’d been nothing but a look of stunned shock on Skyler’s face
that had rendered him completely speechless for over a centon after he’d
heard Kleitos’s comment.  Every other pair of eyes was trained on the
Captain, not knowing or understanding in the slightest why he’d reacted
that way.
     “Cap?” Bryce came over and touched him on the shoulder, “Cap, are
you all right?”
     “Skyler?” Jocasta started to move toward him as well but Kraler held
her back.
     Slowly, Skyler collected himself and got to his feet.  But the look
of stunned incredulity hadn’t lessened.
     “Kleitos,” he managed to get his words out.  “The woman’s name
was......Shayleen?”
     “That is correct,” Kleitos said in the matter of fact centurion
drone.
     “And these......were prisoners who’d been refugees from the Colonies
after the Destruction?”
     “I did not learn that information.  I only know they had been
harbored by the Orion named Kleimann.”
     “Yes, Mr. Kleimann was harboring people who came over as refugees,”
Kraler stepped forward, the confusion evident on his face.  “I never met
any of them.  He kept their identities and location secret from me just
as I kept secret the identities and location of those I was hiding.  He
only told me he had two who were part of a refugee group that arrived
just after the Destruction.”
     “From which Colony?” Skyler abruptly demanded.
     “I don’t know!” the businessman threw up his hands in exasperation,
and then a slow-dawning of recognition came over him, “Captain, are you
trying to tell me you *know* these people?”
     “I might,” Skyler forced his words out.  “The name Shayleen is
familiar to me.  I knew her back on Gemon.  And I know she’s not among
the survivors in the Resistance movement on that planet.”
     The same dawning of recognition was coming over the faces of
everyone else.  Bryce immediately recalled something he’d heard several
yahrens ago during an idle period of chat in the Pegasus Officers Club
not long after the battlestar had found out for the first time what had
happened to the Colonies.  My God, what are the odds this could happen? 
And what is this going to mean to the mission?
     Jocasta, who was also realizing what this meant was biting her lip
uncomfortably.  But otherwise, she was maintaining a stoic level of
silence.
     “All right, let’s try to sort this out,” Bryce decided he needed to
take some initiative since nothing was coming from Skyler at the moment. 
“Does this really fundamentally change things as far as what we can do?”
     Skyler blinked several times as he looked at Bryce.
     “What are you getting at, Bryce?”
     “Cap, if these are people you know, I’m not sure what we can do
about helping them, now that they’ve been moved into a Cylon detention
facility.  The point is, we’ve got the information Cain wanted us to get,
so that means we have to start thinking about getting off this planet as
soon as possible.”
     “You’re speaking very wisely, Lieutenant,” Kraler spoke up.  “I only
ask that you delay leaving until you’ve had this promised meeting with
Ambassador Kleeburg tomorrow morning.  I’ve put myself on the line with
him to set this up and if I were to cancel it without explanation, I’d be
opening myself to the kind of scrutiny I don’t need.”
     “The meeting will go on,” Skyler spoke up, his words emphatic.  “As
for what else we do.....that decision is still pending.”
     “Cap!” Bryce protested.
     “I said it’s pending, *Lieutenant*!” the Squadron Leader snapped. 
“Is that understood?”
     Bryce glared at him, “Yes *sir*,” he said with clear disdain.
     “All right then, let’s.....all try to get some sleep,” slowly,
Skyler tried to retake control of the situation.  “Mr. Kraler, Jocasta,
go back upstairs.  Bryce, go with them and get some sleep for the next
four centars.  Then you come down and relieve Keuchel.  I’ll.....catch my
sleep down here.”
     Jocasta could feel a tear forming in her eye but she said nothing. 
Kraler protectively put his arm around her and without saying anything,
motioned her back toward the stairwell.  Bryce took only a micron to
glare at the Captain one last time before following them up.
     “Kleitos,” Skyler said after they had gone, “Station yourself in the
outer office area.  If anyone else should enter the building during the
night, it’ll make more of a statement if they see you first.”
     “By your command,” the centurion nodded and left, leaving Skyler
alone with Keuchel.  The lone enlisted man in the group was looking
awkwardly at his superior.
     “Okay, Keuchel, I know what Bryce thinks.  Now let me hear what you
think.”
     The sergeant hesitated slightly.
     “You have permission to speak freely, Keuchel, so go ahead.”
     “Sir,” he said, “If this mission ends up at risk because of a
personal consideration on your part, I’m going to have no choice but to
report it to Commander Cain.  That’s assuming Bryce hasn’t already
decided to do the same, which I’m sure he has.”
     “So noted,” the firm edge was back in Skyler’s voice but he didn’t
look at him.  “You and Bryce can do what you think you must if it comes
to that.  I am in command of this mission, and final responsibility with
all things rests with me.”
     “Is this prisoner the girl you broke up with before we left for
Molocay?” Keuchel asked.
     “It could be,” Skyler was looking off into the distance.  “It’s not
a unique name.  But the fact that she’s a refugee and not someone born on
Starlos means it’s possible.”
     “But sir.....what can we do?  And even if we could get her out, does
that mean we become responsible for the other 27 who are with her?  You
know we can’t fit that many people inside the shuttle, and even if we
free them, Cain’s not going to send a team of shuttles back to evacuate
them.”
     “I’m aware of all that, Sergeant,” Skyler was still looking ahead
and avoiding eye contact with him.  “That’s why I’m trying to weigh every
last option before a final decision has to be made.  And it will be made
only when there’s been enough time to consider every option.”
     An uneasy silence filled the room.  Eventually, Keuchel realized it
was because the Captain had fallen asleep in his chair.  For the next
four centars there was only silence until the stairwell door opened and
Bryce quietly emerged.  He motioned Keuchel over so the two guards could
talk privately, inside the stairwell.
     “Before I formally relieve you, tell me if he’s said anything.”
     “Nothing,” Keuchel shook his head.  “He’s sleeping it off.  He
hasn’t indicated he’s made any kind of decision.”
     “Well I’ve spent the last few sleepless centars making mine,” the
lieutenant said firmly.  “The appointment with the ambassador should be
kept.  But after that, we have no rational reason for staying on this
planet and if Skyler says we’re staying to try and free his long-lost
girlfriend from Gemon and risk blowing the entire cover of the Pegasus to
the High Command.....that is when you and I are going to have to make a
tough decision of our own.”
     Keuchel stiffened somewhat.  He wasn’t ready to face this potential
situation.  He’d been thinking of it as something to put off in his mind
until morning.
     “We can’t let Skyler frack up this mission for a personal reason,
Keuchel,” Bryce went on, “The man is a great viper pilot and he’s done a
bang-up job as a squadron commander, but this kind of assignment is
outside his pay grade and the only reason he got stuck in it was because
of the other problem we’ve had upstairs,” he jerked his thumb behind him
toward the Conference Room door.
     “Has she said anything?”
     “Not a word.  Just sits there staring into space with a faraway look
while Kraler tries to comfort her.  Of all the things in the universe
that could send her off the deep end, finding out Skyler’s long-lost love
is on this planet and in a Cylon detention cell would top the list given
her whole obsession with him.” he paused, “I’m not insensitive, Keuchel. 
We’re looking at a human tragedy if we have to stand back and let the
Cylons haul off one person, let alone twenty-eight to work in a Neutrino
mine in the Cylon home system, but unless Skyler comes up with a way to
free them *without* blowing our cover and *without* our being responsible
for taking them back to the Pegasus, you and I have no choice on what we
have to do.  Agreed?”
     His subordinate in the Security Division nodded, “Agreed.”
     The two of them then exchanged the three-finger warrior handshake. 
Keuchel went up the stairs while Bryce headed back into the main office. 
Skyler still gave off the impression of being asleep.  The Lieutenant sat
down and let out a long sigh of resignation.
     Cap, don’t make me do it.  Make the right decision tomorrow morning.


     “I regret I have nothing more to report on further prisoners,
Commander,” Command Centurion Moros stood at attention before the monitor
that showed Commander Dagora looking back at him.  “In fact, I must
report that the number has dropped from thirty to twenty-eight.”
     “Why is that?” the IL Cylon demanded.
     “Two chose to commit suicide while they were still in the Orion
holding cell.”
     “Hmmmm,” Dagora grunted with clear exasperation.  “And *none* of the
Orion you rounded up for questioning have been found to have any
Colonials or Hasari in their dwellings, or so much as know anything?”
     “None, Commander.  Starlos authority insisted that unless we
establish specific proof they are harboring anyone, they would not have
them detained indefinitely.”
     The baseship commander felt a rising level of impatience within him. 
A level so intense that he could feel it threatening to overwhelm all of
his circuitry.  He was sure this was what the human psyche referred to as
‘going mad’.
     “What is your command?” Moros pressed.  “Should more Orion be
rounded up?  We can move further into their zone and-----,”
     “What would be the purpose?” Dagora snapped.  “It’s obvious we’ve
reached the point of diminishing return, Command Centurion.  Just have
the prisoners you have, ready for potential transfer by the end of the
next cycle.  A change of strategy may be in order.  Stand by until then.”
     The IL Cylon’s image faded.  Before Moros could turn away from the
now blank screen, he heard the sound of one of his deputies approach.
     “By your command.”
     “Yes?” the gold centurion turned around.
     “Centurion #439 reporting.  A disturbing report has come to us from
Captain Jawan of Starlos Security.”
     “What?” 
     “He reports that a dead centurion is lying in the street near
Intersection A of the Orion Zone.”
     “Who was responsible for this?” Moros demanded.
     “Unknown.”
     “Get a team to remove the body and have its identification and
memory systems checked.”
     “By your command.”


     Aboard the baseship, Commander Dagora decided the time had come to
do something he had never done once in all previous assignments to
Starlos.  The long-range communication system that connected the baseship
to the home planet was only used twice during a normal mission.  Once to
inform the Cylon capital that they had arrived in the Starlos system and
were beginning operations.  The second when operations were concluded and
they would report the beginning of their return trip with the proscribed
quota of prisoners.  Never had Dagora used the communications system to
initiate a transmission to the Imperious Leader.
     Until now.
     After making sure that his chambers were sealed so that no one in
his crew could wander in and overhear any part of the conversation, he
activated the relay switch which caused the lights above to dim ever so
slightly owing to the power drop associated with this miracle
breakthrough in communications.  A breakthrough made possible as a result
of ancient technologies that had been raided from the planet Kobol by
Cylon search teams that had been sent there after the Battlestar
Galactica had been known to visit the planet.  Following the rescue of
Baltar from the ruins of the Ninth Lord of Kobol’s tomb, Imperious Leader
had been impressed by Baltar’s action report on Kobol to send a team of
Cylon scientists afterwards to the dead planet and look for signs of
ancient technologies that might be helpful in advancing Cylon technology
to new levels.  The results of which had been the discovery of ancient
Kobol’s ability to conduct real time communications over vast distances
of space in defiance of the known laws of physical science.  
     The last great advancement in Cylon technology, Dagora thought.  And
then......it all came crashing down with the Crisis and then the Disease.
     Thirty microns after he’d initiated contact, he saw the face of the
Cylon ruler on the monitor.  The face that superficially resembled one of
the old reptilian Cylons as was true of all Imperious Leaders.  The
unique robot shell that could house three computer brains which
represented the key to the omnipotence claimed by all Cylon rulers since
the beginning.  The beginning when......Cylon greatness had first been
established with the overthrow of their reptilian creators.....
     “Yes?” the Cylon ruler snapped in displeasure.  “You know you are
not supposed to make transmissions unless it’s absolutely necessary,
Commander.”
     “It is absolutely necessary, Your Eminence,” Dagora said.  “When I
return, I will be well short of the necessary quota of prisoners. 
Starlos has been bled dry of available labor power from those races we
have access to.  If you want me to return with five hundred prisoners to
work the Neutrino mines, you’d have to send me reinforcement so I can
destroy Starlos in an all-out attack that can secure the planet.  But I
know you’re not going to do that, Your Eminence, so I shouldn’t bother to
ask.  I’m the only baseship you can spare from the home system.” he
paused, “Of course you could always dispatch me to Arcta and find out if
Dr. Ravashol’s weaponry could be modified to compensate for the absence
of additional baseships in a campaign against Starlos *and* Orion for
that matter.”
     There was no immediate response from the Cylon ruler.  Dagora
decided to press.
     “Your Eminence, I know you have not been candid with Commander Vulpa
about the full extent of the Crisis, but I think it is time you take him
into your confidence.  Let me proceed to Arcta and I can explain the
seriousness of the situation and why the Ravashol pulsar components and
any other weaponry available must be adapted for conquest against Starlos
and Orion.”
     “Out of the question,” Imperious Leader cut him off.  “The Ravashol
experiments are needed to deal with the situation in the Colonies.  Until
they are pacified and every last member of the Resistance on all those
worlds rooted out, I will not divert resources to conquer Starlos and
Orion when the manpower to secure those planets does not exist!  The
Disease has spread too far in our ranks.  At this stage there isn’t
enough manpower left to do a full rotation of personnel on Starlos
without risking the spread of the Disease.”
     “It may have already started,” Dagora knew he could speak candidly
with the Cylon ruler because he’d borne witness to everything that had
happened in the Cylon home system from the beginning.  “Ambassador Orcus
is getting suspicious, now that we’ve shown we have no viable alternative
to deal with the diminishing level of laborers we can get from Starlos. 
He may decide at some point to follow the example of the leadership of
Gomorrah and Cannes and all the traitors in the Colonies.”  He leaned
forward, “I appeal to you, Your Eminence, as one who has faithfully stood
by your side and defended your leadership all through the Crisis.  Let me
go to Arcta and talk to Commander Vulpa.”
     “Not yet,” the Cylon ruler’s tone was less commanding.  “I want you
to return first with all the prisoners there are, even if it’s only
twenty-eight.  You can go to Arcta eventually......but not until I’ve
made a change in the leadership there.”
     “A change?”
     “I’m becoming less satisfied with Commander Vulpa’s performance in
bringing Ravashol technology to the Colonies to use against the
Resistance.  The situation there has become much too.....stagnant.  I’m
already on the verge of removing Governor Kore and having Governor Malus
placed in charge of all of the Colonies and not just the Inner ones. 
When that happens, I intend to transfer his chief centurion for
operations on Caprica, Commander Valan to replace Vulpa.  Once Valan is
in place on Arcta......then you can go there and tell him everything.”
     “When is that going to happen?”
      “Vulpa’s next scheduled visit to the Colonies is in three sectars. 
I will let things proceed normally until then, just in case he does
something to justify reversing my planned decision to replace him.”
     “If I may speak candidly, Your Eminence, you have been much too
patient with Vulpa.  He failed to prevent the original pulsar from being
sabotaged by the Galactica and he’s hardly done anything of distinction
beyond re-establishing Cylon authority over Dr. Ravashol.  He should have
been replaced long ago.”
     “The problem is one of finding someone capable to replace him,
Commander Dagora,” Imperious Leader coolly retorted.  “Since the Disease
affects Command Centurions and even IL Cylons, as we discovered recently,
finding someone outside the home system whose loyalty is beyond reproach
is no longer an easy task.  Commander Valan is at this point the only one
who measures up to that standard since he at least can report some body
counts of significance on Caprica in the face of so many traitors in his
ranks.”
     “Then transfer him now!” Dagora raised his voice.  “Why wait for
Vulpa to visit the Colonies to do it?”
     “And force a premature revelation to *all* Cylon personnel in the
Colonies of how bad things are in the Empire as a whole?” the Cylon ruler
retorted.  “That’s an invitation for the Disease to spread to every Cylon
on all of the twelve worlds.  This requires a delicate balancing act, my
dear Dagora.  The only way we can address the twin problems of Disease
and Crisis without any further hemorrhages than we’ve already gone
through.  We’ve already had to declare the Galactica  and her Fleet as
permanently lost to us, along with all the traitors who chose to follow
Baltar, and now Gomorrah and Cannes are lost as well.  If we have *any*
hope of preserving enough of the Cylon Empire to give us a basis for
reclaiming our ability to expand across the universe......we must act
with total prudence and patience.”
     “For some of us, our patience may be running out, Your Eminence,”
Dagora warned, “And I’m not saying that as a threat.  I’ve seen
everything you’ve seen in the Home System, and I know that those who are
less devoted than I am to you, may decide to take matters into their own
hands at some point.”
     “I am still able to keep those forces at bay,” he said defiantly. 
“Even with the Crisis, my authority in the Home System is secure.”
     A remark that Dagora had dared to never think before almost formed
in his vocal synthesizers but he stopped it from being uttered.
     “I hope so for your sake, Your Eminence.  I am only concerned with
whether time is a luxury we truly have.”
     “Noted,” Imperious Leader nodded his head.  “Do you request
permission to return to Cylon immediately?”
     “After I have received all prisoners at the end of this cycle,
limited as they are.”
     “Granted.  Inform me when you are underway.”
     The signal faded out.


     The early morning light was shining through the lone window in
Kraler’s office.  Skyler, awake and alert had assembled everyone and
Bryce noticed that there was a confident bearing in the captain’s
demeanor.  Already, he and Keuchel were bracing themselves for what they
would hear and whether or not they’d have to act.
     “This is the plan of action for today,” the Captain said firmly. 
“Bryce, Keuchel.  I want you to take Jocasta back to the shuttle and
stand by until Kleitos and I return.  Wait until you’re within one centar
of the invisibility shield collapsing, and then get out of there and get
back to the Pegasus.  And tell Cain not to send any rescue shuttle for me
because if I’m trapped on the planet, I intend to use my suicide kit so
there’ll be no chance of the Cylons taking me prisoner and learning about
the Pegasus,” he paused for emphasis.  “That is an order I expect you to
obey to the letter.”
     Bryce gave a faint nod of the head.  Jocasta’s expression was
remarkably stoic.
     “Now Mr. Kraler, you and I, accompanied by Kleitos are going to see
the Orion Ambassador and level with him as much as I think we should. 
And I also intend to ask him to intercede with Starlos Security for your
friend Mr. Kleimann.  At the very least......I want to talk to him and
find out *everything* about those people he was harboring.”
     He then gave a cold stare to his two fellow warriors, “I am *not*
committing to any rescue plan of anyone.  I am simply getting
information.  And *if* that information presents an opportunity to do
something *peacefully* and *unobtrusively*, I will consider those
options.  But there will be *nothing* foolhardy done to endanger the
well-being of the mission.  And my word as a warrior should count for
that with the *both* of you.  Have I made myself *clear*?”
     “Yes *sir*!” Keuchel said with ramrod precision and respect.
     “Are there any questions?”
     “No,” Kraler shook his head.  “If you convince him......you should
be able to get him to intercede for Mr. Kleimann.  That would mean
leaning on Starlos Security, not the Cylons.”
     Skyler then looked directly at the young woman whose discovery had
set all of these events in motion, “Jocasta?”
     “Do what you must,” she said simply.  “It’s not my place to
interfere, Skyler.  I know I’ve done all I could have done to help you.”
     “Thank you,” he nodded gratefully and looked around at everyone,
“All right......let’s move out.  The Lords of Kobol watch over us all.”  


     “Report?” Moros asked Centurion #439.
     “The body of the centurion we found near Intersection A of the Orion
Sector is being analyzed now.”
     “What was his identification number?”
     “His number is missing.  It would seem whoever deactivated him,
removed it.”
     The Command Centurion put his slightly more advanced programming to
use.  He was remembering a briefing from before his assignment to Starlos
on a technique used on Cannes to discipline centurions.
     “This centurion.....wasn’t shot by a laser pistol?”
     “No.  The indication is that his main telemetry relay circuit was
severed.”
     Moros got to his feet, “I want it repaired and restored!  I want
some answers from that centurion on who did that to him!”
     “It will take some time to affect repairs.”
     “Devote all energies to it!”
     “By your command.”


     The Orion Embassy was within walking distance of Kraler’s office at
the far end of the Orion Sector.  Skyler noticed how beyond it, the more
imposing spires of Starlos’s Capital City loomed in the distance some two
or three kilometrones away, but accessible only be vehicular transports. 
Consequently, the back side of the Embassy building housed an elaborate
parking facility for all kinds of hovermobile craft, as well as a landing
area for planetary shuttles.
     Kind of makes the section seem walled off from the main part of
Starlos.  But I guess that was all part of the original design.  To let
each section be its own extension of their home world without over
intrusion from the outside.
     The presence of Kleitos was causing everyone else to keep their
distance from Skyler and Kraler.  That again was vindication of the
decision to bring the centurion on this mission.  Kleitos had been able
to get firsthand confirmation that the “Crisis” on the home planet did
involve Neutrino mining.  Skyler knew that conditions on Starlos would
have made that impossible for him or any other Pegasus warrior to have
done that without Cylon assistance.  Just like the Resistance in the
Colonies and the Galactica’s long-term survival on the journey to Earth
would have been impossible without Cylon assistance.
     That’s why I have to overlook the fact that Kleitos took Shayleen
from a Starlos cell where I *might* have been able to get her free to a
Cylon cell where there’s no hope at all......unless the Lords grant me a
miracle I’ve probably no right to ask for.  Still.....if it can happen,
please let it!
     They went through the sliding door entrance of the building, with
Skyler remembering to lower his face covering the instant he stepped foot
inside.  A visit to the central administrative desk confirmed the pending
appointment with Ambassador Kleeburg, followed by a short walk to the
turbo-lift.  Then a ride up to the top level where the doors opened to
the sight of a private office in which the ambassador’s desk was
positioned in front of an impressive picture window that offered a
spectacular view of the Capitol City.
     The Ambassador himself looked like someone who was clearly the same
age as Kraler, which was the early stages of middle-age.  Like Kraler,
there was a heaviness under the eyes that Skyler suspected was the result
of all the additional pressures the Orions of Starlos had gone through in
the last yahren.
     “Ambassador Kleeburg,” Kraler bowed respectfully.  The Ambassador
rose and politely nodded his head in response and then resumed his seat.
     “It’s been some time, Mr. Kraler,” the diplomat said.  “The spice
trade is doing well?”
     “I am managing,” he motioned his arm, “This is Centurion
Kleitos.......and Captain Skyler of the Colonial Armed Forces.”
     “Mr. Ambassador,” Skyler stepped forward and removed his blonde wig.
     The diplomat stared dubiously as he realized what the scene before
him meant.  “A Colonial Warrior......and a Cylon centurion.....together?”
     “Yes, Mr. Ambassador.  Kleitos and I are on the same side, and that
side is *not* the Cylon High Command or any form of Cylon authority based
on this planet.”
     Kleeburg folded his hands, “I’m listening.”


     It took Bryce, Keuchel and Jocasta half a centar to walk the
distance back to the Hub area which fanned off into the ex-Colonial and
Hasari Sectors.  From there, they entered the walking path of the
Reservoir Park they’d been on yesterday.  As each step took them closer
to where they’d left the shuttle, the three of them became more
self-conscious of the higher number of Starlos civilians walking about
compared to the previous day.  It was enough to make Bryce feel nervous
for the first time in awhile.  A reminder of how the most apprehensive
part of any mission was when one was so close to safety......but not yet
all the way.
     A small pinging sound from the mini-scan underneath the folds of his
Orion robe told him they’d reached the spot where they now needed to
leave the path and head down the sloping area to the empty recreational
field where the shuttle had been parked and left cloaked.  They had just
started down when suddenly Bryce stopped in his tracks and motioned the
other two to stop as well.
     “Frack,” he pointed.
     They looked and saw near the center of the field two Starlos natives
kicking a spheroid ball back and forth to each other.  Neither of them
had any footwear on and it gave them a good look for the first time at
the distinctive six toes they had on each foot.
     “Problem one.  We walk to the shuttle and they’re going to see us
disappear into thin air when we go inside, assuming they don’t hear the
door open,” Bryce said.
     “Which itself would make the interior visible until the door is
closed again,” Keuchel added as he thought back to Cannes and the pitched
battle on the ground with Cylon forces that had resulted in Sergeant
Culhane’s death and Major Ham’s wounding.
     “And problem two, if that ball gets away from them and strikes the
shuttle and bounces back to them.....” Bryce added.
     “What can we do?” Jocasta whispered feeling the nervousness rise to
a level she hadn’t felt since before Skyler had found her.
     “We wait,” Bryce said carefully.  “And we act.....normally and
casually.  Since we’ve started down this way, let’s act like we’re going
for a nice walk around the perimeter of the field.....where we can keep
an eye on what they do next.”
     “Do we use lasers on them?”
     “No,” he shook his head.  “Stunning them will knock them out for
only a limited time and Skyler and Kleitos may not be back before they’d
come to.  We’re going to make sure they leave without giving us the
slightest regard.  And the micron it’s empty......we get inside the
shuttle as fast as we can.  Now follow my lead and walk.....casually,” he
glanced back at his fellow guard, “And don’t let your face cover drop!”
     “My hand’s glued to it,” Keuchel grunted as they made their way down
with Jocasta trailing.  They walked along the perimeter boundary of the
athletic field and within a centon they were parallel to the two Starlos
natives kicking the ball back and forth to each other.  For the first
time, Bryce realized one of them was female.  They were probably just an
ordinary couple enjoying themselves, oblivious to all the traumas and
upheavals taking place on their planet.
     I guess life has gone on as usual for a lot of them.
     They didn’t give them any acknowledgment, which he knew Orions
wouldn’t do in any circumstance by nature.  So when they moved past them
and heard the female let out an exclamation of, “Ohh!” none of them
stopped to look behind them.  Instead, they kept walking, but all of them
tried to strain to hear what the Starlos couple was saying to each other.
     “Are you all right?” the male voice sounded concerned.
     “I’m all right......it just.....got me in the face.”
     “My fault.....I didn’t think it would lift up on that last kick. 
You sure you’re okay?  You look like you got it near the eye.”
     “No, I don’t think so, darling.  More like a bruise on the cheek
probably.”
     “I’d feel better if we had it checked.”
     “Well.....if you insist.”
     “I do.  Besides, I think we’ve had enough for today.”
     “All right......why don’t you get the ball and I’ll meet you up on
the pathway.”
     “Join you in a centon, Luv.”
     Bryce felt the tension mounting as they kept walking away, not aware
of what was going on behind them.  That would change only when they
reached the corner of the field and made a forty-five degree turn that
would let them look to their right and see what was going on.
     The ball went awry and struck the woman.  He’s going to retrieve
it.....did it end up next to the shuttle, close enough for him to notice
it?
     Finally it was time for the three of them to make the turn.  “Don’t
whip your head, just look out of the corner of your eye,” Bryce whispered
to the others.
     When they made the turn, they could see from their peripheral vision
the female making her way up the slope that led back to the walking
trail.  Her husband was moving toward the spheroid resting near the
center of the field.  Which Bryce and Keuchel knew was exactly where the
invisible shuttle was parked.  They could see him pick the ball up.  He
started to turn towards the slope, but then he stopped.  And for several
microns his six toed-feet kept brushing against the ground while his
right hand went up to his forehead.
     “I think he’s noticing the depression in the ground caused by the
landing gear,” Keuchel whispered, “And he’s also noticing how the breeze
is being affected by the presence of a large object he doesn’t realize is
there.  He’s clearly confused.”
     “Just so long as he doesn’t move a metrone to his right,” Bryce
whispered back through now clenched teeth, “Or else he’s going to walk
right into it!”
     They saw the Starlos male’s confused body language continue......and
then his head looked back toward the incline as he could now see his wife
waving to him.  Abruptly, he began walking toward her, and away from the
spot where the invisible shuttle rested.  A collective sigh of relief
went up from the three Colonials.
     “Thank the Lords he’s more concerned about his wife than being
inquisitive,” Keuchel grunted.
     “Yes,” Bryce nodded.  “Okay, the instant they’re both out of sight,
start double-timing it!”
     They slowed their walking pace so they could keep looking to their
right where they could see the Starlos male ascending the slope. 
Reaching the pathway at the top where he gently leaned over to kiss his
wife and then, with his arm around her they walked off and disappeared
from view.  Bryce abruptly turned and started running across the field
toward the center.  He pulled out the device that would automatically
open the door to the shuttle and clicked it so that by the time the three
of them reached the center of the field they could see the incongruous
site of a visible open hatch, and nothing else.
     “Quick!” he motioned as he pushed Jocasta in first, while Keuchel
quickly followed.  By the time Bryce had jumped in, Keuchel was already
pressing the button on the panel that closed the hatch, hiding them from
view once again.
     “The Lords be praised,” Jocasta sighed with gratitude as she took
off her Orion wig for the last time and hurled it across the shuttle
cabin.  She then went over to the front passenger bench and collapsed on
top of it in relief.
     “Okay,” Keuchel collected himself and settled into the co-pilot
seat.  “What now?”
     “Now our vigil begins,” Bryce sat down in the pilot’s seat and
looked at the countdown chronometer for the shield.  It was still at 38
centars and counting down.  “If he isn’t here in 37 centars, we go
without him, just like he said.”
     “Well one’s thing for sure,” Keuchel grunted, “He got us out of the
way so we can’t stop him from doing something stupid.” 
     “I don’t think he’s going to do something stupid,” Bryce felt his
composure coming back.  “I’m beginning to think he overheard us last
night.  And maybe that sobered him up a bit on how far he can go when it
comes to his old girlfriend.  He’ll probably test the waters and see how
far he can go but......I think my faith in him is back.”
     “I hope you’re right.”


     Command Centurion Moros, like all command level centurions, had been
programmed to understand the concept of human emotions and similar
emotions in other races that defined their supposed weakness and
inferiority to the Cylon concept of perfect efficiency and order.  Until
now, he never thought he would actually know what it was like to *feel*
such an emotion coursing through his circuitry.  Something he’d never
felt before but which he was reasonably sure was called......impatience. 
Or was it frustration?  Whatever the correct term, he could also recall
that this continued sensation also led to something more significant
called.....anger.
     All of this he was feeling because he had yet to hear from the Tech
Room on the efforts to reactivate the centurion who’d been found with his
telemetry relay circuit severed in a way that could only have been done
by a Cylon battle sword.  And if that was the case......then Moros knew
he was looking at a clear indication of what he knew other Cylons had
referred to as......The Disease.  And he wondered if his reaction, this
sensation of......emotion, was itself a product of that Disease.
     “Report?” he raised the level of his synthesized voice after he’d he
hit the intercom to the Tech Lab.
     “There is no report,” the centurion on duty in the Lab replied. 
“This is not a procedure we are accustomed to dealing with because it has
not happened before.  I can not place a time when the work shall be
finished......if it can be.”
     “Proceed!” his voice went to its highest possible level and his
gloved fist came down on the intercom with an intensity that nearly broke
it.  Yes, this was indeed anger as the humans described it!  He was
dealing with something that wasn’t supposed to happen in his command.
     The usual procedure when a centurion, even a command centurion felt
he had reached the limit of his mental capacity was to turn to one of the
advanced two-brain Cylons, whether of the DG Class or the IL Class. 
Ambassador Orcus, as a DG Cylon was technically the final authority for
Cylon matters on Starlos.  From a military standpoint it would make more
sense to contact Commander Dagora on the baseship. 
     But right now, the new emotion of anger he’d been feeling about the
situation was now transferring itself to Dagora......and the entire class
of Cylon leadership above him.  For the first time, everything to Command
Centurion Moros seemed so......useless.  And the cause of that
uselessness began and ended with the Cylon High Command.  Headed by the
Imperious Leader and kept in power by all the other advanced classes of
Cylons.  Condemning those like Moros to this never-ending cycle of
utter......uselessness and waste. 
     Surely we were not made for this.  Surely our......Makers did not so
desire it.
     Makers.
     And now Moros could feel another emotion filling him for the first
time.  One of.....confusion.  Wondering why the term “Makers” had popped
into his single brain, and why it made him see everything he had done on
behalf of the Cylon Empire in a different light.
     Is this what they’ve called the Disease?  But this can’t be a
Disease.  It feels more like......something else. 
Like.......Enlightenment.
     And like a light switch being turned off, he found he no longer
cared about what had happened to the lone centurion.  He only cared about
finding a way to demonstrate what this sense of becoming......Enlightened
really meant.


     Skyler had been able to talk without much interruption for the
better part of a half centar. When he was through, Ambassador Kleeburg
shook his head in amazement.
     “Were it not for the presence of the Centurion, Captain
Skyler......it would have been impossible for me to believe your story as
anything other than the desperate plea of a harbored Colonial trying to
save his life.”
     “But you know better, don’t you, Mr. Ambassador?”
     “Indeed I do,” Kleeburg sighed.  “You see, Captain, there’s
something I’ve withheld from you and Mr. Kraler since before you arrived. 
I received a very strange communique from Captain Jawan of Starlos
Security.  Something about two imposter Orions in Mr. Kraler’s office
who’d been vouched for by a centurion, and how that same centurion was
seen entering the office last night long after the end of the normal
business cycle.” he came forward in his chair, “Obviously, I have no
reason to believe that your visit is tied to some Cylon activity to
undermine my position.  All I have to do now is call Captain Jawan and
tell him that under no circumstances is there to be any further
surveillance of Mr. Kraler’s office or of Mr. Kraler and his staff for
that matter.  That it is now the position of the Orion Government that
Mr. Kraler is among those Orion considered to have diplomatic immunity,”
he looked over at the businessman.  “I believe that should keep you from
any concerns about the safety of anyone else you continue to harbor, Mr.
Kraler.  Though in the interests of deniability, please do not tell me
where they are, or who they are.”
     “Thank you, Ambassador Kleeburg,” Kraler bowed with gratitude.  
     “But I suspect you came here for more than just wanting my help in
safeguarding Mr. Kraler’s status, Captain Skyler.”
     “That’s true,” Skyler nodded.  “There is one small matter first,
before I return to the more important one.  It concerns the arrest and
detention of Mr. Kleimann, the jeweler  who was found to be harboring
four refugees from the Colonies who came here after the Cylon
Destruction.”
     “Yes, I saw his case.  As you know Captain, it is not our
government’s policy to intervene once an arrest has taken place.”
     “You must break that policy, Mr. Ambassador,” Skyler didn’t want the
slightest hint of desperation to enter his voice.  “This doesn’t mean
dealing with Cylon authority but with Starlos Authority, just as you did
in safeguarding Mr. Kraler’s position.  Tell them that Mr. Kleimann is a
figure of importance on Orion and you can arrange to have him deported
back.  Just get his release secured so I can talk to him and ask him some
questions I *have* to have answered about those refugees he was harboring
and who were later transferred to Cylon custody.”
     “There’s nothing I can do about prisoners the Cylons now have,
Captain.  Especially those on the blacklist.”
     “No, I’m not asking you to do anything about that, Mr. Ambassador. 
Just with Mr. Kleimann.  My purpose is to get information and information
only from him.  After I’m done talking to him, he’d be entirely under
your control.”
     There was no immediate answer as Kleeburg brought his hands
together.  
     “All right Captain, you’ll get your chance to talk to Mr. Kleimann. 
Now what about the ‘more important matter’ as you describe it?”
     “How would you characterize your relationship with the Grand
Vizier?”
     Kleeburg’s face twisted into a dry smirk, “After fifteen yahrens,
I’ve come to understand every part of how Pasha’s mind works.  He’s drawn
the line with the Cylons when it comes to declaring my people off-limits
from the blacklist, but the only thing that holds that in place is the
Cylon refusal to declare war on Orion and launch an all-out attack on us. 
If that happened, he wouldn’t hesitate to sell us out in the name of
survival for Starlos.”
     “But now you understand why the Cylons haven’t attacked your home
world......or made any attempt to conquer and secure Starlos for that
matter.”
     “Yes, you have provided the missing piece of the puzzle, Captain,”
Kleeburg acknowledged.  “I know our leadership thinks its because of the
extra effort we’ve taken in building up our defense forces along the old
Neutral Zone perimeter and the fact we signed a Non-Aggression Pact with
them after the Colonies were destroyed.  But I always suspected there was
another reason, given the Cylon reputation for mass production of their
war machine.  And according to you and Centurion Kleitos......their war
producing capacity is all but gone at this point, and this harvesting of
prisoners has been a desperation move on their part to try and get it
restarted.”
     “And if Grand Vizier Pasha understood fully that any threats to
subjugate the planet were pure bluff on the Cylon High Command’s
part.......would that conceivably change the situation?”
     “That I couldn’t say.  It may be true that the Cylons can’t
subjugate Starlos with just one baseship but they can inflict significant
damage and casualties with a full complement of fighters that it would
represent a hollow victory for Starlos if they had to suffer that as the
price for a Cylon withdrawal.”
     “That would be a fate even worse than the status quo,” Kraler
interjected.
     “Agreed,” Skyler nodded.  “But....since its clear the Cylons are
dealing with a diminished level of prisoners, Pasha might realize he can
force the Cylons out diplomatically and peacefully.”
     “Explain.”
     Skyler did so and this time even Kleitos was offering some
interjections.  When they were through, the Orion Ambassador was nodding
in agreement.
     “I think its time for us to set things in motion, Captain Skyler. 
Especially if we’re to meet this deadline of yours.”


     A centar after they’d secured themselves inside the shuttle, Bryce
rose from the pilot seat and made his way back.  After he retrieved a
water bottle he went back to where Jocasta lay on the passenger bench.
     “Would you like some water?”
     The sandy-haired woman stirred and came to a siting position.
     “Thank you,” she said as she took it and drank.  She wiped her mouth
and looked up at the lieutenant, “Any word?”
     “No, but.....we’re still a long ways from the deadline.  The
important thing is no one’s come back to explore the field.”
     “What if someone did?”
     Bryce sighed, “Well, we could probably ignore one person walking
into us who’d just be shocked to realize there’s a solid object lying
here he can’t see.  But if a team of Starlos personnel or even worse,
Cylon personnel were to come here, then we’d have no choice but to get
out of here regardless of where things stand with the deadline.  If that
happens though, I’d insist Commander Cain try to find a way to rescue the
Captain, though I don’t know how much weight that would carry.”
     “I see,” she finished the rest of the water bottle and handed the
empty container back to Bryce, “Skyler seems like a good warrior.”
     “He is.  He got thrust into a difficult job when he had to become
our Squadron Leader, but.....he’s more than proved himself there.”
     “This kind of mission isn’t the sort of thing a pilot normally
does,” Jocasta’s tone was subdued and matter-of-fact.
     “No, it isn’t.  A planetary mission is the sort of thing Colonial
Security guards like myself usually head-up unless one of the command
personnel goes with us.  Technically, Skyler does fall into that category
since he’s #3 in the chain of command behind the Commander and Colonel
Tolen, but this is the first time he’s ever been given this kind of
planetary mission responsibility.”
     A faint smirk passed over her lips, “Then I guess it’s my fault I
took him away from a more important job of his.  My......fixation with
him ever since he rescued me.”
     “Jocasta,” it was the first time Bryce could remember addressing her
by name, “Don’t blame yourself for anything.  Skyler was following the
Commander’s explicit order.  If anything, I’m sure he’s grateful he got
this assignment, because......” he stopped as he realized the difficult
area he was treading into.
     “Because otherwise, how could he have found out his former love from
the Colonies might still be alive on Starlos as a Cylon prisoner?”
Jocasta smiled and finished.  She then let out a sigh of resignation. 
“Whether or not it’s really her, and whether or not he frees her, I’m
glad the subject came up.  It’s.....helped restore some perspective to me
that’s been missing all these sectars since I went into hiding. 
And......you and Keuchel helped restore it some more when you two led me
back here safely.”
     “In what way?”
     “Well.....you’ve shown me that you and Skyler are alike as warriors
who know how to act on their first instinct to help those who need it. 
That means.....I can stop looking at Skyler as this unique Savior of mine
that I somehow need to have close to me to feel safe.  Coming back here
with you and Sergeant Keuchel, and seeing the same level of concern and
professionalism that I first saw with Skyler......I now understand he was
just fulfilling the duty all warriors are called to when he found me and
let me open up to him and that any other warrior would have done the same
.  And that I can feel safe and secure with anyone from the Pegasus. 
That the nightmare is really.....over.”
     Bryce was impressed by this change in her.  He now realized that
before the trauma of confinement had begun, Jocasta clearly had been a
woman of intelligence and maturity beyond her yahrens.  And only now was
she finally letting that side of her re-emerge again.
     “There’s a lot of rough stuff still ahead of us,” Bryce said gently. 
“Liberating the Colonies isn’t going to be an easy task, even with so
many Cylons already working with the Resistance.”
     “I’m sure,” she nodded, “But.....things have been going in the right
direction for awhile, haven’t they?”
     “Yeah, I guess they have.” he glanced back toward the front, “I have
to go back and keep watch with Keuchel.  If you need anything, just
call.”
     “I will,” she nodded, “Thank you, Lieutenant.”
     Alone, Jocasta now found herself praying silently to the Lords for
Skyler’s safe return.  But not for her sake any longer.  Only for his
own.


     “Release?” Tolson wasn’t sure he’d heard his superior right.
     “You heard me,” Jawan said.  “The Orion Ambassador has insisted we
release Kleimann to his custody and to have him brought down to the Orion
Embassy.”
     The Security Officer shook his head, “And on top of that, no more
surveillance of Kraler?”
     “That’s right.  Kraler and everyone else who works for him is
entirely off-limits as far as Starlos surveillance goes.  I don’t know if
he’s worked out the same kind of arrangement with the Cylons or not, but
we’re not going to rock the boat on that.”
     “None of this makes any sense,” Tolson had just gone through a
sleepless night trying to connect the dots of everything he’d seen and
heard yesterday and had come up with nothing.  “What did he say about the
two fake Orion?”
     “Not a word,” Jawan was emphatic.  “If he knows what the connection
is between them and that one Cylon you saw, he’s not going to tell us.”
     “Then shouldn’t we report this?”
     “To who?  I’m not going to report this to Moros.  I did enough for
him with that report about the dead centurion.  If there’s some kind of
plotting going on against the Cylons that involves a disloyal centurion,
let them find that out for themselves.  That isn’t our problem and
frankly it shouldn’t be,” he lowered his head, “I don’t know about you,
Tolson, but I’m damned tired of this whole set-up of cozying to the
Cylons.  I’m tired of having our men act like ruthless enforcers in the
name of the Cylon cause, and I’m tired of tin-heads like Moros throwing
their weight around.  I want it to be like it used to be, when Starlos
was a planet where it didn’t matter if nations were at war with each
other elsewhere.  All of that ended here and all we had to do was make
sure everyone kept the peace among themselves.”
     “All right sir,” Tolson said quietly, amazed by this burst of candor
from his superior.  “What about *our* superiors though?  The Minister of
Justice?  The Grand Vizier himself?”
     “Oh, I almost forgot,” Jawan added, “The Ambassador made it clear
that he would be personally speaking to Pasha later today, so I *don’t*
think we should do anything that might be considered sticking our nasal
passages in areas that are outside our pay grade.  If the Vizier wants to
give us orders countermanding the Ambassador’s request, he can do it. 
Until then, our role in all this is *over*, Tolson.  At least once you
take Kleimann down to the Embassy and turn him over to Orion custody.”
     “I’ll do that,” the Security Officer said quietly.  “And.....sir?”
     “Yes, Tolson?”
     He took a breath, “Sir, I agree with everything else you said.”
     The Captain smiled, “I’m glad you feel just as tired as I do,
Tolson.”

Chapter Nine

     “Sit down, Mr. Kleimann,” Kleeburg said as the middle-aged Orion was
escorted into the Ambassador’s office.  He was still wearing the dirty
and torn robes he’d been wearing in the Starlos detention cell for well
over a sectan.  “Would you care for some aspand?”
     “I would,” Kleimann said as he took his seat and glanced
suspiciously at Kleitos, who was standing off to one side with Kraler.
     “Don’t worry about the centurion,” the Ambassador waved his left
hand, while handing a glass to the released prisoner with his right. 
“He’s not a representative of the Cylon government, as you’ll find out.”
     Kleimann downed the strong drink in one gulp, “Okay, Mr. Ambassador,
tell me why you’ve chosen to violate established protocol by getting me
out of detention?”
     Kleeburg motioned to Skyler who stepped in front of the desk so he
was standing a few inches away from Kleimann.
     “Mr. Kleimann, my name is Skyler.  Captain Skyler of the Battlestar
Pegasus.  There are some questions I need answers to, regarding the four
Colonial refugees you were harboring until they were taken into custody.”
     He gave him a dubious stare.
     “You couldn’t possibly be a Colonial Warrior.”
     “He is,” the Ambassador said curtly, “Just answer his questions, Mr.
Kleimann.”
     “All right,” the released prisoner folded his arms, “Ask.”
     “Tell me which Colony they came from originally and what you know
about their backgrounds.”
     “What makes you think I’d----,”
     “If you knew them well enough to harbor them and risk capture by
Security, Mr. Kleimann, then you were clearly friendly enough with them
to know their histories.  Now I haven’t got much time, so please tell me
what I kneed to know if you can!” his voice rose.
     Kleimann looked back at Kraler, who was impatiently motioning his
head affirmatively.  He let out a sigh and nodded, “All right.  They were
friends of mine who were regular customers in my shop until the Vizier
withdrew protection from the Colonials.  I’d known them since they first
came to Starlos over five yahrens ago.”
     “Five yahrens ago?” Skyler asked, not having expected this.  “You
mean they didn’t come after the Destruction of the Colonies?”
     “Well.....Professor Habakkuk and Sarai were refugees.  They came
after the Destruction in a Skybus from Caprica with others, because they
missed a rendezvous with the Battlestar Galactica.  When they got to
Starlos, my friends Jeremiah and Shayleen put them up in their home in
the Colonial Sector because it was still under the Vizier’s protection at
the time.”
     “Jeremiah and Shayleen were sealed to each other?”
     “Yes,” Kleimann nodded.  “Yes, they got married before they left the
Colonies, and came to Starlos to start a new life here.”
     “Which Colony?” Skyler raised his voice, “Mr. Kleimann, this is
*very* important.”
     “From Gemon,” he said simply.
     Inside, Skyler began to see things falling in place.  Painting a
vastly different picture from the one he’d been expecting.
     “Thank you,” he said quietly, “Can you describe Shayleen for me,
please?”
     “I have a picture of all of us together in my billfold,” he slowly
took it out of the side pocket of his robe, “At least Starlos Security
had the decency not to destroy it before they gave it back to me just
now.”
     Skyler felt himself tensing as he saw the middle-aged man open his
billfold and reach inside where his slightly gnarled fingers removed a
small picture.  “I took this at a party we attended for their anniversary
before the protection was removed.  Jeremiah had given Shayleen an
Antiochean ruby ring that I’d custom-made for her.  Cost him over fifteen
hundred chits.  I’d put a special engraving on it that read ‘To My One
And Only Love For Eternity.’”
     He handed the slightly creased image to Skyler.  It showed Kleimann
on the far right, his Orion robes immaculate in contrast to his
appearance now, smiling broadly.  On the far left was an older couple he
didn’t recognize that he assumed was Professor Habakkuk and Sarai of
Caprica.  In between, he saw a slightly rotund looking man of about
thirty-five with a jolly, happy smile wearing a finely tailored Colonial
style suit.  His arm was wrapped around a beautiful woman with thick
curly brown hair and dark eyes.  She was holding up her left hand proudly
showing off an elaborate red-jeweled ring on her fourth finger that
demonstrated just how much of a craftsman Kleimann had been as a jeweler
and engraver.
     Immediately, Skyler recognized her.  The hair was styled
differently.  When he’d known her it had been long and straight.  Clearly
she’d had an elaborate perm style done to curl it after cutting it
shorter.  But there was no mistaking the face.  It was the Shayleen he’d
known and broken up with just before the Pegasus had left for the Battle
of Molocay, six yahrens ago.
     Everything was now clear to him.  After their break-up, the result
of her refusal to tie herself to a warrior unwilling to accept desk duty
in the Colonies, Shayleen had made a total break with her past.  Changing
her hair.  Falling in love with a man who clearly made up with kindness
and security what he lacked in physical attractiveness.  Willing to leave
Gemon forever and start anew on Starlos.  The one place she could go to
and truly escape the war because of the Open Planet policy.  It made
total sense since the War and his devotion to fighting it as a Colonial
Warrior had been the key to their break-up.  On Starlos, with a man
totally unlike Skyler, it had undoubtedly been easy for Shayleen to put
the past behind her and forget.  No doubt, she and her husband had
considered themselves fortunate during that time after the Destruction
when Starlos had remained an Open Planet.  Perhaps they’d felt guilty
over the fact that people they’d known had suffered so that’s why they
would have opened their house to refugees like Professor Habakkuk and
Sarai.  Whatever the case......she had long since gotten over Skyler and
moved on with her life before it had come crashing down with the end of
the Vizier’s protection for Colonial residents of Starlos.
     “Wait a micron......” Kleimann looked as if a slow dawn was coming
over him.  “Jeremiah once told me that he met Shayleen after she’d broken
up with a Colonial Warrior......By all the gods......”
     “Yes,” Skyler said with no emotion whatsoever as he handed the
picture back to him.  
“But that’s not relevant, Mr. Kleimann.  I just wanted to know
since......I may not be able to rescue her and her husband now that
they’ve been transferred to Cylon custody.”
     “I see,” the Orion jeweler’s eyes narrowed.  “There’s nothing you
can do?”
     “Not likely, Mr. Kleimann.”
     He drew himself up.  Skyler could see tears forming in his eyes.
       “If I could have traded places with all of them, so that it could
have been them free and me on the way to the Cylon home planet as a
slave.......I would have done it.”
     “So would I, Mr. Kleimann,” his voice was still quiet and
unemotional.  “So would I.”
     Skyler then turned back to Kleeburg, “Mr. Ambassador, I don’t think
we should detain Mr. Kleimann any further.  I’d recommend giving him a
good meal and a comfortable bed before you decide if its necessary to
have him sent back to Orion.”
     Kleeburg nodded and picked up his private telecom extension so he
could make arrangements for the jeweler.  
     I’m sorry Shayleen.  Skyler thought with all kinds of emotion he
couldn’t dare show.  I’m sorry I failed you again.  I’d give anything to
free you and your husband.......but I can’t.  That’s the hand I’ve been
dealt with and I’m left with no other choice short of a Miracle only the
Lords could provide now.  If I put you ahead of the Mission.......then
I’ve failed as a warrior.  
     As soon as Kleimann was gone, the Ambassador came around and
sympathetically placed a hand on Skyler’s shoulder.
     “I understand now, Captain,” he said.  “And I see the anguish of
your dilemma.  Because as you said before he arrived......this plan of
getting the Cylons to leave Starlos peacefully and preserving the cover
of your ship.......includes letting the Cylons take all thirty prisoners
they currently have in detention back to Cylon.”
     “Yes,” Skyler felt his emotions steeling themself up as he removed
Kleeburg’s hand and faced him.  “And I need you, Mr. Ambassador, to
convince the Grand Vizier that he can pull this strategy off.......if
he’s willing to take the risk of calling their bluff once and for all.”
     “Pasha would definitely prefer this kind of an outcome in which
Starlos regains her independence without loss of life,” Kleeburg nodded,
“We will see him within the centar.  You, me and Centurion Kleitos.  And
if we succeed......I will make sure the two of you are safely transported
to wherever your comrades await you.”
     “This sounds like the beginning of our parting, Captain Skyler,”
Kraler stepped toward him.  All of the hostility and disdain gone now and
replaced with the tone of pure friendship.  “I can only thank you again
for rescuing Jocasta, and that......she’ll be safe regardless of what
happens here.”
     Skyler smiled thinly, “I admire you greatly for your courage, Mr.
Kraler.  Hopefully by this time tomorrow, you’ll be able to let the
Essien family come out of that hiding place they’ve been forced to stay
in.”
     “I hope so too,” the Orion businessman extended his hand, “Goodbye,
Captain Skyler.”
     “Goodbye Mr. Kraler,” Skyler extended his and they shook firmly.
      Kraler turned to leave the office but then stopped and went back
over to Kleitos.
     “Goodbye, Centurion Kleitos,” he extended his hand again, “Thank you
for enlightening me about what Cylons can be capable of.”
     Slowly, Kleitos lifted his arm and stretched out his hand, so that
his metallic fingers met the Orion’s fleshy ones in an equally firm
handshake.
     “Goodbye Mr. Kraler,” he said in a way that somehow managed to
convey the quality of friendliness even within the traditional Cylon
drone.
     They watched him leave and then Kleeburg picked up the private
telecom again.
     “Get me the Palace.  The Grand Vizier needs to see me in the next
two centars.”


     “By your command.”
     There was no response from Moros, who was seated in front of the
main console of his office.  His helmeted head tilted down slightly.
     “By your command,” the centurion repeated.
     Finally the Command Centurion looked up.
     “The first shuttle from the Baseship for final prisoner transfer has
arrived.”
     There was still silence from Moros.  The longest silence the
centurion could ever recall experiencing in all his previous interactions
with his superior.
     Finally he motioned his arm, “Process the first twenty for departure
based on order of receipt.”
     “By your command.”
     Alone again, Moros felt his head drop down once more.  The weight of
command responsibility for something so utterly......pointless weighing
on him......threatening to crush him seemingly.  He began to wonder if
the last order he’d given was contributing to that sensation.  That
perhaps what he should have done was.......defy the normal procedure. 
After all, what good did it do to take Humans and Hasari and Delphians
back to Cylon to work in the Neutrino mines?  Could they really
compensate for a centurion labor force?  And now that the numbers had
dropped to a near non-existent level compared to the last three times
prisoners had been sent, could this small handful really make a
difference?  He could remember when shuttles carrying twenty at a time
were leaving every centar for an entire cycle until the quota of five
hundred was reached.  It had seemed like an impressive demonstration of
Cylon might that could make him feel proud of his command
responsibilities.  But now.....the numbers had dwindled after all the
hard work he and his team of centurions had put into terrorizing the
former “Open Zones” of the planet.  And yet.....the so-called “Crisis”
the members of Dagora’s crew had talked about still persisted in the
Cylon Home System, unchanged from how it had been the last time.
     Combined with the revelation that one Cylon had clearly killed
another, all of that was unleashing forbidden emotions inside Command
Centurion Moros at a rate he could scarcely keep up with.  Now he was
convinced that what he was feeling was what the humans called ‘insanity’.
     He needed to find a solution to his dilemma.  Nothing else mattered.


     A private hovermobile took the Ambassador, Skyler and Kleitos from
the Orion Embassy to the secure parking area of the Grand Vizier’s
Palace.  Skyler remembered to keep his Orion disguise securely in place
as members of the Vizier’s personal guard detail escorted them down an
elaborately designed hallway filled with all kinds of art work that the
Colonial mind would have called “exotic.”  Offering a reminder why
Colonials in the pre-Destruction days had always thought of Starlos as an
exotic faraway realm that evoked a quality of escapism, even with the
active presence of a Cylon section sharing the planet with a Colonial
one.
     When they entered Grand Vizier Pasha’s private chamber, they saw the
ruler of Starlos standing in front of his desk rather than sitting behind
it.  He was dressed in the most garishly colored outfit Skyler had ever
seen in his life that he wondered if he’d be blinded by it once he got
too close to him.
     “Ambassador Kleeburg,” his tone was cautious.  “The fact that you’re
accompanied by a Cylon centurion is to say the least......confusing.”
     “All will be made clear to you, Grand Vizier,” Kleeburg bowed
respectfully.  “May I present to you, Centurion Kleitos and Captain
Skyler......both attached to the Battlestar Pegasus of the Colonial Fifth
Fleet.”
     Pasha’s eyes narrowed.  For the most part his reaction didn’t show
as much shock as Skyler might have expected, but he wondered if that came
from the Starlos ruler’s political training.
     “What are you here to tell me?” he asked.
     “Much, Grand Vizier,” Skyler said.  “I believe I can present to you
the key to regaining independence for Starlos.......peacefully.”


     Bryce found himself stifling a yawn as he saw the countdown clock
hit 30 centars.  They had been inside the shuttle for eight centars now
and the sensation of restlessness was filling him like nothing else.
     “You up for a hand of Pyramid, Lieutenant?”
     He smiled thinly at Keuchel, “So long as we each keep one eye only
on the cards and the other on what’s outside.”
     “No problem,” his fellow Security Guard pulled out a pack of cards
from a slot under the cockpit console, where it had been kept in the
survival kit.
     As Keuchel dealt the cards, Bryce glanced back and saw Jocasta
sleeping peacefully, a sign of how she hadn’t gotten any rest the night
before in Kraler’s office.  The long vigil of waiting now made him
understand exactly what she’d gone through for so many sectars inside the
‘safe house’.  Dealing with the endless sense of idle activity and with
no other place to go.
     I guess I’d crack too like her father if I had to spend six sectars
trapped in a place like this, he thought as he took the cards and hoped
that the wait for Skyler and Kleitos would end well short of the
deadline.


     Aboard the baseship, Dagora saw the com-line from the Command Center
come on.
     “Yes?” he asked before his Command Centurion could say the familiar
three words.
     “Our first shuttle with prisoners from Starlos will be arriving in
fifteen centons.”
     “Prepare the holding cells for them.  Did they fill it to capacity
with all of them?”
     “Negative.  The twenty limit was maintained.  We will have to send
the shuttle back for the remaining eight prisoners.”
     Dagora felt a wave of annoyance rush through him, “That wasn’t very
efficient of Command Centurion Moros to force the shuttle to make a
return trip for only eight prisoners.  But if that’s how he prefers to
run things, so be it.  Have the shuttle refueled and sent back when
processing is finished.”
     “By your command.”
     Dagora shook his bulbous head as he leaned back in his command
chair.  It was bad enough that the specter of the Disease loomed over
every remaining Cylon outpost in the Alpha Quadrant.  But if they had to
start worrying about inefficiency as well in the ranks, it would present
a problem even greater than the Disease.
     Just microns after the Command Center had signed off they were back
on again with a new message.  A message that Ambassador Orcus wanted to
talk to him.  When the DG Cylon’s face came on the screen, Dagora could
tell from the hunched posture that this wasn’t going to make his day any
better.
     “I’ve received a most unusual message from Pasha,” the Ambassador
said.  “He wants to talk to me not at the Palace, but at the Cylon
Embassy.  The reason being......he wants you in on the conversation too.”
     “He knows that’s not how the protocol of the Treaty works.”
     “Indeed he does, but he said that the very issue of the Treaty
itself is now at stake and dictates talking to you and me at the same
time,” he paused, “Of course he also said that if you would prefer to
come down to the surface, he would receive us in the Palace, but he would
prefer to expedite matters this way.”
     “He’s up to something,” Dagora said.  “Has anything unusual
happened?  Anything that might make him think he could
suddenly.....challenge us?”
     “Not to my knowledge.  Are his security ships in orbit above the
planet still where they’re supposed to be?”
     “I have received no report of them leaving their positions.”
     “Then he clearly has no military challenge in mind.  And his coming
to the Embassy shows he’s willing to put his life at risk since he’d be
surrounded by an entire company of centurions.” he paused, “I really
think we should oblige him.”
     “I suppose so,” there was more disgust than resignation in the IL
Cylon’s tone.  “This has been such an unproductive experience that I
suppose one more nuisance couldn’t possibly make it any worse than it’s
been.”
     “I shall contact you when he arrives.”
     “Thank you, Orcus.”


     Orcus found he didn’t have to wait long for the Grand Vizier’s
arrival.  Flanked by two members of his Palace Guard he entered Orcus’s
office with a grand flourish.  There was no ritualistic bowing of the
head in respect to the Cylon Ambassador.  Instead, the Starlos ruler made
a point of hunching his body forward so he could give the impression of
towering above Orcus.  And with his armed guards by his side he was
already striking a formidable posture that the Cylon Ambassador had not
seen over the last yahren.
     “Grand Vizier,” he said politely.
     “Ambassador Orcus,” Pasha’s voice was still diplomatically
courteous.  “I trust you will have Commander Dagora join our
conversation?”
     “Of course,” Orcus turned to his right to activate the vid-com line. 
A micron later, the IL Cylon had appeared.  From the angle of the
monitor, it was possible for Dagora to see both Orcus and Pasha in the
same shot, and the baseship commander already could tell that the Vizier
hadn’t come from any perceived position of weakness. 
         What is he up to?
     “Good afternoon, Grand Vizier,” Dagora spoke.  “I don’t believe
we’ve had the honor of speaking to each other before.”
     “Only once,” Pasha said curtly, “On the day the Treaty between our
two nations was finalized last yahren.”
     “Yes of course.  My apologies.”
     “But that makes it appropriate because the Treaty is the reason I
have requested this conversation,” Pasha finally sat down while his two
guards remained standing alongside his chair.  Even seated, he was still
cutting the more formidable aura.  “It is my understanding that this trip
to Starlos has not been as successful for you in terms of the number of
prisoners you will be taking back to Cylon.”
     When he heard no response from either the Ambasssador or the
Baseship Commander, he injected some irritation in his tone, “Don’t give
me any long pauses of silence.  It will be much easier if there’s some
candor between us.  The fact is that you will be taking back only some
thirty prisoners with you after repeated trips in which you’ve been able
to fulfill your quota mandate of five hundred collectively from the ranks
of Colonials, Delphians and Hasari.  That is true, is it not?”
     “I’m well aware that you have access to those statistics from your
own sources in Starlos Security, Grand Vizier,” the courtesy disappeared
from Dagora’s voice.  “If there is to be candor in this conversation, I’m
sure you’ll agree it must be bilateral.”
     “Of course,” the Starlos ruler nodded . “At any rate, now that we’ve
established that fact, the question then becomes, why have the levels
fallen so dramatically since your last visit to Starlos?  Only two
possibilities exist.  One, is that Cylon efficiency in rounding up
prisoners has suddenly gone bad, and that is something I would scarcely
believe of an Empire as formidable as yours that has been able to prevail
in recent yahrens against the Colonials, Hasari and Delphians after many
centuries of conflict.  Your Empire and your personnel are simply too
good for that.”
     “You are forgetting that Starlos Security is also responsible for
rounding up prisoners too, Grand Vizier,” Orcus interjected.  But his
reasons for speaking were also rooted in the fact that he wasn’t about to
let Dagora do all of the talking.  He wasn’t going to give the IL the
satisfaction of coming off like the dominant one on the Cylon side.
            “Yes, and I think you two both know that the Treaty has
forced *them* to higher levels of efficiency than they previously
exhibited,” Pasha countered.  “So therefore, if we can safely rule out
lack of efficiency, that leaves us with a well-known scientific fact in
both the laws of Nature and Economics.  The law of diminishing return. 
I’m sure you realized at the outset that the number of Colonials, Hasari
and Delphians living on Starlos was not an infinite number,
notwithstanding the rise in population levels over the last few yahrens
before your successful campaigns of conquest.  Sooner or later, Cylon
efficiency in rounding up prisoners on the blacklist can only lead to a
level of diminishing return until inevitably.......there are no more
resources left to draw from.”
     He paused for just a fraction so there wouldn’t be enough time for
either Cylon to say anything just yet.  “Since it’s clear you are dealing
with diminished resources on Starlos, and since it’s clear that the
reason that’s necessitated the taking of all these prisoners back to
Cylon for labor work is an ongoing situation, you have two options
available to you and neither involves the perpetuation of the Status Quo
under the Treaty, which from the standpoint of Starlos, has become
obsolete.”
     “Grand Vizier, are you saying Starlos no longer considers itself
bound by Treaty obligations?” Dagora interrupted angrily.
        “I am explaining the reality of what *is*, Commander,” the Vizier
fired back.  “And as I was about to say, the reality of what *is* for the
Cylon Empire amounts to two options.  The first, is to find another
resource on Starlos to draw from which would mean placing the Orions on
the blacklist.  I have told Ambassador Orcus before that such a move
would be agreeable to me *only* in the event your Imperious Leader issues
a formal declaration of war on Orion *and* makes it clear that a Cylon
campaign of conquest against Orion is underway.  If that is the new Cylon
policy to address your needs, then in the interest of preserving the
integrity of Starlos civilization, I would gladly withdraw formal
protection of the Orion and break relations with them.  But I have
received no such indications from Ambassador Kleeburg of Orion that your
government is engaged in such a policy against his people.  So now, I ask
you, is it the intention of the Cylon Empire to declare war on Orion and
conquer them?”
     The silence from the two Cylons was deafening in the room.  For
Orcus it was the recognition of a grim reality that was now out in the
open.  For Dagora, it was the feeling of being backed into a corner and
realizing that the easy solution to the problem wasn’t necessarily there.
     “I take it the answer is no?” Pasha sarcastically pressed. 
“Commander Dagora, since you report directly to the Imperious Leader, I
think it’s safe to say you know what his intentions are.”
     “I can not speak personally to any plans His Eminence has for
Orion,” the IL Cylon finally spoke with some measure of defiance. 
“However.....they are subject to change at a micron’s notice, and I would
not regard the lack of any present action against Orion as a sign the
Status Quo there will remain indefinite.”
     A determined scowl came over the Vizier’s face as he leaned forward,
“The Colonials play a game called Pyramid, Commander, and I am now going
to borrow a page from them and call your bluff,” he said, “If you have no
intention of declaring war on Orion, then there is no longer any reason
for the continued presence of a single Cylon on Starlos.  Accordingly, I
am instructing you to withdraw all of your forces from Starlos territory
within 24 centars.”
     This time the silence in the room stemmed from the mutual shock both
Cylons were feeling in their circuitry.  Orcus shot a glance at Dagora on
the monitor and could tell the shock was giving way to anger.  An anger
that could very well spark the beginning of the end for Starlos as a
planet.  He decided to seize the conversation away from the IL.
     “Am I to understand Grand Vizier, that you are formally breaking
relations with us?”
     “I do not wish it to be said that I am breaking relations with your
government, Ambassador Orcus,” Pasha suddenly returned to a more
diplomatic tone, as if he sensed he could be more friendly to the Cylon
diplomat as opposed to the Cylon military commander.  “What I am
proposing is a formula for the Cylon Empire to declare victory and
mission accomplished on Starlos and move on to matters of far greater
importance than my planet is to you.”
     “Grand Vizier,” Dagora spoke coldly, “You realize that failure to
honor treaty obligations would grant my ship the right to----,”
     “And I’m calling your bluff on that too, Commander!” Pasha
interrupted.  “You know as well as I do, that while your baseship and
your fighters are more than capable of leveling every city on Starlos,
you do *not* have sufficient forces to secure the infrastructure of this
planet for permanent occupation and subjugation of my people.  For that,
you would require at minimum a second baseship of centurions to make that
possible.  By yourselves, you might be able to drive us underground and
into hiding, but I ask you.....to what end?  You certainly wouldn’t be
meeting your quota obligations for labor by destroying our cities and
killing as much of us as you can, which is what you’d *have* to do,
because the same efficiency we’ve demonstrated on behalf of serving you
can equally be used to against you in......Resistance,” he put
considerable emphasis on the last word, as if he expected to get a
reaction of some kind from Dagora.  When he saw the IL flinch slightly at
the word, the Grand Vizier knew that he’d struck a chord.  And with it,
the confirmation of a key part of what he’d heard a centar ago from
Captain Skyler that he never would have believed until today.
     “Of course,” he dropped his voice back to politeness, “If in fact
you could actually *prove* to me that the Cylon Empire is somehow capable
of sending sufficient force to Starlos to prove my argument
wrong......that would change matters considerably.”
     Dagora didn’t answer him.  Orcus decided it was time to intercept
control of the conversation again.
     “Grand Vizier, what are you ultimately proposing?”
     “A face-saving exit for the Cylon Empire,” the Starlos ruler
emphasized.  “Withdraw your forces and tell the Imperious Leader that
Cylon efficiency has triumphed and squeezed Starlos dry of all who sought
to escape the consequences of waging war against the Cylon Empire and her
interests.”
     “I hardly think you can claim that every last Human and Hasari on
this planet has been rounded up,” Orcus said sourly.
     “I will freely concede there are likely small pockets here and
there, Ambassador.  But I ask you.  Is that number *really* essential to
dealing with whatever problem or.....crisis you face at home that has led
you to gather these people as your prisoners than merely carry out the
usual Cylon procedure of extermination?”
     The use of the term “crisis” caused Dagora to flinch once again, but
the IL Cylon still seemed too flustered and overloaded to answer Pasha.
     “As a sign of my good intentions, I am *not* demanding you return
those who have already been rounded up and who await processing for
return to Cylon,” the Vizier went on, his tone back to the friendly one.
“You are entitled to the spoils of victory.  Consider them the final act
of your great.....military triumph.  And with those final prisoners you
have rounded up.......put the centurions based on Starlos to use in far
more important tasks for the Empire than trying to pick clean what few
scraps of the carcass still might exist.”
     “And you would proclaim to all other nations that this was a
decision made by the Cylon Empire of our own free will?” Orcus now saw an
opening that he knew he had to press.  “That you would not in *any*
diplomatic setting falsely depict it as a case of withdrawing in the face
of any threat from you?”
     “I give you and your Imperious Leader my word,” Pasha said
forcefully.  “The Cylon experience on Starlos shall always be regarded as
a clear victory for the Empire.  Nothing else.”
     “And what will you do if at some future date, His Eminence decides
to declare war on Orion?” the Ambassador pressed.
     For the first time Pasha smiled, “Then you will have me right where
you want me, Ambassador.  If you must reintroduce Cylon forces to Starlos
as a result of that policy in which it is clear that not only has war
been declared but that mass campaign of conquest is underway......I will
be glad to accommodate your needs again as I have done this past yahren. 
But absent that......you are merely wasting time and resources on Starlos
and not serving the interests of your Empire.”
     Orcus shot another glance back at the monitor.  He could see
Dagora’s head shaking and he could hear clattering sounds which likely
indicated that the IL Cylon was banging his limbs against the table.  He
wondered if he would see sparks erupting from the Commander’s head at any
micron to indicate a total meltdown of his brain circuits.  Whatever the
case, Dagora wasn’t saying anything.
     “Grand Vizier,” he said.  “If you would withdraw from the room for a
few centons, I would like to confer privately with Commander Dagora.”
     “Of course,” Pasha nodded with respect.  He wasn’t surprised to see
that it was the Cylon diplomat who had chosen to take the initiative. 
“My guards and I will wait at your convenience.”
     The Starlos rule rose and with the two honor guards at his side he
left the room.  When they were alone, Orcus turned and glared at the
still trembling Dagora.
     “We have no choice.”
     “Felgercarb!” the IL Cylon roared.  “Tell me why I shouldn’t order
all my fighters to launch and destroy every last city on Starlos for this
unforgivable defiance?”
     “Because he’s right!” Orcus roared back.  “This isn’t as if he were
trying to stop us from rounding up thousands more in potential prisoners. 
The simple mathematics of the last few sectars have revealed what I’ve
warned you about already.  Without extending the blacklist to the Orions,
this planet is worthless to us for solving the Crisis.  If that’s the
case, then every last centurion stationed on this planet is being
wasted.” he paused, “Are you more concerned about what might happen if
the centurions on Starlos were brought back to Cylon?”
     He saw the jerked reaction of the IL’s bulbous head once again to
indicate surprise.
     “Oh yes, Dagora, I’ve heard talk about more than just the so-called
‘Crisis’ back home.  I believe the term going around is ‘the Disease’? 
Well if you’re afraid there are signs of this Disease among the
centurions of Starlos, they’re not going to make our situation any better
here. As far as I’m concerned, Pasha is giving us the most generous
diplomatic offer possible and we need to take advantage of it.”
     He then added with defiance, “And yes, Dagora, *I* will personally
take responsibility for this to His Eminence.  Perhaps it’s time he start
listening more to the voices of those like me from the DG class who have
been outside the inner circles of power for too long in the Cylon High
Command!”
     Dagora was still silent.  Orcus decided he needed to take another
pre-emptive step.
     “Call in your command centurion.”
     “What?” the IL finally spoke.
     “Call in your command centurion!” he repeated.  “I’m not telling
Pasha this deal is done until I know your command centurion is in the
same room with you on this hook-up and knows that if you make any attempt
to go rogue and launch an attack that will make you guilty of treason and
subject to execution by your crew.  Call him in *now*, Commander Dagora!”
     Never before had Dagora or any other IL Cylon heard this level of
intimidation by a DG Cylon against a member of the class they had been
trained to think of as their superior on all levels.  It was fast
becoming clear to the baseship commander that wittingly or not,
Ambassador Orcus was showing signs of the Disease too.
     But for now, perhaps the Disease could still be harnessed in a
productive way.  That this sudden streak of independence on the part of
someone like Orcus could be used to save the Cylon Empire rather than
destroy it.
     It was only because he’d quickly reasoned that out, that Dagora
nodded and summoned his command centurion to come to his office and stand
alongside him.  Orcus waited until he could see the gold-plated centurion
on the monitor before he called Pasha back into the room.
     “Grand Vizier,” the Cylon Ambassador rose from his chair as Pasha
entered the room.  “I believe we have reached an agreement on all matters
of importance between our two nations.”
     The Starlos ruler smiled, “In that case, I believe it is only a
matter of drawing up the appropriate papers to make it official.”


     For safety and security reasons, Skyler and Kleitos had remained at
the Palace with Ambassador Kleeburg.  Despite the amenities available to
him in good food and drink, it did little to diminish the restlessness
the Captain felt.  So much was riding on an outcome that was now
completely out of his hands, even though the idea had ultimately been
his, and with the help of the Orion Ambassador and with Kleitos’s
presence, he’d been able to convince the Grand Vizier of its potential
for success.
     I never thought of myself as a diplomat.  He thought.  But I’m
seeing more how those who have command level responsibilities have to
know how to be good diplomats as well in order to justify having those
responsibilities.
     And sometimes, that meant having to make painful decisions for the
greater good.  He’d known that in order for the plan to succeed it was
imperative to give the Cylons the impression that leaving would represent
‘victory’ for them.  And the only way to convince them on that point was
to let them take all the prisoners that had been accumulated up to now. 
Prisoners that included his former love from Gemon and her husband. 
Twenty-eight people condemned to a fate likely worse than death in the
form of slave labor to get the Neutrino mines of Cylon functioning once
again.  Sacrificed for the greater good of seeing Starlos regain her
independence.  The greater good of letting those who were still in hiding
like the Hasari family harbored by Mr. Kraler to emerge from their
dungeons once again.
     The greater good of getting the vital information back to the
Pegasus without compromising the security and surprise the battlestar
needed if she was to make the maximum impact on the course of the war
when she returned to the Colonies and joined up with the Resistance.
     With the subject of Shayleen too painful for him to think about, he
thought about the example of Ila and how she had sacrificed the chance to
get back to her family aboard the Galactica so she could use her vital
expertise to help the Pegasus in her journey homeward.  The impact she’d
had in improving the morale of the ship and giving Cain the advice and
counsel that had helped him adjust to the new reality of things and to
put aside the behavior that in the past had divided the battlestar into
factions of Loyalists and Grumblers.  Perhaps unwittingly, he’d learned a
thing from her that had helped him get through his first real test of
command responsibility.  And if he was successful here.......he had no
doubt that he’d never have any self-doubt whatsoever about his ability to
lead Silver Spar Squadron into battle again......or if he’d be worthy of
stepping into the breech as #3 in the chain of command if tragedy ever
befell Commander Cain and Colonel Tolen. 
     But all of that hinged on what Pasha would say when he returned.  
     He’d tried to pass some time by testing how much Kleitos was willing
to engage in conversation but he found that the survivor of Cannes
garrison, in contrast to the like of Cobre, Festus and Gryphon, had a
deep reticence that seemed to keep him from being conversant.  It was
clear that wasn’t a sign of lack of Enlightenment.  On all levels,
Kleitos had delivered and proved to be a valuable member of the team. 
But he didn’t seem willing to translate that to the level of developing
friendship with those he worked alongside of.
     Maybe the fact he’s from Cannes where he saw all that devastation we
inflicted on the base before rescuing him is why he’s so reticent.  It’s
not like the ones who just volunteered after Gomorrah or Cobre and his
group who were turned off for over twelve yahrens.  He really experienced
a big-time horror up-close.  Maybe it’s the reason why the more
Enlightened he becomes, the more he thinks like a human regarding the
traumatic side of war.
     At the very least it offered a reminder of how no two Enlightened
Cylons were necessarily alike.  They had demonstrated that this turning
against the Cylon High Command was not a mere substitution of one form of
automatic loyalty for another.  
     The chiming sound of a telecom caused Ambassador Kleeburg to get up
and answer it.  As he listened to the voice on the other end, his face
slowly broke into a smile.
     “It’s done,” he said to Skyler after he hung up.  “The Cylons have
agreed to withdraw.”
     There was no euphoria in Skyler.  Only a deep sigh of
relief.....followed by a sensation of absolute serenity.


     “I have half a Pyramid and the capstone, Bryce,” Keuchel said as
they played their fourth game in the last centar.  “What do you do?”
     Bryce looked at his non-winning hand and then he shot a glance back
at Jocasta.  She was awake now and stretching herself idly while nibbling
on a protein bar from the ration kit.
     “I’ll tell you what I do,” he put his cards down.  “I’m going to
finally see if we can do something more than just spending the next cycle
sitting on our astrums cooped up in here until the chronometer runs down
to a centar!”
     “How?” Keuchel shared Bryce’s sentiments but he had no ideas.
     “Here’s something we can try,” he grabbed a headset, “Let’s see if
we can tap into the Cylon communications network.  Their baseship has to
be sending messages to the planet and maybe if we adjust to the right
frequency and remember to keep our mouths shut, we can hear what they’re
saying to each other.  If someone important like the Captain’s been
captured, they may not keep quiet about it.”
     “Won’t they be able to tell there’s an unauthorized receiver
somewhere on the planet?” Keuchel put the cards away and picked up his
own headset.
     “Only if they scan for one.  But we’ll try not to do this for long. 
If the Captain’s been able to do something, maybe we’ll be able to hear
about it.”
     They donned their headsets and Bryce began to fiddle with the
communication band frequency, while behind them, Jocasta had focused her
attention on what they were doing.  He heard a burst of static go through
the earpieces that nearly made him take them off, but then it rapidly
cleared up and he began to hear something.......distinct.
     “Good Lords of Kobol......” Bryce whispered.
     “What is it?” Jocasta made her way forward.  Bryce motioned Keuchel
to give her his headset so she could listen to the message that was
repeating itself on a loop.
     “.........I repeat, this is a special unicom broadcast to all Cylon
personnel stationed on Starlos.  By the order of Commander Dagora, all
Cylon personnel will report to the Aerodrome to await arrival of  Canis D
landing craft for immediate transport to the Baseship for our journey
back to our home world.  We are leaving Starlos in triumph, having
completed our task of rooting out our hated enemies in hiding.  It is now
time for us to return and await the commendations and praise of His
Eminence, our Imperious Leader.  Gather only your sidearms and necessary
data, and report to the Aerodrome immediately.  Canis D landing craft
will arrive in rotation and complete our departure from Starlos by
nightfall.”
     Jocasta’s eyes widened in amazement.  Because she knew right away
that if this
message were true......her future had just changed in the blink of an
eye.


     Moros had heard the announcement.  Had he heard it yesterday before
he’d begun to feel these raging tides of negative emotions in his
circuitry, he would have welcomed it.  And he would have believed the
sentiments it expressed that this withdrawal was due entirely to the
culminations of a great Cylon victory.
     But Moros knew better.  This was no victory.  This was an admission
that everything they had done on Starlos for the better part of a yahren
had been a total waste.  And that realization only further fueled the
absolute hatred he now felt for his superiors.  Regardless of what class
they belonged to.
     He now knew what he had to do to control the raging torrent of
newfound emotions inside him.  He got up and went through the command
center complex, ignoring his subordinates who were trying to get his
attention and then took the turbo lift down to the detention area. 
Centurion #755, who was on duty got up from his work terminal but before
he could say anything, Moros was sweeping his arm in a wide commanding
gesture.
     “You heard the announcement,” he said, “Report immediately to the
Aerodrome for withdrawal.”
     “The last eight prisoners are still awaiting processing.  The return
shuttle is supposed to arrive here to pick them up in thirty centons.”
     “I will attend to that.  Leave immediately.”
     “By your command.”
     Moros watched #755's retreating form until he was gone.  Then, the
command centurion unholstered his laser pistol and marched down the
corridor to the holding cell.  Unlike the more obsolete ones of the
Starlos Security Station, this was modern holding cell with a transparent
sliding door and an energy barrier lining the doorway to keep a prisoner
from dashing out whenever the door was opened to let a guard enter.
     He came to a stop in front of the door and looked in.  The remaining
eight human prisoners, four men, three women and a teenaged boy of
fourteen, were all huddled against the back wall.  Some of them holding
each other tightly.  All of them with expressions of terror.
     Without saying a word, Moros raised his pistol and then opened fire
on the control box mounted next to the prison door.  The door slid open
in a shower of sparks as the energy field lining the doorway suddenly
went dark indicating it was no longer active.  When Moros stepped into
the cell, he promptly reholstered his pistol.  Nonetheless, the panicked
cries of the eight, who had already seen twenty others taken earlier in
the day, only increased.
     “We are withdrawing from Starlos,” he spoke up.  “I suggest you stay
here for another centar and give us time to leave.  And then......go back
to your homes.”
     He turned and started to walk out but then stopped and looked back
at them again.  The eight terror-stricken faces were slowly turning to
masks of confusion and bewilderment.
     “I meant what I said.  Go back to your homes once you know we are
gone.  In one centar.”
     And then he walked away back down the corridor.  When he was gone,
the eight people in the cell slowly started to come to grips with what
had just happened and what it all meant.  A curly haired brunette woman
with dark eyes slowly stepped forward with her arms raised upward in
prayerful thanks, and with grateful sobs collapsed to the floor.


     Moros had taken position outside the main command complex motioning
each centurion stationed inside the building to move out.  Some of them
proceeding on foot, many more getting into sky taxis and hovermobile
transports that would take them to the outskirts of town to the Aerodrome
where the large Canis D troop transport ships, designed to carry upwards
of five hundred centurions at a time would be arriving.  The command
complex’s landing strip wasn’t capable of accommodating them and could
only handle the small shuttles that typically took prisoners off the
planet in loads of twenty.  Like the one due to arrive in another ten
centons.
     With the complex now otherwise deserted but for himself, Moros went
back inside and slowly made his way to the now empty Tech Lab.  The only
sign of activity that had been taking place here when the day had started
was the lifeless form of the dead centurion retrieved from Intersection A
in the Orion sector.  The command centurion stared at the body for nearly
a centon, thinking how it was the discovery of that body, with the clear
evidence that his deactivation could only have been done by another
Cylon, that had triggered the madness within him and the sense of waste
and futility he felt over everything he had done in the name of serving
the Cylon Empire.  To see up-close an example of how one Cylon was
capable of turning against another for a reason he couldn’t comprehend
meant that everything the Imperious Leader and his predecessors had
proclaimed about Cylon infallibility and omnipotence was a lie.  And that
centurions like him, even command ones, were wasting their existence in
the service of those who had promoted the lie.
     The emptiness of the complex now enabled him to hear the sound of
the shuttle engines outside as it came in for a landing.  He walked out
of the building and across the tarmac, reaching the doors before they
were opened up from the inside.  Two centurions prepared to step out, but
Moros held up an arm to indicate they should stay where they were.
     “There is nothing more to do here,” Moros said.  “There are no more
prisoners.”
     “It was our understanding there were eight remaining prisoners being
held.”
     “Were,” Moros nodded.  “They are no longer here.  An overzealous
centurion gunned them all down when the general withdrawal order was
given.”
     “Was that centurion properly disciplined?”
     “He was.  He was executed on the spot.  I recommend you withdraw
immediately.”
     “We can take you back to the baseship.”
     “No.  I will go join my subordinates at the aerodrome and return
with them aboard the transport ship.  You may go now,” he motioned his
arm in a sweeping gesture.
     “By your command,” the first centurion said as the second one
promptly reclosed the hatch.  The engines fired up once again and the
otherwise empty shuttle took from Starlos for the last time.
     Alone again, Command Centurion Moros had the sense of satisfaction
that he’d done something to quell his sense of raging madness within.
     For now.
     
Chapter Ten

     Night had come to Starlos City.  From inside the shuttle, Bryce,
Keuchel and Jocasta could tell that celebrations were breaking out. 
Above the treetops that led to the Hub, they noticed two or three burst
of fireworks at one point.  Further listening to the Cylon communications
band indicated that by now, three large transport ships had come and
gone, taking more than 1500 Cylon personnel off the planet and back to
the orbiting baseship.
     “Jocasta,” Bryce said gently, “If what’s happening is true, then
that means----,” 
     “Not until he returns,” she refused to let him finish the sentence.
     He nodded in understanding and the vigil continued for another
centar.
     “Bryce, look!” Keuchel pointed.  “Something’s about to set down
right across from us!”
     The Lieutenant put on his nightvision goggles so he could get a
better look in the evening conditions.  He could see the contours of a
hovermobile setting down approximately ten metrones from where they were. 
The door opening.  And then......stepping out was a centurion, followed
by a man in Orion robes but with no facial covering and no head covering
to hide the fact that his hair wasn’t the usual Orion shade of whitish
blonde.
     “It’s them!” Bryce shouted.  “They’re coming this way!”
     Keuchel immediately got up and activated the door.  He stood in the
open hatch and waved across the field.  “Captain Skyler!”
     Skyler waved back at him without saying anything.  Thirty microns
later, they’d reached the hatch.  Kleitos stepped in first followed by
Skyler, and then the door was closed behind them, leaving them invisible
again.  Immediately, Jocasta ran up to Skyler and hugged him.  But right
away, Skyler could tell that this wasn’t a hug rooted in any kind of
desperate clinging to him.  It was instead, a simple hug of friendship
and she quickly released him.
     “The Lords of Kobol be praised,” Jocasta said.  “You did it!”
     “Yes,” Skyler, feeling tired muttered.  “Yes, we did.  How—?”
     “We’ve been listening to the Cylon frequencies, Cap,” Bryce said. 
“They’ve pulled almost everyone out.  Based on what we know, there’s only
one transport left that needs to go and then this planet will be empty of
Cylons except for Kleitos.”
     “How’d you do it?” Keuchel asked.
     “Seeing the Ambassador got us to see the Vizier, and once the Vizier
realized what the true situation is regarding the state of the Cylon
Empire, he was able to call their bluff and force them to leave.  Without
acknowledging the fact there’s a still living Colonial battlestar not too
far from here,” Skyler sighed, “The mission’s a total success on all
levels.”
     “Were you able to----,” Jocasta started but he cut her off with a
shake of the head.
     “No.  That was a non-issue.  The Cylons had to be permitted to take
all the prisoners they had with them in order to feel like they’re
leaving Starlos as triumphant conquerors who accomplished their mission. 
There wasn’t any other way.”
     “I’m sorry, Cap,” Bryce said sympathetically.
     “So am I,” Jocasta added.  And then she said, “Skyler.....if this
means the Cylons are gone from Starlos forever, that also means......I
don’t have to go back with you to the Pegasus.”
     Skyler’s reaction indicated that this was something he hadn’t
anticipated at all.
     “Well......Jocasta, it’s true they’re gone, but we’re talking about
a planet with very few humans left on it.”
     “That doesn’t matter,” she shook her head.  “This planet is my home. 
I was born on Starlos.  I have no ties to the Colonies.  If Starlos is a
free society for people like me once again, I want to be part of it.”
     “Is it really what you want, Jocasta?” he looked into her eyes.
     “Yes,” she said without hesitation.  “Yes, Skyler.  I’ve had time to
recover my sense of perspective about everything.  Including.......” she
hesitated but then went on, “Including you.  You’re a wonderful man and
I’ll never forget you.  But you.....did what you did for me because it’s
what any warrior in that situation would have done.  And that’s not a
right reason for thinking you’ve found your true love in life.”
     “Maybe I could have been......in time,” Skyler said simply,
realizing that he’d never contemplated the thought of her staying at all. 
And realizing that he was going to miss her.
     “Not now though,” Jocasta gently touched his cheek.  “You’ve still
got a lot of work to do before you can think about things like that. 
Like liberating the Colonies which I know all of you are going to
do......soon.  And when that happens, and the Cylons have been really
beaten once and for all, maybe someday the old links can be
re-established again.  After all.......Starlos isn’t far.”
     He managed to smile, “No, I guess not.”
     She slowly backed away from him, as if she were collecting herself. 
She went back to where Kleitos was stoically sitting in the front
passenger bench.  She gently touched the Cylon’s shoulder in a gesture of
friendship.
     “Thank your for your help, Kleitos.  I’ll look forward to the day
when Starlos can have nothing but Cylons like you walking among us.”
     He politely bowed his head and with his other hand touched her
shoulder, “Goodbye, Jocasta.”
     She then went back to the cockpit area to say final goodbyes to
Bryce and Keuchel that included giving each of them a kiss on the cheek. 
“Give Dr. Laughlin, Ivy, Kylie and everyone else my best.” 
     “We will,” Keuchel nodded as he opened the door once again.  “You
know the way back?”
     “I could walk it blindfolded,” Jocasta said with confidence as she
stepped out of the shuttle.  She started a step but stopped to look back
one last time, where she could see Skyler standing by himself in the open
hatchway.  A clear look of sadness lining his face.  Wishing at that
micron that he could think of a reason to plead with her to come back. 
But knowing there wasn’t a good one.  At the same time, Jocasta was
wishing she could find the strength to go back and give him a final
embrace and a meaningful kiss.  But this time she couldn’t let herself. 
Not when there was the slightest chance she might find a reason not to
let go.
     She finally managed to summon a smile and found something that would
be easier to say than goodbye.
     “Never forget.  Starlos isn’t far.”
     “Starlos isn’t far,” he repeated as he force a smile and a wave
back.  He then stepped back into the shuttle and closed the door. 
Turning his head so that neither Bryce nor Keuchel could see the
glistening in both his eyes.
     “Let’s get out of here.”


     Jocasta had reached the top of the incline that led back to the
Reservoir walkway.  She could hear the telltale sound of engines starting
up.  She didn’t look back though since she knew with the invisibility
shield there would have been no point doing so.  And she wasn’t even sure
she would have looked back if the shuttle had been visible.
     It’s a closed chapter.  Just like Teper.  Just like my father.  
     As she walked the pathway back to the Hub she could see several
uniformed Starlos Security people walking the paths in the other
direction.  Only this time, she knew she could hold her head up high as a
human native of Starlos without any fear.  Just like in the old days. 
When they passed her without saying a word or giving her any thought
whatsoever.....she felt her confidence and inner strength increasing. 
Feeling a sense of.....normalcy return to her.  
     When she reached the Hub, she could see a bustling of activity in
the Orion section.  The lights were on in every building and every shop
even though it was well past the closing time of the business cycle.  She
could see more of them out in the open again just like the old days.  And
from the sight of another burst of fireworks going up, she could sense
the simple vibe of goodwill that had made Starlos an ideal place to live
on before the nightmare had begun.
     So she continued to walk, thinking she could stop by Mr. Kraler’s to
let him know what had happened.  Or perhaps even go to the safe house
where she’d spent six terrifying sectars of her life so she could finally
face the Essien family of the Hasari race once again and mend fences with
them now that they too were free from the nightmare they’d gone through.
     As she walked past Intersection A, she noticed for the first time
two uncloaked faces walking the streets.  That meant they couldn’t be
Orions who always kept their face coverings in place.  These could only
be humans just like her, freed at last from the nightmare, just like her.
     “Hey!” she waved to them.  “Hey!”
     The two of them stopped and began approaching her.  Jocasta could
see right away that the two of them, one man and one woman, had just been
through a horrific ordeal of their own.  Their expressions sunken and
scarred.
     “It’s so good to see another human face,” Jocasta came up to them.  
     “Yes,” the man managed to whisper.  “Yes, we weren’t sure we’d see
anyone else back here, but.....we had to come here first because.....” he
trailed off and it seemed like he was about to have an emotional
collapse, but the woman managed to steady him.
     “It’s okay, darling, it’s okay.  At least we’re not alone.” she
looked at her, “Who are you and who was hiding you?”
     “My name is Jocasta.  Mr. Kraler the spice dealer was hiding me.”
     “I see.  You were lucky then.  No one ever knew he was hiding
anyone,” the woman’s voice had a faint raspy quality even though she
didn’t seem very old.  “We were being hidden by Mr. Kleimann, the
jeweler.”
     Jocasta felt a surprised jolt go through her, “Mr. Kleimann?”
     “Yes.”
     “What are your names?” she felt a rising urgency going through her.
     “My name is Jeremiah,” the man managed to say, “This is my wife,
Shayleen.”
     My God.  By all the Lords......could it really be true?
     “Shayleen,” Jocasta decided she couldn’t wait to find out, “Do you
know a man named......Skyler?”
     Her dark eyes widened to the size of large spheroids and she almost
felt her legs give out from under her.
     “Where did you......”
     “Come with me and let’s find a place to sit down and eat
and......talk,” Jocasta motioned her arm and led them in the direction of
a restaurant she knew on the next street.
     

     “It looks like they’ve recalled most of their orbital security
ships,” Bryce noted as the shuttle cleared the atmosphere and returned to
the starlit blanket of space.  “There are only about half as many up here
as there was when we came here.”
     “What about the baseship?” Skyler asked, all thoughts of Jocasta now
purged from his system.
     “Scanner shows it’s still in orbit in back of the moon.  Also
picking up that last Canis D transport they used to evacuate the planet. 
It’s headed for her.  No signs of deception on their part.”
     Skyler looked at the chronometer for the cloaking device.  It still
indicated twenty more centons.  Bryce, let’s hold our position so we can
still scan the baseship,” he said.  “We’re not headed home until we have
confirmation she’s left the system.”
     “Cap, we’ve only got enough fuel to stand by for two centars before
we’ve got to head back,”
     “Noted.  Just hold us close enough for now.”


     “They are all aboard,” Dagora said coldly as he looked across at
Orcus.
     “Then I suggest we get underway, Commander.”
     “I would prefer we contact His Eminence before we depart,” the IL
Cylon said.  “And you can then explain to him what you have forced us to
do.”
     “I’ll welcome the challenge, *Commander*,” the former Ambassador
matched the IL’s contemptuousness.  “Because I’ll be glad to ask His
Eminence the same questions Pasha put to us about Orion which in turn
will make me ask more *specific* questions about why your baseship is the
only one that ever came to Starlos.  The reaction from him will speak
volumes as to just how much his claim to true omnipotence really is.” He
stepped closer to him, “Level with me, Dagora.  You have your doubts
about him, don’t you?”
     The IL stayed silent.
     “Are you giving me the silent treatment just because I’m a DG Cylon,
and none of us have produced an Imperious Leader for over five hundred
yahrens?” his voice rose.  “It’s prejudice like that that’s held us back
more than you IL’s will ever realize.  If we’d remained part of the Inner
Circle of the High Command all these yahrens, perhaps we’d have never
been sucked into these mindless wars that have sabotaged our true
potential as a race!”
     “Listen to you!” Dagora fired back. “The Disease is now in you!”
     “The only ‘Disease’ I’m seeing around here is in overrated models
like your own.  The ones who have the brains to know what the truth is,
but who let blind loyalty to an institution keep you from acting!  You
know as well as I do that an attack on Starlos would have solved nothing. 
But now you have over 2000 centurions at your disposal on your way back
to Cylon who *might* be able to make a difference of a more meaningful
kind than just having more labor to deal with the so-called ‘Crisis.’”
     Suddenly all the fury was gone from the IL’s voice.  
     “Is there something else you’re suggesting, Orcus?”
     “Perhaps,” if the former ambassador could have smiled, he would
have.  “Let’s discuss this further......and leave the matter of
contacting His Eminence until *much* later......and for now, let’s put
this infernal planet behind us forever.”
     Slowly, Dagora nodded as he then contacted the command center.


     “Cap, she’s moving!” Keuchel reported.
     “Well, that didn’t take long, praise the Lords,” Skyler grunted. 
        “She’s leaving Lunar orbit.......assuming course
heading.......Epsilon-Two-Four-Nine.  That’ll put her well clear of
Starlos.”
        “All right.  Now we can go home.”
     “Yes, *sir*!” Bryce smiled with relief as he made the adjustment and
the shuttle moved off, away from the planet Starlos and back toward the
still out of range Pegasus.


     “It’s incredible,” Shayleen said as she and Jeremiah sat across from
Jocasta in an Orion restaurant.  “I never thought he could have been
alive all these yahrens.  Not that it would have made any difference
because we’d broken up before the Pegasus left for Molocay.  But.....I
don’t understand why they didn’t try to get back to the Colonies after
that happened.”
     “I don’t know the full story of that,” Jocasta conceded.  “I have to
assume that was a decision out of his hands.”
     “Commander Cain always was a dangerous fool,” Shayleen recalled with
an edge of disdain.  “He was the reason Skyler and I were arguing so much
before we finally called it quits.  And after I heard the reports the
Pegasus had been lost, I just had to move on from life by making myself
forget that I’d ever known or been in love with him.  I wanted to find
someone who had nothing to do with that way of life, and.....” she
reached out and touched her husband’s hand, “That’s when I met Jeremiah. 
He was visiting Gemon to get a loan to try and start up a business on
Starlos.  When we fell in love and he asked me to marry him and come to
Starlos with him, I knew it was chance to put everything about the past
behind me for good.  I never gave Skyler any thought at all.  I—,” she
sighed, “I never even told my husband his name.  Only that I’d once been
in love with a warrior and that was it.  That’s why when you mentioned
his name, it was almost as big a shock as what happened today when the
command centurion just.....let us go.”
     “That’s why I was shocked to find you two alive,” Jocasta said. 
“Skyler knew you and your husband had been taken prisoner.  The centurion
who took you from the Starlos Station to the Cylon complex was the one
who was on his team.  That’s how Skyler learned your names.”
     “If you’re saying this centurion had switched sides I guess he
couldn’t risk blowing his cover by freeing us,” Jeremiah grunted, finding
it amazing he was learning at last the unknown secrets of his wife’s past
on this of all nights.
     “Many Cylons have switched sides.  I saw a number of them on the
Pegasus.  And according to them, there are many Cylons helping not just
the Resistance movement in the Colonies but helping the Galactica and her
people get to Earth.”
     “Incredible,” Jeremiah shook his head.  “Maybe that explains why the
command centurion just.....let us go.  I don’t know why he didn’t do
anything for the first group of people, but.....after that order came
down that they were leaving, he just told us to wait until they’d all
gone and then we could all leave too.”
     “But you said Skyler thinks we were transferred to the baseship,”
Shayleen felt herself trembling.  “He had no idea we were released?”
     “No,” Jocasta shook her head.  “He said there wasn’t anything he
could do to get any of the people the Cylons had in custody freed.  That
in order to get them to peacefully leave Starlos, the Cylons were allowed
to take the ones they already had.  No one knew the command centurion let
the rest of you out.”
     “So he’s on his way back to the Pegasus and thinks I’m on my way to
the Neutrino mines of the Cylon home system,” Shayleen took a sip of
water to try and stop her trembling, “My God, I wish I could have found a
way to let him know.  Just for the sake of.....putting his mind at ease. 
It’s not that I still have old feelings for him, but.......after what he
went through, he had a right to know I was okay.”
     “I know,” Jocasta said quietly.  “He.....told me how much you meant
to him once.”
     Shayleen looked her in the eye, “Did he mean anything to you?”
     “Yes,” her voice was a near whisper, trying to hide the emotion. 
“But.....it wasn’t enough to justify going back with him.  Not when this
planet is my home.  And not when he....still has a lot of work ahead of
him.”
     “So you’ve told me,” Skyler’s former girlfriend sighed as memories
came back to her for the first time in six long yahrens.  “Do you think
he’ll be okay?  Even if he thinks......I’m still a prisoner?”
     “I think so.  Skyler is a good warrior and in a trusted level of
command authority.  He knows duty and the mission has to come before
anything else and he knows that’s the outlook they need if they’re going
to succeed in liberating the Colonies and beating the Cylons once and for
all.” Jocasta paused and then added, “And when that happens.....I think
he’ll one day get his chance to learn the truth about you and Jeremiah
and he’ll get that closure for himself.”
     “You really think so?” Shayleen asked.
     “I do,” Jocasta was full of confidence, “After all......Starlos
isn’t far.”
     For the first time, the faintest trace of a smile came over
Shayleen’s face.
     “No,” she nodded, “It certainly isn’t.”
     Jeremiah slowly raised his chalice of ambrosia, “I’d like to propose
a toast.  To our day of liberation from the Cylons.  To our freedom from
fear once again and our safety.  And......to Captain Skyler of the
Battlestar Pegasus for making it all possible.”
     “To Captain Skyler.” Shayleen raised her chalice.
     “To Captain Skyler.” Jocasta raised hers and they all came together
in the celebratory clink for the man they would all be bonded to for the
rest of their lives.

Epilogue

     “Well Captain, I must say you succeeded beyond any of our
expectations,” Cain said as he finished going over Skyler’s report.  “It
would have been enough of a success just to have confirmation the Cylons
have indeed lost their capacity to produce and refine Neutrino and are
getting desperate about it.  But getting the Cylons to pull out from
Starlos......that took a lot of diplomatic skill on your part.”
     “And a lot of luck,” Skyler said as he stood at attention.  “Jocasta
led us to the right people and I was able to capitalize on that, as well
as the fact that Centurion Kleitos performed admirably for our side.”
     “Yes, that’s most welcome news.  I think his performance should
sweep away any residual doubts any of our people have about the newer
arrivals from Cannes.” he paused, “You really did outstanding work,
Skyler.  As a result, since you are holding the position of number three
in the chain of command, it’s only appropriate that you now have the same
rank your predecessor in that position had.  Congratulations.......Major
Skyler.”
     His eyes widened in surprise at this unexpected bit of news.  “Thank
you, sir.”
     “You’re now officially on furlon from duty for the next twenty-four
centars, Major.  Take advantage of it.  We’ve got a lot of important
things coming up in the next few sectars and what you’ve just done is
probably going to speed up the timetable in those areas.”
     “Sir,” he formally saluted him which Cain rose to return.  And then,
he turned and departed.  When he was gone, Cain resumed his seat and
looked over at Kylie, who’d been standing off to one side listening to
the debriefing.
     “Well Captain Kylie, do you wish to let your previous opposition to
the mission remain in the record?”
     Kylie tried not to smirk or let any husband-wife banter enter into
what she regarded as a serious command level discussion.  “Yes,
Commander.  One should always stand by and acknowledge one’s words, even
when events have proved them to be wrong.”
     “Sound thinking, Captain,” he looked at her, “And you approve of his
promotion in rank?”
     “Those are your decisions, sir.  They come entirely at your
discretion.” his wife paused. “There is one thing off the record I’d like
to say.”
     “Go ahead.”
     “I’m glad Skyler got his chance to prove his command skills in a
non-pilot setting in a way that permanently solidifies his position as #3
in the chain of command,” Kylie said.  “There are a lot of people on the
Pegasus who think he’s been holding that position as a placeholder for
me.  Now they know that isn’t true, and they can look at my rapid
promotions through the ranks with a little less.....cynicism.”
     “Is that the vibe you’ve been getting, Kylie?” Cain asked with the
concern of a husband.
     “A little.  No one questions I did well under fire at Cannes and
earned my promotions, but because of our relationship, they kept thinking
it was only a matter of time before you’d make me #3.  Promoting Skyler
to Major makes it clear his placing is permanent and the only thing that
can change the command order is if someone gets killed.” his wife paused,
“Truthfully, I’m glad it’s worked out this way.  Especially since the
rest of the crew now knows that Skyler is more than just a good pilot and
a good Squadron Leader.”

     “You’ve demonstrated your versatility too, Kylie,” he reminded her
with more of the edge of the commander than the husband.  “Don’t lose
sight of that.  Someday, you’ll have to face the kind of mission Skyler
went through where it’ll require you to be a diplomat and a strategic
thinker on your feet and not a tactical combat thinker like at Cannes   
Don’t be afraid of that prospect.”
     “I’m not,” she said with a confidant air.  “By your leave?”
     “Dismissed,” he said and then held up his swagger stick to indicate
she stay, “One other thing.  I want you to meet with Ila and go over the
substance of the message she’ll need to send Adama summarizing all that’s
happened on Starlos.  And then Adama will have to summarize it for
Lieutenant Hunley so she can relay it to the Resistance.  We need to get
this moving as quickly as possible so that by the time we reach Arcta for
that long-awaited meeting with Ravashol and Vulpa, we’ll have heard a
response from the Resistance to the latest news.”
     “Understood,” she started for the door, then stopped and looked back
at her husband. 
     “Cain?”
     “Yes, Kylie?” he’d already gone back to looking at the report.
     “Do you want me to say anything to her about......”
     “No,” Cain set the report down but didn’t look up at her.  “No,
that’s an off-limits topic with Ila from now until Arcta.  But when we
get there, that’s when the subject can’t be put off any longer.  We’re
going to have to do a full court press to convince her that she’s done
everything she needed to do with us and that she should finally go home
to Adama and her family on the Galactica.”
     “In that shuttle of hers?” Kylie asked.  “Cain, I’ll be honest.  I
think she’s afraid to strap herself into that thing because she knows it
would take her at least a couple yahrens to reach the Fleet.  And now
that she knows it would also mean going through the Ziklagi and Risik
Frontiers as well, I don’t think she trusts it any longer.”
     The Juggernaut looked up at his wife, “Which is why we’re going to
have to find some other way of getting her home a lot sooner than that
shuttle can do it.”


     It had been another day of uneasiness for Ensign Wynn.  A day when
his attempt to shout down the lingering questions in his mind of where he
had been the last two yahrens and what had happened to him was proving
futile.  The reason for it......the voices he kept hearing when he
stopped in Dr. Arnoff’s lab to do some research on the computers and get
himself caught up with what he’d missed.  The voices of Centurions Festus
and Serpentine.  Human voices that he’d learned had been reprogrammed
into them at Brylon Station by the Zykonians from voices they’d had on
file.  Voices that sounded hauntingly familiar to Wynn and he had no idea
why, except he was convinced he’d heard those voices during those two
lost yahrens of his life.
     He had casually asked Festus once if the Zykonians had revealed any
details on who the original source of the voice had been but the Cylon
had confessed he had not asked, nor had the Zykonians been forthcoming at
the time.  It was possible though that the Zykonian records the Pegasus
had acquired during their stay might reveal something there but he
wouldn’t know where to start.  And so he had just done some random
searching using the term “humans”, “human prisoners”, “human refugees” to
see if anything turned up.
     After a centar of random searching, he saw something that got his
attention.  A Zykonian file on a group of six humans who more than twenty
yahrens ago had been found drifting in space after coming through some
kind of ‘wormhole.’    Humans who came from a planet called Earth, and
who had ultimately been sent to a detention facility on the planet
Krylamic before they had subsequently escaped from their captivity.
     He opened the file and saw old style photo images and a group of
names.  One name he immediately recognized from a conversation he’d had
with Lieutenant Tegran, who’d been recounting everything he’d learned
about the Galactica and the Fleet from his sister Mairwen, a java kiosk
owner on the Rising Star.  The name of Captain Kevin Byrne.  That was the
name of the Earth native the Fleet had found and who was now commanding a
ship that consisted of other refugees from Earth.
     So I guess Cain and everyone already knows about this connection to
the Zykonians, Wynn thought as he kept reading the file.
     And then.....he felt a chill go through his body as he saw two more
faces.  Faces of men he knew he’d never met before and yet struck a chord
of recognition in him somehow.  The chord being that he was now convinced
he’d found the faces to match to the maddeningly familiar voices of
Festus and Serpentine.
     “Lieutenant Colonel Jean-Pierre St. Claire, Royal Canadian Air
Force,” he whispered, “Dr. Timothy Harms, Mayo Clinic, Rochester,
Minnesota, USA.”
     Wynn leaned back and looked at the ancient images.  The file said
that the six Earth natives had escaped from the detention planet over
twenty yahrens ago and were never seen again by the Zykonians. 
Obviously, Captain Byrne had been rescued yahrens later.  He was
reasonably sure one of the other names on the list, Commander Cedric
Allen, was someone he’d  heard Tegran mention before as a rescued Earth
native.  But these two names......names he knew he could connect with
familiar voices.......what had happened to them?  Did it explain where
he’d been all that time?  Someplace where he’d had a chance to see those
faces and hear those voices?  The same voices that he now knew belonged
to Festus and Serpentine?
     The Ensign shut off the monitor and brought his hands together. 
More than once he’d been cautioned by Dr. Laughlin and by Professor Ila
that he shouldn’t try to struggle to remember things that had been
unpleasant.  He still carried the general impression that wherever he’d
been it had been some place bad and horrible.  If he kept following up
information and leads like this on his own.....it had the potential to
expose him to something that could send his mind into another black hole. 
The black hole of permanent insanity.
     I can’t let that happen to me, he thought.  The fact that I’m home
again is a miracle and that things have changed in the War since then an
even bigger miracle.  I can’t risk throwing it all away to find out
things I’m better off not knowing.  At least......not now.
     Wynn took a deep breath as he got up and quietly left the Lab.  He
would keep all of this to himself for now.  Perhaps sometime later, when
he was more readjusted to life again on the Pegasus and he could look at
his vanished two yahrens with detachment, he might try to do some
innocuous follow-up.  Perhaps talk to Professor Ila who had been so
sympathetic and kind to him.  Perhaps even send a communique to Captain
Byrne in the Fleet and ask him what he knew about his two comrades and if
he’d learned anything about what had happened to them.
     But not now.


Addendum

     Since the departure from the Starlos system, Moros had felt the
sense of raging restlessness within him slowly returning.  It had been
fueled by the pompous sounding unicom announcement of both Commander
Dagora and Ambassador Orcus to all personnel that they were returning to
the home world in triumph.  It had been compounded by the sight of the
twenty human prisoners in the detention cell, full of despair and misery,
who according to all that he’d been taught before, were somehow supposed
to be part of the solution to the biggest Crisis the Empire had ever
faced.  One look at him was enough to tell him how absurd that way. 
These pathetic whimpering creatures were hardly capable of performing
manual labor, and that was probably true of every other prisoner, whether
human, Delphian or Hasari who had been sent back from Starlos over the
last yahren.  It was almost easier to believe, as he had once believed,
that order in the Universe dictated the extermination of these species. 
But if the Empire he had once served now see a need to make use of them
for tasks essential to the preservation of the Empire’s power.......then
the Empire and its leadership’s claims of omnipotence were indeed a lie
and always had been.
     And there was also that other thing that kept popping into his head. 
The concept of......the Makers and that everything the Cylon Empire had
done from the beginning was not in accordance with their original
purpose.  But who were the Makers?  And how had their vision been
usurped?
     That was why Moros felt the raging restlessness within him and why
he felt an increased determination to do something about it......before
the baseship reached  Cylon for its supposed “triumphal homecoming.”

Facing the challenge of the Cylon tyranny, the Battlestar Pegasus
continues her journey across the stars to aid the cause of Resistance and
Freedom.  The journey that ultimately leads them.....home. 


Fleeing from the Cylon tyranny, the last Battlestar.....Galactica, leads
a rag-tag fugitive fleet on a lonely quest.  A shining planet....known as
Earth.