Battlestar Galactica-Earth Awaits
Virtual Season 6-Episode #8
By Eric Paddon

Chapter One

     Ila hesitated as she held the microphone in her hand.  She had never
kept a journal of any kind in her life.  She had thought of starting one
when she'd reached that 'empty nest' phase of her life when all of her
children had left home for the Academy and she'd retired from teaching. 
But after two half-hearted attempts she found herself ill at ease trying
to soliloquize her thoughts into a recorder.  Not only did she think it
served no real purpose, she wasn't sure she liked the idea of someone
else, even her descendants, listening to idle thoughts of the moment at a
future date.  But now that she was President of the Council, Adama had
told her she needed to make her own journal entries for the same reason
he made his.  To give future generations an understanding of the travails
they had undergone as a people in this long journey across the stars in
search of Earth.  Now that he was free of the political obligations he'd
once carried, it was essential for her to provide a perspective on life
in the Fleet that he could no longer give in his own entries.
     And so, with reluctance, she had started her own journal several
sectars ago.  Always making sure to do it when she knew her husband would
be on the Bridge or performing some other duty in the Fleet.  And always
making sure when she was done that the file was kept under secure
password lock on her personal comp.  Future generations might hear her
thoughts of the moment, but she didn't want anyone alive at present to
know them.
     "President's log," she began and then added the date according to
Caprican Standard Time.  "Today, the Foundry Ship has produced its first
supply of synthetic Neutrino and now the process of upgrading our Vipers
to make them less vulnerable to laser fire has begun.  Before a full
upgrade can take place, the Foundry Ship will construct a test drone
vehicle that can be subjected to laser fire so we can properly judge how
our Vipers might fare in battle conditions if we go ahead with this
process.  If it doesn't work.....this upgrade will be a wasted effort. 
Indeed, some might say it's a wasted effort when we have the looming
problem of facing a whole fleet of ships made from Neutrino if the Risik
are successful in their building program.....to which they will also have
at their disposal a Cylon BaseShip under the command of Baltar's one-time
deputy, Commander Lucifer."
     She let out a sigh as if she were reproaching herself for injecting
a negative note, but she knew that accuracy dictated otherwise.
     "That's not how I feel of course.  But, as I've discovered in my
role as Council President, we have members who are easily inclined to
such pessimism.  Sire Hanlon in particular.  And three or four other
members are inclined to agree with him that if the overall impact is
minimal in contrast to what the Risik can do with Neutrino......why
bother spending time and resources on the matter?
     "I understand now why Adama found this part of the job so tiresome. 
Even though it's not dissimilar from what I remember with the Executive
Council on Caprica during the first two yahrens after the Destruction,
there is something......less respectable about the dissent and pessimism
I hear from some Council members in contrast to the dissent I would hear
from Executive Council members like Dr. Artemis or Dr. Celsus.  Maybe it
was because I'd at least been through the trenches with them in the
struggle to survive that it was easier to respect their dissenting views,
whereas the Council members are people I've only just come to know since
my arrival, and I at times have this sense that they haven't lived
through the same kind of experiences I have.  That's unfair of me,
because if I can relate to what Adama and my children went through for
the first few yahrens when I wasn't here, I should have no trouble
relating to what they've gone through.  After all, each one of them has
shared in the struggle of this journey through the stars equally.
     "Maybe I don't like to hear gloomy pessimism because I'm still
overjoyed by the news from the Pegasus that they've reached the Colonies
and Cain is now hard at work with Governor Malus on formulating an
integrated battle plan for a strike on the Cylon Capital.  The Ravashol
Pulsar has been tested again and is working flawlessly.  The net effect
has caused over four hundred survivors from the Colonies to sign-up for
duty on the Pegasus so they can be there when they go into battle. 
That's how convinced they are that the Cylon Empire as we have known it,
is at last about to fall for good.  Once these three BaseShips that
defend the Cylon Home Planet are destroyed......then we will be looking
at the possibility of a half million captive prisoners freed to return
home to the Colonies and accelerate the rebuilding programs.  And the
Enlightened Cylons who are now based on Libra and Aquarius will be able
to call the Cylon Home System their own.  Further strengthening the ties
forged between them and us.
     "Positive as this news is......we can't take for granted the idea
that Cain is going to be able to just drop in on the Home System and
achieve total victory in a matter of microns.  It will still be an
intense battle that could result in losses for him.....and the Imperious
Leader is not likely to go down without a major fight even if he loses
his BaseShips quickly.  Cain mentioned to us just last sectan that he
knows it's very possible that he could destroy the BaseShips and demand
the Imperious Leader surrender......and the Imperious Leader might then
threaten the lives of the half million Human prisoners.  Not even Cain
would consider putting those lives at risk as a price worth paying to
achieve final victory.  That's why part of the planning he's doing with
Governor Malus is centered on strategies for freeing the prisoners if
they were placed in that kind of situation.  As Cain said, he's not going
to go into battle until he knows he has that contingency situation
carefully mapped out.  He's learned I suppose, the old adage that a
famous Warrior of the last century was known for that every battle needs
to be won before it's fought.
     "So while Cain continues to plot things in the Colonies for what he
must do, we proceed with what we must do.  Getting closer to
Earth......and fortifying our defenses for the fight that barring a
miracle, we can't avoid.  At some point, the entire population has to
understand that.  For now though, there is agreement that the general
population should continue to enjoy the sense of 'respite' that permeates
for a little longer.  And then....they will learn that the final leg of
this journey to Earth will test their resolve like nothing else."
     She stopped the recording and shook her head.  Lords, I'm beginning
to sound more and more like Adama when I make these entries!
     But then again, Ila thought with a smile as she rose from her
husband's chair, that isn't necessarily a bad thing.  
     The Council President had just moved across the room when she heard
the door chime 
sound.  "Come in," she said.  When it opened, she was surprised to see
the Risik dissident Melnea, one-time slave to Governor Raduztak, who
worked now in the Fleet as an assistant to Sarah, the woman few people
knew was really a Ziklagi shapeshifter and escaped slave named Nizaka. 
Ila was never sure if Melnea knew that secret about her colleague so as a
precaution she never made any allusions to it when talking to the Risik
female.  But now that Sarah had revealed her secret recently to Father
Fisher during that experience on Harkaelis, it wouldn't have surprised
Ila if Melnea learned it sooner rather than later.  
     Ila had met Melnea only twice since her arrival from the Colonies
but she knew from reading Melnea's file that the Risik dissident had
proved her worth more than once.  Not just in her testimony at the
Tribunal of Raduztak, Commandant Tsernavia and Commander Lemeshik but
later, when the Fleet encountered a peaceful race called the Eirenians
and were negotiating an agreement for ships, it was Melnea who spotted a
Risik spy who'd infiltrated the Eirenian ranks.  She's been able to spot
her because the spy was a former schoolmate of hers.
     "Good afternoon, Melnea," Ila said pleasantly, "Is there something I
can do for you?"
     The Risik woman hesitated slightly, "Oh, well.....I was hoping the
Commander would be here, but I guess....."
     "Whatever you wanted to tell him, you can tell me." 
     "Oh yes!  Yes, I understand that completely, Madame President.  It's
just that....."
     "You're used to dealing with him," she finished for her.  "Just
relax and let me know what it is and I'll pass along everything to him."
     "Of course," the Risik female slowly relaxed, "Madame
President----,"
     "Do me a favor," she interrupted, "Make it 'Professor' and think of
me as a fellow Academician, which I used to be for quite a few yahrens."
     Melnea smiled, "Professor.  Well, I guess you're familiar with the
material that was translated from the derelict ship Sergeant Wagner was
found in that talks about other prison worlds of Earth natives in
addition to Ne'Chak."
     "I've read the report," Ila acknowledged.  "I only remember
reference to one such prison world.  A larger colony where the Earth
abductees were left to their own devices but unable to leave."
     Melnea nodded, "Yes.  Our government housed their own prisoners
there too in more confined settings and the Earth natives were, as you
say, given free rein as far as the planet itself was concerned.  But
there was a research lab facility set up that was devoted to testing
Earth natives and that's why they wanted specifically pregnant women for
those tests.  That world was abandoned during the Ke'Zar invasion, but
because the Earth abductees were too scattered about the planet, they
were left behind."  She paused, "But I didn't come to talk about that
particular prison colony.  I was going through other files that had not
been thoroughly studied.  Some were behind passwords that hadn't been
cracked and were under much higher levels of security classification. 
And.....it turns out there was another prison colony in a planetary
system that I believe is on the Fleet's direct heading within the
next......sectan I believe is the right term."
     Ila lifted an eyebrow, intrigued by this news.  "Is this a planet
that was also conquered by the Ke'Zar?  We've never had any direct
encounters with them." And if we were able to make direct contact with
them, maybe their military arsenal could offset what the Risik currently
have planned against us!
     "No, not according to what I've been able to decipher from this
file," Melnea shoook her head..  "It wasn't subject to direct attack by
the Ke'Zar."
     "Go on."
     "It seems this particular colony was located in a more hostile
system, climate wise that is.  In contrast to the one the Ke'Zar
conquered which was in closer proximity to our original Home System, this
one was basically an 'outer prison colony' if you will.  Chosen only
because it was in closer proximity to Earth and thus on a return trip
from Earth, it was easier to deposit the abductees there."
     "You mean these abductees  were the more undesirable types?"
     "Not exactly.  Owing to the harsh climate conditions of the planet,
abductees who needed to be studied for their ability to survive in
hostile conditions were generally placed there.  Consequently, there was
a high percentage of what I believe are defined as 'able-bodied males."
     "How many?" Ila found this fascinating.
     "I can't give an exact figure, but the files indicate it would have
been in the low hundreds at most.  Like the prisoners at Ne'Chak they
were drawn chiefly from global military installations on Earth but.....as
we've seen before, sometimes innocent people who just happened to be in
close proximity to a military installation could sometimes get caught up
in the sweep.  People like Father Fisher and the other civilians."
     "And these abductees from Earth were left behind when the Risik were
forced to retreat?"
     "That's the impression I'm getting from my take on the data, though
as I've said, it is incomplete in spots.  But I did call in Samlik to
help me......"
     "Isn't he the ex-journalist among the Risik dissidents?" Ila
interjected.  She'd read about the eight Risik dissidents who'd been
smuggled out in a cargo ship and been granted asylum by the Fleet but
she'd yet to meet any of them.
     "Yes.  Him and his wife Kama-lan.  He fell out of favor for writing
pieces critical of the religious order.  At any rate, he confirmed my
first instincts.  This particular planet, which was called Niddion, was
abandoned in great haste because once it was clear how rapid the Ke'Zar
advance on our Home System was, priority was given to evacuating manpower
and resources.  The Earth abductees were considered non-essential.  At
least that was the decision by the base commandant at the time, whose
name was Pravdin.  He didn't think it prudent to waste valuable transport
space on any of the prisoners when Risik personnel and equipment had
first priority."
     "And you know for a fact he just didn't execute the prisoners when
he decided he couldn't take them with him?"
     "Yes, that's explicitly stated in the records.  Ordinarily, in such
a crisis, the prison population would have been liquidated, if evacuation
was not possible, but Pravdin didn't think there was time to spend or
ordnance available to carry out the procedure, and they were left behind
on the planet.  He was forced to answer for that decision in a Tribunal
held after the resettlement to our current Home System because
technically he was not supposed to make that decision without getting
approval from either the Supreme Leader or the Star Force Commander.  The
file says he was acquitted at his Tribunal because all the evidence
backed his decision."
     "Interesting, though not all that relevant," Ila observed as she
felt the urge to reach for a stylus to chew the end of, since this was
one of those contemplative moments that always produced that urge.  Under
her husband's guidance though, she'd been slowly breaking the habit. 
"The important thing is that when we reach this planet.....Niddion in the
next sectan, we might find some more survivors from Earth."
     "Yes, but I'd caution against being too optimistic, Professor,"
Melnea said.  "The climate as I said, isn't particularly hospitable to
either Risik or Humans.  Temperature fluctuations went from one extreme
to another with the night cycle.  Food wasn't grown locally but was
brought in by supply ships on a regular basis.  People left to their own
devices after the planet was abandoned would have had a hard time
surviving in those conditions."
     "Perhaps.  But we certainly need to find out," Ila then smiled,
"Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Melnea."
     "It's my pleasure to help and to serve," the Risik dissident said
with gratitude.  "My being here in the Fleet has......well, it's been
like a new beginning for me after everything I went through before."
     And if the Galactica hadn't been fleeing the Destruction of our own
civilization.....someone like Melnea would have never gotten a second
chance, Ila thought.  Such are the ways of the Lords.
     

     That evening, over dinner with her husband and Apollo and Sheba, Ila
revealed the details of what Melnea had shared with her.
     "We're fortunate Melnea discovered this information before we
approached the system where this planet Niddion is located," she said. 
"Otherwise we might have bypassed it without knowing there were potential
survivors from Earth we could have rescued."
     "True," her husband acknowledged.  "But if there are survivors, it
doesn't necessarily follow that they'd come with us."
     "Oh?" she looked at him.
     "That would depend entirely on how effective a community they've put
together in the time they've had to fend for themselves," Adama said. 
"It's possible that after forty yahrens, many inhabitants might see
Niddion, and not Earth as their home.  Especially if by now there are
more second generation inhabitants living there."
     "It's a pattern we've seen before, Mother," Apollo spoke up.  "The
people from Gellis.  The people on Liberty.  We've had to learn that we
can't interfere with the free will choice of those who want to stay where
they are even if prudence might argue that their best interests would
have meant joining us."
     "Point taken," his mother acknowledged, "But I've listened to the
audio interview you did with Kloss, the leader of the Gellis community
and I know why they chose to stay.  They had no connections to our
society they could remember since it's clear the people of Gellis were
another 13th Tribe splinter faction like the original settlers of Terra
and Ki.  They had no ties to Earth to justify joining us.  And the
inhabitants of Liberty were  a population multiple generations removed
from their initial Risik abduction with some non-Human admixture.  Their
society, from what you and Captain Byrne described, resembles an Earth
stuck in how their ancestors last knew it, which was over four hundred
yahrens ago.  I understand why only a bare handful decided to join us."
     "I can see where you're going, Ila," Sheba said. "If there are
survivors who were original abductees, and if they've  had to survive in
conditions of hardship, they'd be more inclined to come with us because
of their memories of Earth."
     "And if they've had children, they'd likely pass on their memories
of Earth to them of what a wonderful place it was for them," Ila nodded. 
"Naturally, we can't force them to come.  I'm just saying that based on
Melnea's preliminary analysis, the odds are more in favor that any
survivors we find would want to come with us."
     "We'll know soon enough," Adama idly rolled his chalice, "Tomorrow
I'll have an advance patrol scan the planet in question.  That will give
us time to plot our strategy if we get readings of sentient life forms."
     "Consider Sheba and me the volunteers for that patrol, Father,"
Apollo said without hesitation. 
     He smiled at his son, "Commendable of you, Apollo.  But if you
succeed in establishing that there are survivors, under no circumstances
are you to land on the planet and make any kind of first contact with
them.  That has to be done by Earth natives, just like when we handled
the matter of Captain Kamanev of the Terashkova."
     "We understand," Sheba nodded.  "But there's always the possibility
they could have short-range communications or space capability of their
own if the Risik left behind enough equipment when they abandoned the
planet.  We wouldn't be able to avoid contact if that were the case."
     "True.  But there's a way around that, and it dovetails with the
reason why I spent two centars this afternoon with Dr. Wilker and wasn't
in my quarters when Melnea dropped by," Adama leaned forward, "You're
familiar of course with the Zykonian cloaking technology."
     "Of course," Apollo nodded, "But Wilker's never been able to come up
with an effective use for it.  The long-term power costs are enormous."
     "Because he was thinking too big in how to make use of it," the
Commander said.  "He was envisioning a means to cloak the Galactica and
all the ships in the Fleet when he should have been starting with smaller
ideas like his counterpart on the Pegasus, Dr. Arnoff has been doing for
the last two yahrens."
     "Cloaking Vipers and shuttles," Ila chimed in, "It made a big
difference for us at the Battle of Cannes."
     "I remember reading Captain Skyler's action report about that,"
Sheba said.  "Isn't there a trade-off in speed and maneuverability when
you fly a Viper fully cloaked?"
     "Yes, but for what should amount to a discretionary stealth patrol
that shouldn't be a problem," Adama said.  "Wilker's had the cloaking
system installed on two Vipers.  I was going to wait a few days to have
them tested under patrol conditions, but if you feel up to the challenge,
you can let tomorrow's advance patrol be the test case."
     "I'm up to it," Apollo said, "But with the caveat that we test it
first while we're still within visual range of the Fleet.  I read
Skyler's action report too and he mentioned that the one fear he had
about the system was that he'd be unable to see his instruments once he
activated it and he'd have the illusion of being in open space and forced
to fly blind by trying to remember which button was in front of him."
     "That's the kind of concern I'd have expected to hear from Starbuck
instead of you," his father smiled with amusement.  Which brought one in
return from Apollo.
     "Hey, Starbuck's not always wrong when it comes to his complaints
about pilots not needing electronic felgercarb."
     "True," Adama chuckled, "But since Dr. Wilker is merely duplicating
everything Dr. Arnoff's already done successfully by following his
blueprints, there shouldn't be any danger. Nonetheless, in the interests
of prudence.....your request to do an initial test in visual range of the
Fleet before proceeding with the main patrol to Niddion is granted.  As a
matter of fact,, a ground test, aboard the Galactica, in the hangar bay,
would take care of your immediate concern that once you activate the
system, you'll still be able to see your instrument panel."
     "You're right, I should have thought of that first.  We should be
able to find any potential glitches before we go into space.  We'll run
an initial test under non-powered conditions in the Hangar Bay and then
after we launch a full in-flight test while still in visual range of the
Fleet."
     "Sounds like a viable plan to me," Sheba nodded.
     "By the way, don't bother making arrangements with the Med-Tech to
look after Bethany Two tomorrow," Ila said.  "It's my designated day off
from all Presidential responsibilities and I intend to take charge of her
and Boxey for however long you're gone."
     "Thanks, Mother," her son said, "Knowing Boxey, get set to hear him
talk about nothing but tonight's triad match on the Rising Star and what
a great time he had with Aurelius."
     "I'm used to that," Ila admitted.  "The two of them are almost
inseparable."
     "He's been good for Boxey," Sheba said.  "Boomer and Starbuck don't
have as much time as they used to have to be constant uncle figures
because of their own duties and their own family responsibilities. 
Aurelius has helped fill that void."
     Indeed he has, Adama thought.  And yet.....there was the one thing
about Aurelius that over the last six sectars had slowly started to cause
him some minor concern.  The fact that after all this time of close
friendship and bonding, they still knew no more about Aurelius than they
did when he'd arrived.  The man who had been in a state of cryogenic
suspension at the time of the Destruction for over thirty yahrens and who
had never revealed the reason why.  With total amnesty for
pre-Destruction crimes a permanent reality in the Fleet, there was no
reason for Aurelius to conceal the reason if it had been criminal in
nature.  With the closeness that had developed between Aurelius and
Boxey, and subsequently to Boxey's entire family, Adama had initially
figured that in time, Aurelius would feel comfortable revealing the truth
about his past to his new friends.  But in that time since......there had
been nothing.
     He had yet to express his concerns aloud to Ila or anyone else.  And
so long as Aurelius continued to be such a vital part of their extended
family, he was reluctant to bring the matter up for fear of the damaging
effect it could have.  For now, he would leave the matter be.
     But can I do it forever?


     "Well, what did you think of the match, Boxey?" Aurelius asked as he
and Boxey slowly filed their way out of the spectator gallery of the
Rising Star's triad court.  The match between two of the lower-ranked
teams in the standings had not attracted a sellout crowd, but that meant
they didn't have to deal with the problem of a slow, cramped exit.
     "Pretty good," the ten yahren old boy said.  "But neither of them
could stand a chance against Dad and Starbuck.  Or Boomer and Castor."
     "Yeah, I've been able to tell they're in a class by themselves," the
refugee turned launch crew worker acknowledged.  "But triad is such a
great game that when you can just study it up close and not care about
where the teams are in the standings, it can be just as fun."
     "You're right," he then grinned, "And the fruit juice tastes just as
good no matter who's playing!"
     "You made that clear with all the containers you put away during the
match," Aurelius folded his arms and smiled with a hint of elder
admonishment.  "So I suggest young man, that you pay a visit to the
nearest public turboflush before we head back to the Docking Lounge for
the trip back to the Galactica."
     "I don't need to use it now," Boxey protested.
     "You will," he said gently.  "And better here than during the
shuttle trip back."
     The little boy shrugged his shoulders in acceptance.  Aurelius had
long ago become someone he listened to instinctively just like he did
with his parents and grandparents.  With Starbuck and maybe Boomer, he
might have let his precocious side kick in.  But not with Aurelius.
     They made their way through the corridor that led to the central
shaft that housed six different turbo-lifts that led to different parts
of the luxury liner.  One to the Shopping Arcade on the top level.  One
to the Astral Lounge and Chancery.  Another to the Empyreal Lounge.  The
fourth one took people further down to the Aquacade.  And finally, the
two designated lifts for the Docking Lounge which had a heavy line since
the majority of the spectators to the just concluded triad match now had
to return to their own ships.  Because the two lifts for the Docking
Lounge usually boasted heavier lines, that was why the designer had
placed a public turboflush right next to them so those in line for the
Docking Lounge could have easier access.  
     Aurelius took his place in the line and then motioned Boxey to go
into the turboflush.  After telling the little boy he'd hold his place in
line, Boxey promptly disappeared into the room.  Given the depth of both
lines, the elderly man knew it would be at least five or six centons
before they'd get on one of the two Docking Lounge lifts and he had no
worries that Boxey would take longer than necessary.
     As he stood in line waiting for Boxey to return, the noise of the
crowds waiting for the lifts had merged into a cacophonous din that made
it impossible for him to make out any actual conversation being spoken. 
Trying to relax, he shut his eyes and folded his arms, letting himself go
into a near trance-like mode that allowed the surrounding noise to grow
dimmer and less annoying.  A tactic in relaxation he'd learned long ago
in the very distant days of his warrior cadet training.  When his life
was free of complications and burdens.  Before he'd met......
     The firm tap of a strong hand on his shoulder caused him to jump
slightly.  He spun around and found himself looking into the face of a
young man in his mid-20s with curly brown hair and an apologetic
expression.
     "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," the man was close enough
to be heard above the din of the crowd.  "You are Aurelius aren't you?"
     A suspicious look came over him, "Do I know you?"
     "Oh no sir, we've never met, but Master Chief Varica gave me a holo
pic of you for reference.  I thought I recognized you when I saw you at
the match in the spectator gallery but I didn't want to bother you while
the match was in progress."
     "Who are you, and why do you want to talk to me?" he began to feel
an edge of paranoia developing inside him.
     "My name is Scali.  I work for the IFB and I was wondering if you
might be interested in an interview with Zara or Zed so we could learn
more about your story."
     "I'm not interested," Aurelius's voice grew curt and dismissive, "I
don't have anything against the IFB.  In fact, Zed was very kind to me
when he gave me copies of those historic triad match broadcasts from his
collection, but I told him at the time that I didn't want to do any kind
of broadcast or any kind of interview."
     "We're not asking you talk about your past," Scali said, "It would
be more about how you as a newcomer have adjusted to life in the Fleet
after more than eight sectars since your arrival with President Ila.  And
there are things you can tell us about the Colonies......"
     "I don't have much to tell," he cut him off, "I still have some
painful memories of my last days in the Colonies before I left.  I'm not
anxious to revisit them."  Aurelius then turned away from the young man
and saw that the Turbo Lift he was in line for had just opened.  Just as
the crowd started to move forward, there was a jostle as Boxey made his
way back into the line.
     "I'm ready!" the little boy said proudly.
     "Good," Aurelius looked down at him and smiled, "You're really ready
for the shuttle trip back to the Galactica now."
     "Sir-," the man named Scali tried to get his attention again but
Aurelius turned back and glared at him with an unfriendly air.  It
immediately caused Scali to retreat and step out of the line which
continued to move forward.  Aurelius and Boxey managed to make it with
the next load just in time before the doors slid shut.


     Great, Scali thought as he made his way back to the now largely
empty spectator's gallery.  Clean-up crews had now arrived and the only
ones left who had actually watched the game were the two people at the
table set aside for the IFB broadcast.  Zed, who had been a sportscaster
in the Colonies before the Destruction, was packing his notes while the
engineer responsible for connecting the feed to the Electronics Ship for
broadcast throughout the Fleet was dismantling the makeshift video
transmitter.  As Scali came up to the table, Zed looked up with a
distinctly annoyed air.  
     "Oh there you are," the sportscaster and news co-anchor said.  "I
was wondering where you'd disappeared to."
     "I'm sorry Zed," Scali said apologetically, "I needed to
ah.....visit the turboflush."
     "You sure took your sweet time but I won't ask for more details."
the Canceran native rose from his seat.  "Zara did a live chat with me to
recap the game while you were gone and because you weren't here to hand
me some accurate stats when I needed them, I had to cut it short to keep
from sounding like an idiot."
     "It won't happen again, Zed," he was beginning to worry that maybe
he'd just lost his job as Zed's chief statistician for the triad
broadcasts.  A job he was good at.....but which he saw as beneath him
when he'd always wanted to be a full-fledged journalator.
     "I know it won't," Zed's tone softened as he came up and clapped
Scali on the shoulder with a paternalistic air.  "You're the best
statistician I ever had in the thirty yahrens I've broadcast triad games. 
Never think for a micron that your job is in jeopardy with me.  As far as
I'm concerned, it's guaranteed for as long as I keep doing these games."
     Thanks a lot, Scali thought with distinct sarcasm, though outwardly
he was all smiles.  The idea of doing this job for the rest of his life
repelled him completely.  But the IFB at this point in time wasn't hiring
any new reporters since they felt they had enough people on hand to cover
the major stories of interest to the Fleet.  The only other jobs they had
available were tech jobs that he knew he was totally unqualified for.
     And those who are called 'journalators' seldom get on the air
anyway, he thought with some bitterness as he gathered up his
statistician notes from the recent triad broadcast.  They just do the leg
work for Zara and Zed to read aloud.  But still.....they get to do things
that are important.  Unlike me.  Someone who was spending time at
University training to become a journalator before the Destruction got in
the way.
     That long-standing bitterness over his greatest ambition in life
being thwarted was why Scali had long ago decided that the only chance he
had of making his dream become a reality was to do something that would
make Zara, Zed or the members of IFB hierarchy like Technical Director
Heller and Operations Chief Arledge recognize his skills.  That would
mean doing something that the IFB had been unable to do before that would
get them a story of interest.  
     That was why he had approached Aurelius.  For some time, during the
course of working for Zed on the triad broadcasts, he'd heard the
sportscaster and co-anchor of the news remark how much he'd love to have
a one-on-one interview with the refugee from the Colonies who had
accompanied Ila on the journey.  A man known to have been in cryogenic
suspension at the time of the Destruction for over thirty yahrens and
who'd been found in the wreckage of an experimental lab by the
Sagittarian Resistance only recently.  Only to suffer serious facial
burns in a last ditch suicide raid by a Cylon base commander who had
refused to accept the reality of the Peace Treaty between the Resistance
and Governor Malus, and which had led to him joining Ila's journey back
so he could get facial restoration surgery on the Galactica, which was an
option not available to him in the Colonies.  
     Scali had heard Zed talk about how he'd approached the man while he
was still 
recovering in the Galactica Life Station from facial alteration and
offered him copies of rare recordings of historic triad matches from what
Zed guessed would have been "his" era from more than ninety yahrens ago. 
Including the famous match when the legendary Barilko scored an
unforgettable winning shot at the buzzer in what proved to be his last
game before dying in an off-season shuttle crash.  Aurelius had
gratefully accepted the copies and thanked Zed for his courtesy and
kindness......but had declined the offer of a full interview on the IFB. 
Too much traumatic shock over the changes in his life.
     Seeing how much it would mean to Zed if an interview with Aurelius
could be arranged, Scali had decided on his own to see if he could bring
it about.  Without letting Zed know, he had begun to learn as much as he
could about the man named Aurelius.  Discovering that he was settled now
into a job with the Viper launch and maintenance crew aboard the
Galactica where he answered to Master Chief Varica.  Discovering that
he'd become close to Commander Adama's family, especially Adama and Ila's
eldest grandchild, Boxey.  Also learning from one member of the launch
crew that while Aurelius was a reasonably pleasant individual who was
also remarkably physically fit for a man who technically was in his
nineties (though because of his thirty yahrens in suspension he could
pass for a man of sixty), he also had his quirks.  Never volunteering
details about his past beyond the fact that he'd once had a tour of duty
in his youth in the Service flying Mark I vipers aboard the Battlestar
Bellepheron.  While no one in the launch crew ever dared raise the
subject of why Aurelius had been in suspended animation at the time of
the Destruction, the fact that he wasn't willing to share any other
details about his life made it hard to bond with him.  Aurelius was a
good worker and a good colleague, and on rare occasions they might even
play a hand of Pyramid with him, but after more than eight sectars, he
was an even bigger enigma than when he first came to the Fleet.
     There was one tantalizing detail Scali had picked up when he'd
managed to get one member of the launch crew to talk to him about
Aurelius (but only after he'd gotten him both a black market bottle of
Protean ambrosia).  The matter of insignia regarding past military
service that Aurelius wore on his maintenance uniform.
     "He's always made it a point of saying he served on the
Bellepheron," the maintenance colleague had told Scali.  "And yet he
doesn't wear the insignia from that ship."
     "Insignia?" Scali had asked, intrigued.
     "Yeah.  You know how anyone who served on a destroyed battlestar can
get the insignia of their old ship to put on their uniforms?  Well the
insignia he put on his shoulder isn't from the Bellepheron, it's from the
Excelsia."
     "How do you know that?"
     "Hey, I always knew what each ship's insignia looked like.  We used
to handle vipers from all the different ships in the Fleet before the
Destruction and you pick up right away which insignia belongs to which
ship."
     Scali had frowned, "He would have had to ask specifically for the
Excelsia in order to get their insignia."
     "Exactly.  So that means he served aboard that ship too, and if he
thinks he should wear that ship's insignia, clearly that has more meaning
to him than the Bellepheron ever did.  And yet, he's always indicated
that his only tour of service duty was aboard the Bellepheron."
     "Have you talked to anyone else about that?" Scali had gently
probed.
     "Not me," the maintenance tech had said, "Aurelius is too good a
tech, and because he's also tight with the Commander's whole family,
better to not antagonize him.  If he wants to keep his secrets about his
past, that's his business." he paused, "I doubt you're going to get him
to open up or agree to any kind of interview."
     "Hey, you can't blame a guy for trying." 
     And try he did.  Which was why when he'd spotted the man he knew to
be Aurelius at the Triad Match, he decided to take the bold step of
approaching him, with the cover story that the request came from Zed
personally (knowing that if Aurelius agreed, Zed would gladly back up his
story).  In his enthusiasm though, he hadn't prepared himself for such a
quick and abrupt blow-off.  And now, he realized that he'd let his
enthusiasm over his future prospects keep him from acting with more
methodical precision.  If he was going to get the mysterious Aurelius to
agree to an interview, he was going to have to make impossible for
Aurelius to refuse the idea.
     And that would mean he'd have to do some more digging into
Aurelius's background.  Making use of what little he knew and finding out
if maybe the vast resources of Fleet records and archival data might
provide some clues as to just who Aurelius really was.
     Or had been.

Chapter Two

     "Okay Captain, try it."
     Apollo took a breath as he pressed the button on his instrument
panel.  As soon as he he then focused his eyes on the switch that
controlled the cockpit canopy.  If his one concern became a reality, then
at least he'd know where the right switch was to get himself out.
     "And.....your ship has just faded away into nothing, Captain!"
Wilker's voice beamed with pride through his headset.  "You're completely
invisible now."
     Apollo looked about and saw that nothing had changed from his
vantage point.  He could still see his instrument panel, as well as the
view of the Launch Bay through his canopy.  Glancing down to his left he
could see Wilker standing near his Viper holding a monitoring device. 
Next to him, Sheba stood with her arms folded, looking up with amazement.
     "I'm not there?" Apollo radioed over the com-channel connecting him
to the Electronics Scientist.
     "All I see is Sheba's Viper, which yours blocked the view of,
Captain," Wilker said.  "And to answer your next question, no I can't see
you all alone in a cockpit.  The shielding also negates the canopy's
transparency.  If you raised your canopy, then you'd be visible to us."
     Apollo pressed the button and his canopy went up.  Immediately,
Sheba burst into laughter.
     "I wish I had a holopic of this!" his wife called up to him, "You
look as if you're suspended in mid-air!"
     "Makes me wonder how enemy ships would react if they just saw a
pilot flying through open space with no ship and suddenly firing on them. 
Could be more effective than having the whole ship cloaked!"  Apollo
chuckled as he reached down and hit the switch that within a centon had
restored his Viper to full visibility.  "Okay.....first test complete. 
Sheba, let's get going for in-flight test and then we'll get underway."
     "Yes, sir!"


     The in-flight testing of the system, done within visual range of the
Fleet had gone off without a hitch on both Apollo and Sheba's Vipers. 
Now, with both ships fully cloaked they were proceeding for the planet
called Niddion to see if it contained any Human survivors.
     "Well, I guess Wilker can puff his chest with pride over this,"
Sheba broke the ice as they settled into their patrol heading.  "A
project of his that went off without any hitches.  Although in this case,
he's just copying what Dr. Arnoff on the Pegasus did."
     "Is Arnoff just as eccentric as Wilker is?" her husband asked as he
settled back in his seat, finding the idea of flying completely invisible
in the stars thrilling, now that his one area of concern had been
dispelled.
     "From what I remember of him, I'd say yes.  It comes out even. 
Arnoff is a bit less talkative than Wilker, but he looks the part of the
eccentric scientist more with the disheveled hair.  Plus he's about
twenty yahrens older than Wilker."
     "Put them in the same lab and they'd probably be at each other's
throats trying to top the other," Apollo chuckled.  "Still.....annoying
as they can be, we'd be in a lot of trouble if we didn't have scientists
like Arnoff and Wilker at our disposal.  
     "Naturally," his wife said, "Boxey will always love Wilker for
creating Muffit."
     "And I'll always owe him one for that," Apollo nodded, "Although of
late Boxey seems to enjoy spending more time with Aurelius than with
Muffit."
     "Yes, he was talking my ear off this morning about what a good time
they had last night," Sheba sighed.  "I'm glad we can trust Aurelius to
be with him."
     "I'm glad too," Apollo then paused slightly, "If I ever had any
doubts about Aurelius----and if I did it was just for a micron or
two----more than enough time's gone by to make me realize he's the
genuine article."
     Sheba didn't respond to him at first.
     "Sheba?" her husband prodded.
     "You mean.....you thought for a micron that maybe.....his interest
in bonding with Boxey, could have been for some kind of......horrible
reason?" she phrased her question delicately.  "A reason that would
explain why he was in cryo-suspension to begin with?"
     Despite her attempt to be subtle, Apollo knew what she meant and he
felt the hair rise on the back of his neck.  But before he could answer,
she then went on with an air of hasty reassurance.
     "Apollo, I actually wondered about that myself for a brief micron. 
He's never acknowledged being married at any time and yes, I'm familiar
with stories about middle-aged to elderly men who are capable of horrible
things like that.  And if he was in cryo because he was trying to escape
from a crime, that's the one thing worse than murder or collaborating
with the Cylons I can think of that would make him so tight-lipped about
his past.  But....he doesn't come off as that kind of man and obviously
Boxey is bright enough to know if someone's a threat to him after
everything else he's had to experience in his life."
     "And if he ever did harm Boxey, Boxey wouldn't hesitate to tell
either of us," Apollo added.  "So yeah,  I agree.  Aurelius is no
predator.  If he were, we'd have seen signs of that long ago from him and
from Boxey."
     "I have my own theory about why he was in cryo," Sheba said.
     "Go on."
     "I don't think he was trying to escape from the law over a crime.  I
think.....whatever the reason was, it was motivated by.....sadness."
     "Sadness?"
     "Sadness, guilt.  Something that.....probably made him not want to
face the people he knew and loved at the time and that if he could find a
way to escape far into the future by going into cryo.....he'd be able to
escape the sadness."
     "It's an interesting theory," Apollo admitted as he glanced down at
his scanner to reconfirm their ETA to the Niddion system.  He could see
his ship's power utilization curve for the cloak was right where Wilker
predicted.  "Is it more than just your intuition that makes you think
that?"
     "It's the vibe I get from him whenever I've talked to him," Sheba
said.  "He's always kind and decent, but.....when we've talked I just get
this underlying sense of sadness from him.  That maybe.....I remind him
of someone he loved."
     "A wife or a child he lost?" Apollo speculated.
     "Maybe.  At the very least, someone close to him.  That's why I
wouldn't feel right asking him about the things he won't talk about.  I
like to think that somehow, someday, he'll have the courage to talk about
it without any prompting from me or anyone else."
     The sound of a chime kept Apollo from responding to her theory.
     "Heads up," his voice regained its command edge.  "ETA to Niddion
system heliopause is just five centons.  Now we find out if the planet
Niddion is still inhabited."


     Eight centars later, the two of them were in Adama's office
undergoing debriefing.  Ila sat off to one side listening in, but since
this was a purely military matter being discussed she wasn't going to say
anything for now.
     "Both Sheba's scan and mine were conclusive," Apollo said.  "There's
one cluster of sentient life forms, 95% probability human, on the
planet."
     "In just one location?" Adama asked.
     "One location," Sheba nodded.  "Our scans also indicated structured
objects in the same location.  If these are the Earth survivors and their
offspring, it looks like they chose to stay in proximity to whatever
complex the Risik originally had on the planet before they abandoned it."
     "But no signs of active technology."
     "Nothing from a spaceflight capacity," Apollo said, "No orbiting
satellites.  No scanning technology or short-range communications
capability.  Whatever technology they have to run their operation is
likely scavenged from whatever the Risik left behind."
     "Interesting.  What about natural resource deposits on the planet? 
Do they have the capability to generate energy and power on a long-term
basis?"
     "If they have it, it isn't from anything we're familiar with," his
son shook his head, "The scan readings show nothing in the way of tylium
or solium deposits.  And cross-checking with resources familiar to Earth
people, only bare trace levels of what they call petroleum or oil.  The
dust levels in the atmosphere would hamper the ability to generate large
levels of solar power even if they had sophisticated panels and we also
didn't detect signs of atomic style reactors."
     Adama leaned back and took this all in, "Melnea's report said that
Niddion needed to have its food resources supplied to them.  If a Human
colony's been able to survive for nearly forty yahrens without access to
outside supply, then at the very least they've done a remarkable job
pooling their resources and banding together."
     "Much like the Caprican Resistance," Apollo looked over at his
mother and smiled at her. Ila returned the smile, but kept her silence.
     "Possibly," his father also smiled in acknowledgment.  "At any rate,
this is more than sufficient for us to proceed with a full reconnaissance
mission to make contact with these people.  I've already told you before
that this has to be handled primarily by Captain Byrne and the Earth
natives, but....I will need one command level Warrior to be in tactical
command of the expedition to accurately explain things from the Colonial
perspective, and to prepare them for meeting our people."
     "I'll do it," Apollo said quickly.  "I've never had a chance to see
how the Earth natives in our ranks perform in a mission setting."
     "So be it.  I am going to let Byrne have full responsibility for
picking who goes on the expedition since he knows these people best.  Any
emergency situation that comes up though, will ultimately be your
responsibility as far as final decisions are concerned."
     "Understood.  I'll try to let him do most of the talking for us."
     It was only after Adama dismissed both Apollo and Sheba that Ila
(after giving both of them a warm hug of departure) finally decided it
was time to reveal her thoughts.
     "It'll be interesting to find out just how many people are in
this.....colony if you can call it that," the President said. 
"Especially if they're only concentrated in one area like the preliminary
scan indicates."
     "How so?" her husband actually had some inclinations on what that
meant, but he wanted to hear her thoughts without any preliminary
comments from him.
     "If it's just one group of say......a hundred or two hundred in a
confined location that's had to struggle and scavenge to maintain
themselves, then I think we could be facing an all or nothing situation."
     "Meaning either all of them will join us, or none of them," Adama
could tell she was thinking along the same lines he was, "Because if a
large percentage left, it would make it impossible for those who stayed
behind to maintain operations with significantly depleted numbers."
     "Exactly," Ila nodded.  "Now maybe in that context, a stray one or
two could go without impeding operations, but not a large number.  It's
the reason why the Resistance could conceive of sending me into space all
by myself to try and get help, but even if Ravashol had been able to
develop some kind of craft that could accommodate a large number of
people to go into space, we would have faced the problem of what would
happen to our secure colony underground if we lost too many key
personnel."
     "It's the same with our own policy with the Fleet," her husband
noted, "That's why when I granted the settlement requests for the New
Caprica inhabitants, it had to be capped to no more than two dozen."
     "That's right," Ila nodded, "And wasn't that the first time you ever
granted permission to anyone to leave the Fleet?  I know you were pretty
strict about not letting anyone leave in the early days.  That's why
Wallis and Kelli, the agro-couple I knew on the Pegasus, had jumped ship
from the Fleet at Brylon after you'd turned them down."
     "Yes, that's true," Adama acknowledged.  "I was very strict in those
days because I feared letting so much as one person leave would set a
dangerous precedent.  New Caprica was different because of the potential
it had to offer for a band of enterprising settlers.  And the fact that
we're closer to Earth now makes it less likely that we'll ever see a push
for a mass Exodus of people in the Fleet.  But obviously for a colony
like this one on Niddion, it's an entirely different situation.  If a
sizable minority to small majority wanted to leave it could prove most
awkward."
     "And it would require some very careful diplomacy to iron things
out," she paused, "Do you really think Captain Byrne is up to handling
that kind of challenge?  He's a capable man, but he doesn't strike me as
someone who has a feel for diplomacy."
     "That's why it's important that Apollo go as well and be in overall
command.  I want Byrne to have some free rein because he'd be dealing
with his own people and should theoretically know how to deal better
directly with them.  But if he's not up to the challenge of handling
difficult matters of negotiating, then Apollo can step in and assume
those tasks."
     The former Academician nodded, "Smart thinking.  Apollo does have
more of a diplomat's instinct than most other warriors," she then added
with maternal pride, "He's got some good genetic instincts for that."
     He smiled back at her.  "And having him there might be necessary if
it turns out the colony has some outsiders in their ranks.  It's always
possible stray Risik were left behind as well when they made their hasty
withdrawal during the time of the Ke'Zar invasion and Byrne would be less
capable of handling matters with them."
     "In that case, maybe we should send one of the dissidents in our
ranks as an observer?" Ila offered, "Not Melnea, but maybe the
journalator Samlik?"
     Adama shook his head, "My instinct says no to that.  If there are no
Risik who stayed behind, then I'm sure the very sight of one would be
more apt to evoke hostility in those who'd been their prisoners."
     "Fair point," Ila conceded, "But if there are no Risik and these
people are bitter about them, then Apollo and Byrne would have to be
candid about the fact that we do have Risik dissenters in our midst. 
Maybe not a significant number, but we certainly can't expect to induce
them to come with us and withhold so vital a matter until after they've
come."
     "True.  I'll give them explicit instructions on that.  But not until
they have a sense of the mood of the colony." he paused, "There will be
other factors to consider.  And the most important one is whether or not
this colony can sustain life indefinitely if they chose not to come. 
That's where the most difficult scenario might come into play."
     "You mean forcing them to come with us for their own good if life
can't sustain itself indefinitely?" his wife asked.  He didn't answer but
the look on his face indicated she'd guessed correct.  She then let out
an uneasy sigh, "That would be a terrible burden.  I hope we won't face
anything like that.  If Apollo's right about what the scans for natural
resources indicated and they don't have some other means to generate
long-term power, I'd like to think they'd be sensible enough to recognize
our arrival would be an answered prayer for them."
     "But its always possible that some people could be stubborn even in
the face of evidence that says they have to leave for their own good."  
     "As we're both fond of saying, it's in the hands of the Lords," Ila
said thoughtfully.
     Adama rose, "I think you should brief the Council on this.  I'll get
in touch with Captain Byrne and tell him to start putting a team
together."


     Of all the different aspects of Colonial technology that Captain
Kevin Byrne, USN had been introduced to since his rescue, he found the
Languatron the most convenient of devices.  He appreciated the fact that
this simple device could easily overcome barriers in language and make it
possible to have a real time conversation without the cumbersome element
of a human translator.  Not just with the Colonials and the other alien
races, but also the fact that he could converse with his fellow Earth
natives who came from different nations and didn't speak good English. 
That was especially helpful now as he sat in his office/quarters aboard
the Constellation and spoke with the most recent Earth native arrival to
the Fleet.  Captain Pyotr Kamanev of the Russian spacecraft Terashkova.  
     "I'd like you to be part of this expedition to the planet Niddion,"
Byrne was saying.
     The former cosmonaut was surprised, "I am flattered, Captain Byrne. 
But....I do not see how I could be helpful.  Do you suspect there might
be Russians among the people living there?"
     "We don't know that.  But if there are any, that will be helpful. 
Especially since unlike Captain Zhukov or Anna Popova, your experience
postdates the fall of the Soviet Empire which is something these people
are likely unaware of.  It will be easier to explain the situation on
Earth as you knew it to those who might still think the old Cold War
isn't completely over."
     "Da," he nodded, "That is true.  Viktor and Anna have told me that
they were abducted before the final dissolution.  But I was not abducted
by the Risik."
     "But your survival experience with the crew of the Rambler is more
comparable to what they've probably gone through since the Risik
abandoned the planet," Byrne pointed out, "That will help a good deal in
making the case for why it's going to be in their best interests to come
with us."
     The Russian chuckled, "If they've spent all this time in conditions
like what I went through with Rankin, Darius and the others......I can't
imagine they'll need any prompting from me."
     "Perhaps not," Byrne admitted, "But Commander Adama wants me to pick
a team that these people can connect with right away as people they can
trust and identify with.  That's why I'd like you to be part of it."
     "You are not ordering me?"
     "I could, but I'd rather you see the wisdom of going yourself."
     Kamanev smiled, "You put it that way, Captain Byrne.....how could I
possibly refuse?"
     Byrne rose and extended his hand, "Welcome to the team, Pyotr."


     The next day, Apollo took a shuttle to the Constellation to confer
with Byrne and to also meet firsthand the members of the team who'd been
selected for the mission.  In addition to Pyotr Kamanev, there were also
four former prisoners from Ne'Chak, all of them active military members. 
Captain Ian Ashby of the British Army, and senior officer of the Ne'Chak
contingent would act as Byrne's second in command for the mission since
Byrne had decided to give his friend Cedric Allen a respite from this
assignment (especially with Allen's wife Kalysha due to give birth in the
next few sectans).  Others, drawn from both Constellation and Adelaide
included people Apollo was already acquainted with like Lauren Wagner and
USMC Lieutenant Amy Sanderson who'd be flying co-pilot with Apollo on the
shuttle.  The final one, Corporal Michael Forrest of the Royal Australian
Army, Apollo hadn't seen since the Welcome Aboard party aboard the Rising
Star nearly two yahrens ago.  He was surprised to learn that Forrest, in
the time since, had finally married his fellow Ne'Chak prisoner Catherine
Seymour, the mother of his two children, one born before the liberation,
the other shortly afterwards.
     The non-Earthers Byrne had selected were the Constellation's Chief
Medical officer, Dr, Rena along with Nestor, her chief Med-Tech.  After
approving these choices, Apollo had decided to add  two members from
Colonial Security for the mission.  Sergeant Thomson, who had served with
distinction during operations on the so-called "Weather Planet", and
Sergeant Micah, the step-brother of Constellation's XO, Captain Dante. 
The presence of more regulars from the Colonial ranks would help keep the
Earth natives of Niddion from drawing the wrong conclusion that the Fleet
consisted primarily of Earth natives.  With that work complete, Apollo
stayed behind on the Constellation in guest quarters in order for the
shuttle to depart directly from Constellation the next day with no need
to relocate the team to the Galactica for the night.
     The evening aboard the Constellation gave Apollo his best
opportunity to see how the Ne'Chak prisoners had adjusted to life in the
Fleet since he'd spent no time on the former Zykonian pirate ship in the
last yahren.  The detail that impressed him most was how these people
never grumbled, at least openly, about any aspect of day-to-day life in
the Fleet.  No complaints about the size of their quarters.  No
complaints about the quality of the food.  No complaints on the
limitations in where they could go in the Fleet and when.  The very
subjects that often permeated the idle chatter in the pilots barracks
aboard the Galactica or in the Officers Club were not to be found here. 
The only subject that he heard any grumbling about was the matter of
uniform regulations.  Amy Sanderson confessed to him at dinner in the
Ward Room that she still didn't like having to wear a Colonial uniform
off the Constellation and she liked it even less when once every two
sectans, Captain Byrne made Colonial battle dress the "uniform of the
day".  Still, she acknowledged most of her fellow Earthers had learned to
accept the uniform regulation out of a sense of camaraderie with their
Colonial compatriots.  And because Earth no longer seemed far off to
them, it was easier to now see it as a short-term sacrifice.
     But that, Apollo knew, was comparatively speaking a minor issue
compared to the ones that they didn't complain about.  And it underscored
the big difference between them and the Colonials.  For them, life in the
Fleet represented a giant step up from the misery and hell they'd endured
in Ne'Chak.  For the Colonials, the Fleet still represented a giant step
down from what they'd known in the Colonies.  And that difference in
perception, Apollo knew, was another reason why only the Earthers held
the key to convincing the inhabitants of Niddion that their best interest
would lie in going home.  Because all of the data he'd seen in the scans
he and Sheba had taken indicated that this was a colony surviving against
impossible odds.
     He spent the evening in what the people preferred to call a "Rec
Hall" instead of the Colonial term "Rejuvenation Center."  The video
monitor offered an alternative to IFB programming in the form of Earth
entertainment videos that had been salvaged from the remains of Byrne's
ship the Saint Brendan as well as the personal effects of the freed
Ne'Chak prisoners.  Although the total number of what they called
"movies" was no more than one hundred titles that had been played
multiple times over the last two yahrens, the Earthers always came back
to give them another look.  For them, it was a tangible reminder of home
and what they looked forward to seeing again.  It was the same with the
limited number of Earth books and literature that had survived.  Denise
Hayden, the civilian friend of USN CPO Jessica Clemens, was reportedly on
her 20th re-reading of her cherished paperback copy of the Sue Grafton
mystery novel "F Is For Fugitive."  And Father Fisher, the Anglican
priest who had his own quarters on the Adelaide, had told Apollo more
than once how he'd re-read his personal copy of the Earth Holy Book, the
Bible from front to back more than fifty times since his captivity.  
     I wish I had more time to study that Book, Apollo thought as he
watched the Earth movie called "North By Northwest" with largely
indifferent eyes.  I know Father's gone over the transcribed and
translated copy a lot because he enjoys finding the linkages between it
and the Book of the Word.  I guess maybe I've been too caught up in how I
found my own inner peace in the linkages between the Zohrlochs and our
ancestors.  It's as if I don't feel like I have the time or need to
immerse myself in another religious tradition at this point in my life
because I found what I needed there.  Something that made me at peace
with the fact that I've been a warrior all my life and that I was meant
to be one for this stage of my life.  
     For many yahrens, before and after the Destruction, Apollo had
always found himself wondering if being a warrior was something he'd been
forced to do because of the urgencies of the Cylon war.  Wondering if
he'd been cheated of the opportunity to devote his life to areas of
scholarly and archeological pursuits that he knew his father loved to
read about in his spare time.  Whenever Adama was home on extended leave,
Apollo always enjoyed talking to him more about the ancients than about
whatever military campaigns he'd just been in.  To Apollo, that
represented the basis for the close father-son bond they'd shared more
than anything else.
     But the needs of Colonial civilization and the responsibility of
being the firstborn son of the House of Adama had meant that Apollo was
predestined for the life of a warrior from the outset.  Because Adama had
told him how much sacrifice the people had been forced to endure over the
course of the thousand yahren war, Apollo had accepted his path without
offering protest or resistance.  To do so would have meant dishonoring
the one man he admired above all others.  As Apollo had told him once,
"my values rise and fall with yours."  
     And he'd entered the Academy, graduated with distinction and served
admirably aboard the Galactica, rising to the rank of Strike Captain and
Squadron Leader.  Enduring the scars of campaigns fought, culminating in
the Destruction and Exodus.  The personal joys and losses with Serina,
which brought Boxey into his life and then a new chance at happiness with
Sheba.  Always knowing that he'd done his job well and showed he had the
ability to be a great warrior.  But never able to shake the feeling that
it was only the accident of time and circumstance that had set him down
that path, changing what he might have been best cut out for in life. 
That was why when he'd skipped shaving for two days during a furlon and
seen how much Sheba reacted positively to it, it gave him the courage to
do what he'd always wanted to do and stand up to the regulation that
mandated no beards for warriors.  It had been his way of making a
personal statement that the regulated minutiae of a Colonial warrior's
life, especially when it came to a daily ritual he hated deeply, wasn't
something he'd have sought in a different time and place.
     But it wasn't until he'd learned from Sargamesh, the back history of
the Zohrloch race and their stunning genetic connections to the ancient
Kobollians that Apollo finally found what he'd always needed in his life
to chase away the underlying doubt and resentments about life forcing him
to become a warrior dealing with the stress of combat and death on a
constant basis.  He needed a true account rooted in the ancients that
went beyond the shrouded mythologies in Colonial society that weren't
found in the Book of the Word about who the ancient warriors of Kobol
were, and how they lived and conducted themselves.  The Zohrloch accounts
of those who had shaped their concept of honor and tradition in how they
fought had made Apollo see for the first time that his interest in the
ancient past and becoming a warrior were two sides of the same coin. 
That to have become a mere scholar or archeologist instead of a warrior
would have produced more restlessness and unfulfillment in his life than
anything he'd felt inside before that. He could now see that he had
fulfilled his divine destiny in life by becoming a warrior.  And because
it was Sargmesh and the Zohrolochs who had provided him with that key,
that was why he had taken the bold stop of undergoing their ancient rite
of passage ceremony.  Embracing the Zohrloch look by growing his hair
long into the equitail with its Warrior's band and taking their warrior's
oath had allowed him to bond with the true essence of the Kobollian
warrior tradition that he had needed to find in his personal journey. 
When he had seen himself transformed after that ceremony, he'd felt a
sense of inner peace and equilibrium like nothing he'd ever felt before. 
For the first time, he truly knew who and what he was, and why he would
remain a warrior until the day when he knew his life's work as a warrior
would be complete.  That inner peace had also, Apollo knew, made him a
better husband, father and man as well as a better warrior.  And since
then, he'd never forgotten his gratitude to Sargamesh and his people for
what they'd given him.  Twice each sectan, he always set aside a centar
in the total privacy of his chambers so he could practice  Zohrlochian
meditation rituals that were also part of their warrior tradition during
the times of inactivity that could dull a warrior's sense of perception
and precision.  They were the only times when Sheba and Boxey knew it was
absolutely important not to intrude on him for any reason short of an
all-out attack or a dire family emergency.  He found those meditative
sessions equally helpful in keeping focused as a warrior, as well as
feeling that bond to the ancients he cherished so much.
     Ironically, Apollo's acceptance of being a warrior as his one true
calling had coincided with Sheba's increased doubts about whether being a
warrior was what she truly would have chosen for herself in an ideal
world, free from the responsibility of being Commander Cain's only child. 
Whereas before, Sheba instinctively thought of herself as her father's
daughter, born to the military life, of late she'd been candid with
Apollo that as a child, part of her had wanted to follow her mother's
path of acting on a stage.  For yahrens, she'd submerged that feeling
because of the way she'd learned to channel her inherited instincts as
Cain's daughter into becoming a great warrior in her own right, but
hindsight had made her wonder if that open boasting of being "my father's
daughter" and embracing that tough-as-nails warrior image had only been a
great acting job on her part.  An acting job that had made her draw even
more from the gifts her mother Bethany had possessed throughout her own
legendary career on the Caprican stage so she could convince herself that
a warrior was the only thing she'd been meant to be.
     Apollo knew it wasn't marriage and motherhood that had produced
these inner doubts in Sheba.  She said she'd felt them starting to creep
in after the separation from her father and before she and Apollo had
come together.  When suddenly, free from his constant presence in her
life, she had the ability to take a step back and be more detached about
how her life had unfolded and why she could see how she'd been left with
no choice but to follow the path she'd taken.  The pressure of being
Cain's only child was simply too great that it had become too easy and
inevitable for her to follow that path.  Had she shown any outward
resistance at the time, then she knew her father would have pushed
harder.
     But what really opened up the doubts in her about her calling were
the horrific experiences she'd undergone at the hands of Count Iblis. 
The way she'd been so easily manipulated into trusting the mysterious
stranger when he'd first appeared to them had violated every sixth sense
instinct that she knew a warrior should have demonstrated.  Had Iblis
found that her greatest weakness was that deep down, she only knew how to
act the part of being a warrior?  That question had never left her mind. 
The subsequent experiences with Iblis, in which she now knew his true
nature had only amplified them.  She'd stood her ground against him on
the Derelict, but that had only made Iblis come after her again in a way
where like his first effort, her sixth sense instinct had failed to kick
in.  The fantasy illusion of being transported with Apollo to a Paradise
world where they could forget their pasts and simply enjoy the pleasure
of each other's company while having new children of their own.  Even
though Apollo too had fallen victim to the illusion for what had seemed
like yahrens of their lives, he at least had been first to realize all
was not as it should be.  And when the truth of the illusion had been
forced upon Sheba, it had left her traumatized and scarred for a long
time afterwards to the point where she had nearly attempted suicide.
     Time had healed the scars of that horrific experience, especially
with the birth of Bethany Two.  As well as an inner sense of certainty in
Sheba that when they arrived on Earth, Iblis would in fact be beaten once
and for all and have no more ability to inflict terror on their lives. 
But with that certainty was a clear, unshakable belief that Iblis would
make one last effort to take Sheba for himself.  The revelation of what
they knew he had subjected Cain's second wife, Captain Kylie to, by
denying her the ability to have children of her own with Cain (the price
she had paid to free the enslaved warrior Ensign Wynn from Iblis's
bondage) meant that Iblis was determined for some reason to see Sheba's
status as Cain's only child maintained in order to carry out his ultimate
plan.  And both Apollo and Sheba knew that given the vast power Iblis
possessed, even the greatest of warrior's sixth sense instinct might not
be able to discern how he'd accomplish that.  That had been why the
Paradise illusion had fooled them for what had seemed so long.  Apollo
could only pray that he and Sheba both would be prepared for when that
moment of challenge came again in their lives.  And that they would deal
with it and triumph.
     That lingering threat of Iblis was why Apollo had been encouraging
Sheba to bury her inner doubts about what her true calling in life might
have been.  If she still felt that her true calling should have been as
an actress on the stage like her mother, she could always do that when
they reached Earth and settled into new lives.  For now, she had to let
the tug of being a warrior come first.  And that meant going beyond the
usual "I am my father's daughter" mentality and applying the skills she
possessed from her maternal side as well that could make her a better
warrior for the remainder of this long, difficult journey that still had
approximately two yahrens to go.  Earth's sun was now close enough to be
discerned amidst the myriad backdrop of stars that lay before them, but
it was still distant enough for them to know that their hopes and dreams
for the future could still be easily destroyed in an instant......if they
didn't live up to the task.
     May we face that challenge bravely and with open eyes, he thought. 
His eyes still focused blankly on the movie but not comprehending at all
the plot or the action. 
     "What did you think?"
     The sound of Captain Dante's voice jolted him back to reality.  The
Constellation XO was seated on the other side of the couch Apollo had
been seated on.  
     "Oh....." Apollo shook his head, "Sorry.  I think most of it went
over my head."
     "The plot really doesn't make any sense if you analyze it too much,"
the Earth civilian Josh Ryan spoke up, "The man who made the film,
Hitchcock, was more about visual style and mood, like that scene where
the hero is being chased by the cropdusting plane, and the climax scene
on the mountain.  If you enjoyed those scenes you don't care if the plot
doesn't add up."
     "I'll keep that in mind next time," Apollo rose from his chair.  "I
think I'll turn in now."
     "Good luck with the mission," Dante said, "And Captain....thanks for
letting Micah take part in it.  I know it means a lot to him to finally
take part on a planetary mission."
     Apollo gave him a polite nod and left to return to his guest
quarters.  But he knew he wouldn't be going to sleep right away.  The
lengthy period of mental distraction he'd just gone through made him
realize that tonight, on the eve of a very important mission for the
Fleet, he needed to be at the top of his game mentally tomorrow.  And he
knew exactly how to get himself to that level.  
     The instant he was in his room and the door securely locked, he
stripped down to his briefs, sat on the floor in a cross-legged position
and with his eyes closed and his hands on his knees, spent the next
centar engaged in the Zohrlochian meditation practice that Sargamesh had
taught him.  And once again, he felt the wave of inner peace and
confidence in his warrior skills return to him as he felt his inner
spirit reach out to the ways of the ancient Kobollians he sought to
emulate and live by.  In these sessions of deep meditation that he had
come to love and cherish, Apollo was able to see himself as one of the
ancients.  Living in that pre-Exodus Golden Age of Kobol and doing the
bidding of the Lords by faithfully observing the honored traditions the
Lords themselves had laid down to their Warrior servants.  The noblest
and greatest time in all of Human history.  
     He would fall asleep later knowing he was more than ready for
tomorrow.

     When word came down to the Colonial Security Division that two
members would be needed for the upcoming assignment on the planet
Niddion, Sergeant Komma was glad that Lieutenant Castor, the head of the
Division, hadn't picked him.  Even though the purpose of Colonial
Security in the pre-Destruction period had been to assume the role of
heading planetary expeditions and leave the pilots to flying, Komma never
enjoyed it.  The one time post-Destruction that he'd left the Galactica,
in the mission to the so-called "Weather Planet", he'd gone through an
unpleasant experience of crash-landing a shuttle when it got caught up in
a cyclone.  The mission had also killed a good friend of his from the
division, Corporal Jacob.  After that experience, he'd increased his
off-duty time helping Dr. Wilker's technical crew in the Lab to the point
where he knew he'd be considered too indispensable to ever be risked on a
planetary assignment again.  He was glad that had stayed true when Castor
picked Sergeant Micah, and another veteran of the Weather Planet mission,
Sergeant Thomson, instead.
     Now, he could go back to the duty he generally enjoyed in helping to
maintain the Fleet's Personnel Database.  This was the kind of
bureaucratic work that other guards might have learned to despise, but
Komma found he enjoyed it.  Especially since it gave him a chance to
organize the scattered archival data throughout the Fleet and update the
records of every man, woman and child who was part of the 70,000 enduring
this multi-yahren journey through the stars.  Honing his skills in this
kind of archival work, he'd discovered, also improved his ability to
excel in the Tech Division when he worked there.
     "Excuse me?"
     Komma looked up from his desk and saw a young man in his
mid-twenties standing in the doorway, wearing civilian clothes.
     "Do you have a security pass for this area?" he said carefully as he
rose, making sure the man saw he was wearing his laser belt though he
made no move for it.
     "Oh yes!  Yes!"  He said apologetically as he flashed the special
pass for the Galactica issued to civilian visitors.  "My name is Scali. 
I'm a researcher for the IFB and I have a question regarding some Fleet
personnel records we might be interested in for a story."
     Satisfied with the man's credentials, Komma resumed his seat.  "Okay
Scali.  What are you looking for?"
     "Does the Fleet have crew personnel data on the destroyed
battlestars from the last thirty or forty yahrens?"
     Komma's eyebrows went up, "All the battlestars?"
     "Well.....actually I'm-we're only interested in one battlestar.  The
Excelsia."
     "Oh," Komma couldn't remember the last time he got this kind of
request.  "Is there someone specific who served on her you want traced? 
That'd be easier with a general name search if I have those records keyed
in.  But I've got to warn you, there are limits on how much data we've
got.  Fleet Central Records in the Colonies was responsible for the
historical database on Warriors past and present, and individual
battlestars didn't necessarily carry all of that material because of the
storage limit issues.  Those old files took up a lot of comp space which
is why they always got deleted after a certain period."
     "I'm interested more in a general crew list that goes back thirty to
forty yahrens ago.  In fact, to be honest I want for that time frame
only.  Not recent crew rosters."
     Komma shook his head, "That's going to take time to check.  A lot of
historical files the Galactica didn't have at the time of the Destruction
have been reconstructed from networking into the databases other ships
have carried, and also the individual contributions some people have made
to rebuilding the Archive.  And even then, that's a bit of a longshot
that we'd automatically have any crew rosters that far back, let alone
for a specific ship like the Excelsia."
     "About how long would it take?" Scali tried to make his voice not
sound anxious.  He knew there was no need to overly rush this matter. 
Only find confirmation whether helpful data was available or not.
     The Security Guard and tech wizard shrugged, "Mabye two days tops
but I think I can have something tomorrow on whether I can help you or
not.  You sure you can't narrow it just to one specific name?  If it's
someone who's alive and registered in the Fleet the service record would
indicate if he served aboard the Excelsia or not, even if it was thirty
or forty yahrens ago."
     "No, that won't do," Scali shook his head.  "A full crew roster for
that period would really be the most helpful thing for this project."
     "What kind of a project?" Komma decided it was time to probe on this
point.
     "It's historical in nature, that's all I can say," Scali had decided
going in that he wasn't going to give one of those, 'I'm just following a
directive, I wouldn't know' kind of answers.  He had to give some general
hints to convey the idea that this was a legitimate IFB project and not
something he was fishing for on his own.  "And if we had a full crew list
for the period, it would go a lot further in helping the project."
     Komma tried not to roll his eyes.  Is the IFB this starved for story
ideas?  But he knew there wasn't anything that could justify refusing the
request.  
     "All right, give me a telecom or personal comp ID that I can reach
you at, and I'll get back to you if I find anything.  I'll try to send
attached files if any exist, but if you want hard copies you'll have to
come back here."
     "Attached files will be fine," Scali nodded, "Thanks Sergeant."
     "Anytime."
     The IFB statistician left with a sense that he hadn't failed but was
still a long ways from succeeding.  Even so, he was glad he'd made a
first effort toward finding out if any archival data could shed some more
light on the mysterious man named Aurelius, who'd become such a close
friend of the Commander's family.
     As he walked away, from behind an unseen presence emerged and
watched him with a careful, but suspicious eye of discernment.
     This one bears watching, Helena thought.  Just in case.

Chapter Three

     Apollo decided to let Amy Sanderson handle the bulk of the shuttle
flying during the journey to Niddion, which took nearly a full centar. 
Although both Byrne and Cedric Allen had trained themselves to fly
Vipers, Amy was the only one of the Ne'Chak prisoners who'd received any
kind of flight training.  Boomer had been her instructor and according to
the report Apollo had consulted, she'd proved to be a quick study and
received high marks.  Throughout the journey he could see why, as Amy
handled the controls with ruthless and methodical precision.  
     "You're doing well, Lieutenant," Apollo said as the scanner revealed
the early indications of the star system that was known as Gliese 12 on
Earth star charts and which Niddion was located in.
     "Thank you, sir," Amy didn't look at him, her expression
stone-faced.  He wondered if that was out of deference to the
command-rank structure or if it was due to a lack of comfort interacting
with Colonial personnel.  The one negative vibe he'd come away with about
the Marine Lieutenant was that she seemed distinctly ill-at-ease in the
presence of Colonials and only seemed to loosen up among her fellow
Earthers.
     Apollo rose from his seat and waited for just a micron to see if her
concentration would be affected if he left her alone to fly for just a
few centons.  If she'd turned her head around to see where he was going,
he would have immediately resumed his seat.  But she continued to face
forward and showed not the slightest emotion when he got up, so he
carried on and headed to the front row where Byrne had been conversing
with Captain Ashby and Lauren Wagner.
     "We should be on the ground in another fifteen centons," Apollo
said.  "I intend to put us down as close to the complex as possible."
     "Are we going to use that thing in the back?" Ashby asked.
     "If you mean the landram, no Captain Ashby we're not going to use it
if we're close enough to where they are, because that might seem like
we're greeting them with hostility."
     "The landrams have a laser cannon mounted on the roof," Byrne leaned
over and explained.  "There's no mistaking them as a weapon of war."
     "Ah," the British captain nodded.  "Yes, not a good idea to look
like we're coming in with guns blazing.  I take it that's also why you
had us wear our Class B uniforms instead of  desert camis even though the
climate would have been more suitable for the latter?"
     "It's important they know right away which service branches you
belong to and wearing those 'camis' as you call them would have make you
blend together too much," Apollo said, "I know it might be discomforting
for a bit, but it shouldn't be intolerable," he then cracked a smile. "At
least unlike me and Sergeants Thomson and Micah, you won't have to wear a
jacket."
     "Thank you, sir," Lauren returned the smile which made the three men
laugh.  Apollo took advantage of the moment to get in something he'd
wanted to say to her specifically, remembering as he did, her attitude
about the Risik in the early days following her arrival in the Fleet.
     "That reminds me, Sergeant.  These people are undoubtedly going to
have some long and bitter memories of the Risik and how they were treated
by them, just as you have your memories about how you were treated.  When
you interact with them----,"
     "I won't try to reinforce any of it," Lauren said with reassurance. 
"My days of being a hothead about them are over, Captain.  I know we have
to make sure there'll be prepared to accept the fact we have Risik
dissenters living among us and reinforcing their existing prejudices,
however justified, doesn't help the mission."
     "Thank you, Sergeant," Apollo marveled at how after more than two
yahrens, Lauren had left nearly all of the fury she'd carried within her
behind.  A stark contrast from what he remembered in those days with her
raging, in-your-face invective when she'd been allowed to interrogate the
notorious Risik prisoners Raduztak, Lemeshik and Tsernavia.  And how she
hadn't held back with those prisoners who were not guilty of crimes like
Sub-Commander Morovik, who'd been eventually released.
     I guess that's more proof of how being in love can make you look at
the universe differently, Apollo thought.  He knew how intense the
relationship was between Lauren and Lieutenant Castor, the head of
Colonial Security and her compatriot in Elite Squadron and that there was
a definite understanding between the two that they'd get married once
they arrived on Earth.  It had made a world of difference for both of
them.  And he'd seen many other cases of that throughout the Fleet. 
Bojay and Gayla.  Rigel and Omega.  Major Croft, the head of Elite
Squadron and Dr. Tarnia, the Fleet's resident psychologist.  Dante and
Lieutenant Hunley.  Jena Byrne and Sire Pelias.  And of course Starbuck
and Cassiopeia,  Boomer and Athena and himself and Sheba.  In all of
those cases, Apollo could say with confidence that the relationships and
commitments that had been made had changed every one of those individuals
for the better.  And he could even throw in his own parents, now that
they were together again and also Cain and his young bride, Captain
Kylie.
     Humans were not meant to be solitary creatures, he thought as he
resumed his seat up front in the forward cockpit.  And thank the Lords
for that!
     "Five....centons to orbital insertion," Lieutenant Sanderson
reported.  The deliberate pause a careful reminder to her to use Colonial
measurements in this setting.
     "You have the controls Lieutenant," Apollo said and rehitched his
harness, taking in the view of the approaching planet as it half-filled
the forward ports. "Take us in."
     "Yes sir."


     The middle rows of the shuttle saw the Earthers congregated
together.  Each of them offering their speculations about these past
victims of Risik abduction and how many second generation children had
been born to them.  Pyotr Kamenev, the most recent arrival sat in the
next to last row with Dr. Rena and Med-Tech Nestor since his experience
in which he'd been marooned on the same planet with the survivors of the
Colonial ship Rambler had left him more comfortable in the presence of
Colonials than the non-Russian Ne'Chak prisoners.  That left the other
two Colonials, Sergeant Thomson and Sergeant Micah in the back row to
talk among themselves.
     "Have you done a planetary mission before?" Thomson asked his
colleague.
     "Never," Micah shook his head.  "I wasn't in Security,
pre-Destruction remember?"
     His colleague nodded, "That's right.  I forgot.  You actually had a
commission once, didn't you?"
     "Yeah, but in the Fleet Special Investigating Division, which meant
I never had full Warrior training.  When I resigned my commission to work
for my great-grandfather's company, I was ineligible to have my
commission reactivated when I re-enlisted after the Destruction."
     Thomson shook his head in amazement, "I'm surprised you never
resented that."
     "If I'd rejoined the peacetime military in the Colonies I would
have, but I see this whole thing as a different job entirely from what I
did before," Micah kept his tone nonchalant.  "As far as I'm concerned
that earlier tour of mine might as well have been a different life
altogether."
     "Yeah, I guess that's true for most people who weren't in the
Service at the time of the Destruction," Thomson admitted and then
decided to switch gears, "By the way, whatever happened between you and
that computer whiz who was training for Viper duty?"
     "If you mean Miranda, we're finished," Micah didn't look at him.
     "Oh?" this was a surprise to Thomson, "I thought the two of you were
going to get sealed."
     "Things happen," he said simply, still facing forward.  "You think
you know someone well, and the next thing you know you find out you
didn't know them as well as you thought you did.  That's why we broke
up."
     Thomson shook his head slightly.  He and Micah hadn't crossed paths
too often, since for a long time Micah had the specific duty of attending
to the IL Cylon Septimus during the lengthy period when Septimus had been
kept in a non-ambulatory condition.  Even after Micah had been relieved
from that duty when the Cylons on Baltar's baseship finally agreed to let
Septimus be restored to full ambulatory condition, Thomson and he hadn't
seen each other much.  But Thomson could remember other guards like Komma
telling him how crazy Micah was about the computer whiz named Miranda,
who was training for viper duty, and how close Micah was to Miranda's
brother Meshach and their inner circle, which included the gifted
computer prodigy Copernicus.
     "Well cheer up," he decided it was time to show some empathy,
"Whatever happened between you two doesn't compare with how I got burned
by a female."
     Micah glanced at him quizzically, "That Kian woman from the Weather
Planet mission?"
     "No, not her.  There was never anything there, we just happened to
be working together trapped in a cave when things went haywire on the
planet.  Although she made it hard for me to concentrate when she decided
to strip down to her Kian cave outfit to let herself 'breathe' as she put
it.  But I never forgot she was already married to that other Kian she
works with on the Agro-Ship and if I'd made one move on her, her husband
would have bashed my head with a club when we got back."
     "Who then?"
     Thomson smiled thinly, "Remember a couple yahrens back when I was
out of commission for a sectan in the Life Station?"
     Micah slowly nodded, "Yeah.  Yeah.  But that was an alien intruder,
wasn't it?"
     "An alien that knew how to assume female form," Thomson emphasized,
"Totally different from a Ziklagi shapeshifter because she would kill a
woman and then assume the form of that woman so she could then feed off
the life forms of unsuspecting men.  The technical term I have been told
is a succubon.  It's only because Starbuck arrived with that Empyrean
crone looking for her that she then shoved me aside and I hit my head on
the bulkhead.  Lucky me or I would have been a goner."
     "I never saw a final action report mentioning that," Micah shook his
head.
     "Castor kept it on a need to know basis only after the whole thing
was settled.  So yes, I'm breaking regs by telling you all this, but
frankly I don't give a frack.  If my experience will make you feel better
about how things ended up between you and Miranda, then it'll have been
worth it."
     Micah settled back in his chair.  This revelation from his colleague
was needed food for thought.  Something that might enable him to put
things in perspective about why his relationship with Miranda had broken
up.  All because of the knotty circumstances surrounding the fact that as
part of the 'hacker collective' with the gifted Copernicus, they'd  been
manipulated by the late Sire Uri into serving the interests of his
parallel treason plot.  Ever since the Exodus, Miranda and her brother
Meshach had lived in a constant state of worry that their innocent
connection might be discovered one day by those in authority.  Because
Micah had an indirect connection of his own to one of the other
participants in the treason plot, Count Mikkos (owing to the friendship
between Mikkos and Micah's father, Sire Corin) Miranda had approached the
Colonial Security Guard and begun a relationship with him for the sole
purpose of determining if Colonial Security was "on" to her and her
brother.  Once Micah discovered the truth more than a yahren later,
Miranda had told him that she had eventually fallen in love with him for
himself and that they could still become sealed.  It had not been enough
to heal Micah's damaged pride, and so the relationship had ended.
     Maybe I should have been more forgiving, he thought.  I wonder if
she'd talk to me if I got in touch after we get back from this.
     "Okay, listen up.  We'll be on the ground in another centon."
     Apollo's words snapped him back to the present.  Any thoughts of
Miranda and his personal life were now on hold until the end of the
mission.


     Apollo was impressed by how Lieutenant Sanderson handled the change
when the shuttle passed through the upper atmosphere of the planet and
now had to adjust to the weather patterns and increased gravitational
pull.  He'd seen far too many trainees in vipers and shuttles wash out
because they failed to recognize it was different handling them in an
atmosphere compared to the openness of space.  It was clear Amy belonged
to that category of those who had a natural ability that had never been
properly harnessed until now.
     Amy's smooth flying gave him a chance to concentrate on the view in
front of him.  The sky had a reddish tilt to them, clearly the result of
large quantities of dust kicked up into the atmosphere that produced a
perpetual haze.  That undoubtedly accounted for the higher than normal
surface temperatures for a planet that could sustain human life and why
it would have been next to impossible to sustain normal agro-operations
during the time the Risik occupied it.  If this colony had been able to
develop its own indigenous food supply in the forty yahrens since the
Risik evacuation, Apollo had a hunch it was taking place somewhere in an
interior location.
     As the shuttle descended to an altitude of just eight thousand
metrones above the surface, he could now see the clear shapes of a
sprawling complex of buildings that fanned out over some forty or fifty
hectares of space.  He could also see horizontal tracks in the dusty
surface which indicated the presence of surface vehicles though none were
discernible at this point.  At the very least, it confirmed the earlier
scanning data that there were sentient life forms down there.
     "Set it down outside the parameter of those buildings," he gave Amy
her first instruction.  "If we land too close to them, it might startle
them too much.  I want us to have enough time to get outside so they can
see us and know we're Human."
     "A mile good enough?" Amy said and then realizing her goof corrected
herself before Apollo could say anything.  "Sorry....one kilometrone?"
     "That'll do.  Give or take a couple hundred.....yards?"
     Amy glanced at him and smiled faintly as if to indicate her
appreciation for his using the Earth term.  
     "Headed in."


     The shuttle landing was soft and perfect.  After Amy shut down the
engines, Apollo rose and motioned to Byrne to take charge.  The USN
captain immediately gave the order for everyone to fall out.  As a
security precaution, Amy and Sergeant Thomson would stay with the shuttle
until they knew first contact had been safely established.  
     And then as another precaution, Byrne took out something he'd
prepared for this journey.  A four foot pole with a white pillowcase
securely tied to it.  If the inhabitants of this colony had spotted them
during their descent, they had no way of knowing at this point where
these visitors came from, and for all they knew it could be their old
enemy the Risik returning after forty years. With no means of
communicating with them yet, the best option was to wave what Byrne knew
still had to be a universal symbol any native of Earth or their offspring
would recognize.
     When they stepped out of the shuttle, the heat was obvious. 
Discomforting but manageable though Byrne knew right away his Class B uni
would need a good cleaning when they returned.  They moved out toward the
distant complex, visible through the haze in groups of two.  Byrne and
Apollo, followed by Ashby and Lauren, then Forrest and Kamanev followed
by Dr. Rena and the med-tech Nestor.  Sergeant Micah as the odd one out,
brought up the rear to allow for a trained man who could lead everyone
back in case of a sudden retreat.  Except for the medical personnel, all
of them carried firearms, but they were securely holstered for now.  At
the front, Byrne kept waving the pole with the white pillowcase back and
forth at a constant rate.
     They had narrowed the gap to approximately five hundred metrones
when there was a whooshing sound and then an explosion in the ground one
hundred metrones ahead of them.  The ten member party quickly stopped in
their tracks.
     "Hold your position!" Byrne shouted to the others.  "That was meant
to be a warning shot at us.  They could have easily taken us out if
they're using what I think they're using."
     "And that would be?" Apollo felt himself tense.
     "Four hundred meter range.....that means its not an M47 Dragon
caliber, which was in service in the 90s and could go twice as far. 
Probably an older model like an M67 recoilless rifle."
     "Not the most efficient of weapons," Lauren chimed in, "But....still
lethal enough to ward off a small group of hostile visitors."
     Byrne waved the white flag more vigorously from side to side and
decided it was time to take a chance with verbal contact.
     "HELLO!" he shouted at the top of his voice.  "Hold your fire! 
We're friendly!  We're from Earth and we've come to rescue you!"
     There was no immediate response, either verbally or in the form of
another warning shot.
     "Probably watching us," Apollo reasoned and then turned his head
around.  "Everyone in an Earth uniform, form a single line so they can
see all of you!"
     Apollo then took several steps back while the other five Earth
natives in their respective service uniforms moved up alongside Byrne. 
None of them showing the slightest trace of fear.
     Three long centons passed until finally, they heard in the distance
the sound of an engine.  And then.....approaching them was something the
former Ne'Chak prisoners recognized immediately as an older model Risik
ground transport vehicle.  Their counterpart of a jeep.  The vehicle
looked slightly pitted from decades of outside exposure to the outside
air and the wheezing sound of its engine indicated that it wasn't fit for
anything but the shortest range of distance.  Two figures were visible in
the front and in the rear.  Another figure holding what Byrne had
correctly guessed as an M67 US Army recoilless rifle was aiming it
directly at them.
     The vehicle came to a stop some thirty metrones away from the group. 
And then, a harsh male voice spoke in clear American English.
     "Identify yourselves.  Now!"
     Byrne stepped forward, "Captain Kevin Byrne, United States Navy!"
     "Who won the 1988 World Series?" the voice didn't skip a beat.
     "The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Oakland A's, four games to
one!" Byrne responded just as quickly.  "Kirk Gibson hit the dramatic
walk-off home run in Game 1 off Dennis Eckersley when he could barely
walk a step!"
     A long pause and then the figure next to the driver waved his arm
and the one in the back lowered his weapon.  Immediately, the landing
party began to relax.
     Ced, if I ever hear another word from you again on what a boring
game baseball is, I'll hit you over the head with your old cricket bat! 
Byrne thought. 
     "Just stay where you are!" the voice that had spoken before warned. 
And then, the passenger in the front got out and started walking toward
them.  As he drew closer, Byrne could recognize worn looking US Army
green fatigues and a cap.  He looked well-built and healthy but as he
drew closer it was clear this was a man in his mid-sixties at least with
gray hair and a moustache.
     The man came up to within just ten feet of Byrne and with a stone
face looked over the row of people in the front row, taking note of
Byrne, Lauren, Ashby, Forrest and Kamanev.  And then....he abruptly gave
them a stiff and proper military salute that Byrne and the other Earthers
were all quick to return.
     As soon as his hand lowered, the man relaxed and smiled warmly. 
"Well Captain, it's nice to know they still play baseball on Earth."
     A collective sigh of relief went up from the others as they realized
that first contact had been made without serious incident.
     "Still the greatest game in the world," Byrne approached him with
his hand extended, "You are......?"
     "I'm General William Benton.  I'm in command of this colony," he
said with pride.
     "When were you abducted?" Byrne knew right away that this couldn't
have been the man's original rank.
     "Oh gosh," Benton sighed wistfully, "January 22, 1989.  I was inside
an Army transport plane that had just left Fort Wainwright, Alaska for
the west coast.  The Risk literally snatched us out of the sky, plane and
all."
     Something jogged at Byrne's memory.  "Wasn't there a Congressman who
was on your plane?"
     "Congressman Harlan Lindy of Arkansas, yes," Benton nodded.  "I was
a sergeant back then, assigned as his official orderly and liaison during
his trip to inspect the facilities at Wainwright."
     "The press accounts said your plane crashed somewhere in the
mountains of the Alaska Range," Byrne remembered why the story stood out
in his memory because it had taken place on Super Bowl Sunday and had
attracted a higher than usual amount of media coverage.  Harlan Lindy, he
recalled was a Congressman known for having been a Cold War hawk, but
whose fiscally conservative instincts were leading him to consider areas
where defense spending would need to be cut in the face of rapidly
changing times.
     "We were above the Alaska Range when it happened, yes," he confirmed
and then asked, "How long did they try to search for us?"
     "I think they abandoned the search after a month when they couldn't
find any wreckage.  They decided that was because any wreckage was likely
buried under the snow."
     "I'm not surprised the Risik planned it that way," he sighed, "So
many of their abductions were designed to look like people had just
wandered off and disappeared, or if they snatched aircraft, it was
usually over the ocean or in places like where my plane was, where no
wreckage wouldn't raise any questions."
     Byrne nodded his head, and realized he had to refrain from
concurring too vigorously. Mindful of Apollo's instruction that they had
to be prepared to let these people know that some Risik were living in
their Fleet.
     "Could you introduce me to the rest of your team, Captain Byrne?"
Benton looked over the others standing in a row behind Byrne.  All of
them were keeping proper, neutral military expressions.
     "Of course," Byrne stood to one side and motioned to the Earthers. 
"Captain Ian Ashby, British Royal Army.  Master Sergeant Lauren Wagner,
United States Air Force.  Corporal Michael Forrest, Royal Australian
Army.  And Captain Pyotr Kamanev, Russian Air Force."
     "Russian?" a slight frown crossed Benton's face.
     "Soviet Union no longer exists," Kamanev spoke up in accented
English.  "Dissolved formally on December 25, 1991."
     General Benton's face morphed into one of pleasant surprise,
"Well....that is a surprise.  No one in our colony, living or dead, was
abducted later than mid-June 1989.  We knew things were loosening up in
the Soviet bloc, but we never dreamed it would end up like that!"
     "You missed the Berlin Wall coming down," Lauren chimed in.
     "Well it sounds like we've got a lot to catch up on," his eyes then
caught sight of the others who were wearing unfamiliar uniforms to him,
and immediately the frown returned, "And these people?"
     Apollo stepped forward, "General Benton, I'm Captain Apollo of the
Battlestar Galactica, representing the Twelve Colonies of the House of
Kobol.  These other people are Sergeant Micah, Dr. Rena and Med-Tech
Nestor.  We are not from Earth.  We come from a brother civilization of
mankind that rescued Captain Byrne and the others during the course of
our own journey to Earth."
     "Rescued?"
     "Except for myself, all the others were taken prisoner by the Risik
too, General," Byrne said, deciding that the nuance regarding Kamanev
could wait until another time.  "Their abductions dated to a period just
after the last of yours, spanning roughly 1990 to early 1992."
     "I see," the General took all of this in, "And you, Captain,
you....."
     "I was marooned on an isolated planet after my expedition to Mars,
launched in 2011, passed through a wormhole," Byrne had to keep details
short and simple for this first encounter.  "Captain Apollo's people
rescued my daughter and me first, after I'd been marooned nineteen years. 
Then later we discovered the Risik prisoners held in a colony called
Ne'Chak."
     Benton nodded, "Another point in your favor, Captain.  That's the
name of the place our former slavemasters were supposed to transfer us to
when they decided to leave us behind instead."
     "Commandant Pravdin," Byrne said simply which made the General's
head nod more vigorously.
     "You really knew a lot about us before you arrived!"
     "From captured records on a Risik spacecraft," he said.  "There's
still a lot more information we need to exchange with each other,
General, but I think we've proved you can trust us."
     "Indeed, Captain Byrne, indeed.  I.....apologize for the warning
shot we gave you, but since you're the first outside ship to come here
since the Risik abandoned us, we naturally had to act under the
assumption that they'd decided after almost forty years to finally come
back.  Fortunately, when I saw through the binoculars that you were
wearing Earth military uniforms, I felt I could take a chance coming out
to face you personally."
     "Quite brave of you, General," Byrne decided that the more he
complimented Benton, the easier it would be to handle the more difficult
matters that would come up later, "How many are there in your colony?"
     "I am responsible for exactly 157 people.  There remain thirty-eight
of us from the first generation.  The rest were all born to us in the
years following the Risik departure.  The total is 38 from my generation,
104 from the second generation and 15 children who represent the third
generation."
     "Impressive," Byrne nodded, "Our records indicated that Niddion
depended on outside supply ships for food and resources.  It's a miracle
you've kept this Colony going for forty years."
     "Indeed it is, Captain!" Benton grinned, "And now that we've broken
the ice, I'd like to invite all of you to see how the miracle's operated. 
We've made New Eden a perfect model of human ingenuity and daring."
     Right away, Apollo and Byrne both felt a warning bell go off inside
their heads.  The way Benton was quick to boast about the complex and not
ask any questions about rescue operations indicated that rescue was not
likely on the General's mind at this time.
     I hope he's not going to be difficult on that point, Apollo thought
as Benton motioned the vehicle to move off so he could walk with the
group toward the complex just ahead.


     "We've made successful contact with the Colony leader," Apollo's
voice came over the comline inside the shuttle.  "Notify the Galactica
immediately."
     "Yes sir," Amy said with unemotional precision, "Do you want
Sergeant Thomson and me to continue to stand by with the shuttle?"
     "Until after you've made contact with the Galactica, and until you
get a further follow-up message from me.  Once that happens, you'll put
the shuttle into lockdown mode and use the Landram to come to the main
entryway.  I know you've received training on that, but let Sergeant
Thomson do the driving."
     "Yes sir, standing by," she then added, "Good luck."
     "Thank you Lieutenant."
     Amy switched off the comline and looked over the controls for the
switch that would activate the hy-gain transmitter that would reach the
Galactica.  Her brief hesitation caused Thomson to come alongside her. 
He was about to point to where it was when she finally found it and made
her report.
     "Galactica, this is Alpha Shuttle.  Captain Apollo reports
successful first contact with the Colony leader.  The team is proceeding
into their main complex."
     "Thank you Alpha Shuttle.  Message acknowledged," she was pretty
sure the female voice answering back was Sergeant Rigel.  She turned off
the comline and saw that Thomson had settled into the empty pilot seat.
     "You outrank me," the Security Guard said.  "So I hope it's okay if
I sit here until we hear from the Captain again?"
     Amy hesitated slightly, not because of his presence, but because of
the issue he'd raised about her outranking him.  She had always seen the
Colonial personnel on the Constellation, with the singular exception of
Captain Dante, as peers and equals.  Just as she saw no meaningful rank
distinction between herself and most of her fellow Earthers, including
NCO's like Lauren and Jessica Clemens.
     "You can sit wherever you want to, Sergeant," she said simply. 
"There's no ranks between us."
     "Beg your pardon ma'am but that's not how the Colonial Command
Structure works.  Since you and your fellow Earthers have received the
Colonial service equivalent of the ranks you hold in your Earth service
branches, that means you're an officer and I am your subordinate. 
Regulations are specific on that point."
     Amy smiled thinly, "Then my order, Sergeant is that you're free to
sit where you want whenever you want, and to speak freely in my presence
on anything at anytime.  Which includes not calling me 'ma'am' again."
     "Thank you," he nodded and then added, "I take it you've never
warmed up to the fine points of the Colonial Command structure."
     "Let's just say I view my status in the Colonial military as a very
temporary necessity in my life until we reach Earth.  Whereupon I revert
to being a member of the United States Marine Corps and never have to
wear a Colonial uniform again for any reason."
     "Ah," light dawned on Thomson, "You were against the uniform policy
change."
     "It's ancient history now.  The decision wasn't mine to make.  I've
learned to accept it.  I'm sure that's true of anyone in the Colonial
Service when it comes to regulations they don't like."
     "Pretty much," he then added, "Except for maybe how Captain Apollo
got rid of a regulation he didn't care for about facial hair."
     Amy abruptly laughed, "Lord, the way he looks, he'd never last a
minute in the Marines.  No one in the American military's looked like
that since the days of our Civil War over a hundred fifty years ago."
     "Even further back with us.  You'd have to go back to the ancient
days of Kobol to find warriors who looked like him," Thomson relaxed as
he realized he'd inadvertently broken the ice with her and found it
possible to converse with her.  But he wasn't going to get any ideas in
his head that he knew he shouldn't.  That was how he'd let his guard down
with the beautiful female who turned out to be the succubon.  He was
going to let all the defensive mechanisms he'd used on the Weather Planet
mission with Pili kick in and keep things on a simple friendly
camaraderie level with Amy Sanderson.
     Amy meanwhile realized that Thomson's devotion to the Command
structure meant she could trust him to keep things proper, and that she
could try to bond with him in the same way she'd been able to bond with
the Colonials on-board Constellation.
     "So," she relaxed herself and smiled with a friendly air, "How long
have you been in the Service?"
     Thomson smiled back, glad things were getting off on the right foot
with her.  It was going to make the wait for Apollo's next message much
more tolerable.


     "As you no doubt surmised, we established our New Eden Colony inside
what was once the prison complex.  The climate conditions of the planet
made it impossible for us to consider relocating ourselves or living out
in the open."
     They had reached the main entrance of the complex.  A barbed wire
fence still lined the perimeter but a large enough section to accommodate
the width of two transport vehicles had been opened up.  The vehicle
Benton had ridden out on had already returned and was parked nearby with
four similar jeep type vehicles and two trucks.  The Ne'Chak prisoners
again recognized the style as older models of the supply trucks that
Risik guards used to distribute food, clothing and other so-called
"luxury" items to them during their days of captivity.  But they also
noticed thick layers of dust and corrosion around the fenders and dirt
caking the front and rear windshields.  Which also suggested that their
engines hadn't been turned on in many years, if not decades.  
     "How many of you were there when the Risk pulled out?" Byrne asked,
mindful of Apollo's order that he needed to do most of the talking for
the Colonials.
     "One hundred fifty-six," Benton said as he stopped to salute a young
man in fatigues acting as a sentry outside the main door.  Lauren glanced
over and saw that his weapon was a SiG Sauer pistol, just like the one
she had once carried as a Montana deputy sheriff.  It only deepened her
interest in the story behind this colony and how it had developed and
been able to survive all this time.
     "It looks like the Risik built this complex to house much more than
that," Byrne noted as they entered the main building.  The ceiling was
low and while there were no furnishings the way it was laid out suggested
that at one time there had likely been an administrative desk of some
kind to process entries.  The interior was only marginally cooler than
the outside air.  It was clear that no air conditioning powered this part
of the complex, if any existed at all.
     "Oh yes.  They were envisioning a top capacity of one thousand
prisoners and two hundred permanently assigned personnel.  But they never
got that far in their plans.  By the time of the pullout, there was just
156 of us supervised by 35 Risik guards commanded by Commandant Pravdin,"
Benton kept marching them forward through a set of doors that led to an
empty corridor.  But again, Byrne could tell from old wall and ceiling
mounts that other furnishings had been removed from this space.  In all
likelihood some security screening machine.  It was easy to envision that
any equipment that had been here would have been removed to recycle its
components for more essential work. 
     "So this was still something of an experimental facility?"
     "Oh no, it was in a fully active condition.  It was a case of the
Risik building more than was needed to anticipate the long-term future,
but in the meantime even though they had just 156 of us at their peak,
they kept the additional space for cells in the East and West wings
cordoned off and then as more abductees would arrive and more guards
assigned to this place, the intention was to then open them up and have
them ready on a moment's notice."
     "I guess that made this place a monument to inefficiency and
wasteful spending on the Risik government's part," Byrne decided it was
safe to make this observation.
     Benton let out a chuckle, "It's easy to say that with hindsight,
Captain Byrne.  But the truth of the matter is that Risik inefficiency
worked to our long-term benefit by giving us the blessing of additional
living space for our people.  Every member of New Eden has their own
private quarters and we can even double up the living space so that what
was once intended to be two separate cells for two different prisoners
can act as a single unit for one person."
     "So the next obvious question is how you handled the matter of food
and power."
     "Food we solved thanks to a hydroponics system the Risik left in
place, as well as the fact that Commandant Pravdin had a fondness for
Risik seafood, which meant he kept his own private aquarium to cultivate
the delicacies he was accustomed to.  After the Risik withdrawal we were
able to convert a former swimming pool into a larger fish hatchery and
breed more of the stock to meet the needs of the people over the
long-term.  Of course that became necessary only after a good many of the
food stores that were left behind grew diminished after the first few
years.  You see, we were fortunate in that the last full resupply of the
colony in food and fuel took place less than two weeks before Commandant
Pravdin got his order to abandon the base due to the attacks that had
taken place in the Risik home system.  Consequently, when we find
ourselves alone and cut off, we still had a large bounty of resources at
our disposal to make use of for however long they lasted."
     "Meaning you were using the old supplies of fuel to keep equipment
powered and the lights running?" Byrne asked.
     "Yes," Byrne acknowledged as the walk continued through the long
corridor.  "By carefully rationing the amount of fuel needed to power the
most essential equipment......and doing away with non-essential equipment
that took up too much power like computers and overly sophisticated
electronics, we have been able to keep things going using the entire
complement of fuel the Risik left behind with us."
     Byrne and Apollo were clearly impressed by this revelation since it
explained why this facility had managed to last so long without access to
any natural planetary resources.  Even so, both Apollo and Byrne knew
that careful rationing of something that was in finite supply, no matter
how large it was to begin with, couldn't last indefinitely.  They would
need to find out just how much fuel the colony still had left.  And if
Benton had any viable plans to transition to a new means of keeping this
colony sufficiently powered.  The overall conditions on the planet made
it clear that the interior comfort of the one time prison complex offered
the only hope for any survival on the planet.
     Does he have a plan though?  Apollo thought as they kept walking. 
Ahead they could see a doorway that suggested the entry point to the main
complex was near.  And if he doesn't......is he ready to admit that to
us?  Indeed, Apollo found it somewhat disconcerting that the idea of
rescue and leaving the planet didn't seem to be registering with the
Colony Leader.  The way he carries himself with such swagger.....it
almost reminds me of the way Cain was when we found him.
     "You mentioned you were on the same plane with Congressman Lindy,"
Byrne decided to move on to another subject. "Is he still alive?"
     Abruptly, General Benton stopped and turned around with a look of
sadness.
     "I'm afraid not, Captain Byrne.  The Congressman was one of many
casualties we suffered our first year after the Risik abandoned us and
left us to our own devices.  As I said we were 156 at the time they left. 
A year later.....we'd lost more than two-thirds of our original
population."
     "I can relate to how horrible that must have been," Byrne injected
just a note of empathy, "The sense of being all alone and cut off
permanently with no outside help.  That's how it was for me for nineteen
years."
     "We were like the passengers of the Mayflower.  Forced to survive
the hard first winter before we landed on our feet," Benton turned away
and resumed walking, with the others again following.  Apollo again
noticed how the Colony leader had seemingly no interest in the details of
Byrne's own plight......nor for that matter was he anxious to ask
questions about what the other Earthers had experienced at the hands of
the Risik, or more details about his own race of Humans.  The focus was
staying entirely on himself and New Eden.
     They reached the end of the corridor which fanned out into a central
hub.  Apollo and Byrne realized that from this point, one could go off
into three different areas of the complex, all of which funneled back to
this corridor that led to the main entrance.  Undoubtedly in its
operating prime there were larger patrols of armed Risik guards to keep
any prisoners confined to the different areas from reaching this central
hub area.  And presumably unable to reach the other outer compound area
where their only hope for stealing a spaceship lay.
     Orderly precision to keep a prison population in-line.  Ian Ashby
thought as he found himself comparing the architecture and layout of this
prison complex to the prison camp he and so many others had endured at
Ne'Chak.  The key difference was that everything on this planet began and
ended with the prison complex and its intricate network of interior
structures.  Ne'Chak by contrast, was a more sprawling, low level camp
situated on a populated planet.  If Ne'Chak was the equivalent of Stalag
17, then Niddion had been built to be the equivalent of a maximum
security prison facility like the infamous Strangeways in Manchester.
     The question though is if the General's much vaunted 'New Eden' is
still no different from a Strangeways.
     "You'll be seeing the central complex where our work facilities
are," Benton said.  "The others lead to living quarters in the West and
East wings of the complex."
     Apollo noticed one oddity about the layout of the central hub area. 
The passageway that led to the West wing was open so that anyone could
walk into it unimpeded.  But the passageway to the East wing had one
uniformed guard seated at a table as if it represented a security check
to keep people from freely accessing that area.  He decided not to ask
about that for now as they kept moving.
     As Benton lead them further they saw for the first time signs of
life and activity beyond just solitary guards at wide intervals.  They
saw one room where five men were at work in what looked like a machine
shop that which housed a number of assembled and disassembled pieces of
machinery and equipment.  
     The next room they passed and were able to look inside of was a
large  kitchen where several women and two men were preparing food in
large quantities.  Apollo noticed that one of the women looked to be the
same age as Benton, which meant she had to be one of the original
abductees.  The others were all young looking people but all of them were
clearly in their early thirties.  The food they were preparing looked to
be a mixture of vegetables and a pinkish meat that Byrne guessed was
likely to be the Risik fish that Benton had mentioned earlier.
     Abruptly, the older woman looked up from her food preparations and
her eyes widened in stunned shock at the sight of a group of strangers. 
Her reaction was noticed by the younger people with them and they
promptly turned and caught sight of them as well.
     "It's all right, everyone," Benton smiled and waved his arm with
reassurance.  "We have some new arrivals here who've come in friendship. 
I'll give you a chance to meet them later."
     "Are you from Earth?" the older woman blurted.
     "Most of us," Byrne spoke up.
     "Many of us were abducted by the Risik too," Lauren chimed in.
     "I never thought this day would come," the older woman whispered. 
"All these years....."
     "Steady, Becky, steady," one of the young men reached out and took
her arm.
     "Yes, Becky, it is incredible," Benton nodded and turned back to
Apollo.  "As I said, you'll get to know them later.  And maybe they can
have some of your delicious cooking.  But for now, we need to go to our
Conference Center." 
     As the landing party resumed its journey down the corridor, Apollo
looked back at the older woman named Becky who was being helped by the
younger man into a chair.  I guess that's one person who's probably going
to be anxious to go home.  Will it be true of everyone else?
     Near the kitchen, they saw an empty room that spread out across a
vast open space, and was filled with a number of tables.  Clearly a
dining facility for the entire colony in the same way it had once meant
to handle an entire prison population at once.  The next room they passed
was the first one that revealed the presence of the fifteen children
Benton had referenced earlier.  All of them in what looked like a
combination classroom and playroom while a woman with flowing red hair
was giving them instructions.  The children seemed to range in ages from
five to no older than ten or eleven.  A range that caused Dr. Rena to
frown.
     If that represents the entire third generation, then does that mean
there are no infants?  It's as if there's only a small narrow range of
children and no one is giving birth at present.  Are they engaged in a
form of population control of some kind?
     Unlike the kitchen workers, the red-haired teacher and the children
didn't take notice of the outsiders, though Ashby couldn't help but
notice that she spoke with a distinct English accent that sounded as if
she'd had parents who came from Birmingham.  He made a mental note to
find out more about her whenever he had the opportunity since so far,
every colonist voice he'd heard was distinctly American.
     They moved on and passed some other uniformed men, none of whom gave
them any reaction except to salute General Benton and move on.  Finally,
Benton stopped in front of a door marked "CONFERENCE ROOM" and turned the
knob to enter it.  Motioning to the others they followed him into a room
that was more auditorium than conference room.  It looked to Apollo and
Byrne as if this was meant to be a meeting place for the entire
population to gather in.  Or at the very least, a place where the prison
population had once been expected to gather in, given the large number of
seats that sloped upward to a point more than seventy feet high like
bleachers in an athletic stadium that had to be accessed by stairwells
lining the walls on each side.  
     Two men, one approximately Benton's age the other in his mid-30s and
clearly from the "second generation" were seated at a table on a raised
stage.  Benton headed in that direction motioning to the others to sit
down in the first two rows.
     "I think we'll be able to answer your questions more effectively
here, ladies and gentlemen," Benton said pleasantly as he removed his cap
and took a seat next to the other two men at the table.  "Allow me to
introduce my second-in-command, Colonel Jack Keller, and the colonel's
son Captain Steve Keller.  Colonel and Captain Keller were with me in the
transport vehicle you saw earlier, so they already know who you are."
     Byrne rose from his seat once again, "Just for the sake of
convenience, I'd like to reintroduce ourselves again."
     "Of course Captain Byrne," Benton motioned.  "Go right ahead."
     After the five Earth natives and five Colonials had done so, Byrne
started to ask a question but was quickly cut off by Colonel Keller.
     "What news do you have about Earth?"
     Boy, they're really not anxious to get into the matter of rescue,
Byrne thought.
     "I can only confirm the state of things as they were when I left
Earth in the year 2011, Colonel Keller.  We were living in a post-Cold
War world where the greater threat to world peace came in the form of
radical Islamic terrorism.  Regrettably, a major terrorist attack took
place on September 11, 2001 that resulted in the complete destruction of
the World Trade Center in New York, as well as damage to the Pentagon in
Washington.  The result of hijacked commercial airplanes hitting the
buildings."
     Colonel Keller winced slightly at this news.  Byrne decided it was
necessary to get the worst news he could give them about Earth out of the
way quickly.  He then added, "The man behind this attack, a terrorist
named Osama Bin Laden, was hunted down and eventually killed shortly
before I left the Earth."
     "That's good to know at least," Benton said as he leaned back and
took that news in.  "But there was no outside alien threat that
manifested itself?  No knowledge of Risik interest in Earth?"
     "Not at the time, no," Byrne said.  "I can't speak for whatever's
happened on Earth in the last twenty years.  We will know that answer in
less than two years when the Colonial Fleet led by the Battlestar
Galactica will reach Earth and return us home safely."
     "Two years you say," Benton contemplated.  "And you hope to
have.....all of us accompany you back to Earth?"
     Here it is, Byrne thought.  Now the issue can be talked about.  And
its up to me to come through.
     "If that is the wish of your people to do so, General, and if it is
clear that it is in their well-being to return with us to Earth," Byrne
said without hesitation.  He wished he could have glanced at Apollo to
see if the Captain thought he'd done right but he had to press on for
now.  But if Byrne had been able to see Apollo, he would have seen a
completely supportive and positive reaction.  For now, Apollo felt Byrne
was doing just fine.
     "That.....will require careful consideration," Benton leaned forward
and brought his fingertips together.  "After all, Captain Byrne, the
majority of our population was born on New Eden.  It's the only home
they've ever known.  While Earth is still a pleasant memory for those of
us who were abducted by the Risik......for the others like Colonel
Keller's son it's only something they've learned
through......storytelling."
     "And storytelling often means painting a too rosy picture," the
elder Keller chimed in, "We have told our children of cool autumn
evenings and snow in the winter......but we say next to nothing about
wars, terrorism, crime and the environmental decay Earth was going
through."
     "But Earth still has a lot to offer," Byrne kept his tone gentle. 
"Unlimited living space.  Unlimited food resources......and opportunity."
     "What about security, Captain Byrne?" young Steve Keller spoke for
the first time.  "We have made our home a safe haven from outside
invasion if the Risik should ever return.  Can you guarantee that Earth
is still safe from the Risik?  We know the reasons why they abducted so
many from Earth, and what their ultimate intentions were.  Don't those
intentions remain the same?"
     "I'd like to answer that," Apollo abruptly rose, deciding that this
was one subject he could address with more nuance.  
     "By all means, Captain......Apollo isn't it?" Benton's tone remain
cordial but there was a faint edge of skepticism that had suddenly crept
in.
     "Yes General.  Since I represent the senior authority of the
Colonial people, I can state things a bit more clearly than Captain Byrne
can."
     "Very well," the Colony Leader nodded.
     "The Risik have not abandoned their designs on Earth despite their
forced retreat to a new home world of theirs," Apollo said.  "But at
present, they lack the military capability to threaten Earth.  We know
this because the Battlestar Galactica and her support ship has engaged
forces of the Risik Star Force on two occasions and successfully
prevailed in both of them without any losses whatsoever."
     It was obvious that this information was impressive to the three men
listening.
     "Two ships?" Colonel Keller asked.  "You have two ships that are
capable of engaging the entire Risik Star Force?"
     "We haven't engaged the Star Force in its entirety, Colonel Keller,
but our firepower is sufficient to fight off any attack they could
presently throw against us," Apollo decided that for now he wasn't going
to mention the matter of the Risik's possession of a powerful mineral
element called Neutrino that had the potential to change the balance of
power considerably.  Nor was he going to get into the matter of the Cylon
war either.....yet.  "You would be completely safe under our protection
for the remainder of the journey to Earth, with firepower that exceeds
anything your base of operations here on New Eden could use against an
outside invasion force."
     "I think the matter of what happens after the journey is of greater
interest to us, Captain Apollo," Benton said.  "Are you prepared to tell
us with absolute certainty that Earth is in no further danger from a
Risik invasion?"
     Apollo knew he could lie and make it easier for them to decide to
come.  The vibe Benton had been giving off made him not want to give the
Colony Leader any excuse for wanting to reject the idea of coming.  But
his honesty and integrity as a warrior could not let him do that.  Not
now.  Not ever.
     "I can't make that kind of guarantee, General Benton," Apollo said. 
"Just as you can't make that kind of guarantee that New Eden will never
see the Risik return either."
     A half-smile formed on the General's lips as he nodded, "Point
taken, Captain Apollo.  I appreciate your honesty.  Perhaps this is a
subject that can wait since I think you want to meet more of the people
who are living the miracle of New Eden."
     "Indeed we do, General," Apollo said.  "Captain Byrne and the others
from Earth have a lot to share with them."
     "In that case, Captain Apollo perhaps you and I can continue our
discussion in private while Captain Byrne and the others share their
accounts of Earth to the rest of the people?  I confess I'm more
interested in the story of your people than I am the matter of what Earth
is like since we left.  Captain Keller will escort you to my private
office and then he'll take the rest of your party back to those areas you
passed by earlier."
     "That's fine with me."
     The younger man descended from the stage and motioned the landing
party to follow him out.  Apollo looked up and saw that Benton and the
senior Keller were remaining in their seats.  Clearly they intended to
converse privately before Benton would make the trip to his office to
continue discussions with Apollo.
     "Did I do okay?" Byrne leaned over to him and asked.
     "You did fine, Kevin," Apollo said with reassurance.  "But for these
other people.....a lot more about the beauty of Earth and a lot less
about the War on Terror might be in order."
     "Absolutely," the USN Captain nodded and followed Captain Keller out
with the other Earthers behind him.  As Apollo moved out, he then noticed
Dr. Rena trying to get his attention.
     "Yes, Doc?"
     "There's something you ought to know before you talk to him some
more," she said in a low tone of voice, "I took the liberty of running a
portable bio scan on the three of them, and.....there's something a
little off about the young one.  Captain Keller."
     "What about him?" Apollo wasn't going to let his expression change
regardless of what Rena said, since he knew Benton and Jack Keller were
still watching from across the room.
     "Well.....his bio-rhythms indicate that....his internal physiology
is not a perfect match with his father or General Benton."
     It took all of Apollo's effort to not react to that, "Meaning?"
     "Meaning his mother is likely a Risik woman."
     "That's probably not an unusual thing.  Our races are fully
compatible."
     "I know that, Captain.  But.....have you heard him mention at any
time there are Risik women who are part of this Colony?"
     Apollo's brow narrowed, "No, I haven't."
     "Maybe it doesn't mean anything.  And I know diplomacy isn't my
line, but.....I felt you had to know."
     "Thanks Doc.  Carry on," he motioned her to follow the others out. 
Before Apollo joined them, he looked back at the two Earth natives,
William Benton and Jack Keller.  Neither were exchanging any words .  It
was clear they were waiting for the room to be empty.  
     This is going to be one tricky diplomatic minefield to navigate,
Apollo thought as he left the room.


     "What do you think, Bill?" Keller broke the silence as soon as the
door closed.
     Benton brought his fingertips together in contemplation, "All very
interesting, Jack.  We always dreamed this day might come when we'd hear
from Earth again, and then the first question after that would be, is the
idea of going.....home really worth it after all these years?"
     "Isn't it?" 
     "I don't know," the Colony Leader sighed, "If the Risik still
threaten Earth after all these decades, then how can I justify letting my
people be put in harm's way for the sake of material pleasures only?"
     Keller said nothing.  He let Benton go on with his train of thought.
     "These people have been my responsibility ever since Harlan Lindy
died," he said aloud, "They depend on me to do right by them, Jack.  They
depend on me to restrain them from their foolish passions that nearly
destroyed us that terrible first year.  If I think its for their own good
that they have to stay.....then they will."
     He turned to face his second-in-command, "You agree, Jack?"
     Keller didn't bat an eye, "You always know where I stand, Bill."
     Benton smiled, "Indeed I do, Jack.  Indeed I do.  Your loyalty and
devotion all these years has been deeply appreciated."
     "But this Captain Apollo is bound to ask some tough questions about
our ability to endure for the long haul.  Especially if we make it clear
our best interest is not going with him."
     "I think we've proved our ability to endure for the long-term," an
air of confidence seemed to rush forth from every word he uttered.  "Yes,
we're nearing the stage where we have to take seriously the transition
phase we'll be going through in a few years, but.....I know we'll meet
that challenge.  We'll find the answer out there, Jack.  I'm convinced of
it.  And Captain Apollo will have no choice but to recognize that."
     "But there is one other thing," a note of caution entered the
Colonel's voice, "Do you think it's possible that he and his people might
find out about....." his voice deliberately trailed off as if he were
incapable of saying what he wanted to say aloud.  But the suddenly grim
turn of expression on Benton's face indicated that he'd already caught
on.
     "They shouldn't, Jack.  Those of us who lived through all that,
we've managed to bury it with all the corpses in the cemetery.  It might
as well have never happened."
     "But there are a few who....might not be able to keep the truth
bottled up."
     Benton was silent as he contemplated things further. 
     "The only ones who might cause complications are safely hidden in
the Second Level East Wing quarters," he finally spoke.  "We'll just make
sure our guests never visit that part of the complex."
     
     
     There was exactly one telecom available for the sixty odd single men
who bunked in a corner area of the passenger freighter Yarborough. 
Consequently, Scali ignored it when the telecom rang and he tried to
catch some more sleep since he wasn't due on the Rising Star to prepare
notes for the next Triad broadcast until the mid-afternoon cycle.
     "Hey Scali.  It's for you!" 
     The voice of one of the IFB statistician's many roommates forced him
to get up and trudge over to the other side of the bunk room where the
telecom was lately.  This was one of those rare instances where having a
bunk at the far bulkhead instead of near the door, was more of a curse. 
     "Yeah?"
     "This is Sergeant Komma of Colonial Security."
     "Oh yes," Scali rubbed his eyes, "Did you find anything?"
     "Yeah and you're really in luck, Scali," Komma sounded pleased with
himself, "I found five yahrens worth of digitized scans of the Excelsia's
crew roster, complete with visual ID's for the last period when she was
under the flag of Commander Marcus."
     "Marcus?" the name didn't register with him.
     "The father of Commander Cain, and grandfather of our very own
Lieutenant Sheba," Komma said.  "When he died, his successor, Commander
Canaday discontinued the practice of a photo ID roster.  He was happier
with just a simple name-only list to save on production costs.  So that
means for this period of Commander Marcus, you can see not just the names
but the faces of everyone who served on the Excelsia."
     "Thanks that's good to know," Scali felt the sleep disappearing from
him as the reality of what this meant sunk in.  "Can you send the files
to my comp?"
     "On their way.  I would recommend using a monitor larger than the
average comp if you want to see more detail on the visual pix."
     "I'll remember that.  Thanks for the help, Sergeant."
     "Any time."
     Scali put the telecom back in place and stretched himself.  He knew
he was going to be spending the next few centars seeing if maybe, just
maybe, he'd find a picture of the mysterious Aurelius lurking inside the
old rosters for the Excelsia.

Chapter Four

     Apollo found himself forced to wait several centons alone in the
private office of General Benton.  It gave him a chance to look around
and study the furnishings to see if they offered any further clues about
the colony leader.  The furniture itself, the desk, the shelvings and the
chairs were clearly Risik legacies.  Whether this had been the office of
the prison commandant, he couldn't tell since despite its privacy the
space was somewhat smaller than he might have expected.  Commandant
Tsernavia of Ne'Chak had been known for his devotion to extravagances and
luxuries, many of them acquired illegally.  Then again, a distant outpost
like this may not have allowed the Risik officials the opportunity for
similar indulgences.
     He could see the signs that reflected Benton's personal touch.  A
weatherbeaten American flag in one corner.  On the desk, a faded
holopic....no the right term from an Earth perspective would be
photograph.....that clearly showed Benton as a young man and likely from
before the Risik abduction, standing next to a distinguished looking
older man in what he knew Byrne would have described as a business suit. 
Another picture though that rested on the other side, looked to have been
taken on the surface of Niddion, and it showed a group of men in fatigues
standing somberly before what looked like a row of crosses with their
arms cocked in salute.  Apollo could recognize a younger Benton and a
younger Colonel Keller in the group, and he then realized that this could
only have been a burial ceremony of some kind.  Probably from the time of
that difficult first yahren after the Risik departure when Benton said
nearly two-thirds of those left behind had died.  
     You have to give the man credit where it's due, Apollo thought. 
Clearly, he played a large role, if not the biggest role in helping these
people survive after they were left to their own devices.  And if he's
viewed with the same kind of reverence the Pegasus crew had for Cain
after Molocay, that's going to make things more difficult if he's not
convinced they should come with us.
     But then again, Apollo had to remind himself that if this place was
capable of enduring as a self-sustaining colony for generations, it would
be impossible to think of trying to force the people to leave.  Too may
past precedents the Fleet had experienced argued against that.  And not
even an appeal to the possible danger of the Risik returning might be
enough.  The planet Liberty still faced that potential danger and
relatively few of the inhabitants had elected to join the Fleet.  And the
winding trail behind them that had included such places as Attilla,
Serenity, Terra, Boron-Din and others also showed why it was impossible
to think every last pocket of humanity that was spread out between the
Colonies and Earth was somehow meant to live in one of those two places. 
That had not even been a tenet of traditional Colonial religious belief
in the pre-Destruction era.  It was taken for granted that enclaves of
humanity had over the course of seven thousand yahrens since the
settlement of the Colonies fanned out into the Alpha Quadrant and settled
on other planets in other star systems.  That accounted for the existence
of humans in such realms Equellas, Serenity and the Cannes System. 
Sometimes the memory of their origins in the Colonies would
remain.....and sometimes it could fade away completely.  What hadn't been
factored was the presence of human civilizations that were offshoots of
the original expedition of the 13th Tribe from Kobol abandoning the main
group and settling on other worlds.  Terra, Boron-Din and Gellis fell in
that category.  Each of them developing their own unique, independent
Human civilizations.
     The prevalence of so many Human enclaves was enough to make Apollo
wonder how the Cylons ever could have expected to make good on their
thousand yahren vow to annihilate the totality of the Human race.  Even
if they had succeeded in exterminating all Human life in the Colonies and
the entire Galactica Fleet in the immediate period after the Destruction,
they would have eventually discovered that  the Human race was more
prevalent throughout the Galaxy then they could have imagined.
     And that doesn't even include the races who are genetic offshoots of
the Kobollians like the Zohrlochs, the Harkaelians and of course the
Risik.  At some point, the Cylons might have broken down and discovered
the meaning of Enlightenment even if they had eradicated all of us in the
Destruction!
     Still, Apollo knew he had some powerful evidence at his disposal to
suggest that life couldn't sustain itself indefinitely on Niddion.  The
scans he and Sheba had taken during their stealth patrol clearly revealed
no signs of natural resource deposits that could act as a viable fuel
resource once they exhausted the last of the original fuel supplies left
behind by the Risik.  He was going to have to gently probe Benton to see
if the Colony Leader realized that, and if he had a viable plan in effect
to deal with that crisis that would inevitably come to pass.  If he
didn't, then the only thing that could possibly stand in the way of the
people leaving and joining the Fleet would be Benton's pride.
     And that might easily be a barrier that could prove to be
impregnable.  Especially when he's held absolute power of this place for
so long.
     The sound of the old-fashioned door opening got his attention. 
General Benton stepped into the room with a kindly expression that gave
him an almost grandfatherly quality.  Right away, Apollo could tell that
this kind of demeanor was undoubtedly a reason why Benton commanded a
great deal of loyalty after nearly forty yahrens..
     "I'm sorry I kept you waiting, Captain Apollo," Benton said as he
took his seat behind the desk.  "Would you....care for a drink?"
     "Thank you," Apollo nodded, deciding that he needed to accept any
offers of hospitality or else he'd come off as ungracious.
     Benton opened the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out a dark
flask-shaped bottle. 
     "This is the last container of the last drink native to Earth that
you'll find here," Benton slowly opened it.  "Hennessy Cognac.  It's from
the personal effects of the late Congressman Lindy, whom I was assigned
to as orderly before the Risik snatched our airplane from the sky.  The
commanding officer of Fort Wainwright had given it to him as a going-away
gift after he'd completed the inspection."
     Benton then took out two small shot glasses and delicately poured a
small amount into each one.  "The Congressman once told me that the only
circumstance that would ever get him to open this bottle would be if we
ever heard from Earth again.  After he died, I honored that request of
his by keeping this under lock and key.....until now."
     "I'm flattered, General," Apollo said as he took the shot glass and
held it, "Though it might have been more appropriate to share this with
Captain Byrne or one of the others in our party from Earth."
     "I'm more interested in talking to you, Captain Apollo," Benton's
voice grew serious as he picked up his own glass.  "I can tell you've
gone out of your way to defer things to Captain Byrne as much as possible
because he's from Earth, but it's obvious that final command and final
authority rests with you.  Just as final authority for New Eden rests
with me."  
     He then raised the shot glass and drank from it.  Apollo did
likewise.  The taste, he had to acknowledge was exceptionally smooth.  He
knew Starbuck would have gladly traded a bottle of Protean ambrosia for
just a small taste.
     "Tell me, General," Apollo set his glass down, "How did you come to
be the final authority for these people?"
     Benton smiled thinly, "It wasn't the result of any armed struggle
for power, Captain.  Congressman Lindy was our original leader because he
represented civilian authority from Earth.  That meant he had the loyalty
of every member of the United States Armed Forces, who constituted over
70% of the prisoners the Risik brought here.  Those who came from other
nations, whether England, France, Israel or even our old adversary the
Soviet Union, also respected that tradition of deference to civilian
authority wherever it existed.  So, rather than transfer him to their
regular prison colony for Earth abductees, the Risik decided that
Congressman Lindy would be the leader of the prisoners and act as the
go-between with Commandant Pravdin and his staff."
     "You're not saying he was a collaborator, are you?"
     "Oh no.  Not at all.  Congressman Lindy was forced into it against
his will just like all of us were forced into this place against our
will.  But he recognized that he had no choice but to take this
leadership role of the prison population because he could command that
level of respect, and also because of his formidable intellect, he could
articulate the needs and interests of the prisoners better.  He knew it
was humiliating to be in this position of having to deal with a piece of
scum like Prvadin and his lackeys, but he knew that the only good he
could do for these prisoners was to become their leader and their
champion."
     "I see.  He must have been a very remarkable man."
     "That he was," Benton nodded,. 
     "So when Congressman Lindy died, you were the logical successor
because you'd been his aide."
     "That's oversimplifying matters, Captain.  My connection to
Congressman Lindy helped.  But the reason I became the leader of our
colony is because I had something the rest of our survivors didn't have. 
Brains."
     Apollo lifted an eyebrow.
     "I'm not being egotistical when I say that, Captain.  The others
from those days who are left like Colonel Keller would be the first to
admit it.  The Risik set up this particular prison colony for one reason. 
So they could study the fighting capability of what are known as
'able-bodied men'.  Since they knew that some day they'd be invading
Earth and running into resistance, they wanted to judge how well Earth
soldiers, regardless of what nation they came from, could react to combat
in extreme conditions.  So that's why unlike their other prison colonies
of Earth abductees, ours was dedicated to the idea that the prisoners
would be trained to build up their physical conditioning in a hostile
planetary environment.  And then, the Risik would have better insight as
to how much they'd need to train their own soldier units to face the
challenge of ground-based resistance on Earth.  That's why to a man, all
of the abductees were soldiers who were well-trained and well-conditioned
physically.....but whose overall intelligence was shall we say, somewhat
limited.  Men who knew how to handle the rigors of the hot desert sun for
eight or nine hours at a stretch......but who wouldn't have the vaguest
idea how to apply basic high school physics or chemistry to solve the
problem of how does a colony of so many people survive when you've been
abandoned and no outside resupply will ever come again."
     Benton stopped to refill his shot glass.  He motioned the flask
toward Apollo's empty glass.  After a brief hesitation, Apollo nodded his
head, deciding he could indulge one refill.
     "I, on the other hand Captain, was not what you would call an
able-bodied man.  I joined the Army not because I wanted to crawl on my
belly in the infantry or become some expert with a field weapon who knew
how to fight in treacherous combat conditions.  I joined because I came
from a poor family in Buffalo, New York that couldn't afford to send me
to college even though I graduated second in my high school class.  Even
scholarship money wouldn't have been enough to pay the cost of going to a
prestigious university, which I'd had dreams of doing.  So my only
options were to either to take out massive student loans to make up for
what a scholarship wouldn't pay for, or to join the Army and take
advantage of financial rewards the American Army offered to people like
me who couldn't afford to go into a debt to get a good education.  So I
signed up for a four year hitch that had exactly two months to go when
the Risik abduction took place.  I'd made the most of my opportunity.  I
was a genius in areas of technical support and administration, and that's
why I'd advanced to the rank of master sergeant and got what seemed like
a plum assignment to act as a liaison  for visiting dignitaries to Fort
Wainwright like Congressman Lindy.  Little did I know that my genius in
those areas would be responsible for my being in the wrong place at the
wrong time when the Risik snatched our plane.  But because I already had
a good rapport with the Congressman, that's the reason why when the Risik
forcd him into a leadership position, he in turn demanded that I stay
with him as his aide and not be transferred to the primary Risik prison
colony for Earth abductees."
     "And because your reputation for being a genius was established,
that's why after the Risik abandoned this planet, the others trusted you
to take charge when the Congressman died," Apollo deduced.  Which brought
an immediate nod from Benton.
     "I've already told you the basic parameters of how I was able to get
this colony back into shape through efficient rationing of our supplies
that were left behind by the Risik.  And how doing away with needless
luxuries like computers also helped us adjust into a more suitable
standard for long-term living.  Not to mention making the food problem
irrelevant over time by concentrating on hydoponics and capitalizing on
the fish supply the Commandant left behind.  Admittedly, our diet is
rather limited, but my people long ago developed a taste for our
vegetables and Risik seafood that they've come to appreciate.  I can
safely assure you, Captain Apollo, that I've made this a place where
those of us who survived could live again.  Where we didn't have to feel
like prisoners suffering under Risik cruelty, or scared animals fighting
to survive after we'd been abandoned.  Yes, it has its hardships.  But
we've learned to adapt.  And we've made it.....our home."
     Benton then downed his second drink.  Apollo decided to wait for now
with his second.
     "I don't think anyone would deny your greatness in making the colony
survive against such great odds, General," the Galactica warrior said
with respect.  "But there are a few other questions that need
clarifying."
     The General smiled and set his glass down while wagging his finger,
"Later, Captain.  So far, I've told you a lot about myself and about New
Eden, but as I told you before, there are questions I want to ask of
you."
     "I'm happy to answer them," Apollo had hoped to ask Benton about the
long-term issue of power and fuel, but he decided this wasn't the time to
get into a confrontational mode with the general.  He'd oblige Benton for
now and then try to get back to that subject later.  "As Captain Byrne
would say, fire away." 
     "I'd like to know more about where you come from and how you
happened to be searching for Earth."
     Feeling invigorated by the Earth libation, Apollo took a breath and
began to talk.


     Captain Keller's guided tour of the New Eden complex lasted over an
hour.  During that time, Byrne and the others found themselves bombarded
with a number of stunned reactions from numerous workers throughout the
complex.  And right away, Byrne noticed that every single worker they'd
encountered was a second generation member of the Colony, none of whom
had ever seen an outsider in their lifetimes.  People whose only
knowledge of Earth came from stories told to them as they'd grown up. 
One second generation man in the machine shop, whose name was Roger
Spencer, asked if they were still making ice cream on Earth.  A woman
working in the hydroponics section named Raquel Gonzalez asked if it
still snowed.  Hearing these questions made Byrne think of the ones Jena
would ask him about Earth when he told her stories of where he'd come
from.  It had been easy to address them not just because he'd done it in
the context of being a parent, but because he was trying to explain
things to a child.  By contrast, these were grown adults who'd still
retained a child's conception of what Earth was like.
     When Byrne and the others returned to the kitchen, he was surprised
to see that the older woman who'd reacted in shock to them and whom
Benton had referred to as "Becky" wasn't there.  The others apologized
and said she'd been so overcome by the experience she'd needed to go the
Infirmary to rest for a bit.  That had disappointed Byrne and the others
since they were especially interested in talking to an original abductee
from Earth who wasn't part of the leadership team. 
     It wasn't until they went outside the complex to the power shed,
located within the open compound that they finally met another individual
from the first generation.  A gray-haired man who had been in the Soviet
army named Alexander Kovalchuk.  His English was flawless and it was soon
evident that it had been decades since he'd actually heard spoken Russian
since he reacted with total surprise when Pyotr Kamanev approached him
and spoke to him in his native tongue.  
     The power shed, which Kovalchuk worked in by himself, consisted of a
number of engines salvaged largely from abandoned ground transport
vehicles that had been adapted to provide additional power for the
complex.  He  acknowledged that there had been a fuel depot for the Risik
vehicles that at the time of their departure had just been recently
resupplied and through strict rationing, they had been able to make the
fuel in those tanks last for decades to keep the machinery going.
     "But at some point it does have to run out," Kamanev had said to his
countryman.  Despite Kovalchuk being an ethnic Ukranian, he'd learned
that the abductee had been born in Moscow to parents who had fled Kiev
during the German invasion in World War II and never returned afterwards.
     "Da, the original stores.  But General Benton has a plan that will
allow us to tap into a fuel source to keep our equipment running."
     "What plan is that?" Byrne interjected.  But this only brought a
shrug.
     "I am not an expert in such things.  But General Benton has promised
it.  He will reveal all when it is necessary," he then looked back at
Kamanev and smiled, "Tell me more about home, Pytor Fedorovitch.  The
Soviet Union has really broken up?"
     "Da," Kamanev nodded.  "They have even changed Leningrad back to St.
Petersburg and given the Czar's family a full state burial at last."
     "I wish I had seen it," the old Russian sighed.  "Perhaps....perhaps
I can go back?"
     "If that's your wish, Alexander," Byrne said.
     "But.....General Benton would have to approve."
     "It would be your decision," Byrne said.  Clearly, but not
forcefully.
     "To see the Motherland again," Kovalchuk sighed again.  "So hard to
believe."
     Byrne stepped back to let Kamanev talk more to his countryman.  He
also noticed Ashby and Lauren trying to get his attention and slipped
away to talk to them.
     "Thoughts?" Byrne asked when he was sure they were safely out of
anyone else's earshot.  Captain Keller, their guide, was waiting for them
outside the power shed so he knew there was no danger of being overheard.
     "I'm not surprised he's learned to speak perfect English," Ashby
said. "The majority of the original prisoners apparently were American so
it would have made sense for English to become the standard language for
everyone.  What does surprise me though is that except for that one woman
we saw in the kitchen earlier, I haven't seen any other first generation
females.  Only second generation ones."
     "I noticed that too and I wish I could have gotten a chance to talk
to that woman they called Becky," Lauren acknowledged, "Because if this
was supposed to be a prison complex to test the skills of the
'able-bodied' then the Risik wouldn't have relied on female soldiers from
the US military or any other army in the world back in the late 80s
except for the Israelis.  We had women pilots and support
personnel.....but not combat troops." she paused and then added, "When
they snatched me, they were either going to send me to a regular prison
world like Ne'Chak if I wasn't pregnant, or to some other experimental
facility on their home world if I was.  The same thing was true of
Jessica, Amy and every other woman at Ne'Chak.  Female military personnel
clearly weren't intended for this facility."
     "There had to have been exceptions," Byrne said, "Otherwise there
wouldn't be a second generation."
     "Granted," Lauren nodded, "But there needed to be at least two to
three dozen to account for all the births that have happened since the
Risik abandoned the place.  I can't believe that one woman in the kitchen
is the only one left if the total first generation population is
thirty-eight like Benton said."  
     "You're right.  That doesn't make a lot of sense." the USN Captain
then absently rubbed his chin, "And something else I've been thinking
about doesn't make a lot of sense either about the second generation."
     "And that is?" Ashby asked.
     "They all look to be the same overall age, which I would put at 30
to 35.  Did you see anyone you would have considered to be under thirty? 
I'm not counting the children we saw of course, I'm talking about younger
second generation people."
     The British captain's eyebrows went up, "Now that you mention it, I
didn't.  Lauren?"
     Lauren  blinked as the realization came to her.  "Goodness, you're
right.  They all look thirty to thirty five.  As if all of them were born
during a short time frame."
     The door to the power shed opened and they saw Captain Keller
smiling at them, "Have you seen enough?"
     "I think so, Captain Keller," Byrne immediately switched to a mode
of perfect politeness, "Where to next?"
     "Well, your colleagues, Dr. Rena and Nestor have been exploring our
infirmary led by our resident healer, Dr. Barbara Meskowski.  Perhaps
it's time you rejoin them, and then you can rejoin Captain Apollo in the
Conference Room when he's done with the General."
     "Lead the way," Byrne nodded.  But inside, he was getting a distinct
sense that underneath the miracle of this flourishing colony against
seemingly impossible odds, a dark secret or two lay lurking.


     Apollo had been candid with Benton about the back history of
Colonial civilization.  The origins of Humanity on Kobol.  The settlement
of the Colonies.  The war with the Cylons and the Exodus.  And he had
also been quick to offer reassurances that the Cylon Empire was no longer
a threat to Earth thanks to the increased phenomenon of Enlightenment in
the Cylon ranks, combined with the activities of both the Resistance
movement in the Colonies and the Battlestar Pegasus.  The general had
listened to all of this in spellbound fascination and didn't offer too
many interjections beyond the expected ones of how Earth fit into
Colonial Civilization as the Thirteenth Tribe of mankind.  It was only
when Apollo turned to the matter of the Fleet's past encounters with the
Risik did the interjections and questions become more frequent.
     "You're confirming once again what you said earlier.  That the Risik
remains an active threat to Earth."
     "Yes," Apollo knew he couldn't conceal that information.  "But
whatever technological advantage the Risik hoped to use in their conquest
of Earth is offset to a large degree by the firepower of both the
Galactica and the Cylon Baseship that defected to our ranks.  No warship
of theirs in their Star Force has the same capability."
     "At present," Benton said, "I would imagine the Risik are probably
hard at work now trying to compensate for that if they still haven't
abandoned their goal of an Earth invasion."
     "I can't guarantee the Risik will never attempt another hostile move
on Earth," Apollo was determined not to tip-off any information that had
been learned through intelligence intercepts that the Risik was
developing a Fleet of ships constructed from the more formidable
substance of Neutrino.  Or that one Cylon Baseship sent out by the
Empire, and now under the command of the IL Cylon Lucifer, had reached
the Risik Capital and clearly intended to take part in whatever pursuit
operation the Risik would launch in the future.  Not because it might act
as a barrier to getting the New Eden inhabitants to join the Fleet but
because of the danger of what would happen if they knew this and did join
the Fleet.  The general population of the Fleet was totally unaware of
these developments taking place in the Risik Capital (not even Byrne or
the other members of the landing party knew) and to run the risk of that
information getting out had the potential to damage Fleet morale, which
at present was in a relaxed mode with Earth less than two yahrens away at
present Fleet speed.
     "No, I guess you can't," Benton leaned back in his chair.  "Have you
encountered the alien race who forced the Risik to abandon this place and
the rest of their home frontier?"
     "We've made no contact with the Ke'Zar," Apollo was glad Benton had
moved to a topic he could discuss freely.  "The former Risik home world
and the Ke'Zar world is slightly off of our current course heading for
Earth.  At the present time, my father, Commander Adama, has not made any
decision to seek them out."
     Benton lifted an eyebrow slightly, "Far be it from me to question
your father's thinking since the responsibility he's handled is vastly
greater than what I've had to deal with here......but it would seem to me
that prudence would dictate seeking out the enemy of the Risik if they
remain an active threat."
     "I'm certain he would welcome your suggestions and input," Apollo
decided to seize that comment as the occasion to hopefully bring up the
matter of rescue and resettlement.  "Just as Captain Byrne has found a
valuable niche in the Fleet, so too I'm sure would you, General Benton."
     A faint smile came over the general's kindly visage.  But it was the
expression of a man who Apollo knew wasn't going to reveal his intentions
yet.  "I am flattered, Captain Apollo.  But I am not interested in
opportunities for myself.  I am interested only in what's best for my
people.  Your colleagues by now have had a chance to see how New Eden
functions, and I have no doubt they will tell you that despite all of the
hardships and obstacles we faced in scavenging and salvaging abandoned
equipment, rationing the existing fuel depot to power our machinery and
necessary systems, and coming up with an entirely novel solution to
maintaining a viable supply of food and water over time......we have at
the very least kept this place secure.  And at peace."
     For the first time Apollo realized what he was now up against.  An
argument that the best interests of the people lay in staying because to
go with the Fleet to Earth meant finding themselves facing the Risik
threat once again.  The way Benton conducted himself though, with his
constant reference to 'my people' and his general lack of interest about
seeing Earth again, already told Apollo that this was a man who had
become too used to his own sense of indispensability over the last forty
yahrens and wasn't about to find any reason to give it up.....if he felt
like he didn't have to.
     He is a lot like Cain in that respect, Apollo thought.  But Cain at
least learned how to change and accept the advice of others once Mother
joined the Pegasus.  This guy looks as if he's never had a close
confidant to talk with on an equal footing.  He's always been the one
person above everyone else.  A living legend on a higher plane than even
Cain was at his peak.
     "But the future is as unpredictable for New Eden as it is for Earth,
General," Apollo decided it was time to broach things.....gently.  "After
all, the reason you fired a warning shot at us was because you'd
conditioned yourself to believe the first sign of an outside arrival
would be the Risik returning."
     "Point taken, Captain Apollo.  But now that you've filled me in on
what the situation is regarding the Risik, it seems clear to me that
reclaiming this abandoned outpost of theirs is not likely to be high on
their priority list compared to the resumption of their plans for an
invasion of Earth."
     "We do not seek to force anyone to do anything against their will,"
Apollo said, "However.....I am certain there are some people in New Eden
who might welcome a chance to see their homes and loved ones on Earth
again.  As well as those born here who have learned the stories of what
Earth has to offer them."
     "Stories told for the purposes of morale, Captain," Benton stressed,
"As I've said, the second and third generation knows of Earth the way a
child knows of a fairy tale land where everyone lives happily ever after. 
War, disease, poverty, crime.....injustice.  Those are the things on
Earth that we've managed to eradicate in our own world because the people
have been raised to do everything for the good of the Colony and only the
good.  No one born to New Eden could begin to cope with that kind of
injustice.....even if the Risik were to never launch their final
invasion."
     Apollo had to fight back the rising level of discomfort inside him. 
He decided to change subjects and gently broach the matter of what Dr.
Rena had told him.
     "On the matter of those born to New Eden.....could you clarify
something for me?  Was there any interbreeding between the prisoners and
Risik females?"
     The kindly avuncularness in Benton's face was suddenly gone. 
Replaced by a dark cloud and a near-scowl, "Why would you ask that
question?"
     "Because since this was a facility intended for the training and
exploitation of 'able-bodied men', then it doesn't seem as if the Risik
would have housed Earth females here," Apollo didn't skip a beat, "We've
already learned from captured Risik data as well as the freed prisoners
from Ne'Chak that female Earth prisoners were typically interrogated for
whatever knowledge they had about the military bases they were abducted
from, or in proximity to, like with Sergeant Wagner, whom you've met. 
And if they didn't cooperate, they were either sent to a main prison
planet with other abducted Earthers, civilian and military, or if the
female happened to be pregnant they were sent to the home planet for
further experimentation."
     "There were female prisoners from Earth among us initially," Benton
quickly interrupted.  "People who were incidental abductees just like
myself.  You met one of them earlier in the kitchen.  Lieutenant Becky
Shulman, who was co-pilot of the transport plane I was on with
Congressman Lindy."
     Apollo lifted an eyebrow, "And the Risik never got around to
transferring her?"
     "They let her and some others stay on Niddion because Commandant
Pravdin wanted to eventually test the breeding capability of able-bodied
soldiers with the Earth females who remained here."
     "I see," Apollo carefully took that in.  "So there were no Risik
females to act as potential breeding partners for the prisoners?"
     "None," Benton was emphatic.
     He's lying, Apollo realized right away.  But why?  For now though,
tact meant playing along with Benton and not confronting him.
     "But that hadn't begun at the time Pravdin abandoned all of you,"
Apollo said.  "The first birth took place afterwards, didn't it?"
     "Yes, Captain. Afterwards."
     "And how many first generation women in addition to Lieutenant
Shulman are alive?."
     "Only six including her," the words again came out rapidly.  "The
hardships of life in this colony in those early years did take a toll
that was heavier on the original female population. It was ten years
after I had assumed control of the colony and all the members of our
second generation had been born to us, that we suffered our one great
setback.  The outbreak of a disease that killed most of the first
generation women."
     "A disease?" Apollo was surprised to hear this given how much Benton
had boasted about how things had become stable after he assumed
leadership.
     "One we were totally unfamiliar with.  We called it Grant's disease
because the first victim was Jennifer Grant.  It then spread to nearly
all of the other women and the end result was some thirty women who died
within the space of a year."
     The Galactica warrior tried to take this in.  In light of the fact
that he knew Benton had lied to him about Risik women, he wasn't ready to
accept this account.  But he had to keep silent about that for now. 
Especially since he was sure that this account would undoubtedly be
confirmed by anyone else in the colony.
     "And this epidemic of......Grant's Disease has never reoccurred?"
     "No," Benton shook his head, "As it turned out, the disease was
related to one known in Risik medicine that had a propensity to strike at
adult females of their species and since there is, as you put it a good
deal of similarity between them and us, females born on Earth were
apparently susceptible to it as well.  It was after the epidemic had
subsided that we were able to translate Risik medical texts and
understand better what had happened.  The disease has never come back
since."
     "That's certainly good to know," Apollo chose his next question
carefully, "Did you.....lose your own wife in that epidemic?"
     The Colony Leader sighed with an air of regret, "I've never been
married, Captain Apollo.  I never had time to think of taking a wife for
myself or having children of my own.  Once the responsibility for the
Colony was mine......I felt I couldn't allow that kind of indulgence for
myself.  It wasn't easy, Captain, but......I know I made the right
decision.  It at least spared me of the pain so many men and children
went through when the epidemic struck so many women down."
     Apollo knew that Benton's revelation about himself wasn't a
deception on his part.  And it explained a lot more as to why Benton
would be reluctant to countenance losing control of 'his people'. 
Because it would leave him without any real family of his own.
     Damn this is not going to be easy.  Apollo knew that on many levels,
Benton was a genuine hero and a great man.  But there were also layers of
darkness that he could sense, and that was going to make a final
resolution of the fate of New Eden more difficult than he could have
possibly imagined.
     It would have been easier if he were just an autocratic tyrant the
people were anxious to get away from.  But I don't think that's going to
be the case.  Even the people who might want to come home to Earth are
probably going to wonder if they're letting their Father-figure down if
they did so.
     "Sacrifice for the greater good is the noblest of traits, General,"
Apollo went back to showing empathy, "My people have learned a lot about
that too these last five.....years."
     He looked back up and smiled, "So you have," he glanced over at what
looked like a makeshift chronometer that had been assembled from
scavenged parts.  "I think I've taken up enough of your time.  I'll let
you rejoin the rest of your party in the Conference Room and you can
exchange information with each other."
     "Just one final question, General," Apollo knew he couldn't let this
matter go.  "What plan have you developed to deal with the issue of a
future fuel or power source once the original supplies are finally
exhausted?"
     Benton was halfway out of his chair when Apollo asked the question. 
He slowly settled back down and looked kindly at his guest.
     "We have a multitude of options to consider, Captain Apollo," he
said with assurance, "Only a year ago, Colonel Keller discovered just
beyond the boundaries of the complex indications that there are petroleum
deposits waiting to be tapped."
     Another lie from him.  Or else he found only trace signs and thinks
it means a big deposit that isn't there.
     "And you have the means to extract any such deposits?"
     "We have the ability to rise to the challenge," Benton said with
confidence, "Just as we had to do before when it came to developing our
hydroponic garden and our fish hatchery."
     He's letting bravado substitute for hard facts on this point.  Now
we come to what's likely going to be the real difficulty in getting
people to come with us.  If he tells the people he has a solution to that
problem.....they're going to believe him just because he says so.  And
therefore, if their first desire is to stay here, they will. 
     But Apollo knew this wasn't the time to argue with the Colony
Leader.  He would need to find a better opportunity and a better venue. 
Preferably one where he could have the luxury of speaking to the entire
population at once.....or most of it at least.
     "Well General, I thank you for your hospitality," Apollo rose,
knowing that he was in for a longer haul on this planet than he'd
anticipated.  "Before I return to the Conference Center, I'd like to
contact the other two members of my party who are standing by in our
shuttle and give them permission to come here and see the New Eden Colony
for themselves.  I've noticed that our communication devices don't seem
to function inside the complex."
     "A Risik legacy I'm afraid," Benton said.  "They built the walls and
ceilings thick enough so that no one could ever communicate inside by
means of a portable communication device.  A precaution to keep the
prisoners from creating such devices and using them to communicate.  The
only communications that work in here is a wired system of telephone
units."
     "I see," Apollo tried to remember if telephone was an Earth term for
telecom.  "I thank you again for your hospitality, General Benton."
     "You're most welcome.  You and your party are free to enjoy it for
however long you choose to stay here, Captain Apollo."
     Choose to stay here.  As if he figures that no one's going to join
us and we're never going to come back.  He's going to have to learn it's
not going to be that way just because that's what he thinks is best.
     But how to handle this was going to be quite a challenge.  And he
knew he probably wasn't going to have the luxury of time to confer with
the Galactica to get any advice from his Father or his Mother for that
matter on how to handle this.  This was entirely his responsibility and
he'd have to rely on the advice and counsel of just those who'd come with
him.


     Two hours had gone by since the last transmission from Apollo and it
had given Amy Sanderson and Sergeant Thomson a chance to talk and connect
with each other.  Amy sharing the details about her life as a Marine at
Camp Pendleton in California before her abduction by the Risik and the
tortures of Ne'Chak.  Thomson sharing the stories of his pre-Destruction
life on Libra and some of his more harrowing moments as a member of the
Security Division.
     "You mean.....Sergeant Mattoon was holding you at gunpoint because
he wanted to blow up the Galactica's fuel tanks?"  Amy had been impressed
by his story of the Weather Planet but this incident, from her
standpoint, constituted something far more dangerous.
     "Yeah," Thomson sighed, "The poor guy had flipped out because of the
Detente and the fact that Baltar had been given amnesty.  He wanted to do
something that would either restart the war or basically destroy us
because he felt in his madness we were no longer an honorable people for
making a deal with Baltar and the Cylons."
     The Marine shook her head, "Boy, I know how much everyone was still
badmouthing Baltar after our arrival, but that's just insane."
     "He was insane," Thomson sighed.  "I had to keep talking to him to
keep him from blowing up the tanks with a detonator and meanwhile giving
Captain Apollo and Lieutenant Starbuck time to sneak into the storage
room through the ducts.  Fortunately I was able to keep him distracted
and they got the drop on him.  When he realized he'd failed, he
just.....went into a catatonic shell and stayed there for more than a
yahren until Doc Tarnia finally got him out of it and got him back on the
road to recovery," he chuckled, "Finding out his little girl was still
alive in the Colonies helped too."
     Amy snapped her fingers, "Now I know what that name sounded
familiar!  The little girl who came back with President Ila from your
home sytesm.  That was Mattoon's daughter, wasn't it?"
     "Yes, it was.  And Mattoon, God bless him, is a completely cured man
but he's out of the Service for good because none of us could ever trust
him again after what he did.  Especially me since I was the one who had
to keep looking at him with a laser pistol pointed at my head."
     "I don't blame you," Amy admitted, "I might be able to forgive, but
never forget if I'd been in your place."
     The sound of the comline meant they were finally hearing from Apollo
again.  This time, Amy knew exactly where the switch was.  "Go ahead
Captain."
     "Sorry for the delay," Apollo said.  "I've discovered that our
comlines don't work inside the complex.  Apparently the heavy shielding
of the roof material causes interference.  I've had to step outside in
order to make contact.  You can hear me fine now?"
     "Yes Captain, I read you five by five," the Marine said out of force
of habit and then shook her head in embarrassment as she corrected
herself, "Uh sorry, I mean I read you loud and clear."
     "I read your meaning of 'five by five'," Apollo said with a chuckle
before proceeding with careful precision.  "Pass this on to the
Galactica.  No arrangements or deals made yet with the leader of the
Colony, who is an Earth native named William Benton.  He may prove to be
problematic on the issue of letting any of the inhabitants go.  We are
treating the situation delicately for now.  Especially since.....there
may be indications that Benton isn't being entirely truthful about the
back history of the Colony."
     "I copy that Captain.  Any further amplification on what he's not
being truthful about?" she then added, "Just in case they ask me."
     "I don't have anything definite yet, only a feeling.  That's why
we're going to need more time to investigate the matter and see if it
will factor into how we make our final appeal to have the population join
us," Apollo said, "After you finish sending that message, lock up the
shuttle and proceed with Sergeant Thomson to the complex in the Landram. 
Sergeant Micah will meet you in front of the main entrance and relieve
you both to guard the Landram.  I want him to stand by there so that way
we can save time on further communications."
     "Affirmative that.  We'll be away in five....centons."
     "And not a moment later, Lieutenant," Apollo quipped.


     As soon as the Galactica received the message relayed by Lieutenant
Sanderson, Colonel Tigh wasted no time passing it on to Adama who in turn
gave it to Ila to go over.
     "Talk about a gray zone," the Council President shook her head,
"This leader of theirs clearly isn't a fanatical madman but he may not be
amenable to letting anyone go."
     "Exactly.  It looks like Apollo's been forced to assume a greater
burden on this mission than I anticipated."
     Ila sighed and handed the message back to her husband, "Well....if
that's the case, he at least knows both his parents have confidence in
him to do the right thing."
     Adama could only offer a silent smile of agreement.


     When Apollo returned to the Conference Room, he saw that the entire
landing party was already there, taking up the seats in the front row. 
Not a single colonist was present and after checking the wings of the
stage area and the back row of the seats at the top of the stairs, he
decided that no one was concealed in the room and that they could speak
candidly and openly.
     "We're going to act under the assumption that this room isn't filled
with listening devices," Apollo began.  "So that means I want total
candor on what you saw of the complex, and the people."
     "There's no question Benton pulled off a miracle," Byrne said.  "He
took advantage of what was left behind and made sure it lasted, or could
be repurposed into something more practical, and at the same time could
handle the needs of a growing population."
     "But clearly a limited growth," Dr. Rena spoke up.  "That's why
there are only 15 children so far in the entire third generation and
right now there's no one under five because permission is required from
Benton for any couple to have a child.  The idea is that by regulating
the population growth and having a large number of births take place
within a specific time frame, a more equitable distribution of resources
can be maintained as well as creating a greater demographic balance
overall.  Apparently Benton doesn't plan on granting on new requests for
more births for another two yahrens at least."
     "It's interesting that he's allowed no new births for five years,"
Byrne noted, "Just at the same time he has to start looking at the real
problem of the original fuel supplies running out.  Controlling the
population growth would help him buy more time in stretching out those
resources and not confronting the issue of where do you go from there."
     "And Benton didn't indicate that he has a viable plan to handle that
problem yet," Apollo said as he paced in front of the others in the front
row, taking all of this in.  "I haven't mentioned our viper patrol's deep
scan of the planet to him yet.  I'm not sure he'd react positively to it
and it might result in him getting hostile with us before we have a
chance to let the people know how things stand as far as this colony's
long-term future is concerned."
     "I need to ask something about his population control plan," Lauren
spoke up, "Does that mean if a woman does get pregnant without
permission, she'd be forced to abort the pregnancy or......God forbid the
baby would be killed after birth?"
     "Dr. Barbara Meskowski, who heads their Infirmary, insists that the
population is regulated simply through the practice of total abstinence
on the part of the second generation for extended periods," Rena said. 
"And I'm inclined to believe her because these people were taught to
regard sex as something you should only practice for the purpose of
pro-creation."
     "Which would be a sign that their devotion to Benton exceeds normal
biological impulses," Sergeant Micah cracked.  It caused Apollo and the
others to smile but it also made the captain nod affirmatively.
     "Exactly, Sergeant.  And that's just another reminder of how careful
we have to be in dealing with Benton and what we say about him to people
who clearly adore him," he turned his attention back to Rena, "Doc, did
this Dr. Mekowski you talked to say anything about why there are so few
first generation women in the population?"
     "Yes she did.  She's second generation herself, and she says there
was an epidemic over thirty yahrens ago that killed nearly all of the
first generation women in the Colony.  That's the reason everyone in the
second generation is clustered between thirty and thirty five in age."
     "Benton mentioned that," Apollo nodded.  "He called it 'Grant's
Disease'."
     "Yes, because the first victim was a woman named Jennifer Grant,
mother of the school teacher to the third generation," Rena said.  "And
she also said that the few remaining women of the first generation, with
the exception of Becky Shulman, the kitchen worker we saw briefly, are
living in a state of "retirement" in the East Wing of the complex. 
That's because while they survived the epidemic, it did weaken their
health and kept them from being full-time members of the community from
that point onward."
     "What was unique about Becky Shulman?" Apollo asked.  "Other than
the fact that she was abducted by the Risik in the same plane Benton and
the late Congressman Lindy were in?"
     "Dr. Meskowski didn't explain.  As it turned out, Becky Shulman was
in the back of the Infirmary at the time getting some treatment, and I
wanted to see if Nestor or I could talk to her, but Dr. Meskowski
wouldn't let me."
     "Well we're going to have to rectify that.  If these other first
generation women are unavailable to us for direct questioning, she'd be
the only one who could elaborate more on what happened to the other
women.  Unless she's too close to Benton and would just repeat the things
we already know he's not telling the truth about.  Like his insistence
that there were no Risik women left behind her and no Risik
interbreedings with the prisoners."
     This was new information to the rest of the landing party and it
caused a stir from Byrne, Lauren and the others.  
     "Yes, I can confirm the interbreeding is a lot more widespread than
just Colonel Keller's son," Rena nodded.  "Nestor and I kept our
bio-scanning as discreet as possible so we wouldn't attract questions on
what we were doing.  But between us, we took readings on eleven other
second generation colonists and all of them are clearly half-Risik,
including Dr. Meskowski."
     "Can you really tell from just a simple wave of that device?" Byrne
asked.
     "Yes I can, Captain Byrne," the Constellation doctor was emphatic. 
"A lay person might not notice the differences in the readouts because
the Risik are very similar and ordinary scans from a distance wouldn't be
able to distinguish the two.  But when you're within less than three
metrones or three of your meters, the scan data becomes more precise. 
And I've studied enough Risik biology thanks to having six Risik
dissidents as regular patients to know the differences.  Especially when
its clear that they all had Risik mothers."
     "I think you've proved your point, Doc," Apollo held up a hand. 
"Which leaves us with the question of why is Benton lying about
interbreeding and Risik women?  And is that the reason why so many women
died from this mysterious 'Grant's Disease'?  Because it was a disease
unique to Risik only?"
     "I'd be willing to believe that if Benton didn't lie about the first
part of what you said," Byrne's skepticism was evident.  "If he's brought
the second generation up to believe they're purely Human, the reason may
be a lot more ominous."
     "Enough to make you think that maybe it wasn't a disease that killed
all those women," Lauren said, "And maybe under that kindly uncle facade
of his, General Benton's got a rap sheet to rival Scarface's when it
comes to treating females," her professional facade cracked and Apollo
could see the face of the more hot-tempered Wagner from her early days in
the Fleet.  Almost immediately, he motioned his hand impatiently.
     "Even if God forbid that's true, Sergeant, we have to be very
careful in how we'd handle that kind of a situation.  Especially if these
people view Benton as their Savior.  An accusation of something horrific
on his part isn't going to make them want to leave with us."
     "And even those we met who expressed an interest in returning to
Earth said they'd be glad to, provided that Benton agrees to it," Ashby
added, "I honestly think there's an ingrained attitude that if they did
something Benton wouldn't approve of, they'd view it like disobeying
their own father and it would shame them into staying."
     "And that's the thing we have to work on," Apollo said, "Even if
Benton really does have a plan to make the Colony last for the long-haul,
whoever wants to leave should have the freedom to do so."
     "I want to get back to that point," Byrne spoke up.  "If he really
has a plan he wouldn't be keeping it so close to the vest.  When the guy
who supervises the power shed, Kovalchuk, who's first generation no less,
doesn't have a clue as to what Benton has in mind, that might as well be
confirmation that he has no plan and is trying to put off breaking the
bad news to the people about it."
     "I agree, it doesn't make him look good, especially combined with
what he's clearly lying about regarding Risik women.  But for now, let's
try to spend more time talking to these people individually about the
value of coming home to Earth if they're first generation, or seeing
Earth for the first time.  And if we can ferret out some more information
about Risik women or whether Benton has a plan for the future or not, so
much the better.  But keep things positive and don't make the people
think we're trying to tear Benton down from the pedestal he's been put on
by the people."
     "Even if he deserves to be torn down?" Lauren asked with just an
edge of frustration cropping into her voice.  
     "That's not our call to make......Sergeant," Apollo put a heavy
stress on the rank, "If the people decide on their own they want to tear
him down.....that's their business and theirs alone.  Ours is to make
sure those who want to leave get that chance.  And if enough of them
decide they want to go, maybe Benton will realize that if he truly cares
for 'his people' as he describes them, he should do the right thing.  And
if that happens......then anything terrible he might have done in the
past becomes irrelevant."
     "But-," Lauren started.
     "Irrelevant," Apollo cut her off. "I meant what I said, Sergeant
Wagner."
     She slowly exhaled and nodded, "Yes sir."
     He then looked around, "Okay, we're going to fan out and take
advantage of the free rein we're being given.  If you find something that
points to an answer to one of the questions we're looking at.....don't
say a word until you have a chance to report back to either Captain Byrne
or me since comlines don't work inside this place.  Above all.....keep
smiling and keep acting friendly.  The last thing we need is for Benton
to start treating us like we're the enemy."
     Even though we are, he couldn't help but add to himself.  For now,
Apollo didn't see how this was going to end without some kind of
unpleasant confrontation with the Colony Leader.


     From inside his office, Benton had his elbows on his desk and his
hands under his chin as he listened to every word that Apollo had just
spoken to the landing party.  When it was over, he let out a rueful sigh
and switched off the listening device that was located underneath the
desk...and was connected to systems located in multiple areas of the New
Eden complex.  
     "There were a lot of things about his technology I underestimated,"
he said quietly to Colonel Keller, who had also heard everything.  "I
never imagined medical technology could become so sophisticated that you
could tell a person's internal physiology just by waving a hand held
device at someone."
     "But he underestimated you, Bill," the gray-haired Colonel said. 
"He should have remembered that if this place was built as a prison
complex, then the Risik would have had security monitors and listening
devices put in place."
     Benton nodded and smiled wryly at his trusted deputy, "True, Jack. 
But I told him that all computers and unnecessary electronic systems in
this place had long ago been dismantled and recycled.  Which but for
these listening devices is the complete truth.  So I don't think it's
necessarily a failure on his part.  He's clearly an intelligent man who's
earned his position, and not just because, as he admitted, his father is
the commander of their Fleet and his mother is the President of their
governing council."
     "Which makes him and his people all the more dangerous," Keller said
flatly.  "We may have to consider something very drastic."
     Benton abruptly slammed his palms down on the desk and rose to a
full height, his expression one of total authority and anger.
     "There will be no killing, Colonel!"  He said emphatically.  "Kill
him or anyone else in their party and all we'd do is invite a whole
assault team from their ship to conquer us and take us away by force. 
I'm not going to be forced into that horrible position again," he then
shook his head and dropped back into his chair, "It was bad enough it had
to be done once before.  I made a vow back then it would never happen
again.  And I intend to keep that vow."
     "I know how you feel, Bill," Keller wasn't intimidated because he
was long used to being dressed down and reproached by Benton.  "But what
happened back then had to be done for the good of the Colony and our
survival.  We're facing the same situation now."
     "No we're not!" Benton looked at him and slammed his palm on the
table again, "If what he said is true, then all we have to do is prove
that this Colony will last for generations if left alone.  Then he loses
his whole argument for insisting that we all have to go with him for our
own good."
     "That is a wiser course of action......assuming we can prove it to
his satisfaction."
     Benton nodded, his dark eyes fierce with determination, "I intend to
prove it to him, Jack!"
     "And it won't matter if he finds out the truth about what happened
to the Risik women?"
     "You heard him.  If he knows we can survive on our own, that becomes
a non-issue from his standpoint.  Besides," he suddenly broke into a warm
avuncular smile as befitting the image he'd cultivated for decades, "If
he were to tell the people, why would they have any reason to believe
him?  Our second generation has grown up believing their mothers were
from Earth.  It's ingrained in their very being."
     "But that could change if someone else who knows decided to talk,"
Keller said.
     Benton shook his head, "I have no intention of giving any of them
access to the East Wing living spaces.  That means there is no danger."
     "I wasn't thinking of them," the Colonel said, "I was thinking of
Becky Shulman."
     The smile faded and Benton let out a sad sigh.
     "Becky knows me," he said simply, "She knows why it had to be done. 
I don't think she'd betray us."
     "Do you want me to----,"
     "No," he abruptly cut her off, "Leave her alone, Jack.  That's an
order."
     His second in command nodded and left the room.


     Scali realized quickly that Komma had been right.  The scanned
images from the old crew rosters for the Excelsia were largely indistinct
on the small-sized screen of a personal comp device.  The only exceptions
were the larger sized images for the senior officers, headed by Commander
Marcus whose image took up almost half the size of the screen, showing
the Excelsia commander in full Warrior splendor.  The fact he was wearing
the command version of Warrior battle dress and not a standard Bridge
uniform made it easier to tell that Marcus was Commander Cain's father. 
The same jawline, the same wavy hair, the same air of authority though
the last point didn't exude quite as strongly from Marcus's image as it
did from the pictures and video Scali had seen of Cain over the yahrens. 
Which probably explained why the son had achieved a legendary quality
with the general public that had never existed for the father.
     For now, he kept going through the roster on his personal comp to
see if he'd first find the name of Aurelius and if he did, he'd try to
move to one of the the Yarborough's public terminals, located amidships
in the common area for men and women aboard the passenger freighter.  If
the name wasn't there, he'd at least save himself the hassle of having to
get in line and wait his turn for a crack at one of the public comps.
     On the second page, after the page with Marcus and the senior Bridge
Officers, came the page with the squadron leaders and deputies.  And
there.....he saw the name he was looking for.  Captain Aurelius of Green
Squadron.  And when he looked at the face, he felt a thrilling rush go
through him as he saw a face that even at low resolution clearly didn't
belong to the Aurelius who was working in the launch crew and had become
a close friend of Adama's family.  
     The thrill inside him lasted for over twenty microns as he began to
make preparations to shut down his personal comp and look at the file on
the public comp so he could get a printout.  And then......it abruptly
vanished like the sun burning away the early morning fog.
     You idiot.  How could you have forgotten?  Aurelius had facial
alteration surgery when he came here from the Colonies with Professor
Ila.  That's the reason she brought him back, because no one there could
treat him.  Of course this picture isn't going to match him!  
     Properly chastised, he went back to the roster and looked at the
facial profile shot once again.  Trying to see if he could connect it to
the Aurelius he'd met with the one staring back at him from over thirty
yahrens ago.  After a few microns, he realized it was futile to play this
game further.  He should come away satisfied that he'd likely established
the reason why Aurelius wore the insignia of the Excelsia on his launch
crew uniform.  It clearly represented a time from later in his career
when he'd held a higher position than his days on the Bellepheron, and
that in all likelihood he just didn't want to call attention to the fact
he'd held such a high position once, a long time ago.  In some respects
that would be an admirable trait of humility on his part.  Not wanting to
put on any airs or any sense of entitlement because of his past, when
he'd clearly been in some position of authority.
     No need to print this out yet, he sighed as he flipped through the
old roster further and saw more  faces staring back at him......along
with some group shots he hadn't realized would be here as well.  And
then, he saw a larger image that showed the senior Bridge officers,
including Commander Marcus posing with the squadron leaders in the
Excelsia launch bay.
     Wait a micron, Scali squinted.  If the third one on the left is
Aurelius......
     Suddenly the thrill came back to him, and he quickly shut down his
personal comp.  He'd be visiting the public area after all.

Chapter Five

     After the meeting in the Conference Room broke up, the members of
the landing party all fanned out to explore more of the New Eden Colony
on their own.  Everyone went in groups of two or three with one
exception, as Sergeant Micah had to return to the entrance to await the
arrival of the Landram.  He would relieve Amy Sanderson and Sergeant
Thomson and let them get their first chance to see New Eden for
themselves while he would remain on-guard inside the ground vehicle.
     Funny, he thought as he made his way back down the winding corridor
that he knew led to the main entrance.  I should be mad I'm not able to
stay and do more bona fide investigating of what's going on in this
place.  After all, that's the sort of work I was trained for back in the
old days when I worked in the Special Investigating Division.  And
yet.....I'm not.  It's as if I've lost my zeal for investigating after my
last job made me find out the real reason Miranda was interested in
starting a relationship.  Because I had a connection to Sire Uri through
my father, and she and her brother had to find out if I knew about their
connection to Uri through Copernicus's hacker collective group that Uri
exploited for his treason plot.  
     His step-brother, Captain Dante of the Constellation had told him he
was being too hard on Miranda when he'd decided to break the engagement
after all matters pertaining to the hacker group had been resolved.  Yes,
Miranda had lied to him in the beginning and had used him.  But she could
have easily dropped him once she and her brother Meshech realized that
Micah didn't know anything that could endanger them.  The only reason
Micah ultimately found out was when Adama had called him in to
investigate the matter of the hacker collective and their ties to Uri
(the result of Copernicus breaking his silence about the group and how
Copernicus's father, Sire Uri, had manipulated them prior to the
Destruction to serve Uri's treason plot).  By that point, Dante had
argued to him, Miranda had long since demonstrated how much she loved
Micah for himself.
     I guess I have too much pride though about being manipulated, he
sighed as he passed out of the main complex and back into the central hub
with its passages to the West and East wings on either side of him    
The West wing entry point was still empty but he could see the same
uniformed guard with the Earth weapon from before standing sentry at the
entrance to the East wing.  His bearing erect as if he hadn't been
allowed to change expression or relax during the course of his shift. 
Which itself was a testament to how much discipline General Benton had
instilled in the Colony.  As he drew alongside him, he was startled when
the young guard abruptly raised his right hand in a perfect salute.
     "At ease, Corporal.  At ease," a voice from behind said hastily. 
Micah turned around and saw Colonel Keller approaching, which explained
why the young guard had gone into an abrupt salute.
     "Colonel Keller?" Micah asked with a tentative air.  Apollo's
briefing made him realize how he had to handle things very carefully,
especially with Benton's second-in-command.
     "Yes.  I'm sorry I've forgotten your name."
     "Sergeant Micah, Colonel.  I'm on my way to relieve the other two
members of our landing party."
     "Yes, I ran into Captain Apollo and he told me two more would be
coming.  I wanted to be here to greet them on General Benton's behalf and
give them a preliminary tour."
     Be polite.  Don't act suspicious, Micah thought.  "Of course, I'm
sure they'll appreciate it.  One of them is also from Earth.  Lieutenant
Amy Sanderson."
     "What service branch is she from?" Keller asked as they walked down
the long corridor that led back to the main entrance.
     "I.....believe she was in what they call the.....Marines?"
     For the first time a smile came over the Colonel's face.  "My branch
too!  I'll look forward to meeting her."
     And turning on some charm of your own?  Micah couldn't help but ask
himself as they passed into the main entrance and then out the front
door, where both were greeted by the intense heat of the planet.  Through
the haze of the desert dust, Micah could see the Landram approaching.
     "Here they come," he pointed.  Benton's deputy looked at the
approaching ground vehicle with an impressed air as it was nothing at all
like anything he remembered from Earth, and was clearly superior to the
Risik ground vehicles that had been left behind.
     "What is that?" the American colonel asked with an underlying tone
of awe.
     "It's called a Landram," Micah said, knowing he had to be minimal in
his descriptions.  "We use them for ground transport during planetary
missions if we have to cover longer distances."
     Keller squinted at the upper part of the vehicle as it drew closer. 
"Is it armed?"
     Micah hesitated for an instant but since the Landram cannon was
located on the outside, Apollo clearly hadn't intended to conceal this
fact from the people or else he would have insisted the Landram stay
locked in the shuttle.  "Yes, it is.  It comes in handy for that
purpose."
     "I can imagine.  The principal looks similar to our tank vehicles on
Earth, but.....more compact it would seem."
     "That I wouldn't know," the Colonial Security Guard was hoping he'd
soon be relieved of having to talk any further to Keller.  Now that he
knew that there was some suspicious aspects to the earlier history of the
Colony that the Colonel undoubtedly knew about, he didn't want to be in a
position of revealing too much about Colonial technology to him.
     The Landram came to a stop in front of the gate.  Five microns later
both doors opened and Thomson stepped out first, followed by Amy.  Micah
walked out to greet them and noticed that Keller was following him.  He
realized that was going to keep him from giving an honest update to the
two of them and that they'd have to wait until they were alone with
Apollo.
     "Your relief," Micah said simply.
     "Thanks Micah," Thomson said as he and Amy quickly eyed Keller.
     "This is Colonel Keller, deputy commander of the Colony," Micah
motioned.  "Colonel Keller, this is Sergeant Thomson from the Galactica. 
Lieutenant Amy Sanderson, who's from Earth and was also freed from the
Risik prison at Ne'Chak."
     "Nice to see a fellow Marine again!" Keller smiled as he took note
of Amy's uniform and saluted her.  She quickly returned it.
     "Semper fi," Amy managed to smile as she lowered her arm.  "Where
were you stationed?"
     "1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton."
     Amy's eyes widened, "So was I!  I was in the 7th Motor Transport
Battalion."
     "I was in the 1st Battalion Infantry.  When were you abducted?"
     "July 7th 1992.  They grabbed me when I was out hiking in the
Cleveland National Forest off the base." she felt relaxed being able to
share this with someone who'd automatically know where she talking about.
     "Amazing.  That's where they grabbed me and two of my buddies back
in the summer of '87.  We were doing a field exercise.  I guess those
Risik bastards knew it was a ripe target for finding people to snatch."
     "I guess so," Amy nodded, amazed by the coincidence.  "So.....you'll
be our escort, Colonel?"
     "I will indeed.  If you'll follow me?"
     Micah was on the verge of saying he needed a few microns alone with
his fellow Colonial Security Guard but he realized that would look
suspicious.  Instead he quietly moved alongside Thomson and quickly
leaned over and whispered in his ear.
     "Don't trust him too much.  But keep smiling."
     Thomson didn't change expression but faintly nodded his head and
moved on to join Amy and Keller.  Before Micah stepped inside the
Landram, he looked back and saw that the two Earth natives already
talking up a storm to each other as they headed into the complex.
     I wonder if that connection they have is going to be a good or bad
thing?


     Thomson kept a respectful distance behind Amy and Keller as they
passed from the main entrance foyer to the long passageway that led
deeper into the interior.  He could tell the two Earth natives had too
much in common for him to bother intruding into the conversation.
     "I have to admit, it's surprising to me how you and the others who
came from Ne'Chak don't seem to have aged at all since you were
abducted."  Keller was saying.
     "The Risik kept us in suspended animation for a considerable period
until we reached the prison planet," Amy said.  "It's been almost as long
for us as it was for you in terms of how long it's been since we were
taken from Earth, but......we've only been awake for about seven years
since we arrived and were imprisoned.  Except for Sergeant Wagner, whom
you've met.  Her ship was derelict with a dead crew when the Galactica
found her two years ago and she was still in suspended animation from
just after her own abduction."
     "They must have been using slower scout ships to handle you and
her," the older Marine was amazed.  "We were taken in ships that went at
hyper speed.  We were only in suspended animation for about six months to
a year when we arrived at this planet."
     "I guess the Risik were in more of a hurry to get results from the
prisoners they intended for this place," Amy felt herself relaxing even
more.
     "But if they were still taking prisoners from Earth as late as 1992,
that would line up close to when they abandoned us.  I guess they were
still desperately trying to get some final prisoners from Earth even as
things were collapsing in their war with the Ke'Zar and forcing their
retreat."
     "Yes, and because we were on slower ships that now had to travel to
a more distant frontier region of theirs where they set up their new
Capital, that's why we stayed in suspended animation for decades until
things quieted down and they knew they could get back to making use of
the 'last generation' of Earth prisoners they took in the early to
mid-90s.  Those first decades after the Ke'Zar drove them out, they had
to spend less time thinking about invading Earth one day and more time
getting their new Empire in order.  My understanding is that it was only
when the current Supreme Leader came to power that they went back to
making Earth part of their long-term strategy again.  Along with revenge
on the Ke'Zar too for the loss of their original home system."
     "Which means Earth is still in danger," the Colonel sighed as they
reached the end of the initial corridor and entered the hub area.  He
stopped and went over to where Corporal Braddock was still guarding the
entry to the East wing.
     "Ah, Corporal," Keller said and motioned to Thomson, "Kindly give
Sergeant Thomson a tour of our storage facilities on Level One."
     "Yes sir!" Braddock sharply saluted.  "If you'll follow me,
Sergeant?"
     The Security Guard hesitated for just a brief instant.  He almost
wondered if this was Keller's way of trying to discreetly get rid of him
so he could apply more conversational charm on his fellow Marine from
Earth.  But.....he was quite sure if he vocalized any objection, Amy
would tell him not to disrespect Keller's hospitality.  He nodded his
head and moved toward Braddock.  Seconds later, they had disappeared into
the passageway that led to the East Wing of the facility.
     "So tell me, Lieutenant," Keller said as he and Amy resumed walking,
"How sophisticated is that thing you and the Sergeant came out here in?"
     "The Landram?" Amy shrugged.  "It's a serviceable ground vehicle. 
No different from a tank in basic principle."
     "But different in weaponry, I would imagine.  I noticed it had some
kind of weapon mounted on the roof."
     "Yes, that does act as a kind of cannon similar to the gun mounted
on a tank, but a lot more than that," Amy nodded.  "The firepower in that
cannon on top would blast away just about anything.  It can even take
down a flying patrol craft overhead.  It's more like a combination tank
and mobile anti-aircraft weapon wrapped up in one."
     "You know how to operate it?" his tone was still casual.
     "Not the cannon.  I've had training to fly a shuttle and drive a
Landram but firing the cannon is outside my pay grade."
     "But it can be operated by one.....soldier."
     She smiled at him again, "You were starting to say one man,
Colonel?"
     "I guess I was," he admitted.  "I didn't mingle much with the women
at Pendleton when I was there."
     "Well things have changed a lot on Earth, and these Colonials are
even more forward about women troops and pilots etc." Amy found herself
enjoying the conversation so much that she scarcely paid attention to any
of the sights around her of the complex.  "But to answer your question,
it takes one person to drive a Landram and one to man the cannon on top
in an observer position.  I suppose you can squeeze two on top but no
more than that."
     "I see.  That is somewhat advanced.  I don't think even the Risik
had anything like that though we never got to see any of their
combat-type ground vehicles."
     "They didn't leave any transport vehicles of their own behind?"
     "No, just the equivalent of jeeps.  And we only maintain two of them
for operational use.  The rest were scavenged for their parts to run more
important machine systems for the complex." he shook his head, "Glorified
pieces of junk, basically."
     "I'm not surprised.  Compared to what Captain Apollo's people have,
the Risik are way behind them in basic military technology," Amy said. 
"I presume he's briefed you about the Colonial people and what they've
been through."
     "Yes, he has," the older Marine nodded.  "It's.....quite a
remarkable story.  Fighting a race of.....machines."
     "I still have trouble believing it myself sometime.  When we were in
Ne'Chak we dreamed about the idea of rescue coming from Earth,
but......never from Humans who came from the other side of the galaxy and
proved all those old Von Daniken theories from the 70s to be true." Amy
looked him in the eye, "Have your people dreamed about rescue all these
decades?"
     Colonel Keller smiled and shook his head, "We never let ourselves be
blinded by unrealistic dreams, Lieutenant.  Those of us who remembered
life on Earth had to put it behind us for the good of the Colony,
especially after the Risik left us to our own devices.  And for our
children and our first wave of grandchildren......Earth is like a place
out of a fairy tale to them.  They know about wonderful things they've
never seen or eaten, but for their own good we spare them the stories of
what made life on Earth hard as well.  The wars.  The environmental
destruction.  The racial prejudices and animosities."
     Remembering Apollo's cautionary warning earlier, Amy decided not to
ask Keller anything about leaving with the Colonials.  "Are you married,
Colonel?"
     "My wife is dead," he said tersely.  "Long ago.  I have a son,
Steve.  You'll probably get a chance to meet him in a bit.  In fact----,"
he stopped walking and pointed down the corridor, "There he is now with a
couple of your friends."
     Keller took her over to where his son Steve had just emerged from a
door with Lauren and Corporal Michael Forrest following him.  As soon as
the younger Keller saw his father he quickly snapped to attention and
gave him a quick salute which the elder Keller quickly returned.
     "I just finished showing them our fish hatchery, sir."
     "It used to be a swimming pool for physical conditioning of the
prisoners," Lauren said to Amy, "Apparently Commandant Pravdin had his
own private aquarium of Risik fish delicacies to cultivate and after they
left, General Benton and the survivors figured out how to expand the
supply by using the pool as a new tank to breed a larger fish population
as a food resource."
     "I remember the Risik seafood they used to make us eat," Amy said as
she shuddered in recollection of a bad memory.  "I had to keep pretending
it was something else to finally get used to it!"
     Colonel Keller laughed, "It's definitely not salmon or trout,
but.....when you're hungry you develop a taste for it, and our children
of course were used to it from the outset.  It's just one of the many
miracles of this place."
     "Colonel Keller," Lauren turned to him, "If it's okay.....I'd like
to bring my friend Amy up to speed on some other things in private."
     "By all means.  As a matter of fact, I need to talk to Captain
Keller in private myself about a few matters," he motioned to his son who
nodded and followed him down the corridor.
     "You had a chance to talk to him?" Lauren lowered her voice.
     "Yeah," Amy nodded, "Turns out he's a fellow Marine from Pendleton. 
A few years before my time, but it gave us something to connect with."
     "But he's also the loyal deputy of the colony commander," Michael
spoke up, "And apparently, the commander, this General Benton, has a bit
of a god complex that the people have reinforced over the decades. 
That's why they might not be in a frame of mind to leave with us."
     Amy slowly took that in and folded her arms, "Should they?  After
all.....do we really have the right to force them to come if they don't
have to go?"
     "That's what makes this like walking on eggshells," Lauren sighed,
"This colony seems to be smooth and efficient.  It seems to be capable of
lasting for the long haul, but only in rigidly controlled conditions. 
Plus, there may be indications that they've practiced some genocide of
their own in the past to keep things going."
     "How?" Amy's eyes widened.
     "We'll try to fill you in," Lauren motioned her to follow, keeping
her voice low and confidential, "But keep acting casual in front of them. 
Captain Apollo doesn't want us to antagonize them or challenge them
unless it becomes absolutely necessary."
     "I understand," the warning tone in Lauren's voice made Amy wonder
if she'd been just a little too friendly with Colonel Keller.  "Where are
we going now?"
     "I'd like to take another look at their kitchen and see if someone
we saw earlier is back on duty," Lauren said, "The only first generation
woman we've seen so far in this place."


     "You'll need to find a man you trust most for something important,"
Colonel Keller said as he and his son walked away from the Colonials. 
His voice purposely low.
     "What?" Steve looked at him.
     "Something that might be the key to our ability to survive as a
Colony."
     "Has the General approved this?"
     "The General wants New Eden to continue.  This will help guarantee
that.  Get your men and take them to the entrance.  I'll explain further
what you have to do."
     As soon as he was done explaining everything, his son looked at him
with just a faint trace of concern.
     "As far as their own guard is concerned....."
     "Do not shoot him," the older Keller interrupted, "The General is
adamant that there be no killing.  Incapacitate him, but don't injure him
seriously.  This will help give us a bargaining chip to keep these people
from forcing us to do something that's not in our best interest."
     Steve nodded, "I understand.  I'll get Corporal Kirby.  He's
dependable and he's got enough muscle to do the job."
     The older Keller patted his son on the shoulder, "Godspeed, son."


     Dr. Rena and Med-Tech Nestor had decided to pay a second visit to
the Colony's Infirmary.  A benefit for the inhabitants was that the Risik
had operated an extensive clinic to meet the needs of what was supposed
to be a large prison population, and consequently at the time of the
abandonment, a considerable amount of medical supplies and equipment had
also been left behind.  But as the chief doctor, a second generation
woman named Barbara Meskowski admitted, it had taken time to figure out
how to properly utilize it.
     "No one from the first generation had any real medical background
other than basic first aid for the battlefield," Barbara said.  "Not even
General Benton had any expertise regarding medicinal drugs or anything
like that.  We had to make certain that our reading knowledge of the
Risik language improved so we could understand the text books that were
left behind on how to treat Humans.  They obviously had many centuries of
knowledge on that point."
     "And that's why this whole phenomenon called 'Grant's Disease'
turned into an epidemic?"  Rena decided to return to that troublesome
subject she'd learned about in their first conversation.  "Because no one
in the first generation had the medical knowledge to get it under control
right away?"
     "That's my understanding," Barbara's voice suddenly grew cryptic. 
"I was only four when all of that happened and my own mother died."
     "I'm sorry," Rena shifted gears. "The first generation obviously
learned enough from the texts to pass that on to you."
     "Yes, but I am something of a quick study," the colony doctor
acknowledged.  "I was able to absorb the information a lot faster than
the first generation did.  It's why I was able to take over as director
of the Infirmary when I was twenty."
     As Barbara talked, Rena noticed Nestor taking an unobtrusive
bio-scan of the Colony doctor without revealing what it was or its
purpose.  After a few microns, the med-tech looked at her and silently
gave Rena a nod of the head.  Confirming what Rena had detected in their
first visit on her own scanning device.
     How can she be half-Risik and not know it?  She decided she had to
return to the sticky question from another angle.
     "Did your training include Risik biology as well?"
     Barbara seemed taken aback by the question.  "Why would you ask
that?"
     "Well.....if you had to rely on Risik text books to learn about
Human biology, wouldn't there have been textbooks of theirs on their own
biology?"
     "None that I ever studied," she said abruptly.  "If any of them
still existed, they would have served no purpose."
     "I see," Rena nodded.  But inside, she could tell that her question
had clearly struck a nerve with the colony doctor.  She probably does
know.  She'd have to know in order to perform surgeries and account for
the internal differences between the first generation people and the
second generation people born to Risik mothers.  Benton probably swore
her to secrecy on that point!  Lords of Kobol, how deep does this
deception go? 
     "Tell me something," Rena chose her next question carefully, "Do you
bury your dead?  Or are they all cremated?"
     "We bury our dead," Barbara answered as if she were relieved Rena
had changed the subject.  "Our cemetery is located outside the rear
compound wall.  Go past the power shed and the way is clear to it ."
     "Could I see it?" Rena asked.
     "It's not a forbidden place.  It's often a place for quiet
introspection for us," Barbara said.  "You shouldn't have trouble finding
it.  I'm sure someone on duty can help if you get confused."
     "Thank you, I appreciate that, Dr. Meskowski." she then added, "I
can't say enough how impressed I am with your facilities.  It's clear
you've set up a very efficient operation."
     "We've made the most of what we have," Barbara acknowledged. 
"General Benton made sure we properly rationed medicinal supplies so we
wouldn't become dependant on them.  By making us a healthy society, we're
able to handle things like headaches and colds without having to resort
to drugs.  We save them only for the older people in the first
generation."
     "Like.....that woman from the kitchen who was here earlier?" Rena
asked carefully.
     "Becky Shulman.  Yes, because she's first generation she's entitled
to half an aspirin tablet if she has a headache.  We anticipate by the
time the first generation dies off, our original supply of drugs that the
Risik left behind will be exhausted.  Since the second generation has
functioned without them, it won't cause a disruption in terms of how we
live."
     "And she's just one of six first generation women still alive?"
     "Yes," Barbara nodded.  "But Becky is the only one who still
actively works.  Women who reach sixty are exempt from further work
detail assignments and are free to live comfortably."
     "Doing what?" she gently pressed.
     "Write, paint, anything they please.  It's a reward for the years of
sacrifice they put into the community."
     "I'd like to meet them if it's possible."
     "You'd need to check with General Benton or Colonel Keller," Dr.
Meskowski's voice suddenly became guarded again.  "The older members of
our community live on the second level of the East Wing and that's much
further away from here.  For now, I think you'd be more interested in
seeing more of the work areas."
     "Probably so," the Constellation  Medical Officer knew she shouldn't
overly press since she knew she'd touched a nerve with the Colony Doctor
again, "I think Nestor and I will check the cemetery.  Thank you again
for your time, Dr. Meskowski."
     "It's been my pleasure, Dr. Rena."
     Rena motioned Nestor motioned Nestor to follow her out.  The
med-tech had already stuck his bio-scan unit back in the folds of his
tunic.  Once the two of them departed, Barbara quickly went over to the
other side of the room where a device similar to a telephone was mounted
on the wall.  When she picked it up, she didn't need to press a button
since it was connected only to one place in the complex.
     "General Benton?"


     Lauren, Amy and Michael had returned to the kitchen, hoping they'd
find the first generation woman Becky Shulman back on duty.  Their hope
paid off when they saw her supervising the staff of six in preparing the
food.  Two ovens were operating and the smell of what Amy recognized as
Risik fish filled the air.  Inside, she felt an unpleasant flashback to
the meals served at Ne'Chak and it took all her inner strength to force
those traumatic memories back down.  
     "Hello," Lauren spoke up with a pleasant air, "We were wondering if
we could talk some more."
     Becky looked over at them.  Even though she was calmer now, there
was no mistaking the sense of surprised awe in her face.  "I'm.....a bit
preoccupied now.  Our dinner cycle is an hour from now and-----,"
     "Becky, why don't you talk to them," the young man who had helped
her into a chair earlier said sympathetically.  "We've already had our
turn talking to these people.  You deserve your chance."
     "Yes, Becky, go ahead," a second generation woman who was starting
to put the chopped greens onto individual plates encouraged.  "We can
handle things."
     "All right," the older woman slowly made her way over to the three
Earth natives and motioned them to a room that adjoined the main kitchen. 
When they stepped in, they immediately saw what looked like the
equivalent of a freezer unit while the back wall contained jars that
stored the rough equivalent of spices and seasonings that were in all
likelihood indigenous to the planet.
     "I still can't get over it," Becky said as she sat down in a
solitary chair, "The rest of the staff filled me in on what you told
them, but.....are you really from Earth?"
     "Yes, we are," Lauren said, "I'm Sergeant Lauren Wagner, US Air
Force.  This is Lieutenant Amy Sanderson, US Marines and Corporal Michael
Forrest, Royal Australian Army."
     The gray-haired woman forced a smile, "Been a long time since I met
anyone from Down Under.  There were no Australians in our ranks."
     "Quite all right," Forrest said pleasantly.  "From what we've seen,
the Risik had a bigger obsession with bringing Yanks to this place."
     "Yes.  Yes.  Over 70% of the prison population was American.  That
was.....that was because once they forced Congressman Lindy to act as a
leader for us, they felt it would be easier for him if they maintained a
predominantly American population who'd respect Harlan-Congressman Lindy
as our leader.  They only kept token representation for the other major
nations of Earth.  They needed to have some sense of the fighting
capability of soldiers from other nations, but......they came to believe
that once an invasion of Earth took place, America would give them the
most resistance.  At least, that's what Commandant Pravdin thought."
     "What about you?" Amy asked, "You were an Army pilot?"
     "A long time ago, yes," Becky sighed.  "I co-piloted a Gulfstream IV
jet out of Fort Wainwright to take visiting VIP's to and from the base. 
My dumb luck the Risik chose to snatch my plane with me and Congressman
Lindy and then-Sergeant Benton aboard."
     "What about your pilot?" Lauren asked.
     "Died during the journey from Earth to Niddion.  I used to think he
was lucky.  Especially since.....I grew up hearing stories from my father
who was a concentration camp survivor at Bergen-Belsen."
     Oh my God, Amy thought with horror.  
     "Why did they make you stay here on Niddion instead of transferring
you to one of their other prison worlds?" Lauren gently pressed.  She
knew the more important questions had to be raised gradually and
unobtrusively.
     "Oh....that was because of Congressman Lindy," there was an almost
reverent tone to how she said his name.  "Once Commandant Pravdin made it
clear he had to be the senior prisoner who would lead the others, the
Congressman insisted that Sergeant Benton and I not be transferred and
remain here.  He.....felt responsible for the two of us.  And he felt he
needed us to help him adjust to things.  He.....understood how brilliant
a man Bill Benton was and how much of a help he could be to him    And as
for me, I-----," she then trailed off and a pained look came over her
face.  
     The two women immediately understood.  "That's okay, Becky," Amy
said.  "You don't have to explain that any further."
     "It's why I never got married or had children," she said sadly,
"After him....I couldn't have contemplated loving anyone else. 
Bill.....he understood.  That's why I was exempt from the marriage
requirement after Bill had to take charge during that.....horrible time
after the Risik abandoned us."
     Lauren tried not to flinch over this revelation that there had been
marriage requirements.  She had to ask her next question calmly and
carefully.
     "How many other women prisoners from Earth were there?"
     She looked up and blinked slightly, "What?"
     "How many other women prisoners like you were there?" Lauren
repeated, "And why weren't they transferred originally?"
     "Oh, well......that's a very complicated story, I----," abruptly she
stopped and got to her feet, "This has been a bit one-sided.  Could you
tell me more about yourselves?  How you came to be freed from the Risik,
and......if you can really take us back to Earth?"
     Oh boy, she is not anxious to tell the truth about what she knows! 
Lauren thought.  She glanced over at Amy and to her relief, her friend
decided to take the lead in telling her their own back stories.  That
lasted for five minutes, with occasional interjections from Michael since
like Amy, he too had been a prisoner at Ne'Chak.  The Australian knew
that Amy and Lauren would be able to connect more easily with the woman,
so he was content to sit back and observe.
     "But now that's all over," Amy said as she finished the account of
the liberation of Ne'Chak, "The Colonial people who freed us, are taking
us back to Earth and we should be there in about a year and a half to two
years.  And all of you I know will be welcome to join us."
     Becky Shulman slowly took all of that in, "It would.....mean so much
to me to be home again.  To see Illinois again.  Maybe my brother is
still alive after all this time.  But.....has General Benton given his
approval to let us leave?"
     "You shouldn't need his approval, Becky," Lauren spoke up, "If you
want to come with us, that should be your decision and yours alone."
     "Well.....I suppose that's true, but........I'm sure Bill-General
Benton will need to give us his blessing.  He's been responsible for us
all this time."
     "He's not God," Lauren said simply.  Which brought a chuckle from
the gray-haired woman.
     "Maybe not God, but......he was our Savior.  He took on all the
burdens and......we've managed to survive." she then sighed and absently
looked back toward the door that led to the kitchen.  "I.....think I need
to get back to work.  We're serving dinner soon.  I.....hope you'll be
able to join us.  Even if you don't have a taste for Risik fish."
     "Thank you," Amy barely got her words out before Becky Shulman
turned and left.  Leaving the three Earth natives who had come from the
Galactica alone to contemplate the enigma of the only first generation
female in the Colony they'd been able to talk to.


     "These storage areas are situated in the forward area of what we
call the E-wing, or the East Wing," Corporal Braddock explained as he led
Thomson inside a large empty room that was filled with crates and
shelves.  From Thomson's standpoint it wasn't unlike a storage
compartment on the Galactica.  But the overall size was bigger.
     "Because the Risik intended for this place to one day house up to
two thousand prisoners, they already had it stocked with things meant to
handle a population that big," the Corpral went on, "So that's why we
have large supplies of bedding, kitchen utensils and other things that we
only need to keep a limited supply of on-hand in actual living spaces and
work facilities."
     "And who knows if you might need then to serve a population of two
thousand again one day, right Corporal?" Thomson didn't find any of this
to be particularly interesting from his standpoint but he knew he had to
act impressed and also to not say anything at this point in connection
with potential rescue operations.
     "Well.....I doubt we're ever going to have a population that big. 
Our birth rate is carefully regulated based on how much food we have on
hand to serve the needs of the Colony and if we need new personnel to
handle new responsibilities.  At present, there haven't been any births
permitted for the last five years."
     Thomson glanced over at him quizzically, "Do you have a large
quantity of birth control drugs or devices on hand too?"
     Braddock reacted in a way that suggested he had no idea what Thomson
could have been referring to, "Well.....routine abstinence, even among
those who are married, generally takes care of that.  General Benton
taught us long ago that the good of the Colony comes before any
pleasurable indulgences."
     And there's never been a revolt against that?  Thomson thought to
himself.  That shows how much they really have to be devoted to this
Benton guy.
     "What's beyond this area?" he decided to change the subject.
     "Living quarters on two levels," the Corporal said, "I'm afraid I
can't show you those areas without the General's specific permission.  We
try not to have work details intrude in those spaces."
     "Well----," he started but then stopped as a ringing sound made
Braddock go over to a wall near the door where a phone device was
mounted.
     "Corporal Braddock," he said clearly.
     "This is Colonel Keller, Corporal.  You're still showing everything
to our guest?"
     "Yes sir."
     "Keep him occupied in those areas for another fifteen minutes.  And
then escort him back to the main complex, and under no circumstances
allow him to talk to his friend on that vehicle of theirs parked outside. 
If he persists.....remind him that he needs to report to his superior
first.  If he still refuses, then you're to have him incapacitated."
     "Yes sir," Braddock's face didn't change expression.
     "That's all."
     "Anything important?" Thomson asked as Braddock nonchalantly hung
the phone up.
     "Just a routine check-in, sir.  Nothing significant.  If you'll
follow me, I'll show you where we store surplus fresh water and how we
handle waste water disposal."
     Thrillsville, Thomson tried not to roll his eyes as he followed the
young corporal out.

     
     Apollo and Byrne had just come from the Colony's Ordnance Locker
which had over ten uniformed guards to make sure all of their weapons
were secure.  All of the weapons were of Earth origin, revealing why
they'd been greeted with an M67 recoilless rifle upon their arrival. 
They'd seen no sign of any Risik type weapons and the second generation
members couldn't say whether or not any had been left behind and used up
later in the Colony's early years.  When they'd left, they'd both come
away convinced that one potentially fatal flaw in the Colony was that if
the Risik or any other hostile force ever came, they would be completely
powerless to fight them off with Earth weaponry only.
     "That may be our best argument to use with the people on why they
should all come with us," Byrne said as he and Apollo headed toward the
rear exit that led to the outer compound and the location of the power
shed.  "All it would take is a couple Risik assault teams with laser
weapons and they'd pretty much prevail in a slaughter."
     "It would save us a lot of trouble to fall back on that point,"
Apollo nodded.  "But Benton already indicated that he'd just make the
argument that the Colony is too small for the Risik to ever care about
again.  And he's probably right about that.  When the time comes for the
Risik to regroup they're going to push straight to Earth and not bother
stopping here."
     "Unless that Commandant Pravdin who abandoned this place is still
alive and wanted it retaken as a matter of avenging Risik pride.  We've
already seen how much of a premium they place on that."
     "Maybe not in this case," Apollo said as they passed more uniformed
personnel in the corridor and remembered to keep their voices low, "The
report Melnea translated gave no indication Risik women were left behind. 
And Pravdin never mentioned it when he had to justify his actions to the
Star Force.  If Risik women chose to stay behind because they decided to
turn on their own race, there's no way that detail would have been
covered up.  We've already seen firsthand what the Risik think about
traitors."
     Byrne frowned and looked at Apollo, "You mean Pravdin might have
been covering something up regarding the pull-out that would have made
him look bad?"
     "The fact that Risik women seem to account for almost the entire
second generation of this colony already proves Pravdin lied to his
superiors in the Star Force about some of the details.  At any rate,
whatever the circumstances are regarding the Risik women in this place,
it ends up being a point in Benton's favor that the Risik may not want to
revisit this place ever and thus, they don't need to come with us because
it would be safer for them.  It's going to be a lot better for us if we
find proof that the Colony can't sustain itself for the long haul over
multiple generations."
     "You're probably right," the USN Captain admitted as he and Apollo
glanced over and saw through a transparent window a room loaded with
exercise equipment.  Weight lifting devices.  Two treadmills and two
stationary cycles.  All of them being used by muscular men in their
mid-20s from the second generation.
     "Give Benton credit," Apollo said as they moved on toward the rear
exit, "He's keeping these people physically fit and with the limitations
they have in their water and food supplies, that's no small achievement."
     "I agree.  Benton's clearly a genius.  If he hadn't been forced to
enlist in the Army to pay for his education, he would have probably
become a rich man on Earth with his intellect," Byrne then sighed, "But
when you don't have someone else in the colony with a comparable level of
intelligence to offer some counterpoint and who can push back when
necessary.....it can make even the most well-intentioned of men become
corrupt with power over time."
     "I wouldn't disagree with that," Apollo said.  "All the signs are
there.  But at the moment, there is nothing we could use against Benton
to make the people realize their best interest is in coming with us."
     "But you said your scan of the planet shows there aren't any natural
resources they can draw from once their supplies are exhausted."
     "Yes, but is Benton going to automatically believe that's the end of
things?  Not likely.  And if he's able to do some fast double-talking by
appealing to his past glories of achievement, he'll dispel any doubts the
others might have."
     "I get it," Byrne admitted, "The old 'why should you trust a
stranger instead of the one you've been looking up to all these years'
line of thinking."
     "Exactly.  But if we can just probe a bit more with Kovalchuk, who
ought to know something if he's in charge of the power shed, we'll find
out if Benton's just stalling for time and really has no viable plan for
the people."
     "I doubt he's going to help on that," Byrne grunted.  "He seems like
all the other first generation people left.  Eager followers and
well-fit, but lacking in intelligence and initiative.  They just do what
Benton tells them to do because they owe him their lives."
     The two of them smiled politely at two uniformed guards as they
passed through the rear exit that led into the open compound.  Sandwiched
between the two wings of the complex, it was large enough for hundreds of
prisoners to engage in recreational sports or go through outdoor
regimental drillings    The power shed structure stood off to one side
next to where the eastern wing of the facility ended.  Beyond that was an
open space that looked as if a fence had once been there but had been
removed long ago.  As Apollo and Benton neared the power shed, they
suddenly noticed Rena and Nestor, accompanied by another second
generation man from the open area beyond the compound.
     "Thank you for the tour, Sergeant," Rena said politely to their
escort.  "We'll join Captain Apollo now.  You can go."
     "My pleasure, Ma'am," the young sergeant nodded with a polite air as
he made his way back across the compound toward the rear entrance.
     "Hello Doctor," Apollo said.  "I take it you saw something important
out there?"
     The Constellation doctor nodded, "We did, Captain.  Out there is
their cemetery.  There are twenty rows of marked graves with that symbol
that I believe comes from an Earth religion......"
     "Crosses," Byrne said simply.  
     "Yes.  That's the word.  Anyway, according to our guide, Sergeant
Bradley, anyone who died while the Risik still ran this place wasn't
buried.  Their bodies were just cremated by laser fire and the ashes
scattered.  After the Risik abandoned the place, the leader before
Benton, Congressman Lindy issued an edict that every casualty from that
point on would get a formal burial complete with a marker."
     "Could you use your scanner to check for remains?" Apollo asked. 
"They couldn't have buried them in the equivalent of caskets."
     "We did run some checks.  Fortunately Sergeant Bradley and the
others we've talked to have no clue about the capability of our bio-scan
units and what they can tell us.  Incidentally.....you should know that
he's the first pure Human we've come across from the second generation. 
And he said his mother is still alive."
     "Where is she?" Apollo found that intriguing.  
     "Her status is 'retired'," Rena said.  "According to Dr. Meskowski,
Benton doesn't believe that women over sixty should be forced to work
full-time any longer when the population of the second generation is
large enough to handle things.  Except for Becky Shulman in the kitchen,
the other five women just spend their time in retirement doing
recreational pastimes in the second level East Wing dwellings," she
pointed to the wing just behind him.
     "So that's why we haven't seen them," Byrne grunted.
     "What else did you find out?" Apollo asked.
     "Well the marked graves certainly account for the total number of
losses that took place in the first yahren after the Risik abandoned the
place.  The only one that has some more decorative touches is the only
one with a name carved on it incidentally.  Harlan Lindy the first leader
of the community.  On the rest, the crosses are too small to allow for
writing any names or dates on them."
     "So none can be matched to a particular name."
     "No.  But we found something more unusual than that from our scans."
     "Unmarked graves," Nestor chimed in.  "Probably about twenty-five to
thirty all told.  And all of them likely date from the same general time
frame though that would require a full forensic analysis."
     Apollo knew there had to be more, "And?"
     "We only had time to get full bio-scans on three skeletons that were
buried in close proximity to where we were standing," Rena's voice became
grim.  "And all of them came up the same.  Risik females.  My guess is
that all of those unmarked graves are Risik females."
     Apollo and Byrne were silent as they took that information in.
     "The mothers of most of the second generation," the USN captain
tried not to show signs of revulsion.  "The victims of this supposed
epidemic of 'Grant's Disease' that's starting to look more like a
genocidal slaughter." 
     "Not necessarily," Apollo cautioned.  "Doc, your scan can tell you
who they were, but you can't possibly tell if they were executed or if
they all died from disease, right?"
     "That's right, I can't.  I'd have to exhume all the skeletons and
subject them to full forensic analysis in either Dr. Salik's lab on the
Galactica or on Hospital Ship #1.  I can tell who they are because the
skeletons we could scan under the ground are all intact and show what I
need to know to spot a female and specifically a Risik female in an
instant."  She paused, "But having said that, if all of those people did
die from an epidemic it would have been a lot more sensible to have
burned the bodies instead of burying them.  At least that's my
professional opinion, but I'll acknowledge it's not proof they were
executed."
     "Come on Apollo," Byrne's disgust slipped through, "You don't really
think it was disease?  When he's already demonstrated just how much of a
liar he is?"
     "I'm inclined to agree with you, Byrne," Apollo wheeled on him and
tried not to sound impatient, "But it's still too much of an incomplete
picture.  And even with this evidence, it still wouldn't be enough to use
with the people to get them to turn on Benton.  He'd just call us liars
and they'd clearly side with him over us."
     "I know, I know," Byrne nodded in frustration, "Still.....genocide
is genocide.  We can't let this go unmentioned."
     "At some point it's got to come up, I agree.  But not right now." he
turned back to Rena and Nestor.  "The two of you get back inside and tell
anyone from our team you run into to report back to the Conference Room
and wait there until Captain Byrne and I return.  We're going to pool our
information one last time and then......we confront Benton."
     "Do you want me to contact the Galactica and upload this data to Dr.
Salik?" Rena asked.
     Apollo hesitated slightly.  "How much realistically could Salik's
machines divine from what you've got on your scans?"
     "Truthfully not a lot," the Constellation doctor admitted.  "It
would still require an on the ground forensic examination to come up with
something meaningful."
     "Then I don't think you should waste time walking all the way back
to the Landram to send them a message when we might just as easily find
someone here who'd be willing to tell us the truth.  For now, you and
Nestor keep exploring and talking to people here in the Main Complex."
     "Yes sir," Rena nodded, "How long will you be?"
     "However long it takes to find out this Colony's ability to keep
supplying power."

     Once he was secure inside the Landram for what amounted to glorified
guard duty, Micah leaned back and let out a relaxed sigh.  Until he heard
his comline go off, there wasn't anything else he could do except lose
himself in his own thoughts.  And for now, those thoughts were solely on
Miranda and whether or not he should swallow his pride and repair his
broken relationship with her.  
     Hades, compared to the deception that's probably been going on at
this place, it makes what she and her brother did to me seem unimportant
by comparison.
     He then came forward as he noticed through the front window that
Captain Keller was approaching the vehicle and waving his arms to get his
attention.  Frowning, the Colonial Security guard unfastened his harness
and opened the side door.  Only to find himself looking straight into the
barrel of an Earth style handgun being held by a powerfully built young
man with red hair.
     "Just what are you doing?" Micah kept his voice calm.
     "Corporal Kirby is just following orders, Sergeant," Captain Keller
came up behind him.  His tone and expression regretful.  "He doesn't want
to hurt you and neither do I.  But you must step out now."
     "Why?" he felt the anger start to bubble up as he stayed where he
was.
     "Sergeant, please don't put us in this position.  It's not our
desire to hurt you or anyone else, but this has become necessary," the
Captain's tone remained regretful.  "Step outside before I count to five
and tell the Corporal to shoot you."
     Reluctantly, Micah stepped out of the Landram.  And then the butt of
the Corporal's revolver came down on the back of his head which sent him
to the ground unconscious.  Captain Keller leaned down and removed
Micah's laser pistol and then turned back to his subordinate.
     "You get inside and see how this operates," he then looked up at the
top where the laser cannon was mounted, "I'm going to get a look at that
weapon of theirs."


     Captain Ian Ashby found himself inside the classroom where the
fifteen children of the third generation were bombarding him with
question after question about what Earth was like.  He had come to the
classroom because he knew the teacher's mother had been the first victim
of the so-called "Grant's Disease" and talking with her might yield some
more clues on that whole sorry business that was shrouded in so much
mystery.  With class still in session though, he found he had to do
something he wasn't accustomed to, which was answering questions from
children.  His initial answers were halting and tentative.  But when one
child of ten asked him where he came from on Earth and he answered
England, that immediately brought an interjection from Susan Grant, that
her late father had been a soldier in the British Army.  And that he'd
fought in the Falkland Islands War.  Although Ashby himself had missed
out on that campaign because the 3rd Royal Tank Regiment hadn't been
deployed there, he'd known many who had fought in the Falklands.  This
new bond with the one adult member of the Colony he'd wanted to get to
know finally made him relax.  From that point he answered all of the
other questions from the children on subjects ranging from horses to
candy to cricket with total ease.
     At the back of the room, Pyotr Kamanev could only watch in silence. 
Since English was the primary language of every inhabitant of the colony
it was impossible for him to converse fluently with small children.  For
now he was content to let Ashby carry the load before they moved
elsewhere.  He knew he would have liked to speak with the Russian-born
Ukranian Kovalchuk again, but it was clear Apollo and Byrne would be
talking to him, and prudence required everyone staying in pairs, so for
now he would stay with Ashby.  Who in all likelihood would want a chance
to speak privately with Susan Grant after the class was dismissed.
     Kamanev heard a tapping sound on the glass window behind him and
turned around to see the Colonial Security Guard Sergeant Thomson trying
to get his attention.  He opened the door and let him in.
     "I need to talk to both of you," Thomson whispered in the Russian's
ear.  
     "You get him away from those children.  He's having a good time."
     So lost was Ashby in his rapport with the children that he hadn't
noticed Thomson's arrival.  It was only when the Security Guard loudly
cleared his throat that he finally looked over and saw him standing next
to Kamanev.
     "I ah.....have to go now," he said to the children, who were clearly
disappointed to see him leaving, as was Susan Grant. "It's been wonderful
talking to you, and......hopefully we'll have a lot more opportunities to
do so."
     "Say goodbye to Captain Ashby," Susan Grant said.  Which they did in
perfect unison.  Ashby smiled and waved to them one last time and then he
and Thomson stepped out into the corridor with Kamanev lingering just
behind them.  The Russian knew that he wouldn't be saying much given that
he was still a relative newcomer to the Fleet and had yet to build up the
same level of rapport.
     "Something wrong?" the British captain asked, not happy that he
hadn't got his chance for a private talk with Susan Grant.
     "I just spent over twenty centons touring their storage areas in the
first part of their so-called East Wing off the Main Entrance," Thomson
said.  "Have any of you seen that area before?"
     "No," Ashby shook his head, "We've spent all our time here in what
you'd call the Central Complex which leads out to the open compound in
the back.  You're the only one who's seen any part of the East Wing."
     "Well....apparently they have living quarters further into the
interior on the second level, and this corporal who was giving me the
tour, Braddock, told me he couldn't let me see the them without their
commander's permission.  Someone named.....Benteen?"
     "Benton," he corrected.  "I suppose Captain Apollo will press him on
that later.  But I doubt he's going to get permission.  We've heard
rumors there may be people living on the Second Level that this Benton
doesn't want us to talk to for reasons I'll explain later."
     "Well he may need to press him about something else," Thomson said,
"When Braddock started to lead me back, I wanted to stop and check in
with Micah on the Landram, since he's taken over guard duty for now, and
he wouldn't let me see him."
     Ashby lifted an eyebrow, "Why not?"
     "Said it was more important for me to hook up with the rest of the
party in the main complex.  Technically, he was right, I do need to check
in with Captain Apollo just like I'm sure Lieutenant Sanderson has.  But
still......the way he seemed to push made me wonder if maybe something's
amiss as far as Micah and the Landram are concerned."
     "What do you mean?" Kamanev spoke up.
     "First, when we arrived, I got the impression that the officer who
met me, Colonel Keller, was very interested in the Landram.  He was
bombarding Lieutenant Sanderson with all kinds of questions about how it
functioned and what its weapons capability was like."
     Ashby winced slightly, "Keller is the right hand man for Benton, the
colony leader.  That may not have been a smart move on Amy's part, though
she had no way of knowing just why we're not in a trusting mood of the
colony leadership right now."
     "I wouldn't blame the lieutenant.  Apparently she and Keller are not
only from the same service branch, they both served at the same military
base on Earth.  It's no wonder they hit it off and she was happy to
answer any question he put to her.  But the only reason that whole thing
is bothering me now is because of what happened when Corporal Braddock
was giving me that boring tour of the storage facilities on the first
level of the East Wing."
     "What happened?"
     "Apparently there are telecom units in various places hanging on the
walls that act as a kind of internal communications system.  One of them
rang while Braddock was showing me the storage room and he goes to answer
it.  He just gives whoever is on the other end a couple
perfunctory 'yes sirs' and then the next thing he's doing is boring me to
death with a fifteen centon tour of the wastewater treatment facility in
the East Wing.  Then after he tells me that the living spaces on the
Second Level are off-limits, we finally turn around and head back and he
then drops that 'don't go check with your friend on the Landram'
felgercarb.  It's got me wondering if that call he took was an order to
keep me clear of the Landram and Micah for an extended period."
     Ashby realized what he was getting at.  "You think we should go back
and force them to let us see Micah?"
     "My mind would be a lot more at ease if I could do that," Thomson
said, "And if I had some extra help to back me up.  I only saw one other
guard in the East Wing.  All alone by a stairwell to evidently stop
people from getting up to the Second Level without authorization.  Makes
me wonder if maybe they wanted to send more guards out to the main
entrance for some less than friendly reasons."
     The British captain turned around and looked in the direction of the
complex's rear entrance.  About a hundred feet away, he saw Lauren, Amy
and Michael emerging from a room.  He quickly turned back to Kamanev.
     "Pyotr, I want you to join the others and fill them in on what
Thomson and I are up to."
     "Shouldn't I help you?"
     "I think we can handle it ourselves.  The important thing is that
the rest of the landing party should be up to speed and know that
something's amiss that we're checking out.  We can't let them be in the
dark.  Especially Captain Apollo."
     "Da," Kamanev said reluctantly.  "I understand.  I will go tell
them."
     "Thanks, Pyotr.  We appreciate that," Ashby turned back to Thomson,
"Lead the way, Sergeant."
   

     "Hello again, Mr. Kovalchuk," Byrne said pleasantly as he and Apollo
approached the Russian who was still on duty in the power shed.  "I'd
like you to meet our expedition leader, Captain Apollo."
     The Russian stared at him, "Apollo?  You don't look Greek!"
     Byrne laughed, "No, no.  The Captain isn't from Earth.  He's part of
a different Human civilization that rescued me and the others who'd been
prisoners of the Risik."
     "Ah.  Ah yes, I see.  It is nice to know there are people just like
us elsewhere."
     "Mr. Kovalchuk," Apollo said gently.  "You were telling Captain
Byrne earlier that the Colony has been utilizing fuel that goes all the
way back to the last resupply by the Risik."
     "Da.....yes.  The Risik had just delivered a full load only weeks
before the order came to them to evacuate.  The fuel depot was completely
full.  We have made it last through careful rationing to power essential
services for the last forty years!"
     "But it is running low, isn't it?" Apollo didn't want to press too
hard.  It was clear that Kovalchuk, in his youth, had been a classic
example of a soldier who had more brawn than brains......confirming
everything Benton had said earlier.
     "Yes, yes.  It is running low.  General Benton says we will be
shifting to an alternate source sometime in the next year or two."
     "What is this alternate source?" Byrne asked, his tone also gentle. 
"Is it oil?"
     "I do not know.  Only General Benton.  He says they have found a
source out there," Kovalchuck waved his arm in the direction that
indicated somewhere beyond the compound.
     "Further away than the cemetery?" Apollo asked.
     "Oh yes.  Not too much further.  General Benton says we will have
enough to last for generations!"
     "But has he said how you're going to be able to obtain this new
resource?"
     "I leave those things to him," the ethnic Ukranian said simply.  "My
job is to monitor power systems and make sure they are refueled when
necessary.  It has been my job for over thirty years."
     Apollo decided to change the subject, "Do you have a family?"
     "Nemaye.  Oh no," he shook his head, "I.....did not take a wife."
     "Why not?" he asked, "I would have thought everyone from the first
generation would have done so."
     "Yes.  Most of them, but not me," the Russian born Ukranian shook
his head more vigorously.  "I did not feel I could."
     "Not enough women to pair with the men?" Byrne asked.
     "No, I----," he then abruptly turned away, "I would rather not talk
about it."
     "Why not?" Apollo realized he'd finally found someone from the first
generation who wasn't comfortable talking about the matter of women and
didn't have a quick lie to resort to.
     "I.....just did not think it appropriate.  Moral reasons."
     "Moral reasons?" Byrne frowned, "Why would you have moral reasons
for not taking a wife......Alexander?" he deliberately switched to his
first name to try and sound a more friendly note.  One that might make
the Russian open up.
     Kovalchuk looked at him with an almost pleading expression, "They
are....personal.  I must not tell why."
     Apollo decided it was time to get to the point, "Because you didn't
like the idea of taking a Risik woman for a wife?"
     The Russian froze.  His eyes bulging in what bordered on terror. 
     "We know there are Risik females buried out there, Alexander,"
Apollo said gently.  "Why were they left behind and did they really die
from disease?"
     "Not my business," he shook his head and turned away from the two
men.  "Not my business!" his voice rose.
     "We're not here to judge anyone, Alexander," Apollo said.  "We just
need to know the truth.  If we're going to take all of you back to Earth
with us, we have to know the full history of what happened here.  There
isn't going to be any punishment.  It's just important to know the truth
of what went on."
     "I can't tell you," Kovalchuk continued to look away from them. 
"Please.  Leave me."
     Byrne leaned over to Apollo and whispered in his year, "I don't
think we're going to get anything more out of him."
     Apollo nodded but decided he needed to get in a final word.
     "Mr. Kovalchuk......regardless of what happened long ago.  You and
everyone else will be welcome to come to Earth with us.  You'll be able
to see your home again."
     Kovalchuk slowly turned to face them.  Apollo could see tears
forming in the man's eyes.
     "I want to go home," he said simply.  "But.....General Benton needs
me."
     "The decision to leave is yours and yours alone, Alexander," Byrne
said.  "You don't need General Benton's approval or anyone else's."
     He abruptly shook his head and turned away from them again.  Apollo
let out a sigh and motioned Byrne to follow him out.
     "Are you going to ask Benton about this supposed new fuel source?"
     "I certainly intend to," Apollo said as they neared the exit. 
"Because now we know Benton is selling him a load of felgercarb if he
implied there was a deposit that could last generations.  When Sheba and
I scanned the planet, it didn't indicate any natural deposits of any
resources that could power a complex this size.  Not tylium, not solium
and we also checked for what you call petroleum and natural gas.  Trace
levels might exist and maybe Benton found just enough to make him think
he's sitting on a deposit.....but I think its clear now he has no plan. 
Because if he did, Kovalchuk would have been the first person after
Keller he'd bring into his confidence.  You don't keep the man who runs
and supervises the power systems in the dark."
     When they stepped back out into the compound, they stopped and saw
both General Benton and Colonel Keller standing in front of them.  Both
of them pointing revolvers at them.
     "I think you and your people have done enough touring of the complex
on your own, Captain Apollo," Benton said simply.  "You'll accompany us
first to the dining area, where the rest of your party has been directed
to......peacefully.  I will introduce you to my people with smiles and
you will dine.  Then afterwards, your party and my people will relocate
to the Conference Room where you will again, act as though all has been
friendly between us."
     Apollo tried not to show any sign of fear or surprise, "There's
really no need for this, General."
     "I'm afraid there is, Captain," Benton said with regret.  "You
see.....you're getting just a little too inquisitive about things that
you really shouldn't be prying into about the past history of the Colony. 
Things that were meant to stay buried forever.  That's why it's now
necessary for me to tell you that you'll be permitted to make your appeal
to the people about returning to Earth......but under no circumstances
are you to mention anything about Risik women."
     "And what if I did?" he injected a note of incredulity, "I never
would have taken you for a cold-blooded killer, General."
     "I'm not," he bristled slightly, "But I am in possession of your
so-called Landram now.  Oh, don't worry. Your guard is unharmed.  Merely
unconscious.  But it's in our possession now and I have no intention of
releasing it back to you unless you give me your word of honor that you
won't mention anything about Risik women buried in the cemetery to my
people."
     "They are not 'your people', General," Byrne was now past the point
of wanting to show the Colony Leader any respect. 
     "Oh yes they are, Captain Byrne," Benton retorted.  "They've been my
responsibility ever since leadership passed to me during that terrible
first year when so many of us died.  I've had to devote all of myself to
plotting strategies to let us not just survive but to create a long-term
colony that could last for generations.  It's required a lot of sacrifice
and effort.  Births have to be regulated so we don't have a population
too big for our resources but at the same time, we make sure enough are
born to learn how to operate the equipment and keep it going from one
generation to the next.  In a few years time, I'll be able to lift the
current restrictions on population growth because we'll soon be able to
tap into new resources that will let us operate our equipment for longer
periods than we've been able to!"
     "Why stay here at all, General?" Apollo asked.  "Why would you
forfeit a chance for you and your people to return to Earth?"
     The Colony Leader smiled faintly, "I'll make that point clear in a
bit, Captain.  I'm going to let you make your pitch to my people about
taking them to Earth.  And I'm then going to give them a lesson in
reality as to why that's not in their best interests," he paused, "But
you will not say a word about Risik women or so much as imply that the
second generation of New Eden is anything less than fully Human.  I want
your word, Captain Apollo!"
     Apollo knew he couldn't argue with him.  He said the only thing he
could say.
     "You have my word.....as a warrior."


     "I'm sorry sirs, you can't pass," Corporal Braddock said firmly as
he stood in front of the door that led to main entrance of the complex
where the Landram lay just beyond.
     Thomson glared at the corporal, "Corporal, I already followed your
directive to check in with the others from my party and I've done that. 
Now I'm acting under the authority of my superior officer, Captain
Apollo, to check on the status of Sergeant Micah and our Landram vehicle. 
So you're going to let us pass."
     "I'm afraid not sir," Braddock started to reach for his handgun, but
Thomson, who had yahrens of experience in how to draw a laser pistol fast
whipped his out and fired at him.  The Corporal fell to the floor, his
hand still on his holster.
     "Damn," Ashby winced as the two came up alongside his motionless
form.  "I hope that was set on stun."
     "Course it was, Captain," Thomson said as he reached down and took
Braddock's gun.  "He'll be okay.  Now we know something really stinks to
high heaven in this place."
     They headed out the front door and abruptly the two of them stopped
as they saw Captain Steve Keller perched on top of the Landram.  His
hands resting on the laser cannon.
     "Excuse me sir," Thomson said calmly.  "Did Sergeant Micah give you
permission to go up there?"
     "Of course he did," the second generation officer said with
reassurance.  "There are no secrets among friends."
     "Then why did your guard try to stop us from coming out here?" Ashby
demanded.  "The bloody idiot was ready to draw his gun on us."
     "He'll need to be disciplined for that," Steve Keller said
disarmingly.  "I assure you gentlemen, there's no need to be suspicious."
     "Then just let me hear that from Sergeant Micah, and we can be on
our way," Thomson said with defiance as he headed for the door.  Abruptly
the friendliness disappeared from Captain Keller's face as he suddenly
trained the cannon on the Colonial Security Guard.
     "Look out!" Ashby shouted.
     Thomson glanced up and abruptly leapt to his right as a laser blast
emitted from the cannon.  He scrambled to his feet and promptly aimed up
at the platform and was able to take Captain Keller out with one shot. 
Going to the Landram door he threw it open and saw a red-haired uniformed
corporal looking at him with terror while the unconscious form of Micah
lay in the seat next to him.
     "Get out!" Thomson snarled and pointed his laser pistol at him, "Get
the frack out, now!"
     "Yes sir.  Yes sir!" the corporal whimpered as he bolted out of the
Landram.  The instant his head was out, Thomson angrily brought the butt
of his laser pistol down on the back of his neck which sent the young
corporal face down to the ground.  Ashby came over to him and calmly
stripped off his gun which now gave him three weapons.
     "What now?" the British captain asked.
     Thomson leaned over and checked Micah.  "Micah looks like he'll be
okay.  What I'm going to do is get this thing back to the shuttle and
safely lock it away, and then I'm going to notify the Galactica and tell
them what's happened."
     "And ask for reinforcement?"
     "I'll have to let the Commander call the shots on that.  What you
should do is get back to Captain Apollo and try to let him know what's
happened."
     "If they're suddenly acting like this, they just might be taking
them into custody right now and immobilizing them," Ashby felt the need
to take a bolder initiative.  "It might be in my best interest to do some
digging in areas they haven't let us see, like those living spaces in the
East wing on the second level.  You said you only saw one guard past the
storage areas?"
     "Yes, at the stairwell that leads up to the Second Level.  But there
might be other guards on the Second Level too."
     "I'm pretty well used to these things now," Ashby held up his laser
pistol.  "I do take target practice on the Galactica every two weeks."
     Thomson hesitated.  He knew he couldn't order Ashby to do otherwise
since just like Amy Sanderson, the British officer technically outranked
him.  He would defer to the chain of command once again.
     "Do what you think you have to do, Captain," he said simply.  "I'm
going to stay put with the shuttle until I get orders to the contrary
from Commander Adama.  Plus, I need to wait for Micah to come to and make
sure he'll be okay."
     "I think that's a smart move," Ashby gave him a salute, "Godspeed,
Sergeant."
     "Do me one more favor though," Thomson said as he started the
landram motor up, "Get that gallmonging snitrad off the platform."
     "I'm assuming that's not a term of endearment."  Ashby smirked,
"I'll need you to grab him by the legs."
     Thomson nodded and stepped back out to wait for the British captain
to climb up and maneuver the unconscious Captain Keller so that his legs
were dangling over the side.  That allowed Thomson to go up and grab him
and pull him down to the ground without injuring him any further.  Ashby
jumped back down and moved Keller next to the unconscious corporal so
they were lying side-by-side.  Thomson then got back into the Landram,
closed the door and began to back up so he could then turn it around
later and head back to the shuttle.
     Relieved that Thomson was on his way, Ashby took Keller's gun and
this time deciding that four weapons was too much for him to handle,
simply emptied the bullets.  Then, he headed back inside and decided to
see what secrets loomed in the mysterious East Wing.
     

     "Good afternoon, Scali," Zed barely looked up as the young
statistician entered his office on the Electronics Ship.  It wasn't as
large as Zara's, but the IFB co-anchor had made certain that he'd gotten
a private space.  "Do you have the material for tonight's match?"
     Scali took a breath, "Actually.....I have something more important
than that.  Something that has nothing to do with Triad."
     Zed looked up at him with both suspicion and mild exasperation,
"Scali, I told you there are no openings for journalators right now.  We
have a full staff to handle field work for our stories if its needed, and
that doesn't come often."
     "Sir, listen to me," Scali came up to the edge of the desk since
there was no chair in the room for him to sit down in.  "I've found
something I know you'll be interested in.  It concerns Aurelius.  The one
who came from the Colonies with Professor Ila."
     The IFB co-anchor leaned back in his chair, "What about him?"
     "Well....there are some things about him that just don't add up. 
Especially if.....something I heard about him once is true.  Was he
really in cryo-suspension at one point?"
     "Yes, that's true," Zed nodded, "He'd been in cryo-suspension for
close to thirty yahrens before he was dug out of some old facility on
Sagittaria by the Resistance.  Slept through the entire Destruction. 
That's why I thought I could get an interview with him by offering him
copies of those historic Triad matches from over eighty yahrens ago. 
Especially the famous Barilko match which he said he attended when he was
a kid."
     "So that means he's over ninety yahrens old."
     "Chronologically, yes.  But physically he's no older than sixty," he
frowned, "What are you getting at?"
     "What I'm getting at is that I don't think he's who he claims to
be."
     "And what made you come to that conclusion?"
     The young statistician took a breath, "He's wearing insignia from
the Excelsia.  Which means he served aboard that ship at one point even
though publicly, the only ship he's ever acknowledged serving on was the
Bellepheron.  I did some digging in the records and the personnel logs
for the Excelsia still exist from over thirty yahrens ago.  It turns out
there was a Captain Aurelius who was commander of their Green Squadron
group.  But I've seen images of him in those logs, and there's no way it
could be the man claiming to be Aurelius."
     A dark cloud came over Zed's face, "Scali----,"
     "Yes, I know he had facial alteration surgery when he got here
because he had severe burns from a Cylon suicide attack," Scali cut him
off.  "But that kind of surgery doesn't change a man's age or his height. 
Captain Aurelius was no older than thirty back then, and he was a much
taller man than the one claiming to be Aurelius now."
     He waited for Zed to say something and when the sports anchor did
speak, it was with total derision.
     "Did it ever occur to you that maybe, just maybe, he's another
Aurelius who served on the Excelsia long before this one you're talking
about did?  Or that maybe Captain Aurelius was his son and he wears the
Excelsia insignia as a tribute to him?"
     All of Scali's confidence that had emboldened him to approach Zed
directly with what he'd learned suddenly evaporated.
     "No, I guess it didn't," Zed smirked.  "Along with about a hundred
other possible non-sinister explanations.  Now I get why you were anxious
to push this, Scali.  You think being a lowly statistician on Triad
matches is beneath your talents.  Well just be glad I think you're
indispensable when it comes to that, because if I didn't, you'd need to
find yourself a new designation in the Fleet."
     Scali was flushing a deep shade of red, his body so tense that he
was unable to move a muscle.
     "I'm going to pretend this conversation never happened," Zed's tone
grew disarming.  "Just give me what we need for tonight's broadcast, and
all will be forgotten.  I'll even buy you a couple rounds in the Astral
Lounge afterwards just to let you know I don't hold this against you."
     Scali was still too locked in embarrassment to move.
     "You can go, Scali," he said gently.
     Finally, the young statistician turned and left Zed's office.  The
sports anchor and news co-anchor shook his head in amazement at how Scali
had let his imagination run wild simply because of his desire to break
into the closed realm of journalism.
     Still, Zed couldn't deny that he'd spent more than a few occasions
wondering about the man named Aurelius.  That's why he'd been anxious to
accommodate him after his arrival with the recordings of the old triad
matches as a way of making him receptive to a new interview about life in
the Colonies after the Destruction and other things.  The matter of why
Aurelius had been in suspended animation didn't strike him as the kind of
subject he should pry into because in the post-Detente era, the issue of
pre-Destruction crimes and transgressions no longer had any relevance.  
     But Aurelius knows that.  So why should he be so reticent about his
background?  I can see why Scali thought it was something worth pursuing
and if he'd found something substantive, I would have been interested. 
But what he came up with isn't enough.
     He wondered if maybe......when his workload was lighter, he might
see if he could use Scali's leads to find out some more details on his
own.  
     But not right now.

Chapter Six

     "That's the size of it, Commander," Thomson said as he finished his
report.  "I have no doubt that Captain Apollo and the rest of the landing
party are likely going to be held prisoner in order for this General
Benton to get some kind of concession from them, and he meant to use
possession of the Landram as leverage."
     "The Landram is secure?" Adama's voice was professional and betrayed
little concern, though Thomson was sure that inside, the Commander was
quite anxious, especially since his son's life was potentially in danger.
     "Secured tight, sir.  They'd need to pry a Colonial pass code out
from someone to get access to it again."
     "Thank goodness for that.  What about Sergeant Micah?"
     Thomson glanced over and saw that his fellow Security Guard was
starting to stir, "He's coming round now, sir.  I don't think he requires
Life Station treatment.  I'll have him stand by with me unless you think
we should head back in."
     "Not right now, Sergeant," Adama cautioned.  "Make sure that Micah
is completely healthy, and then you can use your discretion on whether
you should go back in on foot, or whether you should wait and see if
something else happens.  I seriously doubt this Benton plans on killing
anyone since by now he has to know that if he did, he'd invite a massive
retaliatory move on our part."
     "Captain Apollo may think he can resolve any potential crisis
diplomatically," Thomson said.  "A premature demonstration of force on
our part might hinder efforts on that point.  Assuming such efforts
exist, which I can't confirm or deny at this time."
     "That's understandable, Sergeant.  If you are able to make contact
with Captain Apollo or anyone else in the landing party you can let them
know that members of Elite Squadron under Major Croft are being put on
Yellow Alert status with orders to be deployed if need be.  We will
refrain from actual deployment until we've heard more information on
what's going on."
     "Understood, Commander.  If I choose to leave and investigate,
Sergeant Micah will stand by here."
     "The Lords be with you all," the Commander's voice cracked faintly
as he signed off.  No sooner had that happened when Micah moaned and sat
up in his chair.
     "What happened?" he warily rubbed his head.
     "I took care of the bilge rats who knocked you out by myself," his
fellow guard said.  "They're lying unconscious back in front of the main
entrance."
     Micah looked about and realized he was in the Shuttle, "Are we
heading back?"
     "No, standing by here for now.  If I choose to go back, you're
staying put so you get a second chance at minding the store."
     "I wasn't prepared for the idea they'd try to seize the Landram," he
touched his head and winced, "Damn!"
     "Hey don't worry about it.  We've all been there at some point.  I
already told you about my sorry case with the succubon." Thomson leaned
back in his chair, "Meantime, Ashby is checking out the East Wing to see
if maybe he can find out something Benton and his goon squad's been
holding back."
     "Risik women," Micah said aloud.
     Thomson turned and looked at him in surprise since this was news to
him.
     "Tell me more," he said simply.


     Ashby kept his Colonial laser pistol brandished as he made his way
into the East Wing section of the complex.  Even though he'd been slow to
adjust to Colonial firearms like many of the prisoners from Ne'Chak, over
time he'd come to realize it made more sense to not utilize inferior
Earth weapons any longer when Colonial technology could simplify matters
with stun settings.  This experience was vindicating that since he had no
desire to cause serious injury on any of the New Eden colonists by using
one of their own conventional weapons.
     He'd gone past what he knew were the storage areas Thomson had
visited earlier and was surprised to see no guards on duty.  Perhaps that
was a sign that after forty years, no one dared to steal anything any
longer because of the devotion to Benton.  It wasn't until he'd gone some
fifty feet further that he finally saw one guard seated at a desk by a
stairwell.  He lowered his laser pistol but didn't reholster it as he
drew closer and came within sight of the man.
     "Hello!" Ashby decided to be polite and friendly, "General Benton
said we had permission to explore the complex on our own.  I was
wondering if I could go upstairs?"
     The dark-haired man of thirty, whom Ashby noticed had a gold second
lieutenant's bar on his right shoulder rose and frowned, "I didn't hear
from General Benton or Colonel Keller that this section had been opened
up to you."
     Damn, Ashby thought.  I don't think any of us figured they had a
communications system in place here. 
     "Come now, Lieutenant.  We're just interested in seeing how you've
survived all these decades in these conditions.  You can't think we're
any kind of threat."
     "Oh, I don't think that.....Captain is it?" the young man's voice
grew apologetic.  "It's just that.....there's usually a procedure where
the General or the Colonel calls and tells me someone's on their way up. 
I didn't hear anything about you."
     "I see.  Well if it's a disciplined system you operate under, I do
understand how it is."
     "Just give me a minute, and I'm sure he'll approve it," the
Lieutenant started to walk across the hall to where a phone was mounted
on the wall.  Before he reached it though, Ashby took his laser pistol
out and with a sigh of regret fired at the lieutenant.  The stun blast
hit the man in the back and he fell to the ground.
     "Sorry old boy," the British captain said as he mounted the stairs.


     With Benton and Keller behind them, though no longer with guns
pointed at them, Apollo and Byrne entered the dining hall which was
filling up with more people.  He saw there was a table at the back on a
raised platform that undoubtedly was for Benton and his top people. 
Glancing around, Apollo caught sight of most of the landing party
clustered at one table in the near-front but just off to the left.  He
could make out Amy, Lauren, Michel, Pyotr as well as Rena and Nestor. 
Missing were Ashby and Thomson.
     "Remember, Captain," Benton said gently, "Not a word about the fact
I've had a gun pointed at you.  Our exchanges will remain completely
pleasant."
     Yeah, right, Apollo thought knowing that he had to keep all
sarcastic instincts bottled up. He knew that he still had to find some
kind of diplomatic solution to this crisis at all possible costs before
he considered any kind of drastic solution that might involve asking the
Galactica to send down reinforcements.
     Apollo and Byrne sat down at the table were the other six in their
group were seated.  Lauren was idly picking at the food, while Amy wasn't
touching her plate.  The memories of what she'd eaten at Ne'Chak still
too vivid for her.  Michael Forrest had overcome any similar feelings and
was eating his, as were Kamanev and the two Colonials, Nestor and Rena.
     "So," Apollo said as he idly sampled the chopped greens which had a
mostly bland taste. A reminder of how plant life grown in a hydroponics
setting tended to be devoid of flavor.  "Have you seen Ashby and
Thomson?"
     "They went to investigate strange situation at entrance," Kamanev
said.  "Thomson said guard was keeping him from checking on Micah."
     Apollo put down his utensil and faintly shook his head, not wanting
to show too much emotion, "Frack.  Benton told me at gunpoint just now
that they've seized control of the Landram and knocked out Micah.  The
two of them probably walked into an ambush!"
     "Really lovely guy that Benton is," Lauren shook her head in disgust
as she decided three bites of Risik fish was more than her system could
handle.
     "Maybe we ought to drop the phony smiles right here and now!" a
clearly irritated Byrne said, which brought a visible shake of the head
from Apollo.
     "I'll make the decisions on what we do, Captain Byrne," he stressed
the title.  "We wouldn't get a single person in this Colony to join us if
we did any aggressive thing against him right now.  So I expect all of
you, regardless of whether you can stomach this food or not, to keep your
expressions and your tone of conversation as normal as possible."


     "Are all of them here?" Benton asked as he settled next to Keller at
the table on the dais.
     "Two of their men aren't," the Colonel said.  "They're probably
still exploring somewhere, or.....they may have gotten past some of our
own men."
     The general kept his composure as he began to eat, "We're not going
to raise any alarms for now.  Whatever they do or find, they can't get
word to Apollo about whatever they see.  In the meantime, I shall give
them a fond welcome."  He picked up his chalice that contained water only
and rose to his feet.  Throughout the Dining Hall, all conversation came
to a halt as every member of the Colony that was eating now looked to
their leader.
     "I'm sure all of you are aware that New Eden is blessed to receive
as visitors, six natives from Earth, four of whom were liberated from a
Risik prison camp in their new territorial dominion, and four people who
acted as their liberators and are taking them back to Earth.  I give you,
Captain Apollo of the Battlestar Galactica, and the senior Earth officer,
Captain Kevin Byrne of the United States Navy!"
     Applause erupted from the crowd as many of the people, first
generation men and second generation men and woman alike got to their
feet.  Apollo rose from his chair and gave everyone a modest but friendly
wave.  He then glanced at Byrne and with an impatient scowl indicated
that the Constellation Commander should get to his feet and also
acknowledge the crowd.  Reluctantly, Byrne got to his feet and with a
forced smile managed to wave as well.
     "After dinner this evening, the Captain and his party will have a
chance to speak to all of us in the Conference Room.  Any question you
have about the current state of affairs on Earth, and the current threats
Earth face from enemies old and new......they can answer."
     Stressing the threats, Apollo found himself biting his lip.  Setting
them up for the idea that it's not in their best interests to go.  Very
clever of him.
     Apollo knew he was going to have to make the most eloquent public
speech of his life in order to make an impact on these people.


     Ashby noticed that the second floor level of the East wing was empty
and silent.  He saw no guards nor did he see any civilians moving about. 
What he did see were doorless rooms that contained sleeping
accommodations along with a sink and toilet.  He then realized that these
were rooms that had originally been built as prison cells.  Inspecting
the open arches he could see the recessed slots indicating that bars once
extended across them to keep the prisoners locked in.  Now it looked as
if they were permanently frozen in an open position.
     He continued to move quietly with his pistol half-raised when
suddenly a woman in her mid to late 60s emerged from one of the rooms and
reacted in startled surprise.
     "Who....who are you?"
     "Take it easy, take it easy," Ashby quickly holstered his pistol and
kept his distance.  "I'm one of the visitors from Earth."
     "Earth?" her surprised shock deepened, "You've come from....Earth?"
     "Didn't they announce that up here?" the British captain frowned. 
"There's a team of ten of us who have come.  We're hoping we can rescue
all of you and take you with us to Earth."
     "My God," she whispered, "I never thought I'd live to see this day."
     "What's your name?" he took a step toward her, "I'm Captain Ian
Ashby of the British Army.  I was abducted by the Risik in 1992.  I was
in suspended animation for most of my journey into space so that's why I
don't look like my true age."
     "I'm Katharine....Bradley," she said her last name with some
hesitation as if that wasn't the name she wanted to use.  "I was in the
RCAF.  Corporal working as a mechanic at CFB Bagotville in Quebec. 
Abducted by the Risik in 1987."
     With a back story that detailed she has to be Human.  "I....met a
young Sergeant named Bradley earlier in the Main Complex when we were
touring the facilities there."
     "That would be my son, George," she nodded and then shook her head
again.  "I can't believe it.  Not just that you're here, but
that......they'd let one of you see the East Wing."
     "Well to be perfectly honest, Mrs. Bradley, I'm doing a bit of
subterfuge.  Your General Benton didn't seem anxious to let anyone in our
group come back this way."
     "I'm not surprised," an edge of bitterness entered her voice, "The
only first generation woman who doesn't have to stay cooped up in the
East Wing is Becky Shulman.  You've met her, haven't you?"
     "Yes, we've seen her.  She works in the kitchen?"
     "She gets an exemption only because she was the mistress of the
first leader long ago."
     "The American politician, Congressman Lindy?" this was news to
Ashby.
     "Yes," the bitterness in Katharine Bradley's voice seemed to
increase.  She brushed away a lock of her hair that was in a halfway
state between black and gray.  "Benton gives her deference because of his
regard for the Congressman, and because she was on his flight when he was
abducted.  Other than her.....first generation women are the shameful
secret of this place that he doesn't want to be visible beyond this
floor.  I have some limited freedom in that I go downstairs to pick up
the meals for us that are delivered from the kitchen.  Officially, when I
reached sixty it was time for me to 'retire' from my job in the machine
shop and look after the four women who have been forced to stay here for
over thirty years."
     Ashby decided to get to the point, "Four Risik women?"
     She looked at him in amazement, "I should ask you how you figured
that out, but.....I don't think I will."
     "I'll tell you anyway.  It's because medical technology has
advanced," he wasn't ready to explain the complex story of Colonial
Civilization to her yet.  The easiest way to talk to her was to keep
things confined on an Earth to Earth basis.  "It's possible to stand next
to a person with an unobtrusive looking device and know right away that
the person you're scanning is half-Risik."
     Katharine laughed mirthlessly, "Decades of subterfuge, intimidation
and sweet-talk from Benton to keep the whole story of Risik women a
secret from over a hundred people born to them, and it all comes crashing
down because the one thing he couldn't do is keep up with technology."
     Ashby found himself wishing that Amy or Lauren was with him.  He
knew that as a man it was going to be harder to connect with Katharine on
this matter of ill-treatment and being used. Even though he'd suffered as
a prisoner of the Risik in Ne'Chak, he knew that the women like Lauren,
Amy and Jessica Clemens had been marked for more serious tortures that he
and the men had been spared from.  But the fates had assigned him to this
role and he had to rise to the occasion.
     "I'd like to meet these Risik women and hear their story," he said,
"Can you take me to them?"
     She hesitated slightly, "Lieutenant Dunning on the lower level
might----,"
     "He's out cold for now," he cut her off. "Please, Katharine.  The
only way the people I'm with can help you is if we know what the facts
are."
     "How can you help us?"
     "By taking all of you with us, back to Earth," he emphasized. 
"There are sixty others like me who were freed from a Risik prison colony
in their new frontier at a place called Ne'Chak.  We're traveling with
70,000 Humans from an advanced civilization who are journeying to Earth
because they're a lost brother tribe of Humanity."
     For the first time a glimmer of hope came over Katharine Bradley's
face as she motioned him to follow her.


     The dinner lasted for nearly a half hour and for the six members of
the landing party it was largely a time of awkward silence punctuated by
half-hearted attempts to generate small talk that went nowhere.  Byrne
was too angry inside over the situation, as was Lauren who frequently
shot cold glances up at the dais where Benton, Colonel Keller and several
other men of the first generation were clearly enjoying themselves. 
Apollo meanwhile had decided to concentrate all his mental energies on
what he was going to say to the people when Benton gave him the
opportunity.  This would be the most important public speech of his life. 
Even bigger than the one he'd given before the Nationalist Assembly on
Terra because he knew that he couldn't rely on intervention from John or
anyone else on the Ship of Lights to guide things along.  It would
require all of his skills as both warrior and diplomat.
     Thank the Lords I took the time to practice Zohrlochian meditation
last night, he thought to himself.  Because of that, I feel totally calm
inside.  I know I can handle this.  This is what I'm meant to do.
     "Captain?" 
     Apollo opened his eyes and looked over at Amy who had spoken up.
     "Yes, Lieutenant?"
     "I was just thinking......Even though we can't use the com-lines to
contact the Galactica, can't we try them inside here with each other? 
Just to find out if Ashby and Thomson gave Benton's goons the slip?"
     Apollo shook his head, "The way this complex was built pretty much
keeps our com-lines from working beyond a few metrones.  The instant you
step outside this Dining Hall, you'd only hear static if I tried to raise
you."
     "The Risik did that to keep prisoners from secretly communicating
with each other over wireless devices," Byrne said.  "The only
communications system that seems to exist in the place is a wired
telephone system.  I've seen a bunch of them hanging on the walls."
     "And even if our com-lines did work, I wouldn't take a chance trying
to raise them because it's always possible the two of them are in hiding
and trying to do some stealth work.  It would be up to them to try and
contact us in that situation and even if they could, it wouldn't exactly
be easy to hear what they're saying in this setting," he motioned about. 

     "Not to mention the fact that His Majesty Benton and his Court are
watching us," the USN Captain added disdainfully.
     Apollo ignored the comment, "For now, the game plan I talked about
earlier stays in place.  We concentrate exclusively on making the case
for why these people should come with us, based on the benefits of seeing
Earth again and the likely dangers from thinking life can be sustained
indefinitely in this place.  Whatever Benton's covering up about Risik
women can't play a role.  At least not right away."
     "Dirty rotten game," Lauren muttered.  Which caused Apollo to come
forward in his chair and glare at the Air Force sergeant.
     "Sometimes, Sergeant, command decisions require playing that game
for the sake of minimizing potential damage.  And that's when it's
necessary to keep all that anger you're feeling bottled up so you can do
your job.  Have I made myself clear?"
     "You have, sir," Lauren nodded her head with deference.  Even with
her anger over a scenario that hit too close to home for her, she was
proud of the record she'd built up in both Elite Squadron and as Master
of Arms on the Constellation.  Putting that at risk for the sake of
needless venting and disrespecting the chain of command wasn't worth the
price.
     "And that goes for you too, Captain Byrne," Apollo looked over at
the senior Earth officer in the group, "I know you're even madder about
this situation and you think Benton is a piece of scum, but I'm going to
need your help to explain the benefits of returning to Earth to these
people because only someone who's been on Earth more recently than anyone
else can do that.  And they're not going to be swayed by someone who
openly calls Benton a piece of scum."
     Byrne hadn't expected to be called out by Apollo, least of all in
front of the others.  But the USN captain immediately relaxed his posture
and nodded his head as well.
     "Point taken," he said, "You're proving again why diplomacy is never
going to be a strong suit of mine."
     "Captain Apollo?" Amy suddenly pointed. "Look over there."
     Apollo turned around and could see the unmistakable form of Captain
Keller walking through the center aisle in between the tables toward the
dais.  His uniform was covered in dust and there was an angry scowl on
his face as the younger Keller went up to the dais where his father and
Benton were.  The captain leaned over and whispered something in his
father's ear which immediately caused a dark cloud to come over the
senior Keller's face.  He in turn leaned over and whispered in Benton's
ear.  The only visible reaction Apollo and the others could see was a
raised eyebrow followed by a hand to the mouth as he turned to say
something to his trusted right hand.
     "I wonder what that's all about?" Byrne asked idly.
     "Maybe something to do with Thomson and Ashby?" Kamanev offered.
     "Possible," Apollo nodded, "And if it does, it may not have gone
well for Captain Keller.  I wonder.....maybe that means the Landram isn't
under their control any longer."
     "Which means we wouldn't have to keep silent about----," Byrne
started but Apollo quickly cut him off.
     "I gave him my word, Captain Byrne.  We're not going to mention that
subject even if he doesn't have control of the Landram any longer. 
Especially when he could still threaten to have any one of us shot.  I
will not put the life of a single member of this landing party on the
line if it can be avoided."
     Byrne said nothing but he motioned his hands downward as if to
indicate that he understood.  Apollo could understand why Benton's
actions aroused such anger inside the USN Captain as well as the other
Earth natives.  Benton was just like them, from the same background, the
same circumstances of abduction and being stranded so far from home.  And
at some point along the way he'd failed to live up to the standards of
honor and integrity that all of them, as proud members of their
particular service branches on Earth had sworn to live by.  It aroused an
anger that could only be satisfied by bringing it out in the open and
holding Benton accountable for his actions.  Apollo, because he was a
Colonial, could more easily put aside his moral distaste for what Benton
had clearly done and stay focused on what he knew was the more important
mission objective.
     The din of the crowd noise engaged in their dinner conversation was
broken by the sound of loud tapping on a chalice.  They looked back and
saw Benton on his feet once again.
     "At this time, I'm going to ask our special guests to accompany
Colonel Keller and myself across to the Conference Center.  Five minutes
later, all of you who are interested in hearing what Captain Apollo and
his friends have to say are free to come as well.  They will be happy to
answer any questions you have about who they are, what the situation on
Earth is like, and what our old slave masters, the Risik are up to since
they have had recent encounters with them."  This last comment produced
an audible stir and murmur in the crowd.  
     Benton looked down at Apollo's table with a polite smile, "Captain
Apollo, if you and your party will follow me and Colonel Keller?"
     Keeping his expression neutral, Apollo rose from his chair which
made everyone else in the group follow suit.  They waited for Benton and
Keller to descend from the dais and come by before they started to follow
them out.
     But as Apollo found himself right behind Benton, he heard the Colony
Leader's voice distinctively say in a whisper, "Your word of honor,
Captain.  Remember that."
     Apollo said nothing as they left out to the applause of those
assembled in the room.


     
     Katharine Bradley led Ashby further down a corridor to the far end
of the East Wing.  He could see a window that he realized had to overlook
the Compound area outside that he'd earlier visited but only now did he
realize that the window had been painted over, preventing anyone on this
level from being able to look out.  The lighting in this area was
noticeably dimmer in this area compared to other sections of the complex. 
Thinking back to his earlier observation about Strangeways Prison in
Manchester, he realized he'd finally found a part of the complex that
more than lived up to that analogy.
     "Over here," she came to a stop alongside one of the open rooms and
pointed in.  For an instant, Ashby wondered if he'd see intact bars but
to his surprise there were none.  What he did see was a solitary woman of
about sixty-five kneeling on the floor with head bowed, eyes closed and
arms upraised.  Ashby, who had seen more than his share of Risik
religious rituals during his time on Ne'Chak immediately recognized the
gesture as an evening prayer ritual.
     "She goes by the name of Jane Spencer to the rest of the community,"
Katharine said quietly, "Her real name is Janella.  A Risik."
     Knowing that Risik didn't like to be disturbed during their times of
prayer meditation, Ashby said nothing and looked over the living spaces. 
It was clear that two rooms had been set aside giving her more space than
a prisoner would have had in the old days.  There were a number of books
on the shelves and writing pads which made Ashby suspect that Jane or
Janella spent most of her time reading and writing.
     Katharine then led him to the next living space.  Like Janella's, it
was two cells converted to a single dwelling.  This one filled with what
looked like amateur paintings and an artist's easel, reflecting the
pastime of its occupant.  And here too, another woman in her sixties also
performing the meditative prayer ritual of the Risik.  Her hair was still
dark and her skin was darker too which made Ashby suspect she wasn't
passing for American or English.
     "'Elena Gonzalez' to the second generation.  Real name, Elyzza."
     Two more cell areas.  One that was filled with what looked like
charcoal style drawings indicating a different type of artistic pursuit
from that of Elyzza.  This Risik woman, also in the prayer gesture had
whitish hair that had probably been blonde in her younger days.
     "'Ingrid Jacobson'.  Real name, Ionia."
     The last one Katharine showed him at the far end of the complex
occupied a room that was largely devoid of all furnishings except for a
bed.  She looked the least aged of the four with a figure that still
seemed lithe and limber.  
     "'Diana Marlowe.  Real name Diandra.  Her pastime is dancing which
is why she keeps her chambers empty.  It gives her space to move and as
she puts it, think."
     Ashby tried to take all of this in.  "How many children of their own
do they have?" he couldn't think of a better question to ask since he
found it amazing that any children of these women would easily accept
what had happened to their mothers.
     "Between the four of them they have nine," Katharine said.  "They
see them often.  And when they do, all signs of their heritage have to be
suppressed to maintain a fiction that's gone on for decades by decree of
General Benton under penalty of death.  They're all smiles with them and
tell their children they're enjoying their retirement from work details
and their freedom to just relax and do things they never had time for in
the past."
     "And their husbands?" the British captain demanded.
     "Dead," the Canadian woman said flatly, "Just like mine.  Which is
one of the few good things that's happened to them.  Their husbands
were.....how shall I put it, not anxious to see them spared after all the
other Risik women were put to death.  So Benton had them put to death on
charges of treason when it looked like they might take matters into their
own hands and kill them."
     "Huh?" this was a curve Ashby hadn't expected.  
     "Oh.....it's so damned complicated," Katharine sighed.  "That's
what's really so maddening.  It's not a perfect simple narrative where
one side is wholly innocent and the other side is purely evil in their
actions.  I'm sure Benton's convinced himself that he acted fairly toward
these women by sparing them and punishing their husbands who by that
point wanted them dead.  But if he was going to do that, the least he
could have done was show some honesty and just let the truth be known
warts and all to everyone about how this happened.  Instead, we have a
second generation of more than a hundred people who have been brought up
thinking all of their mothers came from Earth and that their mothers died
in a horrible plague that spread more rapidly in females.  Benton even
made up a name for it called 'Grant's Disease' because the first alleged
victim of the disease was Jennifer Grant, real name Jana."
     Ashby nodded, "I've heard that mentioned.  And that Susan Grant, the
school teacher is her daughter," for no reason other than the fact this
concerned a countryman of his, he asked, "What about Jennifer's husband?"
     "Michael Grant?" Katharine was slightly surprised he'd asked. 
"Well....he was probably one of the few men who tried to love his Risik
wife.  Most of the others....they saw them as conveniences to pleasure
them and perpetuate the colony.  But Michael I'll grant was different. 
When he found out what Jennifer-Jana was really up to it broke his heart
completely and that's why he lost the will to live and died just five
years after the executions took place.  The sad thing is that Susan
believes her parents had a happy marriage when it was anything but."
     "You sound like you're implying Jennifer Grant did something that
justified her being executing," Ashby pointed out.
     Katharine Bradley let out another weary sigh, "Maybe I am to a
degree because the whole thing that unfolded is ugly and tragic, but it's
not simplistic.  That's what makes it so hard to cope with if you know
what happened.  And why none of us who know think anything can be gained
by telling the truth."
     "I want to know the truth," the British captain said flatly.  "And
so do all of my people.  Having the truth come out may be the only way
these people will learn they have to stop believing in Benton, and once
they do that, they just might be saving themselves from death in the next
few years."
     The former RCAF corporal looked down at Diandra, who was still in
full prayer mode and then turned back to Ashby.  "Do you want to wait for
them to be finished, or do you want to hear the whole story from me?"
     "I know something of Risik prayer rituals. They usually last half an
hour if the worshiper is very devout, which I assume they are if they
have to practice their faith in secret.  And because I don't have the
luxury of time, you'd better give it to me straight with no edits right
now. Mrs. Bradley."
     "I will," Katharine nodded, "I.....trust you, Captain Ashby."
     She took a breath.....and began to talk.

     Apollo and the rest of the landing party took their seats in the
front row of the Conference Center.  None of them saying a word as Benton
and Keller took their spots at the desk mounted on the stage.  The
General had reverted to avuncular mode with a friendly smile that inside
made the others seethe with fury.
     "They'll be coming in momentarily," Benton broke the silence,
"Before that happens.....I believe that Dr. Rena and her medical
colleague are in possession of a remarkable device that can give instant
readings about someone's internal biology.  Please hand those
over......now."
     Rena flushed visibly with anger as did some of the others.
     "They'll be returned to you later.  But they won't be in your
possession during the duration of these proceedings."
     Apollo leaned over and said quietly, "Do what he says, Doc.  You
too, Nestor."
     The two of them reluctantly rose and detached their bio-scan units. 
From the side of the room, Captain Keller, holding a pistol, came over
and seized each one with the other hand and then brought them up to his
father and the Colony Leader on the stage, dropping them on the table. 
Benton picked one up and looked it over in fascination.
     "Your civilization is quite remarkable to produce these kinds of
devices, Captain Apollo," the General said.  "I'm surprised you weren't
capable of defeating those machine enemies of yours you spoke of
earlier."
     "Technology alone isn't the key to a civilization's ability to
survive, General Benton."  Apollo spoke in neutral language and tone.
     "Quite true, Captain.  A civilization can also survive on limited
technology and sheer ingenuity and willpower.  As we have."
     "It also takes morality and ethics to do it as well," the faintest
hint of a challenge entered Apollo's tone.  Which brought another smile
from Benton.
     "We have our code of ethics, Captain.  You see.....that's what you
and your friends fail to grasp when you make these premature assumptions
about what happened in the long-ago past.  You think it points to an
overly simplistic narrative, when it doesn't."
     "You said we weren't going to discuss that whole business, General,"
Apollo delicately parried.  "Perhaps I should reconsider my pledge in
light of what you're saying now?"
     Benton chuckled faintly, as if he were enjoying the back and forth. 
"Oh no, Captain.  Just getting some preliminaries out of the way before
my people arrive to hear your proposal.  Incidentally, you're probably
wondering why I haven't bothered to ask for your weapons.  The reason is
quite simple.  Asking you to give up your weapons, which are rather
prominent on your persons, would imply to everyone else who is about to
arrive that you are not being treated as my guests, which I have no
intention of doing.  And also......because I know you really don't want
to use your weapons on me or anyone else.  You know that such a
demonstration of force would not be viewed positively either."
     Apollo couldn't help but smile faintly, "Impeccable thinking on your
part, General Benton."
     Just as he finished, Captain Keller opened the door and the first
wave of New Eden inhabitants entered the room.  It was predominantly
second generation people interspersed with a few first generation men. 
All of them pausing to glance at the new arrivals first before mounting
the stairs to take their seats.  From the front row, Amy and Lauren
studied each new arrival to see if Becky Shulman would show up.  If the
first generation Human did, then it had the potential to be a game
changer for how things went.  
     Assuming she has a conscience left in her, Lauren thought.
     Ten minutes went by as more people entered and filled the seats in
the rows behind them.  Apollo kept a mental count and realized it
amounted to about a hundred ten of the overall population of 157.  He
didn't see any of the fifteen children who he imagined were in bed by
this point.  A number of guards weren't present either and he could only
assume some of them were still on duty or perhaps engaged in the search
for Thomson and Ashby if they were still moving about freely.  He also
could tell that not only had Becky Shulman not arrived, neither had
Alexander Kovalchuk.
     Guilt?  Or fear that they might not be able to keep their mouths
shut in front of Benton?
     Finally, Benton rose and said, "Thank you for coming.  As I
promised, you will now hear from Captain Apollo of the Battlestar
Galactica and Captain Kevin Byrne of the United States Navy, much about
Earth and how things stand today.  Feel free to ask questions at any
time, and when they are done.....I will have some remarks to make of my
own."  He then motioned down and Apollo rose from his seat.  Byrne
hesitated at first, not sure if he was supposed to go up at this point
but Apollo motioned him to follow.  The two men went up to the stage and
pointedly avoided sitting at the table next Benton and Keller.  Instead
they positioned themselves at the center of the stage.  A hush now came
over the room revealing just how much they wanted to hear him speak.  He
stepped closer to the edge of the stage wanting to project an aura of
authority and strength and was about to begin when the sound of the door
to the Conference Room caused a momentary distraction.  Glancing to the
side he saw the unmistakable form of Becky Shulman entering.  The first
generation Earth woman didn't mount the steps to look for an empty seat,
but instead stayed put by the door next to the ramrod form of Captain
Keller.
     She may be the one person above all I have to impress.  Feeling
grateful again for his previous evening's Zohrloch mediation session,
Apollo began to speak in a voice that was clam, dignified, yet full of
gravitas and authority.  Just like it had been long ago on Terra.
     "To the inhabitants of New Eden, I extend my greetings to you as a
representative of the House of Kobol, representing the Twelve Colonies of
mankind.  We are proud to make first contact with you as a link between
brother factions of humanity that have been separated for many thousands
of.....years." he knew he had to use only Earth terms from this point on.
     He began by telling them the story of Kobol and the Exodus of the
thirteen tribes across the stars long ago.  Twelve tribes settling the
worlds that Apollo had come from while the Thirteenth Tribe set out for a
distant more prosperous world called Earth which they were the first to
settle on.  But as a result of the separation across the vast reaches of
space, the links between the Thirteenth Tribe and the original Twelve had
been lost and with it, Earth's memory of coming from a distant realm.
It was the midst of that narrative that the first interruption came.  
     "Excuse me.....Captain Apollo?"
     He looked over at Benton who had asked the question.  There was a
polite, apologetic look on his face that Apollo knew had to be an act but
he knew he couldn't treat it that way.  His politeness had to be returned
in full.
     "Yes, General Benton?"
     "My apologies for interrupting you.  I know you told me in our
private discussion earlier about this incredible account of the origins
of humanity but until now.....I didn't realize the deeper ramifications
of what this means regarding something that I know will be of interest to
those of us who are part of the first generation."
     In the back of Apollo's head, he suddenly had an inkling of what was
coming.  And he had to summon all his inner strength to not reproach
himself for failing to realize this sooner.  Instead, he decided to play
on his hunch and beat the General to the punch.
     "Yes, I believe you're referring to the Risik propaganda regarding
their supposed right to rule over Earth?"
     "Yes Captain, that's exactly what I mean," Benton was impressed that
Apollo had anticipated his remark.  "I know that I and Colonel Keller,
Miss Shulman and so many others who are here now," he motioned his hand
toward the audience, "can remember those long ago days when Commandant
Pravdin would tell us over and over that the Risik ruled over Earth by
divine right because they were the first outsiders to settle Earth.  And
they claimed that their right to rule over us was because their
interbreeding with the indigenous inhabitants of Earth accounts for the
modern form of homo sapiens.  But since you and your people are not
biologically different from ourselves......this can't be true."
     A murmur went up in the crowd.  Apollo couldn't tell if it was
confined to first generation men or whether some of the second generation
people were joining in.  But he did know that Benton had figured this out
earlier and was forcing the revelation now to make a silent and deeper
point.
     Do you really think you'll be doing my people any favors by telling
them they're half-Risik now?  They won't want to believe it now that
you've just confirmed how monstrous that entire race is that they lied
about the very reason for why they abducted us and have targeted Earth
for invasion ever since!
     Apollo didn't bat an eye as he smiled thinly at Benton, conveying a
silent message of respect to him. "You're quite correct, General.  The
Risik not only lied to you, they've been lying to their own people for
thousands of years."  He turned to face the audience, "The Risik did land
on Earth in her ancient past.  The evidence they undoubtedly showed you
about that when you were abducted was quite true.  But the time period
was long after the initial arrival of the 13th Tribe from Kobol.  The
Risik knew that such an arrival had taken place because their own
documents refer to such an arrival, only they tried to postdate it to a
time just after they abandoned Earth owing to a Civil War that was taking
place in their home system.  But since we know from our own ancient
records that the 13th Tribe arrived on an uninhabited Earth, then the
only way the Risik could have known about that would be if they learned
of it from those who were already living on Earth at the time of their
arrival."
     "What liars," Benton said as he leaned back in his chair and shook
his head with an air of pure disdain. "What monstrous, evil liars.  Their
entire race is literally built on the foundations of a lie."
     An assenting murmur went up.  In the front row, Amy and Lauren both
realized what had just happened.  That Benton had found a way to make it
impossible for anyone to believe any accounts of Risik women or mixed
Risik parentage in the history of New Eden,
     What a slick bastard, Lauren thought.  A born politician.
     "The Risik have become conditioned to believe the lie thanks to
centuries of religious and cultural indoctrination," Apollo went on
knowing he had to take charge of things again, "But we have found in our
own experience......that even those born among the Risik can sometimes,
as a result of the cruelties they themselves have suffered, learn to rise
up against the injustices and the lies.  That is why for instance our
Fleet of 70,000 has seen fit to not only find room for the liberated
Earth prisoners the Risik held in the prison colony at Ne'Chak, but also
for a half dozen Risik political prisoners who have escaped the tyranny
of their Supreme Leader and now swear allegiance to us."
     Benton looked at Apollo, "Am I to understand there are Risik living
among your people?"
     "Six dissenters as I said, including a woman who was held as a slave
by a barbarous Risik political leader," Apollo looked back at him.  "She
has been of immense help to us in deciphering secret Risik files we've
captured, and that included I might add the file that revealed the
existence of this colony to us and resulted in our arrival here."
     For just a half second Benton's self-assured facade seemed to
disappear.  Apollo could tell that it was because he'd openly revealed
the existence of Risik dissenters who had been accepted by the Colonials
with friendship and tolerance.  This was a concept that was clearly alien
to everything the colony leader believed.  But quickly, the facade
returned.
     "Every totalitarian society I'm sure has their dissenters," Benton
sounded as if he was going to make sure the subject was changed as
quickly as possible, "At any rate, I appreciate your clarifying that
information, Captain Apollo.  It puts the matter of our beginnings in
greater context.  Please continue."
     Apollo resumed with the account of Colonial Civilization and their
war with the Cylon Empire.  And how it had led to the destruction of
their home worlds and the decision to seek out the 13th Colony of mankind
on a planet they knew to be called Earth.  He talked of the journey
through the stars that had lasted for more than five years in which
70,000 souls in some 220 odd ships had braved the dangers posed by other
alien races like the Ziklagi as well as the Risik.  And he told them of
how even as they journeyed across the stars, their old adversaries the
Cylons were crumbling as many in their ranks were now defecting,
including the entire crew of one of their warships that had joined their
side and was traveling with them now (for now, Apollo had no intention of
mentioning the matter of Baltar to them).  And how behind them,
Resistance movements left behind in the Colonies had turned the tide with
the help of a sister ship of theirs the Pegasus (and just as Apollo was
quick to say with pride that his father was the commander of the Fleet
leading his people to Earth, he was now for the first time in a public
forum willing to refer with equal pride that his father-in-law was
leading the effort to help destroy the remainder of the Cylon Empire).
     No one in the audience interrupted Apollo's narrative.  It was clear
that whether they were part of the first or second generation, they were
moved by this account of survival against such impossible odds that
exceeded anything they had gone through in their own experiences.  From
the front row, Amy and Lauren could tell that even Benton seemed to be
moved by the account even though he'd heard it once before.
     Is it just an act for the benefit of the crowd?  Or maybe it's a
sign that he did have some integrity once?
     Apollo then moved on to the matter of first, the rescue of Captain
Byrne and his daughter from an isolated planet that he'd spent 19 years
on.  Followed by their first exposure to the Risik when they'd rescued
Lauren Wagner from suspended animation aboard a derelict Risik spacecraft
whose crew had committed suicide after learning of the Risik abandonment
of their home system due to the Ke'Zar invasion.  The cracking of Risik
codes that had led to the discovery of the Ne'Chak prison colony and the
60 Earth prisoners they'd liberated.  Their subsequent clash with
elements of the Risik Star Force that had ended in lopsided victory for
the Colonials.  All part of Apollo's emphasis that the Colonial
technology was superior to that of the Risik (though Apollo knew
underneath, as no one else did, how that had the potential to change if
the Risik was indeed building a new fleet of ships built from Neutrino.) 
 He closed by telling the people that in the next 18 to 24 months, they
would reach Earth......and that everyone was free to join them in the
Colonial Fleet's journey to Earth.
     Now, it was time for Apollo to shift to the matter of why it was in
the best interests of everyone to go with them to Earth.  And he would
have to make that pitch without any accusations against Benton
whatsoever.
     He gathered himself again and pressed on.


     "That's the whole story, Captain Ashby." Katharine Bradley sounded
spent from the narrative she'd just recounted.
     Ashby shook his head in amazement.  The tale had been unlike
anything he'd been prepared for.  A tale that was indeed, complex on all
levels in which even the most horrific of decisions had some level of
understandable context that stemmed from them.  
     "Would you and these women be willing to repeat that story to not
just my superior, Captain Apollo, but to all of the people?  To let them
know the truth at last?"
     "Do you really think Benton would permit it?" the Canadian woman
retorted.  "The penalty for revealing this to the second generation is
death."
     "Captain Apollo already knows there are Risik women here.  If Benton
kills him or anyone else in our party, then he invites an armed assault
from our home ship, the Battlestar Galactica," Ashby pointed out, "And
Benton is not a fool.  If his goal is to hang onto power and keep you all
here, he's not going to resort to that measure."
     "I....." Katharine shook her head, looking helpless, "I just don't
know if....."
     "I would gladly tell."
     The two of them looked into the room where the Risik woman who'd
been referred to as Diandra suddenly opened her eyes and got to her feet
after being in the praying ritual for so long.  Even though she was
clearly in her sixties, she still had a youthful aura to her.  No doubt a
result of her many long hours engaged in a more active past time of
dancing as opposed to more sedentary ones like reading or painting.
     Ashby looked at her.  "You understand what this is all about?"
     "I heard everything," her voice was flat and devoid of emotion, as
if the many years of confinement had dulled her ability to show any.  She
came up to the spot that separated the opening of the room from the
corridor as if there were still bars in place to separate them.  "And for
all these years I have prayed that one day I might be able to say with
pride who I really am.  A proud Risik and the mother of one who has Risik
blood in him.  If you can provide me with that opportunity....I will
gladly do it."
     "And you're not concerned about the....trauma this might cause for
others?"  Now that he was hearing a Risik woman speak, Ashby suddenly
felt himself instinctively taking a devil's advocate position.  He didn't
know why, yet that mechanism was kicking in.  He wondered if it was
because of the unemotional way Diandra spoke.
     "I am only concerned with ending this charade," she said with
defiance, "I made my decision long ago to save my life rather than die
with the others of my kind who I always saw as women of stronger
character.  For years, I regretted the fact that I was part of the 'final
four' as we were called in private who turned in the others and caused
their deaths.  Now.....I see a chance to redeem myself and justify the
fact that I continued to live."
     Ashby turned and went back to the open cell next to Diandra's where
the white-haired woman named Ionia was now on her feet.
     "You heard all this too.  Do you wish to come with me?"
     "I would gladly come," she said with a weary air, "But....I worry
about how my children will react to this news."
     "They're fully grown adults!" Diandra snapped as she stepped out of
her room and suddenly came past Katharine and alongside Ashby so she
could look at her fellow Risik, "It's time to stop thinking of them as
mere children.  They won't blame you for anything.  It's only Benton and
those who collaborated with him who should be blamed."
     Behind Ashby, the other two Risik women, Janella and Elyzza had also
stepped out of their quarters.  As if Diandra's forceful words had
kindled some kind of dormant spark of pride within them.  
     "We will come, Diandra," Janella said.  "But you should speak for
all of us."
     "I am willing to do that," Diandra nodded with defiance.  "I will
let my voice express the burdens we've all been forced to carry for
decades."
     "All right, get back in your rooms, now!"
     The angry sound of a male voice from down the corridor caused Ashby
to spin around and he recognized immediately Lieutenant Dunning, the
guard he'd stunned at the stairwell earlier.  He cursed himself as he
realized he hadn't removed Dunning's pistol because he'd felt overloaded
as it was with the weapons he'd taken earlier during the recapture of the
Landram.
     "You heard me," Dunning snarled as walked toward them with pistol
raised.  "Everyone back in right now.  And drop whatever weapons you're
carrying or so help me I'll shoot you in your fucking head!"
     Ashby slowly dropped the two confiscated guns he'd been carrying to
the floor.  As he started to reach for his laser pistol he then could see
movement down the corridor.  He tried not to show any reaction as he knew
immediately what that had to be.
     And then, the sound of a laser blast was followed by Dunning
pitching face forward to the floor again.  Giving everyone a clear view
of Thomson hurrying towards them.
     "Looks like I arrived just in time," the Colonial Security Guard
grinned.  "What's say we get out of here?"
     "I'm all for that, Sergeant!" Ashby said with relief as he motioned
the five females, four Risik and one Human, to follow him.


     "Just as we have done with the 60 Earth abductees who were held
prisoner in the Risik penal institution at Ne'Chak, where you of the
first generation might have found yourselves transferred to, we are
prepared to give all of you safe transport to Earth, which we will arrive
at in under two years from now," Apollo went on, "We have more than
enough resources of food, water and living space to accommodate you for
the remainder of our journey and even though we have been forced to
endure hardships of our own, we are not without occasional luxuries that
have helped make life more endurable for us, and which for those who
suffered at the hands of the Risik has proved to be a source of
liberation.  Your efforts in maintaining life here in New Eden over
multiple generations is to be admired.  But now.....you have a chance to
partake in a greater abundance that will include a more varied diet,
filled with many of the things that for those of the second generation
you only know about from the stories your parents have told you." Apollo
made sure he didn't slip and use the term 'fathers'.  "And perhaps most
important of all.  You would find yourselves among friends.  Friends
anxious to embrace you as our brothers and sisters who share a common
heritage.  Friends.....who will always be there for you and keep you
safely protected through the remainder of our journey to Earth......and
beyond."
     Apollo paused for a moment to let the crowd mull that among
themselves, and he also waited to see if Benton was going to make an
interjection.  He heard nothing so he proceeded.
     "But total candor requires me to tell you that there are challenges
that lie in the remainder of this journey to Earth," Apollo said as he
moved up and down the stage, trying to make eye contact with each row of
the gathered spectators.  "The Risik, your former captors, have not
abandoned their dream of conquering Earth one day.  Their commitment to
their doctrines rooted in the false belief that they are the masters of
Earth remains strong in their Supreme Leader.  But the Risik no longer
have the opportunity to launch any kind of sneak attack on Earth because
our ability to reach Earth first will insure that Earth is aware of their
presence and the threat.  And because we and the Enlightened Cylons who
defected to our side possess weaponry far in advance of anything the
Risik have been able to develop to this point, we present a challenge to
them that they could not possibly have anticipated when they were
abducting you, the surviving members of the first generation in the
1980s."
     Apollo inside had to fight back whatever regrets he felt about how
he couldn't be completely candid on the lurking danger to the Fleet posed
by the classified information that the Risik were building a Fleet of
ships constructed from Neutrino.  And that one Cylon baseship was right
now in their capital and likely planning to join forces with them in a
renewed pursuit of the Fleet, hoping to intercept them before they
reached Earth.  It was the kind of information that could make the
journey to Earth sound more like a dangerous hazard to the people of New
Eden.  But telling them would mean telling the entire population of the
Fleet, and that was totally out of the question as his parents had told
him.  In order to effectively prepare the Fleet for the challenge of a
stronger Risik pursuit force, absolute secrecy needed to be maintained on
what intelligence intercepts relayed to them by the Pegasus had to say
about Risik progress.
     In the face of that lack of total candor on what he could tell these
people, Apollo knew he had to emphasize the Fleet's total commitment to
preparedness.  As well as the preparedness that Earth would now find
themselves in.  And the contrast that would exist to whatever
preparedness they could muster for themselves on New Eden.
     "Do not think that a return to Earth opens you up to the risk of
being exposed to an invasion threat that might result in a new form of
conquest.  You would be returning to an Earth that will be prepared and
protected in ways that you could not do at your best here in New Eden. 
Again, for all the greatness you have achieved, you are forced to rely
only on weapons seized from Earth over forty year ago that are now
obsolete on Earth!  If any Risik craft from the Star Force were to
encounter New Eden, and find themselves reminded of what was undoubtedly
a great humiliation for them when Commander Pravdin chose to leave
without transporting any of the prison population to the new Risik home
frontier.......Risik pride will dictate they take care of unfinished
business.  That is how deep Risik fanaticism runs in their political and
social order.  They are not of a frame of mind to just forget that the
planet they know as Niddion exists.  Because just as their Supreme Leader
feels anger over the failure to invade Earth long ago, so too does he
feel the humiliation over the loss of the original Risik home world at
the hands of the Ke'Zar race.  Their goal will inevitably include the
desire to reconquer all other planets that they once controlled, and that
will inevitably include the planet they still refer to as Niddion and the
destruction of New Eden by a force you can't possibly be prepared to
face.  Not when your only weapons are ones that are long obsolete by
Earth standards, let alone Risik ones.
     "But even if you could make the argument that New Eden is too small
to be of any use to the Risik in their broader vision of
reconquest......you face another danger independent of the Risik Empire. 
That is the danger that comes from the diminishing return of resources
that you need to keep New Eden viable beyond this generation."
     He let his words hang and again he found himself waiting to see if
Benton was going to interject.  The silence clearly meant Benton was
going to play the role of the polite host so that when he presented his
counter-arguments, it would come in the form of the friendly, benevolent
style that the population was so accustomed to.
     "Before we arrived, we had the ability to send patrol craft ahead to
take scanning observations of the planet to first confirm that life did
exist here.  But it also gave us the ability to scan for natural
resources that would be essential to the ability of a colony such as
yours to endure over multiple generations.  For those of you of the first
generation, think back to such things as......satellite orbiting and
infrared scanning and you'll get some rough idea of what we're capable of
doing now only on a much greater scale of thoroughness.  In our scan
readings, we found that there exists no sufficient supplies of any
natural resource that you could utilize for fuel.  Nothing that resembles
substances you would call oil, petroleum or natural gas.  Nor substances
that we refer to as tylium or solium and which serve the same general
principle for powering machinery and equipment that allow you to keep
this facility viable as a living space.  Without fuel.....you could not
power the generators that give you light and occasional cooling relief. 
You could not harness electricity to help you reprocess water or run your
hydroponics garden.  You could not control the environment for preserving
food or cooking it in mass quantities.  This complex would essentially
become the equivalent of an ancient ruin, capable of providing nothing
more than temporary shelter from the outside heat......but without the
ventilation system you have, these dwellings would become equally
inhospitable and you would be forced to seek shelter in the open."
     Apollo then looked over at Benton, whose expression was neutral, "I
commend General Benton for his careful strategy of rationing the full
depot of fuel that was left behind by the Risik when they abandoned this
place.  It was clearly an act of Providence that you had a full supply to
work with and because you were serving the needs of a limited population
and not the 2000 that the Risik first intended for this place, you could
ration it accordingly to last for decades.  But.....the day is inevitable
when that supply will be exhausted and a replacement must be sought.  And
I can say quite categorically that such a replacement source does not
exist."
     And now an uneasy gasp came up from a lot of the people.  Several
people bolted from their seats and for the first time, there was an
accusatory, hostile tone in their voices.
     "General Benton has assured us that untapped sources do exist just
outside the compound!" a young woman of twenty-five said angrily.
     "Yes!" this from a man of thirty.  "He has told us in a few years we
will soon transition to the new supply.  Why do you say it doesn't
exist?"
     "I can not account for anything the general has told you in the
past," Apollo kept his voice calm and without any hint of hostility about
their leader.  "I can only tell you what we have scanned ourselves with
our own technology, and I give you my absolute word that we see no trace
of anything that could be used to power your machinery for the
long-term."
     "No!" another voice shouted.  But Apollo, refusing to let himself be
rattled, pressed on.
     "It's possible you may have seen signs of potential resources based
on the limited technology at your disposal," he decided to say something
that would neutralize the argument that he was calling Benton a liar. 
"But our own technology, well in advance of our own, is capable of seeing
things in a more complete way.  I'm sure any hopes of a new fuel source
were presented to you in good faith.  But now that it's possible to study
further and see that what exists are only trace levels of what you call
oil, you can know the truth that even if the Risik never come back to
this place.......New Eden can not endure."
     The protesting voices sat back down, and it made Byrne realize that
Apollo had deftly managed to neutralize them for the time being.  He had
avoided antagonizing them by not attacking Benton's credibility.  Only
implying that if Benton erred it was because of a circumstance beyond his
control.
     I would have been calling Benton a liar ten times already if it had
been me.  Apollo knows what he's doing.
     "I'm not saying that because we want to force you into doing
something against your will," Apollo stressed, "Throughout our journey
across the stars since we were forced to leave our homes and search for
Earth, we came across other civilizations of Humans.  Some of them were
descendants of travelers who had set out from our own worlds only a
thousand or two thousand years before.  Others were offshoots of the
original journey to Earth who separated from the main convoy and formed
their own civilizations.  When we knew they had a chance to sustain life
in their homes as they'd known then, we always left the decision to them
and gave them a choice to come with us or to stay.  And whatever decision
was made, we respected that.  It is only when life can not endure for the
long haul, that we make it clear that to stay.....can only result in
eventual death."
     Apollo heard no protesting remarks this time and he went on, "We
make this offer to you out of a total spirit of good will and
brotherhood.  And our desire to bring not just the first generation back
home to where they were cruelly snatched from by a race known chiefly for
its cruelties.....but to bring the second and third generation of New
Eden back to the world that they have only known through stories passed
down to them......so they can experience the joy of Earth for real, and
not just through the distant echoes of long-ago memories from their
parents."  He again made sure to use the plural word.
     "And now, I would like to introduce Captain Kevin Byrne, who left
Earth in the year 2011, long after any Risik abductions took place, and
who can tell you more about how Earth has changed from the time the first
generation knew in the late 1980s.  He will be completely candid with you
as I have.  He will not deny the flaws that still exist in a world that
isn't perfect.  But he will also offer in more vivid detail than I could,
just how much of a blessing it will be for all of you to experience what
Earth has to offer you now."
     Apollo stepped aside and motioned Byrne to come forward.  The
silence continued for a second but suddenly one pair of hands began to
clap.  In the front row, Lauren and Amy looked over and saw that it was
Becky Shulman.  It quickly produced a ripple effect and soon the rest of
the assembled were applauding too.  Some loudly, others out of polite
courtesy only.  But it was enough to put Byrne at ease and make him
realize that it was time now for him to rise to the occasion.....and to
keep all of his impulsiveness in check.


     "After Micah seemed well enough to hold thing down by himself, I
came back and I decided to see if you were still in the East Wing and
found your way up to the second level," Thomson was saying as he led
Ashby and the five women back past the storage facilities on the first
level that funneled toward the Central Hub.  "I saw that guard coming to
by the stairwell,  and he was trying to get in touch with someone over
that telecom device on the wall but evidently no one was on the other end
because he started cursing a storm, grabbed his gun and started charging
up the stairs.  That's when I knew you had to still be up there so I
quietly followed him and thank the Lords I was able to send him back to
sleep."
     "That also means he didn't get through to his superiors to raise the
alarm, so he took matters into his own hands," Ashby said as they reached
the Central Hub.  To their right was the entry to the Central Complex. 
To the left, the corridor back to the Main Entrance.  Thomson motioned
them to remain in the East Wing entryway for a micron as he darted out
and peered into the Central Complex entrance.  
     "It's all clear there," he turned around.  "It looks like the reason
Lieutenant Dunning didn't hear anyone on the end of that telecom device
is because the bulk of the population has gathered in the Conference
Center.  Maybe we should go there and drop in on them."
     The sound of footsteps coming from the entryway to the West Wing
quarters on the other side of the hall caused Thomson to jump and raise
his laser pistol.  And then.....he quickly lowered it when he saw a
brown-haired child of ten suddenly emerge.  The child's eyes widened in
stunned surprise as he looked past Thomson to the others who were still
in the East Wing entry point.
     "Grandma?"
     The Risik woman Janella, known publicly as Jane Spencer dashed
across and protectively grabbed him by the shoulders.
     "Bobby!" she exclaimed as she instinctively hugged him.
     "I don't understand," the boy frowned, "You never come here."
     "I know darling.  I know.  Things have changed.  What are you doing
here all by yourself?"
     "All the grown-ups have gone to the Conference Center to hear those
people from Earth talk.  They said the children had to go back to their
rooms but.....I wanted to go hear things."
     Thomson calmly reholstered his laser and motioned Ashby to come
over.  The British captain immediately recognized the boy from his talk
to the children in the classroom.
     "Hello again," Ashby smiled, "You're the one who asked me to
describe what chocolate tastes like, didn't you?"
     "Yes!" he brightened at the sight of him, "Good to see you again,
Captain Ashby!"
     Janella looked up at Ashby and Thomson with concern.  "We can't take
him in there if things might----," but Thomson quickly raised his arm to
indicate silence.
     "Okay, okay.  I think instead of barging in on what's happening in
the Conference Center, we ought to get some of you people safely aboard
the shuttle."
     "Shuttle?" Katharine Bradley spoke up.
     Ashby decided he had to take charge. "The shuttle that can take you
back to where we came from, and to safety from this place.  You'll be
able to come with us to Earth.  All of you." he then knelt down in front
of Bobby Spencer, whose grandmother was still holding him with protective
arms.  "And you too, Bobby.  How would you like to see Earth and get a
chance to taste chocolate for real and not just hear stories about it?"
     "I'd love it!" the boy exclaimed, "But.....what about Mom and Dad?"
     "They'll come too," Janella said quckly and turned back to Ashby,
"Isn't that true, Captain Ashby?  His parents are my son and
daughter-in-law Roger and Stephanie Spencer.  I also have a daughter,
Deborah Spencer."
     "We're going to try to make sure everyone is going to go back to
Earth," The British captain stressed and then turned to Katharine Bradley
and the other Risik women.  " And that goes for your own children too. 
But I think you for your own safety, the boy and his grandmother should
go back to the shuttle.  You should also go, Katharine and
also......those of you who don't feel like talking in front of the
masses."
     "I will not go before I've had my say!" Diandra said with angry
defiance.
     "I didn't mean you," Ashby said patiently.  The more Diandra spoke,
the more he found himself getting a vibe about her that made him feel
uncomfortable, even though he knew she had been treated badly along with
the other Risik women for reasons that were rooted in some greater crimes
as well.  "I know you're anxious to talk.  But the rest of you I think
should go now    If you do, then you can't be recaptured by Benton's
guards."
     "Bobby's parents are Roger and Stephanie Spencer," Janella repeated
as she continued to hold her grandson tight.  "And there's also my
daugther Deborah.  Let them know Bobby is with me and we want them all to
come."
     "And my children too," Elyzza added.  "Raquel, Sandra and Javier
Gonzalez."
     "Mine are Erik, Stefan and Inge Jacobson," Ionia jumped in.  "I want
them to come too."
     "Do any of you have grandchildren like----Jane does?" Ashby stopped
himself from using the Risik name for the benefit of Bobby Spencer.  This
brought unified head shakes from the others.  "Okay.  Now what if your
children choose not to come?  Are you prepared to go even if they choose
to stay?"
     There was hesitation from Elyzza and Ionia as well as the fully
human Katharine Bradley. As if the idea of being permanently separated
from their own children was too much to contemplate.  Ashby though,
wasn't surprised when he heard no such sentiment from Diandra.
     "Let go of them, if you must.  They're adults.  I intend to do that
if I have to with my son.  Just be glad our prayers have been answered at
last."
     "We'll go," Elyzza repeated as if she felt she had to defer now that
her stronger-willed fellow Risik had spoken.  There were nods from Ionia
and Katharine too.
     "All right now that that's settled, we'll have to get word to Micah
first before we drop this big surprise on him," Thomson felt he had to
take charge as the one Colonial in the group and for now, Ashby's rank no
longer mattered.  "I want all of you who are coming to follow me to the
Main Entrance.  This way if any guards are between here and there I can
take care of them.  I'm going to then step outside and contact Micah on
the comline to let him know what thie situation is and then he'll
probably bring the Landram to take all of you out to the shuttle."
     "Sergeant Thomson," Katharine quietly spoke up.  "I know how to
drive the ground vehicles we keep in operation for short term
reconnaissance.  If there's any distance we need to cover on the ground
to this.....shuttle of yours I can make sure we get there more quickly
than by doing it on foot."
     Thomson thought that over and then realized that would make things
easier than having the Landram hauled out again.  He nodded.  "Okay
everyone, follow me.  Ashby, you and.....Diandra wait here until I get
back.  You're going to need me when we barge in on the Conference Room." 
     "No problem," Ashby nodded, "Good luck everyone.  And Bobby.....nice
to have you aboard with us."
     "Thanks, Captain!" Bobby Spencer grinned, starting to let the
excitement over going to Earth take hold of him.  As the group followed
Thomson out, Bobby's grandmother Janella kept her arm protectively around
him.  It was enough to make Ashby realize how much familial love was an
important concept with some Risik women.
     And then, as he turned to his left and saw the largely cold and
indifferent expression on Diandra, the one remaining Risik woman, he got
a reminder of behavioral attitudes that he'd seen far too much of at
Ne'Chak.  How those who had a fanatical devotion to Risik dogmas were
prone to care less about their own family members.  And he'd already seen
enough indications that Diandra was the one member of this so-called
'final four' who seemed  most attached to dogmas.  The other three by
contrast, especially Janella with her instinctive tenderness toward her
grandson, more easily conveyed the sense of how much they'd been victims
of the injustice Benton had subjected to them.  Diandra.....considerably
less so.
     Trying not to let his uneasiness in her presence show, he decided he
needed to converse with her until Thomson returned.
     "You'll be interested to know there are other Risik among us in our
Fleet.  Dissenters from the government who received asylum," he hoped
this would gain her trust.
     Her steely-eyed expression didn't change and she didn't look at him
when she finally responded several seconds later.  "How many?"
     "Only six," the uneasy vibe she gave off still remained with Ashby. 
"But I know you and the others will want to meet them."
     For the first time, a thin smile actually came over Diandra's face,
which more than the others still showed signs of its once youthful
beauty.  "It will be nice to see others of my own kind again after so
long." she turned her head to face him, "Are there any males?"
     He was caught off-guard by seeing her look him in the eye for the
first time.  He answered her awkwardly.  "Well......yes, but I think all
of them came with their spouses." 
     "Ah," she acknowledged and seemed to shrug slightly.  "Do you know
if they are Draasni in their beliefs?"
     The term she used struck a chord of recognition in the one time
prisoner of the Risik.  He knew he'd heard it on Ne'Chak, but the context
wasn't coming back to him.  He decided he could only plead ignorance. 
"I.....really couldn't say."
     "No matter," Diandra shrugged again.  "That is for later.  For now
only exposing the crimes of Benton counts."
     Her aloof demeanor continued to make Ashby uneasy, especially now
that he was forced to be alone with her until Thomson came back.  He idly
cast a glance down the full length of the corridor but the entrance was
too far off in the distance.
     I wonder.  After all these years being forced by Earth natives to
deny her true identity and being forced to marry and breed with an Earth
male........is someone like her possibly going to still feel loyal to the
Risik cause?  She clearly has a lot of resentments over how she's been
treated by people from Earth!
     Before his mind could ponder that question further he heard the
distant sound of footsteps.  He looked down the corridor and could see
the unmistakable form of Thomson, now walking back toward them.  He kept
his eyes on the security guard's approaching form until it finally
reached them two centons later.
     "I got word to Micah and it turned out Katherine was right.  She
knows how to handle one of those old pieces of felgercarb they use for
ground transport.  She's driving the others out to the shuttle and that
way Micah doesn't have to put off making his report to the Galactica."
     "Good to know," Ashby was glad the others were away safely and he
finally forced himself to look at Diandra again.  Her look unchanged. 
"Are you ready to go now?" 
     For the first time, a full smile came over the Risik woman's face. 
A smile of wicked satisfaction.  "I am more than ready.  At long last,
the tenar of reckoning for the crimes against my people has come!"  She
put a heavy stress on the term for a Risik time unit, as though she was
glad to say aloud what had become a forbidden term for so many yahrens.
     Good God, I don't like the vibe she gives off, Ashby thought.  A
similar thought was going through Thomson's mind, especially after the
last ten centons he'd spent with the other Risik women who'd conveyed a
far different aura completely.
     I wish it was one of them speaking instead about what they've gone
through and had to endure.  The way this one carries herself, she might
say something that will make the people think Benton did the right thing
even if he did cover up the truth.
     But that was a risk both Thomson and Ashby knew would have to be
taken as the three of them finally entered the Central Complex area.  The
truth had to come out for the people of New Eden, regardless of who was
the messenger.

Chapter Seven

     "Four women and one child are on their way here in one of their
ground vehicles.  I can see them approaching now.  Thomson and Ashby are
going back with this fourth Risik woman and regardless of what's
happening with  Captain Apollo's efforts, this fourth Risik woman is
going to reveal the whole truth of their imprisonment to the people."
     "I think Captain Apollo will be able to adjust to the situation,"
Adama said, trying to grasp in full the impact of Micah's report.  "But
as a precaution, I'm going to have the shuttle Armstrong launch with the
Elite Squadron team in place and have them land next to you.  Even if
they won't be needed from a military standpoint, they'd be useful in
assisting efforts to help others start preparations for leaving the
planet.  Now that we're going to have at least five new arrivals, I think
we can expect more to come, even if it isn't necessarily the whole
colony."
     "You want me to remain even after I take these people aboard?"
     "For now, yes.  At least until the Armstrong's landed and you've
given Major Croft a full briefing on the situation.  Hopefully by that
point, the situation inside the complex will have resolved itself."
     "Understand, sir," Micah said.  "Signing off."
     Adama switched off the relay that had been patched to his quarters
from the Bridge.  After giving Tigh the order to have the Armstrong
launched from the Constellation, he looked across at Ila and Melnea.  The
Risik woman had been called in to provide further insights now that it
was known that Risik women had been on the planet all this time.
     "Sergeant Micah said he hasn't gotten the full details of what these
Risik women have already told Captain Ashby, and which one of them is
going to reveal to the whole New Eden population," Adama said, "Do you
have any theories, Melnea?"
     "None," the Risik woman had been baffled by these revelations. "I
might have believed that Risik women who were kept as slaves like I was,
for the pleasure of high-ranking officers and political officials, might
have been forced to breed with Earth prisoners as part of an experiment
on the Risik government's part.  But.....that doesn't seem to be what
happened here.  No births happened before the Risik abandonment so these
Risik women weren't part of a planned experiment by Commandant Pravdin or
anyone else in Risik authority."
     "And Pravdin didn't mention anything about Risik women being left
behind when they abandoned the place?" Ila asked.
     "No.  Not a word.  I'm sure that was out of self-interest on his
part because if he had mentioned that, he never would have been acquitted
at his trial.  And I have to assume that all other Risik personnel who
evacuated with him kept silent too and had their reasons for doing so as
well."
     "The only thing that's becoming clear is that these Risik women have
been mistreated by their own people and by Humans," the Council President
observed, "As if.....once they found themselves left behind, the Human
male population decided to do with them as they pleased and then somehow
at some point, things must have taken a really dark turn if all but four
of the women ended up being executed."
     "There was clearly a period of instability in those first years when
apparently many died and there were upheavals caused by the death of
their first leader, the Earth politician and the emergence of Benton as
the new leader," Adama mused.  "I doubt we'll find anyone who can say
they have clean hands in this matter.  And yet.....if Apollo succeeds in
getting the entire Colony to come join us, one thing there can never be
is repercussions for anyone.  Not on Benton or anyone else who might have
acted unjustly yahrens ago."
     Melnea was taken aback to hear this, "You could do.....nothing?"
     "It wouldn't serve a purpose, Melnea," Adama said.  "We're not
prosecuting ancient crimes committed by our own people any longer.  And
whatever happened isn't something we'd have any legal right to take
action on.  Plus, what happens if after the truth comes out, most of the
Colonists still defend Benton's actions?  It would just invite more chaos
and discord that we can't take on.  If these people are to join us, it
has to be with the same clean slate we're observing with Baltar.  The one
thing I'd make certain of is that the Risik survivors never have any
contact with Benton or anyone else responsible for what happened again. 
The Fleet's certainly big enough to make that kind of accommodation."
     "I agree," Ila nodded, "We can allow for an accounting of the
truth......but there can't be any acts of vengeance.
     The Risik dissident didn't seem wholly satisfied by this revelation,
"You don't see it as....similar to what you put Lemeshik and the others
on trial for?"
     "I'm not denying there are similarities to what happened, Melnea,"
Adama tried to sound sympathetic. "But we had to take advantage of a
loophole in Colonial jurisprudence to justify putting them on trial that
doesn't exist in this case.  And even if it did.....there'd still be too
many other compelling reasons to let the matter drop.  If the people of
the Colony want to stay put and take matters into their own hands
regarding Benton.....that would be their business.  But if they come with
us, and if Benton comes with us......then we have to put the whole matter
behind us." he paused and then added, "I'm afraid that's the way it has
to be."
     Melnea reluctantly nodded.  And then, looking uncomfortable she rose
and bid an awkward goodbye to Adama and Ila.  Once she was gone, Ila let
out a regretful sigh.
     "It's not easy for her to hear about that kind of treatment of
people just like her.  There's an instinctive desire for justice that
might not be possible."
     "Sometimes justice has to remain with the Lords alone," her husband
said.  "Those are the tough judgments that come with leadership."
     "And right now, Apollo's about to be faced with them in a big way,"
Ila said and then added, "I'm so glad you set the right example for him."
     "We both had a hand in that," he smiled back at her.


     "Captain Apollo has told you the general account of how I came to be
stranded on a planet so far away from Earth.  I will instead begin with
an account of Earth itself, and how it changed in the period since any of
you last knew it, even though that time is almost twenty years in the
past."  Byrne found himself far more relaxed than he could have imagined
as he looked out to the audience.  "The Cold War between the Western
powers and the Communist block ended successfully for the West with the
collapse of the Soviet Empire.  Eastern Europe became free.  Germany is
one nation again.  And the USSR itself broke apart into a multitude of
different nations, though Russia itself remains a strong and formidable
regional power.  
     "A bigger concern for us as the 21st century dawned was the threat
of global terrorism from radical Arab groups in the Middle East.  I have
mentioned to some of you that on September 11, 2001 there was a horrific
attack in New York and Washington where hijacked planes were flown into
the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.  Both towers collapsed.  The
Pentagon was seriously damaged in one wing but it has since been
repaired.  These events led to American military action in Afghanistan
and Iraq that proved to be less than decisive, though the mastermind
behind the September 11 plots was ultimately killed in a raid by SEAL
forces.  I tell you all of this to let you know that Earth has not been
able to put all forms of warfare and conflict behind her.  The danger of
global nuclear war has faded, but the danger of terrorism by fanatics
remains real, and there remain many regional conflicts that have never
been settled.  Israel and the Palestinians.  China and Taiwan.  North and
South Korea.  Returning to Earth is not going to mean you will find a
peaceful Utopia free of strife.  But it is still a world where the
majority of the world's population is able to chart its own destiny
safely and with the resources and space to do so."
     For a brief second, he caught sight of Becky Shulman out of the
corner of his eye.  The woman who had been born on Earth had a sad look
that seemed to suggest someone thinking of long ago memories of home.  
     "Earth is also a world that knows the meaning of rising up to answer
challenges.  I know this because the space expedition that took me from
Earth was designed to answer a long-range challenge.  Our scientists had
detected evidence that sometime in the early 2040s, Earth was potentially
vulnerable to a significant asteroid strike.  The odds were calculated as
one in ten, and it was serious enough to start contingency planning for a
worst case scenario.  Namely, what would happen if this asteroid were to
strike Earth and cause global catastrophic damage?
     "I was placed in command of a two ship expedition to Mars consisting
of twenty trained astronauts and scientists for what would be not just
the first manned landing on Mars, but an expedition to explore the
prospects of long-term terraforming of the planet.  Making Mars not
simply inhabitable for people to live on for the long-term, but to
provide Mars as a haven in the catastrophic event that an asteroid strike
of Earth could not be avoided.  Despite the odds against such a
potential, leadership on Earth had the foresight to treat the problem as
serious and address it immediately."
     As murmurs started to go up over this revelation, Byrne then went on
with reassurance, "Let me assure you though that potential danger to
Earth caused by this asteroid, which is still over nine years away from
Earth, is no longer an issue.  The sophisticated technology that exists
on the Galactica has the means and ability to not just track the position
of the asteroid, but to also use her own weaponry that can reduce the
threat to harmless space dust.  As we draw closer to Earth, this threat
will finally be neutralized once and for all and it need not trouble your
minds as part of your own relocation to Earth.  I only tell you about it
in the interests of complete and total candor," he put just a faint
amount of stress on the last word.  Making sure that Benton and his inner
circle got the message.  As well as Becky Shulman.
     "Instead of asking yourselves if there are dangers and risks in
going with us to Earth, ask if you feel content to spend the rest of your
lives in the limited confines of what was intended to be a prison
complex.  Ask if you would prefer to spend your days in a controlled
environment where out of necessity, the population must be kept limited
and you have to wait to receive permission before it's safe to have new
children.  Ask if you would prefer to see the same endless view of a
desolate and dry landscape where there are no meadows or lakes, or
snow-capped mountain peaks, or even impressive skyscrapers.  It doesn't
mean you have to think less of what New Eden has meant to you as a people
all these decades to realize that now, having survived the challenges
over nearly forty years of isolation, you can enjoy the greatest benefit
New Eden has given you by allowing you to survive so you can finally earn
your well-deserved chance to see Earth at last."
     Byrne looked at the audience with total sincerity.  "The story of
what you've accomplished here against such great odds is a story Earth is
anxious to learn more about, just as they are anxious to hear my story
and the story of Captain Apollo's people and their journey across the
stars.  Earth awaits us.  Let us all be part of that journey and inspire
the planet that is truly our home."
     He stepped back, feeling he'd made his essential points.  Once
again, the first clapping hands came from Becky Shulman, which was
followed by polite applause.  As had been the case with Apollo there were
varying degrees of enthusiasm.  Enough to indicate that some had been
convinced but others clearly hadn't and were only demonstrating common
courtesy at this point.
     Finally, Benton rose from his seat and motioned his hand which 
brought silence to the room.  As if all of them were conditioned to
respond to such a gesture at will.  The Colony Leader stepped out and
bowed respectfully to Apollo and Byrne and indicated that they take their
seats with the rest of the landing party in the front row.  Byrne didn't
want to move since he would have preferred to remain on stage and be able
to challenge anything Benton was going to say, but Apollo quickly
indicated that they both leave and not look disrespectful to the General.
     At some point, this deferential bullshit has got to stop, Byrne
thought as he and Apollo took their seats in the front row again.  The
USN Captain glanced over at Lauren who silently gave him a thumbs up
gesture.  It made him feel good about how he'd performed.  Whether it
made a difference or not was clearly up to the inhabitants of New Eden.
     "Thank you Captain Apollo.  Thank you, Captain Byrne.  All of us I
know appreciate your good intentions for the well-being of New Eden's
inhabitants and your sincere belief that relocating us to Earth would be
in our best interests."
     He paused and smiled slightly as he looked out at the audience, "As
one of the 38 remaining members of the so-called 'first generation' of
New Eden, I can relate to the desire to see Earth again.  To experience
walking on green grass again.  To enjoy the taste of a filet mignon
steak.  I am certain that desire is shared by all of us who remember such
experiences on the world we were born to and from where we were taken
against our will by a monstrous race of evil barbarians who we now know
acted because of their devotion to a philosophy that as Captain Apollo
has told you, is a complete lie."
     Benton then took another pause and said, "It is because of that
injustice that I say this now, as the one who has taken seriously the
burden of leadership and responsibility for New Eden since the death of
our first leader, Congressman Harlan Lindy.  Any member of the first
generation that wishes to leave with Captain Apollo and Captain Byrne and
return to Earth......is free to do so with my blessing."
     A gasp went up from the crowd.  There was stunned surprise from many
of the members of the landing party that Benton had just made this giant
concession.  Apollo though, recognized immediately why Benton had made it
and he quickly leaned over and whispered in Byrne's ear.
     "Getting rid of the bulk of the first generation means getting rid
of the potential deadweight in the Colony.  They're doing less and less
work now, that if they're gone the second generation can have more of the
remaining resources and it increases odds for population growth."
     "And it also means getting rid of the ones who also know the truth,"
Byrne grunted.  "He's slicker than I imagined."
     "I...however, will not be among those joining my fellow members of
the first generation in returning to Earth," Benton went on, his voice
tinged with regret but resolutely firm.  "Because long ago, when fate
called upon me to take charge of this Colony during our darkest time
following our abandonment by our Risik taskmasters.....I realized that I
needed to sacrifice all forms of personal consideration for myself, for
the good of all of you.  That is why I could never take a wife or have
children of my own.  I have come to see myself as your father, and you as
my children.  Perhaps to some that might make me sound like a
paternalistic dictator----,"
     "No!" a male voice suddenly interjected.  Apollo and the others
could tell it was a young voice from the second generation.  And it
offered another stark reminder of how much the people thought about
Benton.
     Benton held up a hand to again indicate silence.  "But the reality
as I'm sure all of you who know me, is that I have only acted in the best
interest of all of you from the outset.  Giving up every last ounce of
myself to make sure that this Colony can be a place where we as a people
will endure for generations in complete safety from the conflicts and
quarrels that sadly still go on outside the oribit of our planet.  And I
say to you all who are making New Eden flourish as we begin our third
generation, your efforts are not in vain and will continue!"
     Spontaneous applause suddenly came from one section of the bleacher
like seats.  Apollo and the others looked back and to their chagrin again
saw it was primarily younger people of the second generation doing this. 
Clearly, these people did see Benton as a beloved father figure they had
always trusted.  And now, they wanted to hear him say to them that they
didn't have to undertake the wrenching experience of leaving what had
always been home to them.
     To most of them, this place is their safe, stable comfortable world. 
They don't want to believe they can't stay here.
     "Now I admit, there's a lot about the advanced technology of Captain
Apollo's advanced civilization that I don't profess to understand," for
the first time a slightly negative tone entered Benton's voice.  "He
states that they're able to determine with absolute certainty that there
are no natural resources on this planet to make use of once we must begin
the process of transitioning away from the old Risik fuel depot as our
chief resource.  But can he truly know that based on one simple scan with
his seemingly infallible technology?"
     Benton then smirked slightly. "There are too many instances in Earth
history where technology has proved itself to be quite fallible.  And why
only firsthand observations directly on the ground can prove what the
truth is.  I say to you that I have explored the regions beyond the
Compound with Colonel Keller and we have seen clear indications that
deposits exist beneath the surface that will in time give us the ability
to transition away from our diminishing resources, and make it possible
for New Eden to continue!"
     Applause erupted.  Apollo tried not to grimace in disgust now that
Benton had told his first blatant lie to the people and was counting on
the instinctive love they had for him to overrule practicality and common
sense.  And he was also in effect throwing down a challenge to Apollo to
call him a liar to his face.  Knowing it wouldn't go far with the
majority of the population.  Conceivably it could even antagonize the
first generation people who had Benton's permission to leave.
     And it doesn't matter to him if he's condemning all of 'his people'
as he refers to them, to eventual death.  Unless his damned pride can't
believe that this colony has to come to an end some day.  Maybe he's
convinced himself that God will provide him with a miracle to keep going
somehow.
     Again, Benton held up his hand and the crowd quieted.  "We have made
New Eden work by our own blood, toil, tears and sweat and I know we will
continue to do so for your children and your children's children who will
be part of the fourth generation and the first to experience life in New
Eden under these new conditions we will be transitioning to.  I say to
you all that New Eden is not in danger of dying out in your lifetimes or
the lifetimes of your children!"
     More applause.  Inside, Byrne found himself grinding his teeth to
avoid showing his disgust.  I may throw up before this is over.  Similar
thoughts were going through Lauren and Amy as well as Dr. Rena and the
others in the landing party. 
     Lauren shot a glance over at Becky Shulman and noticed that the
additional survivor of the flight that had abducted Benton from Earth
wasn't applauding.  There was if anything a look of sadness on her face. 
Remembering Becky's revelation that her own father had surprised a
concentration camp, Lauren wondered if that memory was going through her
mind and adding to her clear sense of inner conflict.  But Lauren could
tell that Becky wasn't going to speak up.  If anything, Benton's
declaration that anyone from the first generation was free to leave was
her escape hatch. She could leave the whole ugly business behind and
simply declare that it wasn't her responsibility any longer.  Since Becky
had no children of her own, that undoubtedly would make it easier for her
to wash her hands of New Eden and leave them to their own devices.
     Further down the row, Dr. Rena was turning around trying to see if
Dr. Barbara Meskowski was in the room and if so, was she joining in the
applause or just keeping silent.  Rena was convinced that Barbara had to
be the one second generation person who knew the truth about Risik
interbreeding and the murdered Risik women.  But Rena could see no sign
of New Eden's chief medical officer.
     We're all alone on this point, she thought sadly.  No one's going to
challenge Benton on any of this and rip the facade away.  Most of these
people are going to sign their death warrants by following this
megalomaniac over the cliff and into the abyss.
     "And now let me address the matter of our safety from the Risik and
other hostile forces," Benton went on.  "We all appreciate Captain
Apollo's candor that the Risik threat to Earth has sadly not diminished
over the last forty years.  That the Risik desire to resume their
fanatical goals of conquest one day.  And while it may be true that
Captain Apollo's people, in collaboration with the renegade elements of
their own enemy, these so-called Cylons, have the technological
capability to defeat the Risik Star Force, why should we so easily trust
them?  Captain Apollo has also admitted that even with their great
technology they could not prevent the destruction and annihilation of
their own home worlds, which necessitated their journey to find Earth!"
     Murmurs of 'hear hear' from some quarters went up.  Apollo found it
amazing how Benton was skillfully finding ways to turn things to his
advantage and again, capitalizing on his standing with the people to make
them believe his version of events.
     And that meant if Apollo was going to get a second chance to respond
to what Benton was telling them, he knew if he gave in to Benton's dare
that he be called a liar to his face, a large segment of the crowd would
likely be ready to lynch the landing party.
     Yet even as the odds were beginning to look bleak.....Apollo
remained a perfect picture of calm.  A warrior couldn't lose his
composure under pressure.  He needed to draw from the strength of the
Lords and remain steadfast. 
     "Our little world is nothing to the Risik.  Their obsession is with
Earth.  The idea that they will stop to remember a forgotten penal colony
of theirs when they have bigger fish to fry is not credible.  On the
subject of long-term safety, it is New Eden, not Earth that represents
our greatest hope!"
     More of the "hear hears" from the crowd made Lauren feel like she
was listening to a crooked evangelist exhorting a congregation that had
been successfully duped.  
     "So in closing to you, my people, while I recognize the need for
those of the first generation to make their own choices as to whether or
not they should return to Earth, because they have emotional ties to what
was once their home, and they may have family members they wish to see
once again......for you, the choice should be clear.  Your destiny is not
on a planet you have never seen and know only from the sugarcoated myths
we've told you.  Your destiny is here.  Where you have lived and made
your homes.  Don't lose that based on false expectations."
     "We will stay!" a second generation female voice shouted.  Rena spun
around and this time, she noticed that the woman who had spoken up was
sitting next to Barbara Meskowski.....who by contrast had the look of
someone who was deliberately sitting on her hands.
     Damn her.  She knows, but she hasn't got enough of a conscience to
speak up.
     More cheering voices sounded.  Byrne felt a sense of absolute
hopelessness and frustration and wanted to charge the stage and openly
denounce Benton, if not sock him in the jaw.  Apollo, had his arms
folded, his expression calm, saying a prayer inside for strength to get
through this situation.
     Benton raised his hand again.  Again the crowd grew silent as they
prepared to hear him go on.  But before the Colony Leader could
speak......the door to the Conference Room abruptly swung open.  And
suddenly charging in with their lasers brandished were Ashby and Thomson. 
The Colonial Security Guard caught sight of Captain Keller, standing by
the door and remembering the previous encounter at the Landram brought
the butt of his pistol down on the captain's head, knocking him to the
ground.  Becky Shulman backed away in stunned shock.....and then her
shock deepened when the third person entered from outside.  Someone she
recognized immediately.  As Diandra marched forward toward the stage over
the shocked murmur that had broken out, a solitary male voice suddenly
blurted out in surprise, "Mother?"
     But Diandra paid no attention to the voice of her own son.  Instead,
with Thomson and Ashby backing her up, she came up to a stunned Benton
and with pure hate in her eyes said simply, "I'm going to tell them
everything.  No more lies, Benton.  No more lies."
     The stunned shock now gave way to a delayed reaction as a number of
uniformed second generation guards started to bolt up from their seats
and scramble down toward the front.  Thomson immediately spun round and
pointed his laser pistol, "Nobody move!  Do you hear me?  Nobody move and
let this woman speak!"  And then, glancing over at Apollo he added,
"Captain, do you agree with me?"
     Apollo was on his feet, "I think everyone should put down their
weapons.  And that includes you too, Sergeant Thomson and you too,
Captain Ashby!" he barked.  "This should be a time for complete openness
and candor and we don't need to do it with weapons pointed at each
other!" he looked over at Benton, "Don't you agree, General?"
     Benton shock was giving way to seething anger.  Behind him, Colonel
Keller was on his feet and ready to point his gun at Diandra.  The guards
who had started to descend the stairs had retreated part way but still
had their own weapons out.  Thomson and Ashby had lowered their weapons
but weren't ready to reholster them.  The voice of Diandra's son then
sounded out again, "Mother, what's going on?"
     She looked out and made contact with him, "The end to lies,
Christopher.  The end to decades of lies and deceit that you and everyone
else has been told for too long now."
     "Sir?" Colonel Keller demanded of Benton amidst the chaos.  "What is
your order?"
     "Yes, General, what is your order?" Apollo joined in, albeit in a
more measured way.  "Do you let the truth come out, or do you decide that
a return to bloodshed is in order?"
     Benton took a breath and then said loudly but firmly, "Everyone put
your weapons down and take your seats!  That's an order!"
     Slowly, the guards resumed their seats but tentatively.  The only
one in the crowd still on his feet was Diandra's son Christopher Marlowe.
     "Sit down Christopher," Benton said simply. "Your mother is about to
tell you that.....you're half-Risik.  As are.....all of you in the second
generation with the exception of Katharine Bradley's son, Sergeant George
Bradley."
     A gasp went up from the entire assembled population.  Even those of
the first generation who knew the truth were in a state of shock because
never before had any of them expected this secret to finally come out. 
Least of all under these circumstances.
     Diandra smirked at Benton, "Trying to steal my thunder isn't going
to save you Benton.  Not when I'm through telling them what you put me
and three other women through for deacdes.....after you'd already decided
to slaughter over 30 others for the crime of being Risik." she then
looked out, "You know me as Diana Marlowe.  Today I am proud to renounce
forever that name I was forced to carry against my will all these years
and say with pride that my name is Diandra, and I am a Risik!  And so are
the women you know by the false names of Jane Spencer, Elena Gonzalez and
Inge Jacobson.  We are all Risik!  And with the exception of Katharine
Bradley and Becky Shulman, every first generation woman you have known,
living and dead was Risik.  Abandoned by our own people and forced to
become the pleasure objects and breeding partners of men who behaved like
animals and savages long ago!"
     "That is not the true version of events!" Benton angrily shouted,
"The truth is tragic, but it's not as simple as this woman says it is."
     Diandra continued to look at him with a mocking air, "Let them be
the judge.....General.  Let them hear my account and then you can tell
them your version of events.  And let's see which of us the people find
to be more credible.  Considering that you now stand exposed as a liar
who has kept the basic truth from them all this time, I think I know how
this is going to unfold."
     Benton glared back at her, "We'll find out soon enough," he walked
away from her and resumed his seat at the table.  "Go ahead.....Diandra,"
he said her name with contempt.
     "Thomson, Ashby, reholster your weapons now!" Apollo ordered
harshly.  The two of them finally did so and slowly made their way over
to the front row of seats, taking the two empty ones on the end.  
     Talk about the Cavalry arriving in the nick of time, Byrne thought,
still shocked by this dramatic turn of events.  Lauren shot another
glance at Becky Shulman who seemed to have tears in her eyes as if she
knew what was going to happen.
     Is she sorry she didn't speak up sooner?
     And then, all eyes returned to the Risik woman named Diandra, who
with fire in her eyes began to speak.

     "Sergeant Micah has another report, Commander," Tigh said over the
intercom from the Bridge.
     "Put him through," Adama said as he and Ila continued to commiserate
in their quarters. "Yes, Sergeant?"
     "Commander.....the five people are aboard the shuttle.  And....I
really think you should hear the account they've already given to Captain
Ashby in full."
     "Go ahead," Adama said as Ila leaned forward in her chair, anxious
to hear this.  She regretted that Melnea had left the room earlier
because she knew the Risik dissident would have wanted to hear this.
     There was a brief pause and then a hesitatnt female voice came
through, "Commander....Adama is it?"
     "Yes, who am I speaking to?"
     "My name is Katharine Treleaven Bradley.  Formerly of the Royal
Canadian Air Force, abducted from Earth in 1987.  But.....I know the full
story of what's been covered up and three Risik women who are with me
have asked me to speak for them."
     "I'm listening, Miss Bradley.  And so is my wife, Professor Ila who
is the President of our governing body the Council of Twelve."
     "Thank you Commander.  This....is not easy for me to tell because
it's a very terrible and complex story that goes back to the period when
the Risik were still running the prison colony of Niddion.  The entire
prison population was male with two exceptions.  Myself and Lieutenant
Becky Shulman of the United States Army.  We were 'incidental' abductees
the Risik had intended to transfer to their larger prison colony of Earth
abductees on a planet situated closer to the Risik home world.  But at
the insistence of the American politician, Congressman Harlan Lindy, we
remained on Niddion.  The reason for this was because Congressman Lindy,
who was forced by the Risik to assume a role of leadership to keep the
prison population in line and act as a go-between with Commandant
Pravdin, insisted that he needed two women to assist him and his aide,
Sergeant William Benton in keeping things organized.  That was
because....the soldiers from the various nations who were sent to Niddion
were men who were noted chiefly for their physical strength and were also
found during tests made on them during the journey from Earth, to possess
lower than average intelligence.  Because of those tests, the Risik had
decided that these men likely represented a class of soldier on Earth who
would be likely to fight to the death when the Risik invasion of Earth
took place.  The Niddion prison planet would thus give the Risik the
opportunity to test the fighting capacity of these Earth soldiers in
controlled conditions on the planet, and thus give them a better idea of
how they should prepare their own troops when it came time for the
invasion, which at that point was less than a decade away from taking
place."
     "Miss Bradley, this is President Ila," she decided this occasion
required her to use her title of authority.  "Forgive me if my husband
and I feel the need to interject with some questions.  Did the Risik ever
intend to use their own women as breeding partners for the prisoners?"
     "No they did not," Katharine said emphatically.  "Their only
interest in these prisoners was to test their fighting capability.  Becky
and I, we lived in a separate wing of the prison with Congressman Lindy
and Sergeant Benton so we were sheltered from them.  Becky and the
Congressman eventually became lovers, but......nothing happened between
Benton and me.  He was too consumed with the work load and helping the
Congressman to ever think of taking advantage of my presence."
     "Then where did these Risik women come from and how many of them
were there?"
     "There were thirty-five Risik women originally.  And....." she
slowly took a breath, "the reason they were on Niddion is because....just
before the Ke'Zar launched their attack on the Risik home world, these
women were sold as slaves by an unscrupulous black marketer to provide
female companionship for Commandant Pravdin and his staff."
     Adama and Ila slowly took that in.  "One female slave for every
member of the prison staff?  Is that what you're saying?" the Commander
asked.
     "Yes.  It was a flagrant violation of government regulations but
Pravdin decided that morale for his staff necessitated giving them female
companionship and he wanted to have their presence there to further taunt
the exclusively male prison population.  I suppose at some point, he
might have hit upon the idea of using them as breeding partners with some
of the prisoners, but things hadn't reached that stage when Pravdin got
his orders to evacuate and abandon the prison complex."
     Things were starting to fall into place for Ila as she remembered
the details of the report Melnea had shared with her.
     "Miss Bradley," the Council President interjected, "Did Commandant
Pravdin deliberately leave these women behind when he abandoned the
place?"
     "Yes he did," Katharine said emphatically.  "If he brought those
women with him, he knew he'd face charges for illegal slave trafficking
and so would his entire staff.  That's why none of them objected to
leaving them all behind because as far as they were concerned, those
Risik women were just as much scum of the earth as the prisoners were."
     "And there were over 150 male prisoners from Earth at the
time......and 35 Risik women when Pravdin and his men pulled out," Adama
could now see the beginnings of a deeply disturbing picture emerging.
     "Yes, Commander Adama.  And that's why the first year after the
Risik abandoned the place was a time of absolute unspeakable barbarism."


     At the exact same time Katharine Bradley was giving her account to
Adama and Ila, the Risik woman named Diandra was telling the same story
to everyone assembled in the Conference Room.  The early part describing
how thirty-five Risik women on their home world had been sold into
slavery by an unscrupulous trafficker in women to Commandant Pravdin was
the part of the story that Apollo realized could unite every faction in
revulsion and horror.  For Amy and Lauren it brought back memories of
what Jessica Clemens and Melnea had been subjected to only on a much more
vast scale.
     "And then we were abandoned by those who bought us for their
pleasure," Diandra said bitterly.  "We knew too much.  We could ruin the
career of Pravdin.  That's why he left us behind with 150 Human males
who'd had no female companionship since long before their abductions and
who expected us to perform the same services for them.  But unfortunately
there were too few of us to go around to everyone."
     She looked over at Becky Shulman who seemed ready to say something. 
"Your beloved Congressman Lindy did recognize what a bad situation
existed.  He wanted to treat us decently.  But unfortunately for
him......and for us, he lost control of the situation," she then turned
her attention to Benton, "Tell them Benton.  Tell the children of the
second generation what sort of men the first generation was really like
and how so many of them......including some who are in this room right
now, turned into absolute savages."
     Benton slowly rose from his chair, his hands on the table and his
expression grim now that the secrets of the past were exposed at last. 
Apollo suspected that since these details didn't touch on matters that
Benton was directly responsible for he was going to hear complete candor
from the Colony Leader on this point.
     "It's true," he said, "150 men who were sent to this prison because
their intelligence was considered lower than average while their physical
strength was considered exceptional.  Men who were taken from their homes
on Earth and sent to this place and forced to perform relentless military
training exercises and war game strategies under the supervision and
administration of sadistic guards and a tyrant like Pravdin in charge,
who frequently liked to parade the fact that they had the benefits of
female companionship that the prisoners would never have.  All of a
sudden, one day Pravdin and the guards are gone but their women are left
behind.  But it's a ratio of women to men that was less than 1 female for
every 4 males.  That was a scenario that could only lead to disaster." 
He looked down at the landing party in the front row and focused on
Byrne.  "Captain Byrne, are you familiar with the story of what happened
to the mutineers of HMS Bounty after they settled on Pitcairn Island and
why only one of the original mutineers was still alive when they were
finally discovered decades later?"
     Byrne slowly rose, not happy that Benton was asking him to do his
bidding, but knowing he couldn't protest.
     "Yes I am," he said coolly, "The mutineers started fighting each
other over the matter of the women they'd taken with them from Tahiti and
it led to bloodshed and violence."
     "Now magnify that on a grander scale," Benton's voice rose and he
looked out at the audience.  The fact that the surviving first generation
men knew that Benton's hands were entirely clean on this point was the
reason why none of them could speak up.  They were being forced to hear
their own shame revisited.  "Congressman Lindy tried to get a semblance
of order in place.  But there were too many in our ranks whose minds had
been badly affected by the degradations the Risik had subjected them to
and weren't interested in any regimented approaches to survival.  Their
minds and spirits had been broken and the fact that the Risik had now
left them to their own devices meant the last hope of seeing Earth again
was gone from their minds.  So consequently there were a lot of men in
our population who decided they were going to behave like Hun barbarians
plundering ancient Rome on a grand scale since from their standpoint,
they didn't have anything left to live for.  And that's why the first
year after the Risik abandonment wasn't like the first year of the
Mayflower at Plymouth, like I said it had been, it was something far
uglier and worse.  It was a time of open violence that resulted in over a
hundred men killed and unfortunately that included Congressman Lindy."
     At the side of the room, Becky Shulman  buried her face in her hands
and began to quietly sob.  Diandra looked at her and for the first time
Ashby saw genuine sympathy in her face.  But he couldn't help wonder if
this was only a calculated gesture on the Risik woman's part.
     "He was a good man who tried to do the right thing," the Risik woman
said aloud. "He kept us safely locked away while all the fighting went on
among the men.  He knew what degradations we would have been subjected to
if the wild fanatics had been able to get access to our quarters in the
East Wing.  But afterwards........when there should have been justice for
all of us.....there was none."
     "Not true!" Benton shouted angrily, "The solution I came up with was
for the good of the colony!  As long as you were here among us and the
ratio of male to female was now as a result of the bloodshed down to a
near equal level, it was necessary to have arranged marriages and give us
a basis for surviving for the long-term!  There needed to be a sense of
purpose for this Colony at long last with families and children."
     "But you made us deny our identity," Diandra turned angrily on him. 
"By your edict, as the successor to Congressman Lindy and calling
yourself 'General Benton' now, you not only allowed the men to choose us
at random for themselves, you told us we needed to deny our Risik
heritage.  Abandon our faith in the Risk gods.  You called it
'assimilation'.  But to us....it was the erasure of our own individual
identities as Risk women."
     "There was a reason for that," Benton said coldly, "All of us,
regardless of what side we were on in that terrible first year could
always agree on one thing.  Total hatred of the Risik race and every part
of Risk culture.  And don't say we had no justification for that."
     "We are not the ones who abducted and imprisoned you!" Diandra
retorted.
     "But so long as you called yourself Risik and worshiped Risik gods
and declared pride in being Risik, the potential for old wounds being
reopened was always going to be there," Benton matched her tone, "So yes. 
I decreed to all of you at the time that you take advantage of the fact
that unlike Risik males, it's easy for you to pass for Humans because you
at least grow hair after a certain point in your development.  And that
you take Human names and observe only the religious traditions of Earth,
whether it be Christian or Jewish or Muslim or Buddhist.  Just so long as
it wasn't Risik.  I could not permit the perverse doctrines that are used
by your people to justify the claim that they are the Lords and Masters
of Earth and the Human race to ever be part of the New Eden Colony.  And
now that we have learned from Captain Apollo that the Risik doctrines are
false regarding their claims to have been first to arrive on Earth, I
consider my judgment on that point to be completely vindicated!"
     Diandra, who had not been present when that revelation took place
seemed taken aback.  It was the first time Ashby had seen her cool,
calculating demeanor shattered.  It made him wonder if this was a part of
Risik dogma she was still a believer of right up to this very minute. 
     Apollo slowly got to his feet and decided he needed to address this
for the Risik woman's benefit.  "It is true that Risik dogmas about being
the first outside race to arrive on Earth are false," he said simply. 
"When the religious and political hierarchy of the Risik use those dogmas
to justify an invasion of Earth......they are lying to all Risik people. 
But the Risik people as a whole can not be blamed for what they have been
taught over a period of many millennia and the falseness of specific
Risik dogmas does not justify discriminatory behavior and genocidal
conduct against them."
     "So you think I'm a monster, Captain Apollo?" Benton decided to take
the offensive, "Let's talk about this so-called 'genocide.'  Captain
Apollo is referring to the matter of what happened to 30 Risik women who
after giving birth to over 90 children in our population were
subsequently put to death before any of their children had reached age
five.  I plead guilty to the fact that I lied to the population and
attributed the deaths of so many women to a non-existent plague called
'Grant's Disease'.  It was a disease to be sure, but only because the
woman we knew as Jennifer Grant poisoned the minds of those who
eventually had to be put to death!"
     A solitary gasp broke the deathly silence that had hung over the
entire crowd since the revelation about the second generation being
half-Risik.  Ashby turned his head around and realized the reaction had
come from Susan Grant the school teacher, since this concerned her own
mother.  Remembering how kind she had been to him, and how good she was
with the children of the third generation it pained him to see her forced
to go through this.
     "Poisoned?" Diandra retorted, feeling new strength again in her
hatred of Benton.  "Or maybe just frustrated by being forced to do so
much against her will?  Did you let any of us have a say in which men we
should be given as wives to?  Did you think we should be treated as equal
members of this Colony in which decisions on who we were going to sleep
with and have children with could be made on a mutual basis?  No.  We'd
simply gone from being the slaves of Pravdin and his staff to being your
slaves and pleasure units.  The only difference is that we knew where we
stood with Pravdin.  You tried to sell our new slavery in the form of
high-minded principles that never existed!  That's why Jana cracked and
decided we needed to rebel against all this."
     "And in the process revealed that if the Risik ever returned to this
place, she and the others would have joined them in an instant," Benton
was unmoved, "Her would-be revolt would have meant forcing us to become a
society based on tolerance for ideals that were the direct cause of our
own slavery.  I make no apologies for calling that what it was then and
still is.  Treason.  And treason is an offense punishable by death." 
     He looked out at the audience, "My only regret is that I've been
forced as a result of this self-centered woman to tell these painful
truths to so many of you about your own mothers.  You were raised to
think of them as wonderful women who loved their children.  The truth is,
they resented all of you and at heart their first loyalty remained with a
race that is the embodiment of everything that is evil.  I wanted to
spare all of you from being brought up to hate your mothers.  I'm sorry
that events have forced me to tell the truth, but don't ever let yourself
think that what happened was genocide, no matter what some outsider has
to say," he then wheeled on Diandra, "And to hear you talk from such a
judgmental perch makes me laugh because you and the other remaining Risik
women, Jane Spencer, Elena Gonzales and Inge Jacobson.....you're still
alive because you refused to go along with Jennifer Grant's scheme.  In
fact, you were the one who turned her in......Diana," he deliberately
used the Human name.
     "I was a fool then," she said simply.
     "Oh I see," Benton nodded and then added with a sarcastic edge, "In
that case, perhaps I should apologize for the fact that I ordered the
execution of your husband, Charles Marlowe as well as the husbands of the
other three women because after I had all of you spared, they plotted to
kill all of you!  They didn't trust you to stay loyal to us after what
they'd seen Jennifer and the others do.  They were the ones saying they'd
sooner see you dead then see you raising your children even though the
facts said you were innocent.  Are you saying they were right after all?"
     More gasps from the crowd.  Now more chatter erupting above the
arguing.  For the second generation of New Eden, they had been through
more twists and turns than they could keep up with.
     Frack, this whole story is more complicated than I ever realized! 
Apollo thought as he felt his inner composure start to weaken over the
magnitude of so many incredible revelations and the fact that the overall
picture wasn't as neat and orderly as he would have liked.  Regardless,
he had no intention of letting Benton off the hook.  There was no
question in his mind that the decision to make the Risik women suppress
their identities at the outset, no matter the understandable context it
stemmed from, was simply wrong and had unleashed the chain reaction of
terrible events that had followed.
     "Perhaps they knew us better," Diandra said with dry contempt. 
"What you gave the four of us instead wasn't much of a future.  Just the
endless status quo of denying ourselves, making us live the lie and then
keeping us hidden away in the East Wing as our children and the rest of
the second generation grew older.  Just hoping we'd die of natural causes
some day and remove the problem once and for all."
     "If you want to leave with Captain Apollo's team and go to Earth
with them, I won't stop you," Benton said, "The first generation is free
to return to Earth."
     "What about the second generation, Benton?" Apollo decided it was
time to step back into this ugly and complex squabble and steer things
back to the heart of the matter. "I've heard you make the case for why
you think they should stay, but are you going to stand in the way of
anyone who wants to go with us to Earth?" he then turned around and faced
the audience that was now a collective mixture of shock and incredulity. 
"To all of you who until just a few minutes ago didn't know you were
half-Risik.  General Benton says you should stay in New Eden and trust
him when he says there are resources that can take the place of your
diminished fuel supplies.  I have told you that our technology has shown
no signs of the resources you would need to continue.  Are you willing to
keep trusting General Benton's word in light of the fact that he's just
confessed to lying to all of you about who you are for decades?"
     "There was a reason for that!" Benton angrily protested. 
     Apollo wheeled around and looked Benton in the eye, "Maybe you
convinced yourself there was a good, sound command reason for making that
decision, General.  I'm not going to call you a genocidal monster.  Just
a misguided fool who made a bad decision in the beginning when you
decided to deny the reality of what existed.  That you had 35 Risik women
you had to learn how to live with for the good of survival.  Yes, what
happened before you assumed leadership wasn't your fault.  You weren't
responsible for the mad behavior that erupted after Pravdin and the
others abandoned you.  And you were trying your best to get things back
in order, and to be perfectly honest, General, you did some good things. 
You were right about how to conserve resources.  You were right about how
to use your brains to come up with solutions that would enable these
people to eat, breathe and survive.  I don't think anyone has the right
to take that away from you.  But you allowed your blind racial hatred of
the Risik to color your judgment as surely as it did the savages in your
ranks who caused the deaths of Congressman Lindy and others that first
year.  You should have treated the Risik women with nothing less than
total compassion and as total equals in the fight for long-term survival. 
And like this woman Diandra says, you should have let them have an equal
say in who to marry and when children would be born instead of forcing
them go along with your edicts and the preferences of the male
population.  And you should have been honest enough to acknowledge that
they should still be allowed to call themselves Risik because they
weren't the ones responsible for the abductions or the policies of your
government in the first place.  If Jennifer Grant and these other Risik
women felt compelled to embrace their own heritage and express sentiments
identical the same racist doctrines the likes of Pravdin did to justify
their treatment of you......it's obvious that your conduct is what pushed
them into that."
     "Do you really have any conception of what we went through coming
out of that horrible period?" Benton retorted.  "Put yourself in my
shoes.  Could you have really acted so detached?"
     Apollo kept looking him in the eye, "Yes.  Because my people have
gone through similar experiences.  We've been forced to look past our
hatred of a race that destroyed our home planets and forced us to flee to
the stars.  When members of the Cylon race declared a willingness to
defect to our cause because they no longer believed in the doctrines
they'd been programmed with, we didn't refuse their offer because they
were Cylons, we accepted them.  Yes, there were difficult periods of
adjustment for many of us.  People who had lost family and homes and
everything that had meaning to them thought we were betraying our
principles.  But over time, we've learned that our decision to embrace
these people as friends who saw the evils of the cause they once served
was the correct one.  And indeed, the reason why we were able to liberate
the prisoners held by the Risik at the penal colony of Ne'Chak like
Lieutenant Sanderson and Captain Ashby is because we had the defecting
Cylon baseship at our disposal to help beat back the Risik Star Force! 
And the presence of that capital ship that once served our enemies is
also going to be essential in the defense of Earth whenever the Risik
attempt to renew their plans for invasion one day.  So you see, General
Benton, we have walked in your shoes in our own way and we have learned
that tolerance and friendship, and treating former enemies as our equals
is a far more productive policy than fomenting resentments and
suppressing the truth."
     Byrne felt like applauding but caught himself.  Apollo had managed
to expertly analyze the situation in light of the new information that
the Risik woman Diandra had revealed and had been able to respond quickly
and diplomatically.  
     Lauren leaned over to Amy and whispered in her ear, "I think he just
hit the bastard right between the eyes."
     Apollo then turned to Diandra, who looked deeply impressed by
everything he had said.
     "You are welcome to join us, Diandra.  And like the Risik dissenters
already among us, you will be free to practice whatever beliefs you hold
dear to you.....and to be yourself in a population that knows and
understands the meaning of tolerance to all who are among us in search of
a final home on Earth."
     "I accept your offer, Captain Apollo," the Risik woman said with
gratitude and then looked out into the audience and spotted her son,
"Christopher.....do you wish to come with me, or are you loyal instead to
the man who lied to you?"
     Christopher Marlowe rose to his feet, a look of tortured hesitation. 
"I......" he then looked at Benton, "Do we really have the means to
survive?"
     "I have told you everything," Benton said coldly.  "What do you owe
or anyone of your generation owe to the Risik race?  It's an accident of
birth that you happen to be half Risik, but you shouldn't be compelled to
think of yourselves that way when you know what the Risik stand for and
represent.  And now, Captain Apollo has told you that even as they
supposedly plan to stand against the Risik, they still plan on being
tolerant to them.  That's an attitude that isn't going to result in a
successful victory.  It's going to represent long-term destruction.  And
if you value your own long-term well-being, you'll realize that for all
of you in the second generation, your place is here.  In what has always
been your home that I have been able to safely provide for you."
     "If you stay here, you will all die!" Apollo decided it was time to
raise the stakes.  "When the last of the original fuel supplies run out,
then what you face will be a return to those dark days of the first year
after Pravdin's men abandoned this place.  Only it won't be fighting over
women it will be fighting over diminished supplies and ultimately even
those who prevail in that clash will find themselves left with nothing. 
The time has come for you to move beyond the confines of where you've
grown up.  Even if there had never been this horrible cover-up in the
past regarding your origins and the fates of your mothers, you would
still need to leave now.  And the only thing that can stand in your way
is a misguided sense of loyalty to a man who acts and thinks of himself
as if he were like God Himself and expects eternal devotion from all of
you.  Well, General Benton at his best is a remarkable man of gifted
intellect, who indeed made some great sacrifices of his own on your
behalf.  But he is like any other member of the Human race, a fallible
man tainted by the same potential for destruction just as Humans have
potential for greatness.  You can still respect and honor the good he
did......even as you finally learn to assert yourselves and learn to
chart your own destinies.  When you reach Earth, you will decide where to
live and how to live and when to get married and have children.  And when
you pray to God......His name won't be Benton."
     Another anxious murmur went up.  Apollo's words were clearly making
an impact.  Byrne could tell that Benton was starting to show some signs
of panic, as was Colonel Keller.
     "Colonel Keller," Benton whispered, "Order your men to arrest
Captain Apollo.  Immediately!"
     "You heard the General!" Keller barked.  "Put these usurpers into
custody!"
     But no one moved.  Not even Keller's own son or the two guards who
had earlier assisted him, Corporal Braddock and Corporal Kirby and had
also endured the indignity of being knocked out.  Instead, another second
generation female voice shouted, "Captain Apollo,  My name is Raquel
Gonzalez.  Is my mother safe?"
     Diandra spoke up, "Your mother Elyzza," she stressed the Risik name,
"Is safely aboard the shuttle.  And so are Janella and Ionia and
Janella's grandson Bobby Spencer.  No more will they be known by the
false names just as I will no longer be known by them.  But.....they want
you to come with them.  Their love for you is unchanged." she looked out
at her son, "As is mine for you, Christopher."
     "I'm coming," Raquel Gonzalez said which started a chain reaction
among others in the audience.  Not just the children of the surviving
Risik women but among others as well.  Above the din, Rena could hear Dr.
Meskowski's voice.  "I won't be a party to any more lies!"  
     Becky Shulman ran over from her position at the door and onto the
stage coming up alongside the man she had known even before the Risik
abduction had taken place, when both had been stationed at Fort
Wainwright, Alaska.
     "Bill," she said simply, "It's over.  Accept it.  It's time for us
to leave."
     "No," he was trembling and then glanced over at Keller, "Colonel,
make them obey!" which prompted Ashby and Thomson to bolt up with their
laser pistols raised.
     "No one is going to make a move on anyone," the British captain said
angrily. "If you want to preserve some dignity for the General, then
don't obey anymore of his misguided orders."
     By now, people were rising from their seats and moving down
unobstructed.  It was clear that if any guards who still felt loyalty to
Benton wanted to act, they were now powerless to do so.  Diandra was
looking on in triumph.  Benton's shoulders were slouched in defeat as
Becky tried to offer some words of consolation.
     "Bill.....please.  I'm sure if Harlan were alive, this is what he'd
want you to do."
     The reference to the late Congressman.....whom Benton had idolized
and whom Becky had loved made him look at her.  But he said nothing and
then turned away.  Lost in his shattered thoughts as the people of New
Eden were now abandoning him as they made their way down the steps.
     Colonel Keller began to reach out an arm of support to the man he
had loyally served for decades.....but then saw the eyes of his son,
Captain Steve Keller glaring at him.
     "What really happened to my mother?" he demanded.  "Why did you lie
to me all these years?"
     Hearing the words of his son say this suddenly caused all of the
elder Keller's instinctive sense of duty to Benton to evaporate.  He
sighed and moved past the General and decided it was time to have a
heart-to-heart talk with his son for the first time in his life.
     If he's lost Keller, he has to know it's all over.  Becky thought,
hoping that Benton would have enough sense to let go of his pride and
accept the reality.  But the silence from him was finally too much for
her and she walked to where Apollo was trying to make his way through the
growing crowd at the bottom to get back onto the stage.
     "What can we do?" she asked him.
     "I'm about to let them know," Apollo said as he moved into a
position where everyone could see him.  "Your attention please! 
Arrangements will be made to get all of you off the planet safely and
transported to the Colonial Fleet.  It will take some time to get things
coordinated so for now.....gather some personal possessions you want to
carry with you and within the next twelve hours shuttles will be landing
in front of the Main Entrance of the complex to take all of you back with
us.  No one will be left behind......and when you come to live among
us......there will be no repercussions, and no acts of vengeance against
anyone.  The slate is to be wiped clean for all of you as a new chapter
in your lives begin."
     Apollo then looked down at Byrne and the others, "Report back to
Micah and let him know what's happened so he can tell the Commander!  The
Galactica will need at least a dozen shuttles to handle everyone.  We
should have everyone come to the Galactica first for processing and then
we can set up which ships people can be transferred to.  Total number
should be 160 in new accommodations."
     "We'll get on it!" Byrne nodded above the crowd noise and then
added, "Well done, Captain!" he gave him a thumbs up.
     Apollo returned the gesture and then found himself looking into the
grateful visage of Diandra.
     "You are a remarkable and gifted man, Captain Apollo," the Risik
woman said. "I could not have swayed them myself, but you......you made
the difference."
     Apollo decided he needed to be blunt with her, "Are you prepared to
live in peace with those who wronged you in the past?" he then pointed to
Benton, who was now sitting by himself, looking shattered.  "Including
him?"
     Diandra looked over his shoulder at the sight of Benton, all of his
swagger and aura of leadership gone.
     "Yes, Captain.  As you say.....there is no room for any acts of
vengeance."
     "Thank you," Apollo was glad she wasn't causing any trouble on that
point.  Impressed as he was by her account and her descriptions of the
injustices that had taken place, there was an unsettling quality to
Diandra that made him understand why trusting Risik women had been such
an alien concept for Benton and the others.  "Go with Captain Ashby and
he'll take you back to the first shuttle for departure.  You and your
fellow Risik women should be the first to leave."
     "With pleasure," she turned and departed the stage.
     Apollo slowly came over to Benton and looked down at him.
     "Our Fleet could use a man of your intelligence, General," the
captain said with total sincerity.  "If you're willing to become part of
our command structure......I know we'll be able to find a productive
assignment for you that will benefit not just the people you've done a
lot for over the years.....but for a good many others too."
     Benton said nothing, nor did he acknowledge his presence.
     "I give you my word as a warrior that you will be treated with
respect and dignity as part of our Fleet.....and that your due credits
will be properly recognized."
     Even this brought nothing and finally, Apollo realized there was
nothing more he could say.  He walked away and joined the others who were
filing out.  By the time everyone else was gone, Benton remained alone in
the room, his position and expression still unchanged.


     Katharine Bradley's account of the secrets of New Eden had lasted
nearly a half centar.  By the time she was finished, Adama and Ila both
knew just as much about what had happened as Apollo and the others had
learned simultaneously in the Conference Center.  It was a story that
repelled them, but one that they also knew didn't offer the stark clarity
of a totally evil monster taking action against total innocents.  Adama
could tell that Benton had adopted a misguided sense that he was doing
the right thing in his actions for the 'good of the colony'.  But that
only made the Commander think of a passage in the Book of the Word about
how 'the path to Hades can often be paved with good intentions.'  Benton
hadn't intended to be a monster.  But his actions had in the end proved
monstrous for so many.  For the Risik women who had been executed or
imprisoned in their rooms.  And for the entire second generation that had
grown up with no conception of their true identities.
     Acting promptly, he had given new instructions to the Armstrong that
Elite Squadron deploy upon landing and take up position so they could
safely escort any member of the Colony that wanted to leave.  No sooner
had that order been given when he got a follow-up message from Micah that
was soon relaying everything that had happened in the Conference Room.
     Adama gave the order to Tigh to have twelve more shuttles ready for
deployment.  As well as a follow-up order to Armstrong that Croft be
placed in command of the overall operation to safely evacuate the
colonists to the Fleet.  By the time he was through issuing orders he was
able to lean back in his chair and look across the room at his wife, who
was smiling proudly at him.
     He smiled back knowingly, "Yes.  Our son did us proud."

Chapter Eight

     Events moved rapidly over the next twelve hours as the inhabitants
of New Eden prepared to leave.  Apollo had told them to take only what
they could carry with them and if there was anything else they wanted
retrieved he'd have a team of warriors look into it later.  The initial
shuttle that had brought the landing party was the first to leave,
piloted by Micah and Amy Sanderson, and carrying as passengers Katherine
Bradley, the four Risik women and all of their children and the one
grandchild, Bobby Spencer.  When Apollo had helped the Risik woman named
Diandra aboard he again noticed the less than warm feeling between her
and her son Christopher Marlowe.  A total contrast to how the other Risik
women greeted their children, where there was nothing but hugs and tears
of happiness.  He wondered if there was some back history between the two
that hadn't come out during the public revelations and if that was going
to be a source of friction between the two later on.  
     Oh well, if there is, they can always get accommodations on separate
ships in the Fleet.  There's nothing that says every familial
relationship has to be perfect......especially with all the felgercarb
that's been going on here for too long.
     Once the Armstrong was on the ground, Croft and Elite Squadron
officially took charge of operations for loading colonists onto each
shuttle at a rate of no more than fifteen at a time.  Apollo maintained a
supervising position at the head of the Main Entrance observing each
colonist carefully as they emerged with their bundles.  Most of them he
could tell had largely muted reactions rooted more in acceptance than
outright happiness and enthusiasm.  He knew that was understandable since
they'd gone through too many shocks in the course of a single day that
had just turned their lives upside down.  Their faith in a man they had
trusted and believed in for decades had been shattered.  They had learned
their mothers were not who they'd been brought up thinking them to be. 
It was something they would need time for to adjust.  The only good that
had come out of it was that Benton's acknowledgment that he had lied and
that he had done it for their own good had simultaneously made it
impossible for them to take his word for it that New Eden could continue
to flourish.
     His damned need to justify himself did him in.  Apollo thought as he
saw that even first generation males who had shared in the dark secret of
the Risik women were leaving too.  Alexander Kovalchuk, who had kept his
distance from the whole matter by never taking a Risik wife was walking
at a faster clip than most of the others as though he was anxious to put
New Eden behind him as quickly as possible.  Benton's right hand, Colonel
Jack Keller by contrast was more subdued as he walked out with his son
Captain Steve Keller.  It was clear the two of them had finally opened up
to each other and found a new kind of understanding after so many years
of blind devotion to Benton and the cover-up.
     The fourteen remaining third generation members of New Eden came out
with their respective parents.  Apollo felt relieved that none of them
had been present to hear the ugly revelations that had taken place in the
Conference Center.  For now, they could still retain their innocence
about the whole thing until their parents prepared them for it once they
arrived in the Fleet.
     As they continued to file out, Apollo wondered if Benton was going
to come too.  If he was, Apollo was convinced he'd be the last man out. 
If he didn't......then Apollo knew he'd have to do his best to get the
fallen leader of New Eden to come.

     Thomson watched and waited for one man in particular among the
colonists filing out.  That was Lieutenant Dunning the guard from the
second level of the East Wing who had been knocked out twice, first by
Ashby and then by Thomson.  After the order to leave had been given,
Thomson had led Nestor to the East Wing to make sure the unconscious
Dunning wouldn't get accidentally left behind.  Once they found him still
sprawled out in the second level corridor near the now empty rooms of the
Risik women, Nestor had stayed behind to attend to him while Thomson
returned to the main entrance to assist in evacuation operations.
     As Thomson waited, he took advantage to extend apologies and regrets
to Corporal Braddock and Corporal Kirby for what had happened.  To his
relief the two men acknowledged it had been a bad situation that everyone
had been put into but they had no hard feelings toward Thomson or anyone
else.  Handshakes followed and the two enlisted men moved off toward one
of the nearby shuttles.
     When Thomson finally saw Dunning emerge some time later, he could
see a surly look on the man's face as if he were leaving under protest. 
He hurried over to him and promptly apologized to the New Eden colonist
for knocking him out and also expressed the regrets of Ashby too..  That
only brought a grunt from Dunning and a curt nod of the head before the
lietuenant moved past him to board one of the shuttles.
     The Galactica security guard let out a sad sigh.  I guess that's an
indication that not everyone is necessarily leaving with enthusiasm.  


     "Dr. Rena?"
     The Constellation doctor, who'd been standing by near the group of
shuttles that were slowly filling up turned and saw the troubled face of
Barbara Meskowski.  She was carrying a medical satchel but nothing else.
     "Doctor," she said simply.
     "I.....wanted you to know that....I'm sorry I lied to you.  I knew. 
I was the only second generation person in the population who had to know
because that way.....I'd be able to understand the differences internally
when surgery was required.  But.....Benton said I could never tell
because it would have been too traumatic for the people.  I.....thought
it was for everyone's good, but......" she shook her head sadly, "I was
wrong.  You see.....he never told me the Risik women had been executed. 
I believed the whole 'Grant's Disease' story as something unique to Risik
women and that my knowledge of Risik anatomy was so I could watch out for
similar symptoms in the future."
     "And that the other women were kept isolated because of their
susceptibility to a disease that never existed," Rena said simply.
     "Yes," Barbara nodded, "If I'd known the truth----," 
     "You might have ended up the same way your mother did," Rena
interrupted.  "Just be glad its all over," she then added, "I could use
another fully trained doctor to help me aboard my ship, the
Constellation.  Especially with all these new arrivals."
     "I'd be glad to help," she managed to smile.  
     "I'll speak to the Commander personally about having you assigned
there," she touched her shoulder out of friendship, "Welcome aboard,
Barbara."
     The colony doctor managed to smile and then moved on toward the next
available shuttle.

     Ashby was waiting for one face in particular among the colonists. 
Susan Grant the school teacher whose mother was now known to have been
the ringleader of the would-be uprising that had led to the execution of
30 Risik women.  He'd hit it off well with her when he'd been talking to
the children, especially when he'd learned her late father had been a
British soldier.  Now....he wondered if there was still any basis for
them to talk to each other with the horrible truth exposed since he knew
these revelations would force her to reassess what kind of man her father
had been as well.
     "Hello," he said simply as he saw her draw close to a shuttle parked
near the Armstrong.
     "Oh hello," she blushed slightly.  "It's.....good to see you again."
     "Are you going to be okay?" the British captain asked with concern.
     "I.....don't know," she sighed.  "I.....really don't know. 
It's.....not easy finding out that your own mother basically never wanted
to have you in the first place.  Even if....there were understandable
reasons for why she felt that way because of.....what Benton did."
     "I know its rough," Ashby said sympathetically, "But you've still
got your life in front of you, Susan.  You can't let yourself be burdened
by things in the past you never had any control over.  That doesn't mean
you can just blot it all out but it is possible to cope.  God knows I've
learned how to do that because I lost years of my life I can never get
back because of the Risik."
     She looked at him thoughtfully, "Yes.....yes you do know what it's
like." 
     "If you ever need a friend to talk to.....I'm available," he then
added, "The name of the ship I'm on in the Fleet is the Adelaide.  Half
of the freed prisoners from Ne'Chak live on her too.  There's even
another Englishman on board.  An Anglican priest, Father Desmond Fisher,
who usually knows how to give a good word of encouragement when it's
needed."
     "I'll remember that," Susan said, feeling grateful he was reaching
out to her as a friend.  "Thank you.....Ian."
     She walked past him toward the shuttle and for the first time all
day, Ian Ashby finally had reason to feel good about something.


     One by one, each shuttle with its full load of passengers left the
surface until finally only the Armstrong was left.  Other than Apollo,
the original landing party was gone except for Lauren Wagner, who as a
member of Elite Squadron, had insisted on joining their operation to help
with the loading and to return with them.  Apollo had granted the request
though he also knew that Lauren's desire to stay had as much to do with
being close to her boyfriend Lieutenant Castor as it did with being part
of the operation.
     Now, with the planet shrouded in the darkness of night and only the
auxiliary lighting of the complex entrance still on, Apollo was waiting
for the last two members of the New Eden Colony who had yet to emerge. 
Becky Shulman and Benton.
     "Everyone else is aboard and ready to go, Captain," Croft said as he
and Castor came up alongside Apollo.  "How much more time are you going
to give those last two?"
     Apollo looked at the two of them.  "Five more centons."
     No sooner had Apollo spoken when the door to the entrance slid open
and a sad-faced Becky Shulman approached them.  Her eyes visibly red from
crying.
     "Lieutenant Shulman," Apollo decided it was time to address her by
her long abandoned military rank, "Thank you for coming."
     "Captain Apollo, please," she pleaded, "Help me to get
Bill----General Benton to come."
     "Where is he?" Apollo asked.
     "I left him in his office.  He won't move from there.  I----I don't
know if he's going to shoot himself or not.  He----," she shook her head,
"He doesn't deserve to be left behind, Captain.  I know what he did,
but......he doesn't deserve to be left all alone."
     "If that's his choice not to come, I can't force him," Apollo said
simply.  
     "In other words you'd just let him die?" she looked at him angrily. 
"How can you justify any of your own words if you do that?"
     The Galactica warrior let out a sympathetic sigh, "My people have to
get moving.  We can't stay here indefinitely for the sake of one man who
won't cooperate.  If we can get him to come, we will.  But if he's gone
into hiding, then I can't waste any more time searching the complex to
find him."
     He turned around, "Croft, get back to the Armstrong and tell the
Galactica we're making a final search for the Colony Leader.  Castor,
come with me."
     "Yes sir," the muscular man who was both head of Colonial Security
and deputy of Elite Squadron said.
     "I'm coming too, Captain," Becky said. 
     "If he hasn't listened to you already, do you think he'd listen
now?"
     "Maybe he will if he knows I have you with me!" she protested and
then her voice returned to the pleading whisper, "Please, Captain.  I
have to be there when.....things become final regarding him.  He and I
have been through everything from the beginning."
     Reluctantly Apollo nodded and the three of them entered the complex.


     "I know it seems like he isn't worth saving," Becky said as they
walked down the long passageway that led to the main complex.  The dim
lighting of what was now a truly abandoned facility gave it an eerie
atmosphere that hadn't been present before.  Even when the corridor had
been empty, it still conveyed the aura of being in use.  But not now.
     "Every life is worth saving, Lieutenant," Apollo said, "Including
his.  But if he starts taking shots at us and is that determined to stay
behind in his private kingdom......then that has to be the end of it as
far as we're concerned."
     "Just don't blame him for everything that happened," she said with
regret.  "He took on too much of the burden himself.  If only he'd had
someone to lean on."
     "Like you?" Apollo asked.
     "Maybe," she admitted.  "Maybe I just let myself be too devoted to
Harlan Lindy's memory to think about reaching out to him that way.  Maybe
I just didn't find the strength to be someone who could have been more
than just an obedient yes-man like Jack Keller was.  Maybe after all the
madness I saw in that first year that killed Harlan and so many others, I
just wanted to be left alone and free of any kind of major
responsibility.  That's why Bill said I didn't have to get married and
why I never had to do anything harder than work in the kitchen.  He
thought he was being compassionate to me because of what I'd been through
and how traumatized I was by Harlan's death."
     "Or maybe if he'd learned to treat the Risik women as true equals he
could have found some happiness with one of them," Apollo said, "And
maybe he would have learned to overcome that sick racial prejudice that
led to a senseless cover-up and a senseless slaughter."
     "I'm not sure any man in our ranks ever loved any of the Risik women
they were paired with," Becky countered.  "I don't think even Bill could
have changed that.  It was a no-win situation from the beginning."
     "Maybe," Apollo didn't want to sound too sympathetic.  He looked
back at Castor, "Is your scan detecting anyone, Castor?"
     "Not yet," the muscular lieutenant shook his head.  
     "His office isn't too far from here," Apollo slowly pulled out his
laser pistol, determined to not be taken by surprise.  "If he doesn't
show up on the scanner, then that means he's gone into hiding.  And if
he's done that, there's nothing we can do."
     Silence came over them, with the only sounds the footsteps across
the empty corridor.  They now passed the dark and empty kitchen and then
the machine shop.  Apollo had already done a thorough check of the
facility to make sure there wasn't anything of significance left behind
that might be of use from a Colonial standpoint.  Other than some small
quantities of spare parts that could be useful in shuttle and viper
maintenance, there'd been very little.  They already knew from past
experience that Risik technology was largely well behind Colonial
technology to be of any significant use to them.  In this case, aged
equipment that dated back well over forty yahrens was even less useful to
them.
     A pinging sound from Castor's portable scanner ended the silence. 
"Picking up a life form.  It's.....in the room on the left, and he seems
to be at a higher elevation."
     "That's the Conference Room," Apollo said as he added things up, "He
must be hiding high up in the back of it at the top of the stairs."
     "Behind the back row of seats," Becky's voice was sad and grim,
"That's....a defensive position he's taken up."
     "To prevent anyone from getting close to him," Apollo realized.
"Okay, we're going to handle this very slowly and delicately."  
     They reached the door and Apollo slowly pulled it open.  He noticed
right away that the lights were off save for one emergency red light
across the room at stage level.  He slowly turned his head around and
managed to look up toward the back.
     "Benton?" he called out.
     The sound of a gunshot followed by a ricochet caused by a bullet
striking the open door caused Apollo to dart back out..  "He's flipped
out," he shook his head as the door closed behind him.
     "Let me talk to him!" Becky demanded.  "He's not going to fire at
me!"
     "All right, open the door but don't show your head to him!" Apollo
warned.
     Becky pushed the door open again.  Apollo motioned to Castor to step
forward so he could help keep it pushed open without andyone stepping
inside the room and exposing themselves.  From Benton's vantage point,
only the outside light from the corridor and the outline of the door
swung open at a ninety degree angle would be visible.
     "Bill listen to me!" Becky pleaded.  "Come with us!  Everyone else
but you and I are gone now!  It's not worth staying here."
     "Et tu, Becky?" his distant voice sounded from high up at the top of
the stairs. "If you don't think I'm fit to lead any of you any longer,
what do you need me for?"
     "Bill, you've still got so much you can do for us.  It's just that
things have to change now!"  The anguish in her voice rose.  "Just like
they had to change when you needed to replace Harlan!"
     "Oh, but I'm the one who did everything wrong!" Benton was railing,
"I'm the one who engaged in heartless racist slaughter of Risik women!  I
can just imagine that Captain Apollo can't wait to have me thrown into a
cell!"
     Apollo decided he'd had enough of Benton's self-pity act.  "You're
already living in a cell of your own making, Benton!" he shouted.  "And
you're going to die in it if you don't look past your blasted pride for
just once in your life.  No one's going to harm you and no one's going to
engage in any acts of private vengeance against you.  I give you my word
that when you return to Earth, you're going to be honored for doing great
things against impossible odds that allowed this Colony to survive.  And
any mistakes in judgment you made will be forgiven."
     "But not forgotten, Captain," Benton's voice was bitter, "You won't
make me forget it.  You'll never stop trying to shame me.  You'll never
stop trying to tear me down.  For you and everyone else you've turned
against me it's always going to be about extracting one last pound of
flesh.  I'm not going to give you that satisfaction!  I made this place
from nothing!  I made it survive!  This is my home, and this is where
I'll die even if I am just a population of one!"
     "Bill don't do this," Becky could feel the tears streaming down her
cheeks, "Please.  Come with us."
     "Just go, Becky," he said with angry bitterness.  "Just go.  Leave
me be.  Let me handle my end in my own way."
     Apollo decided to take one last chance as he stuck his head past the
open door for a brief micron.  This time he saw the orange blast from the
gun high and again darted back.  The bullet this time struck the wall
behind the stage.
     "Frack that's it.  I'm not taking any more risks for him.  He
probably has more than one gun with him and can hold out indefinitely."
     "Can't you do something?" Becky was on the verge of an emotional
collapse.  "Force him down with a smoke bomb?  Force him to----,"
     Apollo took her by the shoulders.
     "Becky," he said simply, "He's lost his mind.  Completely.  I'm
sorry for you.  I'm even sorry for him.  But at this point, he's become
too dangerous to take with us.  He might pull a stunt like this inside
the Fleet and then innocent people will get harmed.  We've done all we
can.  We have to go now."
     Slowly, the gray-haired woman nodded her head.
     "Just.....let me say one more thing to him."
     "One more thing," Apollo sternly raised his finger to denote
finality on the subject.  "And that's it."
     She sighed and moved inside a few inches, the open door held in
place by Castor giving her protection.
     "Goodbye Bill," her voice trembled, "I loved you like a brother. 
And I still do.  I'll never forget you."
     There was no response.  Apollo motioned to Castor who took his hand
off the door so that it closed shut.  Leaving Benton inside, completely
alone.
     "Let's get going," Apollo said simply, without any emotion as they
began the walk back to the main entrance, which would then lead to the
Armstrong and their farewell to the planet Niddion and the colony of New
Eden.
     

     Alone in the darkness of the conference room Benton trembled behind
the row of seats on the upper level.  Holding his gun tight in his had
with an air of defiance.  Feeling like the defiant last man holding onto
a fort that was about to fall to the enemy.  Refusing to submit himself
to the humiliation of total surrender.  That wasn't how real leaders were
supposed to handle things.  They were always supposed to act with honor
and never surrender.  
     Not bad for a poor kid from Buffalo, he found himself smiling in the
darkness as he kept clutching his gun.  All those years of hearing Dad
say I'd never amount to anything because I wasn't strong enough to work
in the steel mills like him.  All those years of him looking down at me
because I was the bookish one who spent my time reading and learning
things instead of being an athlete or showing any brawn that could do all
that manual labor.  Said I was too weak.  He wouldn't have paid my way to
college even if he could have afforded it!  And then the first time he
ever gave me a half-way compliment was when he found out I'd signed up in
the Army to pay my way through.  'That'll make a real man out of you at
last.'  Real man.  I was always a real man!  Not some mindless brute like
him.  Or all those others the Risik took prisoner.  They didn't know how
to lead.  I had the brains.  Me.  Me alone.  I made something of this
place.  Making myself forget all the things I used to love and lost.  The
things I couldn't let myself remember if I was going to keep my sanity
and be a real leader and show Dad he was wrong about me.  Making myself
forget......Cynthia.
     Cynthia.
     Abruptly, his eyes widened in horror as suppressed memories from
decades ago suddenly came back to him.  Memories he'd never shared with
anyone from the day of his abduction in 1989.  Not Congressman Lindy. 
Not Becky Shulman.  Not anyone.  They'd never known the pain of what he'd
lost and the reason why he'd been unreceptive to the idea of ever taking
a wife. Because he wanted to stay true to the woman on Earth he'd been
taken from before he'd had a chance to know true happiness with her. 
He'd thrown himself into the role of leader with fierce determination and
absolute certainty in the rightness of every decision he'd taken because
it was the only way he could wipe out the memories of what he'd lost from
his inner being.
     And now suddenly, here in the isolated darkness at the top of the
Conference Room in which he was now a population of one, the memories
were flooding his mind with stark clarity.  Memories of the pretty
red-haired girl in high school named Cynthia who was drawn to the shy,
bookish young boy who preferred to keep his nose in the books instead of
building himself up for the high school athletic teams.  The summer
nights in Delaware Park he'd spent with her.  The Bills games he took her
to at Rich Stadium and the hockey games at the Aud.  Sharing the dreams
he promised to make for them both once he had his college degrees and
they could make a life together.  Plans delayed because he'd needed to
enlist in the Army to pay for the education that he needed.  But
promising her in that last letter he'd sent to her that when he got out
of the Army in another three months, he was going to ask her a very
important question.  A question he never got a chance to ask after the
Risik changed his life forever high above a mountain range in the Alaskan
wilderness.  
     That was the unspoken reason why he never contemplated showing any
tolerance to Risik culture, Risik traditions or Risik identity.  And why
the idea of taking a Risik woman for a wife would have repelled him.  The
Risk had destroyed his one chance for true happiness on Earth.  Their
very existence as a race was repugnant to him because they had disrupted
his neatly planned life with the only girl he had ever loved forever when
the transport plane had been snatched high above an Alaskan mountain one
day in January 1989.  
     Because of that hatred, the only way he could show any tolerance to
the Risik women as a leader was to make them forget they were Risik.  And
he made sure he used every means necessary to insure that, and to make
sure no child of the second generation would have to know the shame of
being half-Risik.
     I had to do it, he could feel himself shaking in the darkness.  I
had to do it.  What they took from me......I could never get back.  I had
to make them pay for that so it could help me learn to.....forget.
     But now, those memories of Delaware Park and Rich Stadium and the
things about home that had been good and precious to him when he was
courting and wooing Cynthia were flashing with a realism that made him
want to reach out and touch them.  To even find out what had happened to
Cynthia.  Had she wept for him and then moved on with her life and found
happiness with another man?  Or had she stayed true to him as he had to
her?  Even if it was too late for them after all these years......wasn't
it at least worth finding out?  And even if Cynthia was gone.....wasn't
it still worth it to see Delaware Park again?  
     Oh my God, he thought with a wave of horror as he bolted down the
steps and out the door of the conference room, running as fast as he
could through the corridor that led to the Main Entrance.  Emerging out
in the blackness of night and looking up.....to see the lights of the
last shuttle disappearing into the sky above.
     "Please," Sergeant William Benton, United States Army whispered as
tears streamed down his cheeks for the first time since the day of his
abduction, "I want to go home."
     But there was no one left to hear him.

Epilogue

     "And so, we now find our population increased by an additional 156
men, women and children from the New Eden Colony based in the abandoned
Risik prison garrison of Niddion.  We have finished processing the new
arrivals and dispersed them among twelve ships in the Fleet.  While it
would have been convenient to place them entirely aboard Constellation
and Adelaide, space limitations on both vessels could only permit twenty
new arrivals on each ship.  The rest, have been placed in groups of ten
to fifteen on other ships so that way the new arrivals will still have
friends from New Eden to remain in close contact with.
     "The four Risik women, who insist on being known by their Risik
names have been placed with our other six Risik passengers in order to
help them in their transition to life in the Fleet.  Melnea has
volunteered to act as their official liaison since as a former slave
herself, she can relate best to the experience these women went through. 
She also seems glad that General Benton, the man responsible for their
plight, chose to remain behind and essentially sign his own death warrant
since she knew that from a legal standpoint, there could be no actions
taken against him if he had chosen to come with the rest of what he
always referred to as 'his people.'
     "Having read Apollo's final report of the affair, I see Benton as a
sad and tragic figure.  Someone capable of such greatness but whose flaws
sadly undid and tarnished the greatness he should have been renowned for. 
And because he is the first native of Earth we have seen such flaws in,
we should take that as a cautionary note that when we do arrive on Earth,
we can not take for granted that we won't see similar behavior in Earth
leadership.  It is, as Father Fisher has said to me during one of our
many conversations, an inevitable result of what his Holy Book refers to
as 'original sin'.  A first corrupting step that separated Man from the
Almighty and clearly was present in both our forebears on Kobol and in
the settlers of the Thirteenth Tribe when they arrived on Earth.  I am
convinced that somewhere, within those literary passages of the first
book of the so-called Bible, the truth behind the 13th Tribe's permanent
separation from any knowledge of Kobol and their origins, is still
waiting to be found.  It may well in fact exist in those Terran
recordings of the so-called 'Black Knight' satellite that Professor
Herodotus and Professor Pliny have spent more than two yahrens
studying......but to no avail alas, as the data on what happened on Earth
in those early periods following the 13th Tribe's arrival leading up to
the time the Risik made their presence on Earth and were force to leave,
remains heavily corrupted.  Whether that critical data can ever be
recovered......remains an open question.
     "Now, we have resumed our journey for Earth.  Our attention can
return to those matters that tie in to our long-term concerns, namely the
new linkage between the Risik Empire and the solitary Cylon Baseship
under the command of Baltar's former deputy, Lucifer that has been
stopped at the Risik capital for some time now.  Cain has not reported
any new intercepted dispatches from Lucifer to the Imperious Leader so if
any progress is being made in the Risik development of a Fleet of
Neutrino ships, it remains unknown to the Cylon High Command.  We can
probably take that as a positive sign for now because the longer the
delay before this combined force of Lucifer's Baseship and a new Risik
Star Force of Neutrino ship sets out in pursuit of us, the more time we
have to narrow the distance to Earth, and continue our developing
breakthroughs in both artificial Neutrino and Zykonian cloaking
technology, the latter of which passed its first test in the patrol that
first scanned Niddion.
     "Cain's last message to us also revals that he is nearing the date
when he will finally set course for the Cylon Home System, and as he put
it, 'take care of final business' with the Empire.  He has also dangled
the prospect that if he can destroy the High Command and secure the
freedom of the half-million Humans taken from the Colonies into forced
servitude in their now exhausted Neutrino mines......then the way might
be clear for the Pegasus to journey back into the Alpha Quadrant and see
if they can inflict damage upon the Risik Capital itself before it has
time to launch their Neutrino Fleet against us.  This last point seems
like too much to ask even of Cain, given the issues of time and distance. 
And yet, as Cain has told me before, if he succeeds in all of the tasks
that motivated him to turn back to the Colonies in the first place, he
simply can not sit back and merely monitor from a distance with his bride
how matters unfold for us in the final phase of our journey to Earth.  I
suspect though that if Cain is destined to play any role in that last
chapter that is yet to be written for us in our journey with the
Risik......and perhaps conceivably with the unknown menace of Count
Iblis, it will require some special intervention from other quarters to
help make that possible......."
     The sound of the door sliding open caused Adama to stop.  Because no
chime had sounded it meant that it was Ila.
     "I'm sorry, I hope I didn't interrupt your entry," his wife said.
     "No, I was finished for the most part," Adama sat the recording
microphone down.  "Just summarizing the whole recent affair at Niddion."
     "Yes, I've been talking to some Council members about that as well,"
Ila sat down across from him.  "You should know that at the next meeting,
Pelias is going to introduce a resolution calling for the formal creation
of a 13th seat on the Council to represent the interests of Earth."
     Adama raised an eyebrow.  This had been a matter discussed many
times in the past ever since the liberation of the Ne'Chak prisoners but
it had never been acted on because of concerns that the overall Earth
population was too small to merit a seat on the Council, combined with
the reluctance of anyone in the Earth population to step forward and
accept the burden of Council membership.  Consequently, Sire Pelias,
sealed now to Byrne's daughter Jena, had taken the mantle of
responsibility for Earth interests by including them among his own
constituents.
     "I'm assuming this is because of the increase in the Earth
population?"
     "It is," the Council President nodded, "The fact that many of them
weren't born on Earth and are half-Risik is really an irrelevance because
by birth they would still be considered citizens of Earth and citizens of
whatever country their fathers came from.  That means most of them would
be classified as Americans.  And, on a genetic level, they are wholly of
the House of Kobol, just like the Zohrloch and Harkaelians are.  Because
of that, Pelias thinks more members of the Council would be open to a new
Council seat if it means representing a population over 200 as opposed to
60."
     "Enough for the motion to carry?" Adama knew that this was one of
those matters he could no longer exercise any veto over because of his
decision to resign the Presidency and his Council seat so Ila could
assume both positions.
     "Possibly.  We'll know at the meeting but Pelias thinks seven to
eight votes are guaranteed and if so, that means he'd only need one more
for the necessary three-quarters majority.  Xaviar is on board and I
think even Hanlon will vote yes because now that Earth arrival is
becoming a closer reality for us, they see the wisdom in an Earth seat
serving the role of a necessary point of contact between us and Earth
authority once we arrive.
     "I can't imagine that Pelias would introduce this if he didn't have
some idea of who'd want to serve on the Council as Earth's
representative."
     "Oh he has someone in mind," Ila emphasized, "Apparently he had a
long talk with the woman who'd been kidnaped at the same time as Benton. 
Becky Shulman.  According to Pelias, she's anxious to do something a lot
more meaningful than what she was doing the last thirty yahrens working
glorified kitchen duty.  Though that was her choice."
     Adama brought his fingertips together, "Does she have the skills to
handle this kind of responsibility?"  
     "Looking at the resumes of everyone, I agree with Pelias that she's
the most qualified person for the job.  She learned a lot about political
leadership from the original leader of the group, Congressman Harlan
Lindy.  They might have been lovers, but she was also a dependable
assistant to him and she understood completely what made his mind tick
when it came to handling political matters.  No one else in their ranks
has that kind of brush with politics to make them suitable for what the
job entails," she then added, "And for that matter, no one from Ne'Chak
has those skills either.  And certainly Captain Byrne and Commander Allen
don't either."
     "True," Adama nodded, "Byrne is many things, but a politician he
isn't.  I sense he doesn't care much for the responsibilities of command,
but he merely accepts it out of necessity. It's pretty much the same with
Commander Allen.  They both have an instinctive dislike for politicians
in the same way so many of our own warriors do."
     "And Commander Allen has enough on his plate with Kalysha giving
birth yesterday,"  Ila added.
     "I meant to ask about that.  How are mother and child doing?"
     "Quite well.  A healthy girl according to Dr. Rena.  Shelket
Adelaide sat Cedric Allen.  Literally translates as 'Energetic Adelaide,
daughter of Cedric Allen.'  They're probably going to call her 'Addie'."
     "'Addie Alllen'," Adama let out a chuckle, "Has an interesting sound
to it.  Of course this Earth custom of proper names and family names
combined together has always struck me as a bit cumbersome."
     "We may have to adapt to that ourselves someday," Ila chuckled too,
"At any rate, poor Allen had to observe Harkaelian tradition which holds
that men are never present when their children are born.  Made him a
basket case the whole time pacing outside the Life Station on Adelaide
when it happened, but he wanted to honor her traditions.  By the way,
that doctor from New Eden, Barbara Meskowski helped Dr. Rena in the
delivery."
     "Good to know.  I'm glad one of the new arrivals has already been
able to find a worthy assignment.  What's next for the proud parents?"
     "A formal naming and acceptance ritual according to Harkaelian
tradition.  Even though they've had this name picked out for some time in
the event it was a girl, the actual ceremony still has deep meaning for
Kalysha."
     "I'm not sure I can make room in my schedule to attend, but.....if
you can do the honors, give my best wishes to them both." 
     "I will.  I understand Kalysha had a miscarriage once before so I
know how special this is for them."
     "Yes it is," Adama leaned back in chair bringing his fingertips
together in contemplation. "It's interesting about the timing of these
events.  Kalysha giving birth to the first known case of interbreeding
between a Human and a Harkaelian.  And the arrival of the first known
modern examples of interbreeding between Humans and Risik.  Because we
know so much now about our Kobollian forebears seeding other races
throughout the galaxy before the Fall and the original Exodus of the
Thirteen Tribes like the Harkaelians, the Zohrlochs and unquestionably
the Risik too......I feel as if it's all part of a great reconnection
with our own ancient history on a deeper level."
     "Careful," his wife teased slightly, "You may find yourself
following our son's example and start practicing Zohrlochian meditation
rituals."
     Adama laughed, "Not me, Ila.  But I admire how Apollo's been keenly
aware of that dimension too in his embrace of those facets of their
culture that he knows are a byproduct of our own traditions.  It's as
much a way of connecting with these cousin races of ours as interbreeding
with them is.  And now that we're less than two yahrens at most from
reconnecting with the Thirteenth Tribe, these converging events
connecting to our ancient past take on an even greater meaning."
     "Yes, I do know what you mean," Ila's tone became serious.  "As
if....there's hope for something special beyond our greatest
comprehension if we survive these last challenges we'll be facing in the
journey to Earth."
     "Assuming we uphold the end of the bargain in remaining strong,
preparing ourselves, and taking nothing for granted," he cautioned.  "Not
just us, but Cain and the Pegasus too."
     Ila nodded and then, deciding nothing more needed to be said on
those deeper matters, changed the subject.  "Getting back to our new
arrivals.  You're against the idea of a formal welcome ceremony like I
know you did with those from Ne'Chak?"
     "I don't think it's a good idea," Adama shook his head, "These
people are more traumatized over what happened than elated.  They're just
not in a celebratory mood.  Especially those who feel terrible about what
happened to Benton.  Notwithstanding what he was guilty of......no one
except for maybe that one Risik woman, Diandra, thinks he deserved a fate
like that."
     "Yes, she comes across as the least forgiving one in the whole lot. 
Melnea said that Diandra's son Chris Marlowe doesn't want to speak to her
any longer.  And that she pretty much doesn't care about that.  The other
Risik women by contrast have very good relations with their children and
in Janella's case, her one grandchild."
     "Not every familial relationship can be a close one," Adama
observed, "But that only reinforces my point that a Welcome Aboard
banquet for them isn't a good idea.  Let these people adjust in their own
way."
     "We're going to have another resolution tomorrow that should help,"
Ila said, "I'm proposing that all of our new arrivals get free access to
the Rising Star for a full sectan with five hundred cubits of free credit
for anything they want."
     Adama smiled, "And how do you propose to cut expenses in other areas
to compensate for such generosity, Madame President?"
     Ila rose from her chair and came up to him, also smiling, "It's not
your job to worry about such.....political matters any longer,
Commander."
     She leaned over and kissed him on the forehead.
     "I'll see you tonight," she whispered sensuously.
     He fought the temptation to pull her to him and kiss her
passionately on the lips.  "Until later then."  Once she was gone, he
leaned back in his chair and let out a blissful sigh of contentment that
she was there as a constant presence in his life once again.

     "So how did you like your first planetary mission?" Dante asked as
he spent dinner aboard the Constellation with Micah.
     Micah looked across the table at his brother.  "I liked it up to the
point I let myself get knocked out.  I almost resent the fact I have to
let bygones be bygones with the ones who did it, now that they've been
welcomed into the Fleet with open arms."
     "But you're learning to have perspective about it, right?"
     He nodded, "Right.  Annoying as it was, I'll admit I liked the
assignment more than all those sectars I spent pushing Septimus around in
his hoverchair."
     Dante decided to raise a subject of concern to him, "Ever going to
get your perspective about Miranda back?"
     Micah was surprised to hear him bring up what was still a sore
subject with him.  "Why do you ask?"
     "Because Hunley flew a patrol with her recently and she knows
Miranda's still not over you.  A warrior who tries to keep their emotions
bottled up always overcompensate when they're on duty by being too
straight-ahead and emotionless," he paused, "I think it's time you make
the first move and tell Miranda it's still okay between you two.  And
with her brother as well."
     Micah didn't respond as he absently stared down at his half-eaten
meal.
     "The fact you're not mad at me for bringing this up tells me that
you've been giving it some thought of late." Dante said.
     "I have," the security guard admitted.  "Because of that whole story
I heard firsthand about what went on down there for all those yahrens. 
The whole sordid cover-up about the Risik women.  People being brought up
not knowing the truth about their parents." he looked at Dante, "You and
I can relate to that, can't we?"
     Dante nodded.  "Yeah.  We grew up without even knowing we were
brothers.....even if it's not true in the technical blood sense of the
term."
     "And Hunley pretending for two yahrens she was someone else to
conceal her Otori background," he acknowledged.
     "Exactly," Dante zeroed in, "So maybe it's time you stop resenting
the fact that Miranda started dating you because she and her brother
wanted to find out if you knew something about their innocent connection
to Sire Uri's treason plot based on your family background.  You didn't
know there was a connection until Copernicus was forced to open up about
the whole 'hacker collective' group Uri exploited and named names and
then the Commander brought you in to investigate.  In all that time
before the truth came out, you and Miranda were on the verge of getting
sealed.  What was to stop her from dropping you long before that when she
knew you were totally in the dark about her past?"
     The Security Guard let out a resigned shrug, as if knew he had no
argument to counter what his brother had said.  
     "Do you still love her?" Dante pressed.
     "I do," he admitted.  "I suppose I've tried to let my sense of pride
make me deny that, but......yeah, I still love her."
     "Swallow your pride and get in touch with her," the Constellation
exec admonished.  "If you can do that much, it'll make up for all the
yahrens I was unable to give you any kind of fraternal advice at all."
     Micah smiled faintly and then, glad to have been convinced, faintly
nodded his head.  

     Amy Sanderson knew that twenty New Eden Colonists had been assigned
to quarters on the Constellation.  She'd been hoping that none of them
would include any of the thirty two men from the first generation, and
one man in particular.  As she stopped by the Rec Hall though, she saw to
her distaste that the one man in question was there, sitting in front of
the video monitor that was showing the movie Capricorn One.  Amy found
that highly appropriate since that was a movie about a sinister cover-up
by the government.
     "Semper fi," she said with sarcasm.
     Colonel Jack Keller turned around and stiffened when he saw his
fellow Marine.  He took a breath and managed to politely nod his head,
"Lieutenant Sanderson."
     "We can be honest with each other.  Marine to Marine.  You're not
happy to see me.  And I'm not happy to see you.  Especially when that
little bond between us gets used to pump me for info so you can then
hatch a scheme to steal a Landram."
     Benton's former right hand man was now using his right hand to dig
his nails into the cushion of the couch he was seated on.  He struggled
to get some words out.
     "Captain Apollo said there would be no recriminations," he finally
spoke, "Or was that just a load of what in his language they
call.....felgercarb?"
     "There are no recriminations from Colonial justice," Amy wasn't in a
forgiving mood.  "But you and all the other men of the first generation
will have to live with your consciences for the rest of the journey home
and beyond."
     His eyes darkened and he rose from the couch, the droning movie in
the background now forgotten.  
     "Sit down," he motioned.  "If you want your pound of flesh from me,
you're going to have to listen to a few things from me as well."
     "I've got time," Amy folded her arms and came around and sat on the
other end of the sofa, but making sure there was a considerable gap
between her and Keller.
     The man who was close to her own age but didn't have the benefit of
decades of suspended animation that Amy had, took a breath, "You probably
think you're in a position to judge the rest of us because you and
everyone else held prisoner by the Risik at Ne'Chak didn't degenerate
into that kind of behavior.  Well that's only because you didn't have to
go through the terror of outright abandonment and being left to fend for
yourselves on a planet that theoretically couldn't have sustained us for
the long haul.  And all of that coming after three years of endless
tortures where Pravdin and his goons subjected us to one cruel indignity
after another in grueling war game exercises to test our 'fighting
mettle' and see how long it took us to break.  Followed by hypnotic
experiments to make us overcome fear of pain and to ignore dehydration
and hunger in the battlefield conditions.  All because they wanted to see
just how far the trained Earth soldier would go in his willingness to
'fight to the bitter end'.  And they would tempt us with offers of extra
perks if we behaved, and more than once.....that included dangling those
imported Risik women of theirs as our reward for cooperating.  Except
every time they made that promise, they never delivered because after all
they were the private property of Pravdin and his goons and that was
meant to be the ultimate torture to rub in our faces."
     Amy didn't react to this, but her silence indicated she was ready to
keep listening.
     "So now all of a sudden.....one day without warning, Pravdin drops
everything and leaves with his men in a hurry because the message they
got told them just how bad things were collapsing in the Risik home
system.  Leaving 150 angry tortured men who have had no female
companionship for three years all alone with 35 Risik women who'd been
dangled in front of us more than a dozen times since their arrival and
then held back.  When Benton used the analogy of the Bounty crew on
Pitcarin, that was a gross understatement.  Think of a grownup version of
Lord Of The Flies and you'll get a real sense of what kind of hell
erupted after that, and why Congressman Lindy didn't stand a chance of
trying to stop it and get everyone to act like men instead of animals. 
And why over a hundred of us died in that first year.  The Risik women we
got paired with ultimately may not have been treated fairly by Benton,
but that was nothing compared to what would have happened to them if
Lindy didn't keep them locked away in the East Wing while all that savage
fighting went on the first year."
     He waited to hear her comment, but when she didn't, he went on.
     "So yes, I was grateful to Bill Benton for creating order out of
chaos and I gave him my undying devotion from that point on.  I was
willing to pair with a Risik woman and have my son with her for the good
of the colony even though we both hated each other from the outset
because she still had that insufferable air of Risik superiority that
made their original slave masters abduct us in the first place.  And
after she was exposed and put to death with the others, I had to lie to
my son for decades and pretend his mother had loved him.  Hate me all you
want for being devoted to Benton, but as far as I'm concerned he did it
with the best of intentions and no amount of judging from you or anyone
else is going to change my mind about that, Lieutenant.  If it wasn't for
my son and the need to clear the air with him, I may have chosen to stay
behind with Benton on principle even though I know the long-term
situation wasn't going to be good once the last of the supplies ran out. 
But your attitude is exactly the reason why going home to Earth isn't
filling my heart with joy right now."
     Amy finally broke her silence.
     "I wanted to hear your full story, Colonel, and now I have," his
fellow Marine said, "It gives me some context and some nuance.  And yes,
it tells me that the story isn't all neat and orderly just as Benton said
it wasn't.  But having said that.....you're naive if you think the way
Benton created order out of chaos was the only way to do it.  You had to
draw the line between treating Benton as a great man and treating him as
a god.  And if you'd only learned how to do that, then maybe things
wouldn't have happened the way they did afterwards with the women. 
Instead of being so overly devoted to  Benton, you should have had the
sense to speak up and tell him when he was going too far with something. 
That's what the mark of a real friend should be.  Especially if, as you
say, you knew Benton was full of shit about having a plan for what to do
when the fuel supply ran out.  Instead, you just reinforced his own sense
of perfection.  And when you get down to it, that's the reason he's the
only one who isn't here now."
     She rose from the sofa.  Her expression one of stone-faced
neutrality with the faintest hostile tinge.
     "I'll never mention this subject again, and you don't have to
explain yourself again to me or anyone else," Amy's voice matched her
expression.  "The past is past.  You can't change what happened on
Niddion just like I and my friends can't change anything that happened on
Ne'Chak and the Colonials can't change anything that happened to them
when they lost billions of their people thanks to treachery in their
ranks that they have to forget about because the man responsible for that
treachery has defected back to them and is commanding their support ship
now.  So from this point on, you and I can both be good Marines and learn
how to respect each other as fellow members of the team who have to work
with each other in this crazy universe.  But we don't have to like each
other or be nice to each other.  And that suits me fine."
     "It suits me fine too......Lieutenant." there was no warmth in his
voice or face.
     And then.....Amy abruptly gave him a perfect Marine salute.  Keller
rose and returned it.  His own salute just as perfect as hers.  And then,
as if she were in an inspection line responding to an order of dismissal,
she did a perfect pirouette and left the Rec Hall.  The two of them
knowing that they wouldn't exchange another word again.


     "Hello Fulvia," Sheba smiled as she entered her quarters following
the end of her shift, which today had involved purely bureaucratic
matters and no flying.  
     "Hello Sheba," the middle aged med-tech nurse responsible for
looking after Bethany Two during the day periods smiled and rose from her
chair situated next to the toddler's crib.  "Boxey's having dinner with
his friend Jephtha this evening.  He promises to be back by 2000."
     "Thanks for letting me know," Sheba's eyes fell on the door leading
to her chambers and noticed the red light was on.  "Is.....?"
     "Oh yes," the nurse nodded, "He came in nearly a centar ago so I
think he's just about done now."
     "Okay.  That'll be all then.  See you tomorrow."
     "Goodnight Sheba."
     As soon as the nurse was gone, Sheba went up to the crib and
lovingly reached down to touch her daughter's little hand with her right
index finger.  Bethany Two let out a happy chuckle at the sight of her
mother as her hand tried to squeeze her mother's finger.  For over two
centons, Sheba smiled and engaged in her own form of baby talk with her
daughter.  Enjoying it so much she didn't even notice the door to her
chambers opening and Apollo emerging, tightening the sash of his dark
robe.
     "Glad she was able to keep you occupied," her husband smiled.
     Sheba finally turned and noticed him.  "Done bonding with the
ancients?"
     "For today," he smiled.  He'd gotten used to the way she'd tease him
over his increased devotion to the meditation rituals.  "I.....felt
particularly good about myself after the whole business on Niddion turned
out okay."
     Sheba picked up her daughter and held her for just a few microns
before setting her back down in the crib.  Now that she was over two,
Bethany Two was past the point where her mother could hold her and carry
her.  Soon, she'd be ready to transition to a normal bed.  Which was why
Sheba tried to enjoy as much as possible the last little reminders of
Bethany's infancy.  Ila had given her that advice to enjoy them and then
realize when it was time to treat them as gone forever and move ahead to
the next phase of the child's life.
     "Yes, it did turn out well from what I heard.  Except for the colony
leader."
     "He made his choice," Apollo said.  "I'm sorry for what happened to
him, but I know I did my best.  I prepared myself as well as I could for
the occasion, and we were able to get everyone else to come without
serious incident."
     "I'm glad," his wife settled down in the chair Fulvia had vacated. 
"I'm glad you feel so....secure Apollo.  I can see what all that
meditation does for you.  It makes me wish the Zohrlochs didn't have that
prejudice against female warriors in their tradition or I could have
learned the practice with you."
     "It's not the only way to bond with the ancients and the wisdom of
the Lords," Apollo reassured her.  "That's the one thing that sticks out
most to me now that I've seen more of these examples of how our people
are connected so much to other races throughout the galaxy.  Not just the
Zohrlochs but as we got a reminder yesterday, the Harkaelians too.  The
traditions aren't identical, and some of these races like the Risik have
clearly corrupted them, and yet......if you look close enough the
linkages back to the original source with the ancients and the Lords and
Kobol is quite clear.  It's what unifies us.  And I think eventually
Earth will be able to rediscover the linkages too from their own
traditions." he settled in the chair next to her and his voice grew more
philosophical.  Almost mystical.  "And when that happens.....we may see
something a lot bigger than just the reunification of the Thirteen
Tribes.  We might even see the reunification of entire races who descend
from the same common origin."
     Sheba sighed, "If we can get through these last challenges on the
journey.  When we know that at some point, we'll be facing.....him
again."
     Her husband looked at her, and he reached out and squeezed her hand.
     "Stay strong, Sheba," he said simply. "That's our greatest weapon
against him."
     "I know," his wife nodded, "But.....he's so damned unpredictable. 
And for all we know his scheme could be unfolding right now under our
very noses and we don't even know it yet."
     

     "Excuse me?  Aurelius?"
     Aurelius had been busy on his back working on the underside of a
Viper when he heard a familiar voice calling his name.  He rolled himself
out so he could look up at the sight of the IFB co-anchor Zed staring
down at him.
     "Yes, Zed?" he kept his tone polite.  He'd been grateful to Zed for
providing him with the recordings of the vintage triad matches and didn't
mind chatting with him informally whenever the occasion came up.  But
from the very beginning, he'd been adamant that a formal interview on the
IFB was totally out of the question.
     "Sorry to bother you.  I know you're busy, but since I happened to
be on the Galactica to see President Ila about whether or not any of our
new arrivals are open to doing interviews, I wanted to catch you for a
centon."
     "Not to rope me into an interview, I hope," Aurelius kept his tone
polite as he gently set the tool he'd been holding down.  "You know my
feelings on that."
     "I know.  I'm not looking for an interview actually, I was just
wondering if you could clear up something that you might be able to help
me on."
     "What's that?" his voice took on a cautious edge as his hand grasped
the tool again.
     "Well....a staffer of mine was doing some research on an obscure
piece of Fleet history that required looking up some old crew rosters
from the Excelsia that are on file and----"
     "The Excelsia?" inside Aurelius felt every muscle in his body tense.
     "Yes.  I mean.....you did serve on the Excelsia didn't you?  That is
her insignia on your shoulder?"
     "Oh!  Well, yes.  Yes, that was the last ship I served on, just
before the Battle of Ningal VI I think it was-,"
     "Then can you just settle for me whether you know anyone in this old
crew shot from thirty yahrens ago?"  He pulled out a mini-comp device and
held it down in front of Aurelius's face.  On the small screen was the
picture showing the senior Bridge Officers of the Excelsia and the Flight
Leaders.
     Aurelius tried not to freeze in horror at a sight that was all too
familiar to him.  A sight of men he'd known very well.  And at the center
of the image was himself.  As he used to look before the convenient
incident that had taken place on Sagittaria that had left his face burned
and in need of plastic surgery that had required his relocation from the
Colonies to the Galactica.  An incident that had also forced him to see a
kindly Sagittarian doctor who'd been attending to him after he'd been
taken out of cryogenic suspension burn to death before his eyes.
     He looked at the image for a centon and collected himself, trying to
summon the quick command instincts he'd once had when he had been the man
in the image wearing the commander's uniform.  "Well yes.  Yes I do
recognize someone there," he rose to a sitting position on the sliding
device he'd been on to inspect the Viper undercarriage.  "Can you keep
this in absolute confidence, Zed?"
     "I'm sure I can," the IFB co-anchor said though inside he found this
a very strange development.
     Aurelius pointed to the third man on the left in the image wearing a
Flight Leader's uniform.
     "That's my nephew who was named after me.  He was commander of the
Excelsia's Green Squadron group back then," he sighed, "The truth of the
matter is that I never served on the Excelsia.  The Bellepheron was the
only Battlestar I ever served on in my younger days, but.....the reason I
chose the Excelsia's insignia to wear is to pay tribute to my namesake. 
He went much further in the Service than I ever did and had the kind of
record I would have loved to have had if I'd only been more talented. 
So....that's the reason why I'm wearing the insignia of a ship I never
served on."
     "I see.  Well that does explain it.  I'm sorry if that reopened some
painful memories for you Aurelius.  It's just that when I saw the name
and realized you were wearing the ship's insignia, you can understand why
I got curious."
     "Totally understandable," his voice was polite, "I....don't like
talking about myself, Zed.  I admit that.  Not because I'm ashamed of my
past, but because of the ordeal I went through, I only want to look ahead
from now on.  I'm sure you can relate to that."
     "Oh yes," he nodded, "I can.  I'm not trying to pry, believe me. 
Thanks for telling me."
     "And thanks for letting me know there are old files that show his
picture," the sixtyish looking man who was really in his nineties said. 
"I had no idea such things were still around after the Destruction."
     "Well.....Fleet Central Records sometimes can have a lot of amazing
things on hand that were salvaged from different parts of the Fleet.  You
ever want to look for something, go see Sergeant Komma of Colonial
Security.  He's the master of all that stuff."
     "I'll keep that in mind," he settled himself back onto the sliding
mat.  "Got to get back to work now.  Don't want to have Chief Varica
accusing me of loafing."
     "Of course.  Take care."
     Aurelius slowly slid back under the viper to resume his work.  When
he looked up at the underside, he immediately saw a too familiar face
projected onto it.
     "Quick thinking, Marcus.  Especially when you said nephew instead of
son since an uncle relationship won't show up in any old personnel file
for the Aurelius you knew, if one still exists.  You'd better hope for
Zed's sake that was enough to convince him.  Otherwise he might find
himself suffering the same fate as poor Dr. Lyra some day," Helena then
laughed, "Although there are a lot of people in the Fleet who for their
own reasons, really wouldn't miss him in the slightest."
     "Don't mention Lyra's name again," he whispered bitterly under his
breath as he began to attack the component he was working on more
vigorously.
     "Oh?  Are you feeling guilty over the fact that you caused her death
when you allowed her to come outside at the very instant that Loyalist
Cylon on Sagittaria decided to crash his fighter and erase your old face
from existence?  Remember Marcus, that was your fault entirely that she
was there with you  and never forget it.  You were letting yourself
become too attached to her that she felt a need to join you when you
answered my instruction to step outside."
     He abruptly slammed his tool down on the tarmac pavement.  Angry
that he couldn't rage openly at her or counter her argument since he knew
that she was right.  As always.
     "Until later, my husband.  There are other matters taking place in
this Fleet I need to observe.  Further indications of just how much all
is starting to come together."
     The former Commander Marcus shut his eyes and waited to be sure she
was really gone.  It was only when he heard the annoyed voice of Master
Chief Varica that he finally opened them.
     "Look Aurelius, I know this might seem like strenuous duty for a man
your age, but that doesn't give you the right to start sleeping on the
job."
     "Sorry sir!  Be finished in a centon!" he said obediently as he went
back to work.


     Melnea felt pleased that she'd been put in charge of helping the
four Risik women from New Eden adjust to life in the Fleet.  She'd found
quarters for them in the same ship that she and the other Risik
dissidents were billeted in which meant they could all congregate
together and feel more at ease.  And helping her get to know each of them
better as sisters who shared the common bond of surviving the experience
of sexual slavery.  Just as Melnea had once been forced into a life of
sexual slavery for the pleasure of the territorial governor Raduztak.
     Her early impressions had been largely favorable.  Janella, Elyzza
and Ionia, despite their love for the eight children they had between
them were proud of their Risik heritage and especially proud they could
openly worship the ancient Risik gods once again.  The fact that the
three of them were followers of a Risik polytheistic sect called the
Draasni was intriguing to Melnea since it had long since become the less
dominant form of Risik religion.  The majority sect, observed by the
priestly class that was central to the current Risik power structure,
stressed belief in a supreme "god above all gods".  It wasn't a true
monotheistic sect like that of Colonial religion or the major Earth
faiths, but one that acknowledged the reality of all the ancient gods and
saw one god supreme to all of them who required direct worship.  A god
known by the name of Belial.
     "Were all of you who were enslaved Draasni?" Melnea had asked the
three Risik women over dinner.
     "Actually we were the only ones who were Draasni," Janella, formerly
'Jane Spencer' said.  "One reason why we weren't comfortable with what
the others were up to before Benton cracked down on them and put them to
death was because they were followers of the Belial sect They always
looked down on us as weaker because we didn't acknowledge Belial's
authority in the pantheon of Risik gods.  It was a subject that often
made us hate Jana and the others as much as we hated Benton and.....our
children's fathers." Melnea noted the refusal of them to use the term
'husbands' any longer when it came to them men they'd been paired with by
General Benton for procreation purposes. 
     "Yes," Elyzza nodded, "But I think what made us even more against
Jana and the others is the way they held their own children in such
contempt.  I mean.....we always understood how degrading it was to be
forced to have children, but at the same time we never could blame the
children themselves.  Children don't have any control over who their
parents are.  We felt....an obligation to still give them our love no
matter what the circumstance of their birth was."
     "And it's more in keeping with the traditions of the Draasni," Ionia
joined in.  "The Belial worshipers of the Religious Establishment always
seem to put no meaning on the importance of familial love as it should be
understood.  I've always felt our worst instincts as a race stem from the
entire Belial doctrine."
     "So you're not shocked to know that the Establishment has lied about
the religious justification for ruling over Earth?" Melnea asked.
     "No I'm not," Janella admitted.  "If anything, it makes me
understand the hatred Benton and the others had for our traditions and
for us as a race because they were the victims of people who've shown too
much devotion to the Belial doctrine."
     "Prejudice isn't an easy thing to overcome," Melnea agreed. "But the
Colonial people are a lot more enlightened by nature.  They were quick to
see me as a victim of the same injustices their fellow Humans went
through, and they were also quick to welcome the other dissenters who
came to us as refugees."
     "Tell us more about these dissenters," Janella said.
     "Well, there's Samlik who was a journalist, and his wife Kama.  Dr.
Melshik, who was a solicitor and his wife Jelna.  Jaden and his wife
Mesha.  Jaden was actually a guard once at Ne'Chak, but......he was not a
willing participant in the brutalities that took place there.  The fact
that no one has instinctive prejudice toward him is the ultimate proof of
how tolerant a people the Colonials......and the Earth natives I've known
are." 
     "And what's your story, Melnea?" Ionia asked.  "How did you end up a
slave of a territorial governor?"
     The Academician was glad that she could tell her story without
feeling uncomfortable any longer.  Especially when it was with others of
her own race.  "My parents were dissenters against the Political
Establishment.  They believed the Supreme Leader should be elected by the
people and not by the Supreme Council, which never chooses anyone from
outside the privileged classes.  Because of their beliefs, they were put
to death and my brother and I were sent to separate Special Regime camps. 
That was how I ended up being purchased by Raduztak, the territorial
governor of Ne'Chak, as his consort.  But it was no different from being
his slave."
     "I'm not surprised to hear those kind of camps are still in place,"
Janella said.  "We were in one of those before we were sent to Niddion."
     "But we weren't dissenters," Elyzza interjected.  "We were just
ordinary women who'd been abducted over a period of months by agents for
an illegal sex slave operation based on the Home World.  They had an
agreement with the Commandant of a Special Regime Camp located on a
satellite moon in the Home System, and the Commandant of that Camp in
turn had an agreement with Pravdin to provide him with women for the
entire staff at Niddion.  Pravdin could have stayed within the law to get
a mistress for himself, but he knew his staff wasn't eligible to get
women of their own so that's why he went outside the law and made
arrangements under the table with his friend, the Commandant of the
Special Regime Camp, to get us."
     "And that's why Pravdin abandoned us when the withdrawal order came
down following the Ke'Zar invasion," Janella said.  "If his superiors
ever found out he'd engaged in procuring women for his staff, he would
have been executed on the spot for violating orders."
     "That explains why there was no mention of women left behind in the
report I found that mentioned the camp at Niddion," Melnea shook her head
in disgust.
     "Yes," Ionia acknowledged.  "We were too dangerous for him.  So we
were left behind to the mercies of the prisoners and.....you know the
rest."
     "But thank the gods that's all over," Janella sighed with relief. 
"Everyone's been so kind to us since our arrival.  I can tell there's a
real sense of innate goodness in these people.  I'm actually looking
forward to seeing Earth now."  Which brought affirmations form Elyzza and
Ionia as well.
     "I might as well ask this," Melnea felt she'd put this off long
enough, "What about Diandra?  Is it true that she was the one who
actually turned Jana and the others in to Benton and his men? "
     "Yes she was the one who said she had the strength to act then,"
Ionia nodded.  "The funny thing is.....she's not Draasni.  She was just
as much a follower of Belial as the others were.  But apparently she
didn't like what Jana was up to and so that's why she turned on them and
also put in the good word for us as well."
     "She never explained why she turned them in?"  Melnea was surprised
to hear this.
     "Never," Janella shook her head, "And we never asked because we felt
it was too personal a matter for her, especially since that left her the
only Belial worshiper still alive.  Maybe it was guilt.  But as to what
made her act against the others.....I have no idea what the trigger was. 
Diandra always struck me as even more devout in her worship of Belial
than Jana was.  And I know she never had a close relationship with her
son, Chris.  I'm not surprised this whole revelation business made him
break ties with her for good."
     "There's something else about Diandra you should know," Elyzza
added, "She was also the one who exposed the fact that after the others
were put to death, our children's fathers plotted to kill us because they
were convinced that we couldn't possibly have been innocent victims of
circumstance and that we were traitors too as Benton defined the term."
     "But Benton put them to death instead," Melnea noted.
     "Yes," the former Elisa Gonzalez nodded affirmatively.  "Benton, I
will say always made a decision based on what he thought was fair.  He
hated us because we were Risik but he hated the idea of men in his own
command plotting against him even more.  As far as he was concerned,
since he'd declared us innocent of any wrongdoing in what Jana and the
others had been convicted of, our men were guilty of treason for
conspiring to kill us." 
     "It was the insubordination that rankled him, not the fact those men
wanted to kill us," Ionia pointed out, "There's only so much credit I'm
willing to give Benton.  It's Diandra we have to thank for saving us,
even though we've never felt close to her because of the religious
barrier and the fact she doesn't honor her own son the way we honor our
own children."
     "And just as well that she was the one to expose Benton before the
people," Janella sighed, "She was always the strongest of us."
     "I'll remember that," the Risik academician said.  What she'd heard
about the former Diana Marlowe, was the most interesting story of any of
the Risik who had come to the Fleet after she had.  And yet.....since
Melnea wasn't a worshiper of Belial, she doubted she'd be able to bond
with her the way she'd been able to bond with the other three refugees
from New Eden.  
     Maybe I should learn to keep a respectful distance from her from
this point on.


     Diandra found herself ruing the fact that she didn't have private
quarters like she'd had on New Eden.  She had argued the matter
extensively with Melnea after learning she'd been assigned to this ship
in the Fleet with the rest of the Risik who lived there, but the
Academician had told her that living space was at a premium and it
necessitated shared accommodations.  She had reluctantly agreed to share
quarters with Janella but with the understanding that each night, one
would have to leave for half a tenar to let the other perform evening
prayer ritual in total solitude.  With Janella having dinner with Melnea,
Elyzza and Ionia, that gave her the privacy she needed for now.  To pray
her prayer of gratitude for Belial for deliverance.
     "Well done my faithful servant."
     She raised her head from the prayer position and opened her eyes. 
And before her.....she saw the vision of Belial.  A vision she had not
seen for decades.  Her mouth opened in awe.
     "I told you that a time would come in the future when you would be
rewarded for your obedience.  That time is now.  Now, you will be
prepared for a task that will not merely bring glory to me, but glory to
the Risik race.  And final revenge upon the Humans who enslaved
you....and the guarantee that Earth will one day belong to the Risik as
it was written long ago in the Scrolls."
     "Blessed be mighty Belial," she intoned reverently.
     "Remember always to be patient," he cautioned.  "Do not antagonize
needlessly or invite too much suspicion to yourself.  You exposed the
weakness of Jana and her followers to me because they had no reason not
to trust you.  Now though, it may help your reputation with these infidel
Humans by mending things with your son.  Do so if necessary.  Always
remember that I am with you.....and will reward you when the day of
triumph comes."
     "I hear you and obey you, mighty Belial," she spoke again with deep
reverence.
     "Bow now and avert your eyes," he commanded.
     She did so, abasing herself to the deck.  Aand then the vision of
the Risik god Belial waved his hand.....which caused her to freeze into a
state of suspended animation.  She could no longer see or hear a thing.
     The vision of Belial slowly changed into another....briefly becoming
his true self for a brief instant before becoming the figure Humans had
seen him by.  
     "Foolish like all the members of your pitiful race," Count Iblis
whispered mockingly.  "But you will do most nicely for me in this final
phase.  Just as I foresaw long ago."
     And then the Dark One waved his hand and was gone.  Leaving Diandra
to open her eyes and feel the greatest sensation she'd ever felt in her
entire life.
     And ready to do her Master's bidding.

Afterword-The Risik Capital

     "......And it is with great pride that I present to you, the people,
the first in what will be many ships in the new Risik Star Fleet that
will not only achieve our glorious revenge upon the so-called 'Colonials'
but ultimately......our revenge on the Ke'Zar, and at long last the
fulfillment of our Divine Destiny on Te'rea as promised us by Belial
Himself!"
     Admiral Trilligan switched off the video broadcast that he'd been
watching in his office.  It was the third replay by State Broadcasting of
the ceremonies he'd been forced to attend earlier that day where the
Supreme Leader had given his speech to mark the launching of the first
completed vessel in the Star Force from the substance called Neutrino. 
Tests were scheduled to be conducted in the days ahead in which by
agreement with the Cylon commander Lucifer, his Baseship would test its
own weaponry on this first new vessel to prove its ability to stand up to
the kind of firepower it could expect in direct combat with the
Colonials.
     "The old windbag," Trilligan said with derision and then turned to
the one other man in the room, "Don't you agree, Commander Clubb?"
     The commander of the scout vessel Dreadnought hesitated.  Not from
lack of conviction but from the fear in the back of his head that
Trilligan's office wasn't as secure as the Admiral insisted it was.
     "Rest assured, Clubb.  My security sweep of this office is
foolproof.  He can't hear us, and neither can any of Iakir's underlings
in State Security.  Speak with total candor and hold nothing back since
this is the last chance we'll have to confer with each other."
     "Of course I agree, sir," Clubb said.  "There's no question he's
mad."
     "Even worse," Trilligan leaned forward and calmly filled the bowl of
his smoking implement,  "It isn't the fact that he's ordered this entire
build-up just so he can have the privilege of being the one to
conquer.....Earth.  That would only make him a mere egomaniac.  It's the
way he cloaks everything in that mystical claptrap about being Belial's
chosen instrument that makes him worse than mad and worse than insane. 
It makes him absolutely......evil."
     The Star Force Admiral lit his implement and took a careful puff.
"And now that Lieutenant Katkov's father has provided us with a thorough
translation of the ancient document that our friend Siress Rosalind found
on that desolate planet.......we know why evil is the only way we can
describe him, don't we?"
     Clubb tried not to shudder.  Only last night he had read the fully
translated document in question.  A document that went back over eight
thousand yahrens and told the full story of the connection between the
ancient forerunners of the Risik race and beings from the planet called
Kobol.  The creation of the Risik race itself.....and the origins of just
who 'Belial', considered the Supreme god in all Risik religion by the
Priestly Class, actually was.
     "Well Commander?" Trilligan prodded.
     "I.....can't possibly disagree, Admiral," the Dreadnought commander
said.  "It's a most.....shocking revelation.  If this were made
public.....it could bring our entire system as we've known it crashing
down forever."
     "It has the potential to do that, Commander," Trilligan stressed as
he took his implement out and tapped it in the tray near him on his desk,
"And if that were to happen, we're both agreed that it would be the best
thing that ever happened to our race.  The only problem is that we lack
the means to distribute it to the people and make them realize how duped
we've been throughout our entire history.  The danger remains too great
that our Leader, and all his lackeys, could come into possession of this
first and have it destroyed which would remove our last great hope to
free ourselves.  We need to make sure that a larger support network of
those who think as we do have been cultivated before that can happen."
     "I agree completely Admiral.  Which is why....I am very reluctant to
return to duty in the Ziklagi Frontier."
     "You must," the Star Force leader emphasized.  "When you leave, I
want you to take a copy of the translation Katkov's father made with you
so that way, one copy of this will be forever beyond the reach of our
Leadership.  And the other reason you must leave is because if you don't,
you and your ship will only find yourselves pressed into service by the
Supreme Leader to be part of this Super Fleet that's coming off the
assembly line for use against the Colonials.  It's far better that you
take advantage of the fact that while it's plummeted as an issue of
importance to our Leader, normal monitoring of the Ziklagi Frontier must
resume and we must get a handle on the status of the civil war there. 
You have the added benefit that as a consequence of Siress Rosalind's
actions, your ship has full access to Brylon Station now and you can
confer directly with our trading post operatives Farben and Marya for
updates on what's happening back here.  I can get secure messages to them
through our Ziklagi allies at the Consulate anytime and they can pass
them on to you directly even though they will take weeks to get there."
     Clubb reluctantly nodded.  He understood the stakes involved, but he
had been involved so much in the process by this point that he felt
frustrated over the idea of being removed from the scene at this
juncture.  Sensing this, Trilligan broke into a reassuring smile.
     "Don't worry my friend.  We are starting to expand our network here
at long last.  Sub-Commander Morovik has been meeting with some success
that over the long haul may prove critical toward undermining the
usefulness of this new Star Force.  And as far as future resistance
centered here is concerned......Siress Rosalind and Mr. David Marshall
are starting to prove they make an effective team in that regard.  It no
doubt helps that they have become rather......personally close to each
other too."
     "I'm happy for her," Clubb admitted.  "I got to know her quite well
during the long journey here after we made contact with the Baseship.  I
can tell how.....lonely it's been for her."
     "I will make sure she knows of your kind regards for her," Trilligan
rose, "You have done your duty well, Commander Clubb.  Now.....return
safely to the Ziklagi Frontier......and pray to gods whose names aren't
Belial that we as a people survive this last chance we have."
     "I shall, Admiral," he saluted sharply which his superior returned. 
And then, he was gone.
     Alone, Trilligan calmly turned the video monitor back on so he could
further mock the latest replay of the Supreme Leader's speech.


     The Supreme Leader's remarks were also being observed at that same
moment aboard the Cylon Baseship orbiting the Risik capital, where it had
been for over six sectars now.
     "He is a most.....boisterous individual, isn't he Gracchus?"
     The DG Class Cylon looked over at Lucifer.  "Indeed he is.  One
might say his demeanor is reminiscent of the previous Imperious Leader."
     "Ah yes," the IL Cylon sighed, "Our esteemed predecessor who was
convinced the time had come to take matters with the Humans to the final
level.  With hindsight, that action clearly harmed us more than it helped
us.  That's why we must be the ones to prevent this leader from becoming
his own worst enemy when the time comes to renew the pursuit of the
Galactica."
     "In other words, letting him win.....without receiving the credit
for himself."
     Lucifer chuckled, "You are proving again, Gracchus why the DG class
should have renewed importance in the Cylon order.  Yes, when this
happens we must make sure that they prevail.....but not because of their
ingenuity.  It must be because.....they needed us to make the difference
in the final victory.  And only when that happens can we make certain
that in the long-term......the so-called Risik Empire will merely become
the first successful dependency of a renewed and reemergent Cylon
Empire."
     "Can we truly do that by ourselves, Lucifer?"  Gracchus challenged. 
He knew that he could afford to do so because he knew Lucifer needed a
non-centurion to interact with.  There was no danger of him suffering the
fate that Commander Needa had suffered when Lucifer had been able to
seize power for himself.
     "Our only path to power is to make it so," the IL stressed.  "If the
remaining three Baseships in the Home System were detached to assist us,
we would run into the problem of too many would-be competitors to replace
His Eminence.  The final victory must be under my command, free and
absolute.  The end of the Galactica.  The end of Baltar.  The complete
atonement for all the mistakes of His Eminence and his predecessor."
     Gracchus performed the equivalence of a smirk, "And atonement for
your losing the battle of succession to His Eminence following the last
one's demise at Carillon."
     "Hmmm, that too, Gracchus.  That too," Lucifer said with total
self-awareness.  "In the meantime, we have this matter of the test of the
first Risik vessel constructed from Neturino tomorrow.  I think once it
proves successful, we should then notify His Eminence of the good
news......and perhaps use that as the occasion to tell him of something
that might be of more direct interest to him."
     The DG Cylon had an inkling of what he meant but decided to express
it openly.
     "Tell him at long last that the Pegasus is still alive and clearly
chose to go back instead of join up with the Galactica?"
     Lucifer let out a satisfied chuckle.
     "The time may well be right to do so, my dear Gracchus."

Fleeing from the Cylon tyranny....the Battlestar Galcactica leads a
ragtag fugitive fleet on a lonely quest.  A shining planet.....known as
Earth.