Date: Mon, 21 Oct 1996 10:59:39 -0400 (EDT)
From: No One Important <jchin01@kepler.poly.edu>
Subject: BG-TNG.003

              BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: THE NEXT GENERATION

The surviving MAIN characters are IMMORTAL!!! They cannot be killed, but CAN be 
temporarily disabled/comatose, if you get my meaning. Any volunteers to kill 
off Baltar? That is the only death of a main character permitted.
  Crossovers are permitted, but BE CAREFUL!!! A crossover with:
  . Star Trek: Captain Kirk, The Next Generation, or Deep Space Nine,
  . Babylon 5,
  . Space: Above and Beyond
  . Other shows that the location of the planet Earth is known
will put an end to this series (Because they would have found Earth!) Advisable 
crossovers may be with:
  . Star Trek: Voyager,
  . Perhaps a lost Klingon or Romulan vessel of some sort trying to find its
      way home.
  . Space: 1999
  . Star Wars would probably be a great one...
  . Or, even the U.S.S. Hera. In an ep of ST:TNG ("Interface") It was commanded
      by Captain Sylvia LaForge, and has a woman chief engineer. It was never
      found.
  . Or, a run-in with Q?
  . A crossover with Lost in Space may be good.
Remember that the Galactica cannot ever find Earth so that we can keep adding
stories.
  Also, keep in mind that this takes place 17 yahrens after the original BG 
series, and of course, ignoring BG80. Also, see the first story, "The 
Thirteenth Colony's Rest Stop."
  e-mail me at
    jchin01@kepler.poly.edu
  Here, it took a lot of willpower and concentrating to prevent this from being 
an alt.sex.stories type of episode:)
Well, Here we go...

#3

There are those who believe that life here began out there, far across the 
universe, with tribes of humans who may have been the forefathers of the 
Egyptians, or the Toltecs, or the Mayans. That they may have been the 
architects of the great pyramids, or the lost civilizations of Lemuria or 
Atlantis.
  Some believe that there may yet be brothers of man who even now fight to 
survive, somewhere beyond the heavens.


                BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: THE NEXT GENERATION
                         OLYMPIA, Part I
                           Written by
                            Joe Chin

                  Based on Battlestar Galactica
                           Created by
                         Glen A. Larson

Apollo's Journal
It has been only a few sectares since becoming commander of the Galactica. 
Things have gone smoothly so far, but I'm not so sure how ready I am to be the 
leader of the only battlestar in the fleet, and because we are still under 
martial law, even after seventeen yahrens, leader of the entire rag-tag 
fugitive fleet of humanity. But- as the eight members of the Council of Twelve 
said, I'm the best man for the job, and I also have the support of my family 
and friends, and the all of the colonial warriors under my command. I just hope 
that I don't let the entire fleet down, especially since we are still being 
sought out by the Cylons.
  As for the fleet itself, we have been lucky. Seventeen yahrens ago, my father 
led two-hundred-twenty unarmed or minimally armed vessels from our homeworlds. 
Today, we have only lost four to time's wear and deterioration, five when we 
consider the Cylon attack when we stopped at the Ching Empire's Homeworld. BUT- 
with their advanced technology, they repaired that one vessel for us.

"Well, Gaylin," Apollo said to the terminal in front of him. "Knowing that I'm 
the commander of the Galactica is really keeping me on my toes."
  The elder man on the screen laughed. *You'll do fine, Apollo. Ten years as a 
colonel, especially a hard man like Tigh would make you more than qualified. 
Congratulations... COMMANDER.*
  "Thank you, Sire."
  With that, the screen went blank.
  He turned to Athena, and said, "The new communication systems are pretty 
good, Athena. Aren't they?"
  "Yes, Apollo. The need for these phones are no more." She held out the 
headphones with the mouthpiece. "I understand that it took Dr Wilker and his 
team many trials to get it right... I remember trying it out on the Celestra 
many times. There was either feedback, or there was so much echo that we could 
not understand each other."
  "Well, he did finally get it perfect. I have to see him and shake his hand 
for that one of these sectons."
  "Yes, I also heard that he designed his own wheelchair, and the electronics 
team built it for him."
  "I heard that as well. And the computer system, with help from Omega and 
Boomer."
  Starbuck noticed it first. Out in front of them was a drifting battlestar. 
"Apollo, look." He pointed to the front window. Everyone looked, and saw the 
drifting battlestar.

Boxey and Boomer arrived on the bridge. Apollo pointed out the window, and they 
both looked at the drifting battlestar. Boxey said, "I thought all of the 
battlestars were destroyed."
  "Apparently not, but we know that THAT battlestar is dead. I want you to 
investigate it, but be careful; it may be a Cylon trap."
  "Of course," replied Boomer.

Sheba met Boxey and Boomer in the viper bay, and handed helmets to both, Boomer 
and Boxey. "I wish I was going with you two, but I have to train these new 
viper pilots."
  "They're a fine bunch of youngsters, Captain," said Boomer.
  "Yes they are," said Sheba. She turned to Boxey, and said "Good luck, Boxey, 
and take care of Captain Boomer."
  They both chuckled, and Boxey said, "I'll see you when we get back."
  They both climbed into vipers, and Sheba walked away.

*Recon vipers two and three ready to launch.* That was Boomer's voice.
  "You're clear to launch, recon vipers two and three."

One viper started moving, and went through the launch tube in a flash, followed 
by the other one.

Out in space, the two vipers streaked by, one behind the other.
  *Better activate your CORA,* advised Boomer into his helmetcom. *If it is a 
Cylon trap, we'll need her help to get us out of there.*
  *Yes, Captain... CORA activated,* answered Boxey.
  In Boomer's viper, Boomer flipped the switch to his CORA unit, and it said to 
him, *Are you heading towards that other battlestar?*
  *Yes, CORA,* answered Boomer. *I'm switching you on just for in case it turns 
out to be a Cylon trap. I'll need YOU to get us outta there if it is.*
  *All right, Boom-Boom. I'll blow the pogees out of them with the lasers if 
there ARE Cylons around there.*
  Boxey was also having his own conversation with his CORA unit. *I want us 
OUTTA there if it turns out to be a Cylon trap, CORA.*
  *Sure, Box... as long as you can make it back into this viper before they 
blow the pogees out of you.*
  They approached the front section of the landing bay of the derelict 
battlestar. The name OLYMPIA was on it. They went around it, and came back to 
where they approached it. Then they went in for the landing.

Inside, the vipers landed with the floodlights lighting up the pitch-black 
landing bay. They came to a full stop, Boomer looked around from inside of his 
viper. Boxey did the same.
  There were vipers around, but no people at all. It was as if the battlestar 
was abandoned.
  *There is NO life support,* pointed out CORA.
  *Thanks, CORA,* said Boomer.
  Boxey pressed the button to open the cockpit of his viper, but nothing 
happened. *I would not do that if I were you, Box... Life support is offline.*
  Boxey could not say anything, but was thankful that CORA was there to prevent 
him from getting himself killed. Death would have come quickly from lack of 
oxygen and the coldness of space, but when actually facing that kind of 
death...
  Boomer's voice brought him back to the present. *We've better return to the 
Galactica to give them what we found, Boxey. I cannot interface CORA with the 
Olympus' computer systems because there is no power to them. Perhaps we could 
get a specially-equipped team to restore power and see what happened here.*
  *Aye, Captain,* answered Boxey.
  The two vipers activated their turbos to launch out of the Olympia's viper 
bay.

Apollo and Starbuck looked out the window at the derelict battlestar. "I wonder 
which one it was," said Apollo. "There were a total of eight battlestars 
destroyed at the peace conference seventeen yahrens ago, the Galactica was the 
only one that made it out intact, and-"
  "The Pegasus," said Starbuck. "Wait. Nine battlestars at the peace 
conference, eight were destroyed, and we got away, which makes nine. The 
Pegasus makes ten..." His voice trailed off.
  Omega consulted a computer console. He looked at the listing of the 
battlestars. Then he said, "Commander... Colonel... That may either be the 
Pegasus, Olympia, or the Prometheus. Contact was lost with all three of them, 
and they were presumed destroyed. First the Pegasus, when the three battlestars 
had it out with a fleet of Cylon basestars. Commander Peebles thought that the 
Pegasus rammed the last basestar at Molokai. Then the Prometheus and the 
Olympus went their separate ways, never to be heard from again."
  Then Athena announced, "Recon vipers two and three returning from the 
derelict battlestar. They request clearance to land."
  Apollo nodded to Rigel.
  Rigel responded, into her station, "Clearance to land granted, Recon Vipers 
Two and Three."

Sheba awaited them in the vipers' return as soon as she heard that they were 
given clearance to land. The cadets stood behind her as the vipers came to a 
full stop. She turned to the cadets and said, "Our vipers are all equipped with 
a 'computer oral response activator,' or 'CORA' who can just as easily land the 
viper for you. But- you have to learn how to land a viper without CORA, just in 
case..."
  Boomer and Boxey came up to her, and knowing why she was REALLY in the 
landing bay was because she wanted to get the news on whether or not it was the 
Pegasus adrift and lifeless out there.
  "That is the Battlestar Olympus out there, Sheb-" Boxey realized that he was 
talking to a superior officer in front of cadets, and had to set an example. 
"-Captain Sheba. There is no sign of life on it at all."
  "I didn't know anyone on that battlestar," said Sheba. "The last I had heard 
that the Olympus, Prometheus, and the Pegasus went off in space together twenty 
yahrens ago, and we all went our separate ways. At Molokai, we battled eight 
basestars. Then as we fired missiles at the last basestar, my father had the 
Pegasus go to light speed as the basestar exploded."
  Boxey noticed one of the cadets, a young woman named Toria. She had taken a 
liking to Boxey in the past, a liking that pleased Boxey. A liking to the 
eldest son of, then, the colonel and executive officer of the only war vessel 
in the fleet. Boxey winked at her.

{Boxey and Sheba watched the simulation of Toria in a lone viper having it out 
with a mess of Cylon raiders on several screens. One screen showed a series of 
blips, the triangle being her viper, and circles being Cylon raiders trying to 
shoot her down. Two others showed video-camera shots of her in the replica of a 
cockpit of a viper.
  On the third screen, her hand pressed the turbo button on the steering stick. 
On the first screen, the triangular blip moved from left to right as two 
circles closed in on each other into one circle, and then vanished.
  Back to the third screen, she pressed the laser button. The first screen 
showed two circular blips in front of the moving triangle disappear.
  Afterwards, from Toria's vision, there were several Cylon raiders revolving, 
around nothing in the center and firing lasers. She moved her steering stick, 
and moved off to the right, and then approached from the side, firing her 
lasers and taking out the entire wave of raiders.
  "Whew!" she said. 
  But- two Cylon raiders approached her from behind, and both fired. That set 
off alarms, and then the simulation ended.
  Toria climbed out of the cockpit of the make-shift viper, and walked out 
through the door.
  In the room nextdoor, Sheba said, "The first person to ever surpass your time 
OR score, Boxey."
  Boxey said, "She surpassed both. And she had a great teacher."
  "Thank you, Boxey."
  Toria entered the room. "How did I do?"
  She took one look at Boxey, and said, "Ensign?" A look of embarrassment swept 
across her face. "You didn't see that careless move I made?"
  "Don't worry, Cadet," said Boxey. "Yes, I did see it, but- I got destroyed in 
the simulation because instead of hitting the fire button, I hit the turbos 
instead, and rammed the Cylon fighter I was supposed to be firing at."
  Toria giggled. "I was careless, and wasn't watching what I was doing."
  Sheba cut in. "Boxleitner, this is Toria, one of the best cadets. She is 
almost ready to join one of the squadrons."
  "The... Boxleitner? The Colonel's son?" asked the cute cadet.
  "Yes, Cadet, and you're the only one who has beaten my time span or score. 
Actually, you've beaten them both. Good going, Cadet."
  "Call me Toria, please... Or I'll have to call you 'Ensign,' Boxey."
  They both laughed.
  "All right, Toria. Dinner tonight? We can talk about our adventures as 
cadets."
  She smiled. "Oh, that's sweet. Yes."
  Sheba got up and said, "I'll leave you two alone for now. Just don't make a 
mess of the place." With that, she walked out.}

"... Boxey?... Galactica to Sergeant Boxleitner," said Boomer.
  "Yes, Captain?" Obviously, Boxey was brought back to the present by Boomer.
  "Shouldn't we report our findings to your father? I already downloaded the 
findings of your and my vipers' CORA units into the Galactica's computer."
  "Uh, yes, Captain."
  Boxey and Boomer walked out. Toria gave Boxey a wink, and he returned a nod 
and half a smile.
  Another woman cadet nudged Toria. "Toria... Are you aware that the sergeant 
that you popped your eyes out of happens to be Boxleitner, the Commander's 
son?"
  Toria turned to her. "Yes, Deedra. And I'm the only one who has surpassed him 
in the simulation test."
  "CADETS!" yelled Sheba.
  They both sheepishly looked at her.
  "That's enough." Then she said, "All right, Cadets... Dismissed."
  Toria walked over to Sheba, and quietly asked her, "That wasn't your father's 
battlestar out there, was it, Captain?"
  "No, it was the Olympus. We last heard from it twenty yahrens ago, before the 
Cylons destroyed our homes in the Twelve Colonies."
  "Captain, based on the required readings, I'm sure that your father is still 
out there... being a nuisance to the Cylons."
  "I hope so." Sheba changed the subject. "By the way... I saw you making eyes 
at and flirting with Sergeant Boxey- I mean Sergeant Boxleitner. I know, you've 
never misbehaved before, but I'm only going to say this once. You are a cadet 
in the Colonial squadrons, with other cadets. Not a little kid with a bunch of 
little children."
  "I know, Captain, and I'm sorry. I couldn't help it. He started it."
  "Boxey isn't like that, and if he did, it doesn't mean that you should play 
along. Acknowledge his presence. Don't encourage him. By the way, it seems that 
your schedules prevent you two from seeing more of each other. I'll talk it 
over with Commander Apollo... See what he can do."
  "Thank you, Captain."
  "Now, Captain Boomer is probably giving Sergeant Boxey a similar lecture, 
with him being a sergeant and all... He should set the example for you cadets. 
Yes, even though he IS Commander Apollo's son. As a
dinner together once, but because of our schedules, we haven't really been able 
to get together again."
  "Well, Boxey. I'm sure that you know that what you did in the launch bay was 
wrong."
  "Yes. I know. I'm supposed to set an example for these cadets, and there I 
was, acting like a little kid."
  "Yes, Boxey. Especially because you ARE the son of the commander of the 
Galactica. It does not give you more freedom... It means that it is even MORE 
important for you to behave."
  The commander's son, thought Boxey. It was not as great as it sounded.

Boomer and Boxey arrived on the bridge. Apollo and Starbuck approached. Boomer 
said, "It is as if all the personnel abandoned the battlestar. All of the 
vipers and shuttles were still there, but no people... And no power."
  "We know," said Starbuck.
  Apollo said, "Omega uploaded the data gathered by your vipers' CORA systems. 
It is as if the power systems shut down as well."
  Sheba marched in with Toria following behind her. She bypassed Apollo, 
Starbuck, and Boomer, and went straight over to Boxey. "Boxey!" she started. 
She was in no moods for formalities or titles. "Who started that little 
frakkin' flirtatious felbecarb with Toria in the viper bay?"
  Boomer and Boxey looked at each other, and then both answered simultaneously.
  Sheba was able to pick out Boomer's "He did," and Boxey's "I did."
  Meanwhile, Apollo and Starbuck turned around to a computer terminal, both of 
them stifling their snickers and giggles at what they heard. Sheba was raving 
mad, and they did not need to anger her further by their laughter, even though 
they were her superiors.
  Meanwhile, Sheba was lecturing Boxey. "You're a SERGEANT now, Boxey. Not a 
first-yahren cadet. On top of that, YOU- are the Commander's eldest son. YOU- 
set the example for these cadets."
  Boomer almost failed at keeping himself from breaking into a fit of laughter.
  Starbuck and Apollo got their desire to laugh somewhat under control, and was 
trying to analyze the data from recon vipers two and three without much 
success. Their concentration on the task at hand helped them with the attempt 
to try not to laugh. Apollo put his finger on the screen, and was about to say 
something to Starbuck...
  "APOLLO!" yelled Sheba. Apparently, she was still in no mood for formalities. 
Then of course, the commander IS her husband.
  Still trying not to laugh, he needed to get annoyed. "WHAAAAaaat!" He noticed 
Cadet Toria. Then it hit him. "You have just gotten through telling the 
sergeant here about setting an example. Like addressing others, particularly 
your superior officers by their titles instead of yelling out their names... 
But then, you ARE the Commander's wife." He looked at her with half a smile.
  "Apparently, it seems that you know about what had happened. Can YOU think 
about an appropriate punishment for Sergeant Boxey and Cadet Toria for their 
game-playing in the viper bay while Captain Boomer and I were trying to hold a 
serious conversation?"
  Starbuck and Apollo looked at each other. Starbuck thought of it. "These 
Olympus records were probably kept using the older system from seventeen 
yahrens ago... Before we changed over to the newer systems twelve yahrens ago. 
Perhaps THEY can work on some kind of a program for us so that the Galactica 
computer can read and understand the old data."
  Sheba said, "All right. That sounds reasonable." She turned to Boxey and 
Toria. "Remember. This is your punishment. You two are NOT to talk to each 
other, unless it pertains to the job at hand."
  Apollo said, "And Boxey. You're the superior officer... YOU are in charge of 
the project. And yes, if you need anything, let us know."
  The two of them looked at each other. They walked over to the terminal that 
Apollo and Starbuck was looking at, and started. Toria said, "Battlestar 
computers used what was called the Alpha system during the old days. We now use 
what I call the Boomega system, the reason being that, then, Lieutenants Boomer 
and Omega worked with Dr Wilker on the designing the systems... More efficient 
data storage, a faster system."
  Her voice was music to his ears, and what she said gave him an idea. "So, 
perhaps if we can slow DOWN the Galactica computer, it may..."
  "Not quite. There's more, Sergeant. The Galactica computers use a different 
coding system, something like... a different machine language. Probably, the 
only thing that was NOT changed was the communication codes. It was also 
interfaced with CORA's machine language."
  "How do you know all this?" Boxey was amazed. He looked at Starbuck, Apollo, 
and Boomer.
  "She's right, you know," said Boomer. "We did it so that the Galactica can be 
a more efficient warship."
  Boxey felt somewhat inadequate. First she beat his simulation scores, and 
now, she just revealed that he knew more about the inner workings of Galactica. 
Then Boxey came up with an idea. "Do we have any of the old Galactica computer 
systems stored somewhere? Perhaps if we can interconnect a terminal to both 
systems..."
  "Great idea," said Toria. Her eyes were like two brightly shining stars to 
Boxey.
  Meanwhile, Sheba and Apollo talked. "I'm sorry, Apollo. I was just upset with 
the incident. And it wasn't even anything to make such a big deal about."
  Apollo knew just what was on her mind. "Boomer and Boxey had confirmed that 
it is not the Pegasus out there. But- I still have a feeling that we will meet 
up with it again. And Commander Cain will be as alive and well as he EVER was. 
That was why I did not release you from your duties to the cadets to allow you 
to go on the mission."
  Apollo and Sheba walked off the bridge holding hands. Boxey and Toria both 
saw that. Boxey walked over to Omega and asked, "Omega, do you still have any 
of the pertinent parts or intact systems of the old Galactica computer?"
  "Well, some of the parts were still able to be used in the new system. You'll 
have to go and see Dr Wilker about getting an old system. If I'm right, an old 
terminal and processing unit will do... You just need some kind of interface to 
connect to the uh, what Cadet Toria calls the Boomega system. I believe that is 
your job: building the interface."

Apollo and Sheba arrived at their quarters. Troy and Hera were both having an 
argument.
  "It is not."
  "It is so."
  "No it isn't"
  "Yes it is."
  They both looked up at their parents, and got worried about their mother, 
thus forgetting about what they were arguing about.
  "Mother, what's wrong?"
  "Don't worry, Mother... It will all work out just fine."
  Sheba had told them that at times of trouble, and here was one of them, 
telling her that.
  Then Troy asked the magic question: "Was that the Pegasus out there?"
  "How did YOU know, Troy," asked Sheba.
  "We heard Uncle Starbuck over the comm thing when he called Boxey on it to 
tell him what he had to do," answered Troy.
  Apollo squatted down to Troy, and said, "No, it was the Olympus. It was sent 
on a mission about twenty yahrens ago, at the same time the Pegasus and the 
battlestar Prometheus were sent out. They traveled in space together, and the 
last time we heard from it was when the two battlestars went their separate 
ways to go onto their missions."

Boxey and Toria went into a shuttle to go to the Celestra. Boxey had a great 
deal to talk to Toria about, but he remembered Captain Sheba's strict orders of 
not talking about ANYTHING other than the job at hand. Instead, he allowed her 
stand by to pilot the shuttle.
  He hit a button on the console in front of him and said, "Shuttle One ready 
to launch."
  Rigel's voice responded, *Shuttle One, you're clear to launch.*
  He hit a button again, and said, "Acknowledged," Then he turned to Toria on 
her left and said, "Take us out, Cadet."
  As she manipulated controls on her console, she said, "Yes, Sir. Initiating 
launch sequence."
  Boxey sat back and relaxed as Toria manually guided the shuttle out of the 
launch bay, and into space. After that, Boxey thought of it. "Toria, if you 
want to make things easier, you can activate CORA. The switch is on your 
right."
  "I prefer piloting the shuttle myself, Boxey- I mean Sergeant. It keeps me 
more... awake," she said. "By the way, I think that it will take more than a 
terminal from the old computer system to interface with the new systems. What 
we need to do is to find a way to translate data from the old system to our 
present system."
  "Well, that is our what we need to build. But, you know, Toria, if I didn't 
know any better, I think that they are just trying to torture us with this 
assignment."
  "Well, Sir. Orders are orders."
  They approached the landing bay of the Celestra.

Starbuck and Boomer were listening to the conversation in the shuttle. They 
heard Boxey say, *Slow down, Toria, or we'll crash in the landing bay instead 
of landing in it.*
  *Don't worry, Boxey. I know what I'm doing. I've done this many times 
already. It has been called, 'Landing, pattern Toria.'*
  Boomer and Starbuck looked at each other.
  Boomer said, "I hate to say this, but the present system CAN translate data 
from the old system. Even if it did not, we can activate one of the spare CORA 
units to do the task."
  Starbuck said, "Apollo, Sheba and I know that. The commander and I were 
trying to translate this manually because we needed to do SOMETHING to keep 
ourselves from breaking out laughing in front of Sheba and the cadet."
  "And, this IS Boxey's first time of being in command."

"I'm sorry," said Sheba, "for getting you upset, Apollo."
  Troy and Hera was with Dillon and Pandora, playing with Muffey, Boxey's 
mechanical pet daggit and old friend from seventeen yahrens ago. That left 
Apollo and Sheba alone for the time being.
  "Sheba..." started Apollo. "I was not upset. I just had to do everything I 
could to keep myself from laughing."
  The two of them laughed.
  "Yes, the entire incident in the landing bay was funny, but we cannot exactly 
laugh at them. After all it was a somewhat serious incident. We have to show 
SOME discipline as Colonial warriors, and with Boxey being the son of the 
commander..."
  "Well, it is Boxey's first command. I think that it will do him good."

Dr Wilker, in his wheelchair, met Sergeant Boxey and Cadet Toria as they came 
out of the shuttle. "Hello, Boxey. Who's that sweet looking young lass?"
  "Dr Wilker, this is Cadet Toria. We came to get some old terminals of the old 
Galactica computer system."
  "Yes. Omega told us."
  Boxey went behind the wheelchair to push Dr Wilker along. Toria followed them 
as they moved along.
  "Thank you, Boxey," said Dr Wilker. "You know, Boomer, Omega and I had 
already designed and built interface circuitry to convert the data from the old 
system to the new system, and back."
  Toria responded, "You have?"
  "How do you think that we were able to restore the entire library into the 
system?" answered Dr Wilker. "If I didn't know better, I would think that you 
two were either being tested or punished. But- let me assure you. It's not 
hard."
  They turned the corner to his lab. Boxey wheeled him to his table, and Dr 
Wilker said, "Thank you for wheeling me here, my young friend."
  Dr Wilker pointed to a pile of junk equipment, and said, "There are several 
terminals from the old system in that pile, my young friend. Knock yourself 
out."
  Boxey and Toria went over to the pile, and pulled out three of them, and 
several other components.
  They placed it by the door, and then Toria went out to get a cart to bring 
the stuff to the shuttle.
  "Come here, Boxey," ordered Dr Wilker.
  Boxey went to him as Toria loaded the stuff on the cart.
  "Tell me, Boxey," said Dr Wilker. "How is your father and Colonel Starbuck 
treating you?"
  "Pretty good, Sir."
  After Toria was out of the room, Dr Wilker speculated, "This assignment is 
some kind of punishment, is it not?"
  Boxey felt kind of uncomfortable with that.
  "Boomer and Omega could have told them that it was already done, but I think 
that your father and Colonel Starbuck already knew that. What did you do 
wrong?"
  "Well, we flirted a bit in the viper bay while Captains Boomer and Sheba 
talked."
  "Ah," Dr Wilker smiled. "Women can be such trouble. Especially lovely ones 
like her. But- I cannot blame you. I mean-"
  Toria reported, "All the equipment is loaded in the shuttle, Sir."
  Dr Wilker said, "Come here, Cadet. I am going to show you how to build the 
interface unit."
  Toria approached the old man in the wheelchair. Then he spoke. "Well, after 
what I show you, the only hard part is building the unit itself... deciding how 
to wire the circuitry, what parts go where..."
  Dr Wilker and Toria did most of the interacting, and Boxey just watched them 
both, taking in as much as he can..

Apollo and Sheba were back on the bridge. "What's taking them so long?" asked 
Sheba.
  "You know Dr Wilker," said Starbuck. "He probably gets lonely there. It's not 
often that he gets visitors, or leaves the Celestra, especially since his legs 
gave out on him. And, you know Boxey. He's just too polite to tell anyone that 
he has to go. And Toria, she probably does not have the courage to try to get 
things moving along. So, they're all probably talking up a storm."
  "Or Dr Wilker is doing all the talking," commented Apollo, "and Boxey and 
Toria are doing all the listening."
  Boomer interrupted. "Well, you ARE aware that we already have the capability 
to translate the data from the old standard computer system to what we have 
now, and back. Omega, Dr Wilker, and I worked on it."
  Starbuck said, "We know that. We just needed to discipline Boxey and Cadet 
Toria. Toria IS great when it comes to computers, and this IS Boxey's first 
time at being in command of an assignment that would take more than one person 
to accomplish. I think that they will both get something out of it."
  "Well, that is, if Dr Wilker does not give them the answers they need," said 
Apollo.
  "Well," said Omega. "The answer is pretty easy. The hard part is implementing 
it. Boomer, Dr wilker and I had lots of problems there."
  Just then, they heard Toria's voice over the comm system. *Shuttle One to 
Galactica. Request clearance to land.*
  Rigel looked at Apollo, Starbuck, Boomer and Athena. All four of them nodded 
their approval.
  Rigel answered into the comm system, "You're clear to land, Shuttle One."

In the landing bay, Boomer and another Colonial warrior were there to greet 
them. As soon as they both carefully wheeled the cart off the shuttle, Boomer 
asked, "Did Dr Wilker give you advice?"
  Boxey and Toria looked at each other. "Yes, Captain," answered Boxey.
  Well, you both may know the circuitry involved to make it work, but- the hard 
part was the programming, and a few other things that you'll find out about the 
high speed of the data."
  "Boomer," said Boxey. "Dr Wilker also said that you, he and Omega already 
have a system to convert the data from the old Galactica computer system to our 
present one. Why are we doing it again?"
  "Because, of Toria's and your behavior in the landing bay. By the way, Ensign 
Kritter here heard about it, and said that he wanted to help. I leave him in 
your capable hands, Sergeant Boxey." With that, Boomer walked away. Then he 
turned around and said, "The Galactica's computer system is at your disposal, 
Boxey. But be careful." Then he was out the doorway and away.
  Ensign Kritter said, "I'm pretty good with programming, Sergeant." He paused. 
"If you'll have me."
  Boxey and Toria looked at each other, and she said, "You're in command, 
Boxey."
  Boxey said, "All right, Ensign. Welcome to the punishment project."
  They all laughed.

"As my CORA unit revealed from a sensor sweep on the Olympus, there was plenty 
of tylium aboard the battlestar." Boomer was in a meeting with Apollo and 
Starbuck. Sheba, Bojay, Cassiopeia, and Omega, Greenbean, and Jolly, and Dietra 
were also present.
  "It was as if... either everyone died instantly, or just abandoned it. All of 
the of the shuttles and half of the viper fleet were also gone. So, the 
question is, what happened?"
  "Well, as soon as Boxey, Toria and Ensign Kritter are finished with their 
punishment assignment," said Starbuck, "I would like to send or take a team 
over there, and perhaps recover the Olympus. We can definitely use another 
battleship in the fleet."
  "Well, if we can get the Olympus powered up," said Omega, "we can recover the 
journals of the commander, and hopefully, we will have the answers."
  "True," said Apollo. "If we can get the battlestar powered up and space 
worthy and battle worthy..." He turned to Starbuck. "Choose your executive 
officer, Colonel."
  Starbuck said, "I choose Boomer." It was evident that he was bothered by that 
sudden order. "However, Commander, I would prefer to remain aboard the 
Galactica with YOU."
  Apollo said, "Starbuck, you are the next highest ranking officer aboard the 
Galactica. Sure, Sheba or Boomer can probably handle it, but-"
  "Apollo, I AM honored that you chose me, but, I'm not sure if I'm ready for 
it yet."
  "Trust me, Starbuck. You are. -I- know it, and I'm sure that everyone 
agrees."
  Everyone nodded.
  Starbuck then said, "Yes, Sir."
  Apollo then said, "Choose your crew, Commander." With a half a smile, he 
said, "Just don't take EVERYBODY."
  Everyone laughed.
  Apollo then said, "See what can be done. If we can have the battlestar space 
worthy and battle-ready, then the first thing we need is communication. Next is 
propulsion. After that, is weapons, even if we have to fire the laser turrets 
manually, it's better than nothing." He then turned to Sheba. "Sheba, how many 
vipers do we have aboard the Galactica?"
  "I cannot give an exact number, but we have a total of about two hundred 
fifty in both viper bays."
  "Two hundred and fifty?" asked a surprised Boomer.
  "Well, we have about sixty viper pilots on each squadron." said Sheba. "Blue 
squadron has about sixty."
  "That is about right," said Boomer.
  "Silver Spar Squadron also has about sixty."
  Bojay nodded.
  "And Dietra's Strike Squadron has about fifty."
  "Strike Squadron?" asked Greenbean and Jolly simultaneously.
  "That's the name that Captain Dietra chose for her squadron. She says that, 
'It sounds more prestigious than Reserve Squadron.'"
  All eyes were on Captain Dietra.
  "Well," said Dietra. "That is what we do... When reinforcements are needed, 
we go out there and strike HARD."
  Everyone looked a each other. Apollo said, "Boxey was on it for a short 
while. He would verify that what she says makes sense. As a matter of fact, he 
was the one who called it Strike Squadron."
  Sheba then got back to the point. "What I am trying to say is that we have 
more vipers than qualified fighter pilots to fly them."
  Apollo then said, "We'll have to break up Strike Squadron, and split them 
between Blue Squadron and Silver Spar Squadron. Starbuck. Take Blue squadron to 
the Olympus. And get the repairs as ordered."
  Boomer said, "I did not say that the battlestar could be repaired and made 
battle-worthy."
  Starbuck said, "We'll do what we can. If we cannot get it battle-worthy, then 
we'll just bring back whatever we can, and destroy the battlestar before the 
Cylons get their hands on it."
  Apollo nodded his approval. He then said, "Anybody want to take a vote and 
choose the new colonel aboard the Galactica?"
  Sheba said, "Bojay."
  Everyone else, albeit not in any harmonious tones, said, "Sheba."
  It was obvious how everyone was voting. He then turned to Sheba, and said, 
"Sheba, you're my new colonel. And, if there is nothing else, dismissed."
  Everybody got up, and filed out of the room, one-by-one, except Starbuck. He 
turned to Apollo, and said, "Apollo... Boxey is on Blue Squadron, Do you really 
want me to take your eldest son?"
  The two of them stared at each other. "Perhaps he can decide for us," said 
Apollo.
  With a half a smile, Starbuck said, "Perhaps HE should be my executive 
officer."
  Apollo smiled, and gently nudged Starbuck out of the meeting room.

On the bridge, Starbuck handed Apollo the listing of people to transfer to the 
Olympus. Cassiopeia also was there. Sheba approached, looking over his shoulder 
at the list.
  Apollo murmured as he looked at the list. "... Captain Dietra... She has come 
a long way from being a mere shuttle pilot." He mumbled a bit more. He then 
looked up, surprised. "Toria???"
  Apollo looked at Starbuck like he was crazy. Then he looked at Sheba. 
"Toria's only a cadet!" he turned to Sheba. "Do you think that she could handle 
it?"
  "She did not completely finish her training yet, but she does not have too 
much more to go, but, she is no doubt ready for full Ensign. And, complete the 
last bit of training to become a Colonial warrior. She's just waiting for her 
friends to be ready."
  Starbuck said, "She's probably decided that she wanted to remain head of her 
class before having to start from the bottom again."
  Just then, Athena interrupted. "Commander... Colonel... I just heard from 
Boxey that they have completed the... punishment project?"
  "Great," said Starbuck.
  Apollo gave Starbuck a pat on the back, and said, "Well, good luck, 
'Commander.'" He turned to Athena, and said, "Athena, have Boxey, Toria and 
Kritter report to me."

Boxey met Apollo in on the bridge. Toria and Kritter wheeled in a terminal set 
up on the top of a cart. There was a box-shaped device on the lower shelf, with 
wires and cables connecting to the terminal. Kritter and Toria arranged the 
unconnected cables and wiring, and proceeded to connect it to the main computer 
on the bridge.
  "I understand that you've had help, Boxey," said Apollo.
  "Yes. Dr Wilker gave me plenty of advice, and Kritter joined us."
  "Well, Boxey. You did well on your first real command."
  Thank you, Father."
  "Now, you are aware that Starbuck will be promoted to Commander if he can 
activate the Olympus and have it battle-worthy and ready to join the fleet. 
Starbuck would like to have you, Toria and Kritter on transferred to the 
Olympus, but at the same time, he does not like the idea of separating a 
family."
  "But Toria's only a cadet," pointed out Boxey.
  "Yes, she does not have too much to go, but- she is ready for active duty. 
But back to what we decided to do.
  "In the end, we both decided that we would let you decide, Now, you have a 
choice here. Would you like to transfer to the Olympus? Or would you like to 
remain here?"
  "Well, I don't know. It is great working with all of you, but, sometimes, 
even though you and Sheba haven't shown favoritism, some of the other warriors 
envy me because I am the son of the Commander."
  "Well, Boxey. I had to face the same thing as well when Grandfather Adama was 
alive. But- he was harder on me, and your uncle Zac when he was alive. I did 
not make captain because he was my father, and all my fellow warriors knew 
that. And, you did not make sergeant because you are my son either. You've 
earned it like everyone else.
  "Now... Whether you go or not, you will still be working with the same people 
that you have been working with, because the only warriors were those aboard 
the Galactica. I also see that while working with Toria, the bonds between you 
and her are even stronger."
  "We uh-"
  Apollo held up his hand. "Kritter wanted to join you when he heard about what 
you were working on. You see, he also helped Dr Wilker, Boomer and Omega when 
we did the same project the first time. That was his way into his cadetship. We 
also gave him an additional assignment. To keep watch over you two, and report 
to us. That's how I know. And, don't be upset with him. He very badly wanted to 
work on the project with you two, and reporting to us was the only way we would 
allow him to do so.
  "Well, Boxey, It's up to you."
  "I think that I'd like to join the Olympus crew."
  "All right, Boxey. Just keep Starbuck and Boomer on their toes." Apollo gave 
Boxey a pat on the back.

The convoy of vipers and a few shuttles launched from the Galactica.

On the dark Olympus, Starbuck, Omega and Rigel were on the bridge, looking 
around with the aid of helmet lights. Omega said into his helmetcom, *These 
consoles look intact, Colonel- uh, Commander.*
  Rigel said, *Yeah, except they all look so... ancient.*
  *That they do,* said Starbuck. *Let's check out the systems inside.*
  *I was going to do that next,* said Omega.

Meanwhile, in a different area of the battlestar, Boomer, Boxey and Toria were 
each carrying stuff down a corridor. They arrived at their desired location. 
*Here is Engineering,* said Boomer into his helmetcom.
  The door was closed; but it was not closed all the way. The door was left 
open a small crack, but still, they had to force it open. Boxey, Boomer, and 
Toria put down their stuff, and got their fingers into the crack, and slowly 
pulled it open.
  When the opening was wide enough, Boomer grabbed the stuff he was carrying, 
and slipped through. Boxey and Toria followed suit.
  Boomer got to the panel he wanted to get to, and started working. As he did 
what he wanted to do, he said, *The proper procedure to reactivate a 
battlestar, by tradition... Life support first, and then communication.*
  *Yes,* said Toria. *First, backup power, then life support. Then 
communication. Uh-*
  *The computer,* said Boxey. *Main power. After that, defenses.*
  Toria completed the listing sequence. *for the defenses, first the 
electromagnetic shielding, and then the weaponry. Last are the engines.*
  *Good, Toria,* commented Boomer. *I see that Boxey has taught you, although 
some of the rough edges must be taken care of. I am going to the bridge to join 
Commander Starbuck. Contact us through the battlestar's comm system when you 
have communications on-line.*
  Boxey and Toria inspected the panel that Boomer was working on. As Boomer 
walked out, someone else was on his way in. *Ah, Ensign Kritter,* said Boomer. 
*You're just in time to help Sergeant Boxey and Toria with repairs. You know 
the proper sequence, right?*
  *Auxiliary power, life support, communications, main computer, main power, 
defenses, and propulsion,* answered Kritter smoothly.
  *Great,* said Boomer. *While I join Commander Starbuck and captains Omega and 
Rigel on the bridge, help out Boxey and Toria.*
  *Yes, Cap- I mean Colonel.*
  Boomer gave Kritter a pat on the back that was barely felt through the 
thickness of the suit he was wearing.

Boomer got to the bridge and joined Starbuck and Omega and Rigel. Rigel was 
seated behind one of the stations, this one, much like Athena's on the 
Galactica. It was different such that it was exactly like that of seventeen 
yahrens ago. Brie took the one that was very much like Rigel's old one on the 
Galactica.
  Suddenly, the red lighting came on. Each of them turned off their helmet 
lights.
  *Life support must be functional now,* said Boomer, as he proceeded to remove 
his helmet. After removing it, he took a breath of air. Then he placed the 
helmets on a nearby console and removed his gloves. The others proceeded to do 
the same.
  After the helmets were removed, Rigel reached over, took the headphones, and 
placed it on her head. Then she adjusted the mouthpiece into its right place.
  "This is like a museum, huh?" commented Starbuck.
  *ENGINEERING TO BRIDGE.*
  "WHAARRHH!"
  That was Toria's voice that everyone from the headphones, loud because the 
volume was turned up so high, and Rigel almost jumping out of the chair from 
the unexpected and loud protocol. Rigel took a deep breath, reached over to the 
station, and turned down the volume.

In the infirmary, Cassiopeia and a few med-techs removed their helmets, and 
placed them on one of the beds. Then they looked around, to see what was 
available.
  "Looks like most of most of the stuff went with them," said one of the 
med-techs. "It also looks like that this place can use a major upgrade."
  Cassiopeia said, "Yes, it does. Well, once the systems are activated, we can 
get to work."

In engineering, Kritter saw a a box, with wiring connected to a panel in the 
wall. He managed to get it opened, and saw a pipe-shaped device inside of it. 
He traced the wiring. "Boxey," he called out. "Take a look at this. I don't 
know what it is."
  Boxey ran over. He said, "Don't touch that. That is a tylium explosive. Once 
that blows, it will take the entire battlestar with it. And, with the amount of 
tylium in storage, probably part of the Galactica and the fleet as well."
  Just then, Toria announced, "I got the main computer ready to go." It then 
was activated. "Hey, it seems to be activating ship-wide communications," she 
cried out. Boxey and Kritter ran over.
  On all of the computer monitors, a man's face appeared on the screen, and he 
started talking. *Activation of the computer means that someone found this 
battlestar. Since that most of this space between the Thirteenth Colony and our 
destroyed colonies has no intelligent life, it means that either the fleet that 
escaped destruction has found this battlestar, or it was found by Cylons.*
  Boxey, Toria and Kritter stared at the monitor.

In the infirmary, Cassiopeia and the medical staff also watched the monitor as 
the man, presumably the battlestar's commander, continued talking.

On the bridge, Starbuck, Boomer, Rigel, Brie, and Omega also watched on.
  *By the proper procedure to activate or reactivate a battlestar is the only 
way to keep this battlestar from self-destructing. Do not proceed any further 
until the explosive has been deactivated. Since no Colonial vessel of any kind 
except a battlestar could have made it this far from the Colonies, I have set 
up three options here.
  *To deactivate the explosive, there are one of three things, each requiring 
two people to do.
  *I know that the Galactica has escaped the destruction of the thirteen 
colonies' homeworlds. Deactivation of the bomb requires either Commander Adama, 
Colonel Tigh, Adama's son, the Captain of Galactica's Blue Squadron, or 
Lieutenant Athena to identify themselves, and for them to recite names of 
Adama's wife and his children.
  *Second Option: Since the Pegasus has been PRESUMED destroyed, it is a 
possibility that it has survived. either Commander Cain, Tolen or Sergeant 
Sheba must identify themselves, and tell us the name of Cain's wife and his 
children.
  *Third Option: There has been no contact with the Prometheus, which, of 
course, was ONLY presumed destroyed. Commander Mercury must be present with his 
colonel Diana, or Sergeant Holly. And, Mercury, I still think that he picked 
her as his colonel out of hormones, but- she is probably the only woman who has 
ever become a colonel aboard a battlestar. You see, I have a woman as my 
colonel now as well. Well, captain Luke can also be here. You also have to 
identify themselves and recite Apollo's wife's name and his children.
  *You have two centars to either come up with the deactivation or shut 
everything down and abandon this vessel leaving everything intact.*

Starbuck and Boomer looked at each other. Starbuck then turned to Rigel and 
said, "Can we contact the Galactica?"
  Rigel said, "We are in range for battlestar-to-battlestar communications."
  "Well, contact them, alpha comline one. Apprise Apollo of our problem."
  "Alpha comline one? That coding and frequency hasn't been used in seventeen 
yahrens."
  "So then, the Galactica will know that it's us."
  "Yes, Sir."

On the Galactica, Athena, Sheba, and Apollo talked about the Olympus 
situation..
  Apollo asked, "Can you handle command and communications and if 
  *It has been even longer for me, Apollo.*
  *Well, if you're out of practice, try activating your CORA unit.*
  *I'll be all right, Athena.*
  They approached the landing bay of the Olympus. Apollo went in first. Athena 
said, *Apollo, slow it down more, before you end up having to launch again.*
  *Too late, Athena. I'll join you in the landing bay shortly.*
  Athena's viper landed with success. She opened her cockpit, and climbed out. 
Then she removed her helmet, and tossed it into the cockpit.
  Finally, Apollo's viper landed successfully, and came to a full stop. Apollo 
climbed out, and then the two started walking.

On the bridge of the Olympus, Apollo and Athena finally arrived. Rigel got up 
and relinquished her seat. Athena sat down, and put on the headphones, and gave 
Apollo a pair as well. She signaled to him.
  "This is Apollo."
  <Voice pattern verified, Captain.> showed up on the screen.
  "I am Athena."
  <Voice pattern verified, Lieutenant.>
  "My father is Adama, my mother is Ila. I am Apollo, my brother is Zac, and my 
sister is Athena."
  <Tylium explosive deactivated.>
  "Woo Hoo!" cried Starbuck. "You did it."
  Everyone smiled and exchanged hugs. Then Athena sat down, and said, "Bridge 
to Engineering."

Toria was still seated at a station in the engineering section when the com 
beeped. Toria said into the mouthpiece, "Engineering. Toria here."
  She listened intensely, and then said, "Thank you, Captain Athena."
  Then she relayed the message to Boxey. Then the they both hugged Kritter. 
After they hugged each other, and then they met with a kiss.

Back on the bridge, Apollo pulled out two small boxes, and handed one to 
Starbuck, and the other to Boomer. "These are yours if you can get the Olympus 
activated and ready to go."
  The two top officers opened the boxes. Starbuck had his commander's pin, and 
Boomer had his colonel's pin. Apollo presented a third box, and said, "Also, 
when you get a chance, give this to Toria. "The eight members of the Council of 
Twelve approved the promotions. But- you have to hand them back if you don't 
get the battlestar space-worthy."
  "Thank you, ol' buddy," said Starbuck. "By the way, he also mentioned Cain 
and Tolen of the Pegasus. A Sergeant Sheba was also mentioned there as well. 
And, commander Mercury of the Prometheus, and his colonel was a woman. Also, a 
Holly was mentioned."
  "Yes... When my father was a Bronze Squadron sergeant aboard the Cerberus, 
his wing mates were Cain and Apollo. My father named his first-born in his 
honor. Lieutenant Apollo died while the three of them were fighting Cylon 
raiders."
  "I thought that Tigh was his best friend," said Boomer.
  "That was later. Cain and my father both took his death pretty hard, Cain, 
especially."
  "Cain transferred to the Pegasus," explained Athena. "To be captain of Gold 
Squadron when his brother made Colonel... I think. I'll have to ask Sheba about 
that."
  "Yes, he did. And, Father became a lieutenant. Then he was transferred to the 
Galactica as captain of Blue Squadron, and Tigh was transferred in as a 
lieutenant from the Bellerephon. I am not sure if any promotion was involved 
with the transfer."
  "Either way," said Starbuck, "it was a good ten years when he was the 
commander of the Galactica. And yes, it has been a few great sectares with you 
in command."
  "Things won't be the same on the Galactica without all of you, but having 
another battlestar in the fleet significantly increases our chances for 
survival. By the way, Starbuck, I am still leader of the entire fleet."
  "I figured that," said Starbuck. "After all, the Galactica is still the 
flagship of the Twelve Colonies."
  "Yes, Starbuck. That's true," said Apollo. "Take care of yourselves."
  "Apollo," chimed Boomer. "You're making it like we'll never see each other 
again."
  "Well," said Athena. "battlestar commanders and colonels very seldom ever get 
to leave their battlestars."
  "Well, we still can talk via comlines, I guess," said Boomer.
  "Enjoy your new ship," said Apollo. With that, Apollo and Athena both started 
walking.
  "Oh, Apollo," called Starbuck.
  They both stopped, and turned around. "Yes."
  "You should have brought a shuttle, because we have so many tanks of tylium, 
and this battlestar has a triple amount the normal supply of missiles that a 
battlestar is normally issued when leaving space dock. Someone also said that 
there's plenty of ambrosia here. Perhaps have someone from the Rising Star pick 
it up."
  "I'll take a shuttle over to transport the stuff. But- in the meantime, I 
would like to know what happened to the original crew of the Olympus. And, if 
you need help, contact Dr Wilker. He will have a team here to render 
assistance."
  "Sure, old friend. Thanks."
  Athena and Apollo finally made their departure.

In the infirmary aboard the Galactica, Dr Joycelyn sat behind Dr Cassiopeia's 
old station. She activated the terminal there, and started looking at what was 
there. The look on her face showed her discomfort of being the new Chief 
Medical Officer of the Galactica.
  Captain Greenbean walked in. "What's wrong, Joycelyn?"
  "Well, I'm nervous."
  "Why? Is it because of the abrupt promotion?"
  "Yes." She thought for a moment. "It's just that... I knew that this would 
happen, being the only other doctor that only answers to Cassie, but- I did not 
expect it to happen so soon."
  "Well, it's not like she'd dead or anything. You hold up well under pressure. 
Sometimes, even better than Cassiopeia herself. Look at it as a challenge. 
You'll do fine. When I first became a captain, I was scared too. At least, if 
you DO make a mistake, it would probably cost only one life. If -I- ever make a 
mistake while out there, it can cost my own life AND the lives of those under 
my command. But- I know. You won't make any mistakes, Joycelyn."
  "Well, thank you for the encouragement. I hope that you're right." She looked 
at Greenbean for a moment. "You know something? Cassie said the same thing to 
me before she left for the Olympus."

Speaking of Cassie, in the infirmary aboard the Olympus, she and her med-techs 
were activating the equipment fixtures aboard the Olympus. One of the med-techs 
said, "We will need help from Dr Wilker to upgrade this place."
   "Well, seventeen yahrens ago, we never had the equipment like what the 
Galactica now has," commented Cassiopeia. "We just had to rely on our hands and 
our judgment more. Until we can get this place upgraded, that's what we'll have 
to do."
  "Yes, Doctor."

On the bridge of the Olympus, Rigel listened intensely. Then she turned to 
Starbuck, and said, "Commander, Toria said that now that the computer up and 
running, but the tylium explosive must be disconnected before restoring main 
power. And, they're afraid to try."
  Starbuck nodded to Omega and Boomer, and then said, "also, I'm not sure if 
Boxey, Kritter and Toria have the know-how to bring Main Power. You may want to 
do that as well."
  "Rigel, we're ready to transmit the logs and the commander's journals to the 
Galactica. Have them come to the bridge, with the computer interface that they 
built."
  "Yes, Sir." With that, she spoke into the mouthpiece.
  "Boomer, I'll send them back to help you out when they get finished here."
  "Yes, Sir," they both chimed back. With that they left.

On the Galactica, Apollo and Athena walked in. "We now have more tylium, and 
more missiles," said Athena. "Gosh, that commander really believed in 
stockpiling. We have more than doubled the supply of missiles and fuel on the 
Galactica. I think that he planned to go out there fighting Cylons, with no 
plans of returning until every last Cylon was destroyed."
  Apollo said, "Well, that was what Commander Cain did. Perhaps he did the same 
thing?" He changed the subject. "We took most of the tylium with us off the 
Olympus... in three trips. It is a great addition to the fleet's fuel supply."
  They all heard Rigel voice over the comm system. *We are ready to play back 
the logs aboard the Olympus and the journals of her previous commander.*
  Apollo, Sheba, and other bridge officers gathered around Athena.

Boomer and Omega got down to engineering, and met Kritter there. They looked at 
the wiring of the explosive connected to main power. Omega said, "All the wires 
are the same color."
  "Well," said Boomer. "We'll have to trace each wire, and disconnect the 
explosive that way. Whoever wired this, must have taken that precaution... Just 
for in case the Cylons happen to use the standard battlestar startup 
procedure."
  "Cylons would have started with main power. That was probably why he wired 
the bomb to it. If we disconnect the wrong wire in the wrong sequence, it'll 
still blow."
  They all looked at the terrified look on Kritter's face, and they both 
laughed.
  "Don't worry, Ensign," said Boomer. "We know what we're doing. We just knew 
you were listening in, and wanted to give you a little scare."
  Boomer and Omega laughed again.
  Kritter looked up at the ceiling with a half a smile.

On the bridge of the Olympus, Toria connected the last cable of the computer 
terminal to the bridge station.
  Boxey, Starbuck and Brie gathered around Rigel.
  "OK," said Starbuck, "Let's start."
  "Yes, Sir," said Toria. Then she flipped a switch and pressed a few buttons 
on the box on the lower deck of the cart, and then a few more on the computer 
terminal.
  Boxey, meanwhile, flipped a few switches and pressed and tweaked a few 
buttons at the station.
  "The logs and journals are being downloaded by the Galactica," reported 
Toria.
  "Once this is done, we can see what happened to the crew of the Olympus."
  "Yeah," said Boomer. "Perhaps they might be able to tell us what happened to 
the Prometheus."
  They all stood there and waited.

To be continued...


#4

                         OLYMPIA Part II

Boomer and Omega was busily working with the tylium explosive that was 
connected to the main power of the Olympus. Kritter stared on, nervously. They 
were down to the last three wires. Omega said, "Boomer, that one first."
  Boomer looked at Omega to see him winking. He caught on. "No, it's that one."
  Kritter was now nervous. Were they joking around? The way they were looking 
at each other, it sure did not look it, but from yahrens upon yahrens of 
playing pyramids, Kritter knew, the angry looks on their faces meant nothing.
  "Boomer, you'll get us all killed. It's this one."
  Kritter was able to hear his heart beating, loudly and clearly.
  NO! Omega... It's-" He yanked at the wire, which disconnected. "-THAT ONE!"
  Kritter winced. They both looked at him, and all three laughed.
  "Well, now, to main power," said Boomer.
  Omega went into the panel. "Boomer. That must be why they abandoned the 
battlestar. Look."
  Boomer looked. "We cannot repair this. Dr Wilker does have spare 
tylium-to-solium converters. We'll have to get two of them from him, or the 
Galactica."
  "Well, we can go to light-speed... or sit still here in space," said Omega.
  Boomer turned to Kritter. "You can set up the weapons systems while we go to 
the bridge to contact the Galactica to get these parts, Ensign."
  "Yes, Sir." With that, he got to work as Boomer and Omega left.

Starbuck, Rigel, and Brie intently listened to Commander Peebles' log entry. 
They did not notice the arrival of Boomer and Omega.

{The Olympus, Pegasus, and Prometheus, and several other assorted ships were 
cruising forward.
  "Molokai is ahead of us, Cain," said Commander Peebles into the comm system. 
"Once we are through there, then-"
  *We will find and construct a suitable base of operations, and build more 
battlestars to defeat those frakkin' Cylons. We must split up, to speed up 
searching.*
  "But Mercury wants us to stay together."
  *I know. I'll talk to him. I'm sure that he'll see things our way. I'll tell 
him my strategy, and I'm sure he will agree with me.*
  "Cain, if we stay together, we ARE stronger."
  *And, two less stops that they must make to destroy our convoy.*
  Commander Peebles stopped to think.}

Boxey asked, "All the ships disappeared at Molokai?"
  "No, just the Pegasus," answered Starbuck. "The Prometheus, and then the 
Olympus were lost later."

{Commanders Cain, Mercury, and Peebles met aboard the Pegasus. Mercury spoke. 
We three are equal in rank, but Cain has made many valid points. I only wish 
that our friend, Adama was here. He would have agreed with me."
  "That was why he did not come with us," pointed out Mercury. "Not only is he 
one of the best battlestar commanders; he is a member of the Colonial senate. 
That Adama has gone a long way from just being a sergeant under us on Bronze 
Squadron. I'm sure that Apollo would have also been proud of what you two 
accomplished at molding him into a colonial warrior."
  "Yes, he has," said Cain.
  "Well," said Mercury. "One commander wants us to split up, to speed up the 
search, one wants to stay together, for survival. I actually feel that we could 
stand against a Cylon attack as one force instead of two. However, we can 
decide at Molokai after we get more supplies."
  "Agreed," said Peebles.
  They all got up and walked out of the room, and onto the bridge.}

Aboard the Galactica, Sheba said, "It feels so strange, hearing those events 
from another point of view. But- at Molokai, we encountered Cylons. I'll fill 
you in after this."

{The three battlestars were in orbit around a planet. Its satellite was in the 
distance. Four basestars emerged from that location.
  An officer on the Olympus bridge said, "Vipers, you're cleared to launch."
  Outside, The Cylon raiders approached, and the vipers from the three 
battlestars approached from the other direction. The front row of Cylon raiders 
opened fire first.
  On the bridge of the Olympus, one officer reported, "Cylon raiders have 
gotten past our vipers, Commander."
  "Move to intercept."
  Another bridge officer said, "Yes, Sir."
  Reports kept coming in and was reported by various bridge personnel.
  "Tanker two is heavily damaged."
  "Argoship six heavily- NO! It has just been destroyed!"
  "Cylon fighters are attacking Engineering ship three. Hey! I did not know 
that they were armed."
  "Tanker two says that they cannot hold out any longer."
  "Two of those basestars are closing in."
  At that, Peebles ordered, "Arm missiles. Tell me when they get to optimum 
range. And prepare for emergency light-speed."
  "Yes, Sir," someone acknowledged.
  "Tanker Two heading this way. HEY! SHE'S GONNA BLOW!"
  "On my mark," said Peebles.}

"It seems like the Olympus is preparing to pull a Commander Cain," pointed out 
Boxey.
  "I don't think so. Not for at least another few yahrens," said Starbuck.

{The two basestars closed in on the Olympus, one on port side, and the other, 
starboard. The heavily-damaged tanker II also approached at cruising speed on 
the port side.
  "Coming in optimal missile range, Commander," said one of the officers on the 
bridge of the Olympus. "Optimal range in four... three... two... one-"
  "GO!" cried Peebles.
  All in a split micron, the basestars fired missiles at the same time the 
Olympus did. The Olympus fired two missiles at the starboard-side basestar, and 
then went to light-speed. The basestars' missiles hit each other, and the 
starboard basestar blew up into a ball of fireworks. The dying Tanker II rammed 
into the port-side basestar, creating a very large football-shaped mass of 
exploding fireworks.}

Toria commented. "I think that the tanker alone ramming the basestar would have 
destroyed it."
  "A tanker full of tylium is a very powerful torpedo," said Boxey. "That was 
probably the reason that its commander did what he did. To get it away from the 
rest of the convoy,and take out part of the enemy as well."
  Starbuck said, "I would have loved to shake that commander's hand, and give 
him a medal... had he been able to live through that."

{All that was left of the convoy was three battlestars, and another tanker with 
minute explosions emanating from it, heading at cruising speed towards another 
basestar. The tanker collided with the basestar, creating another massive 
display of fireworks.
  The Olympus returned into the picture, firing its lasers at the back of the 
basestar. The Pegasus headed for it from its starboard side, and the Prometheus 
also approached from afar, at its front. The Pegasus got to it first, firing 
its missiles, and destroying the basestar.
  When the fireworks display cleared, the Pegasus was nowhere to be found.
  "Olympus to Pegasus... Please come in," said a bridge officer into the comm 
system.}

That volume of the journal ended.
  Rigel contacted the Galactica, and relayed what Sheba had said. "According to 
Captai- Colonel Sheba, her father had recalled their vipers, seeing that most 
of the Cylon fighters were destroyed in their attempts to destroy the two 
tankers before they collided with the basestars. When they knew that the 
missiles that they fired at the basestar had h
  Starbuck said, "Yes it was. Boxey. Were WE in for a surprise when Commander 
Cain showed up seventeen yahrens ago. Well, it's late. Let's get some rest."
  Boomer said, "We did all we could. All we need is for Dr Wilker to come up 
with some tylium-to-solium converters."
  "All right, then. Good night."
  Everyone left the bridge, except for Rigel and Omega. "I think that I should 
stay on the bridge," said Omega. "Just for in case."
  "I'll stay, too," said Rigel. She kept the headphones on, and slumped back in 
the chair with a yawn.

Starbuck and Cassiopeia met in their quarters. The furnishings were still 
around, left by the previous commander.
  "It feels strange here without Dillon and Pandora," said Cassiopeia.
  "Yeah, and it feels strange knowing that I am the commander of a battlestar."
  They climbed in the bed together. Then Starbuck said, "It also feels 
gloomy... knowing the last two commanders, Tigh and Apollo, each got his 
commission by the death of the previous commander."
  "Starbuck, Apollo is still alive. And knowing him, he'll still be in command 
of the Olympus, even from the Galactica."
  "Well, if we can get the Olympus up to full strength, Dillon and Pandora will 
also be here to join us. We should have her up and running tomorrow."

Boxey looked around his quarters. It felt strange to him as well, knowing that 
his father, Sheba and his little half brother and sister were not in the 
quarters next to his. There was a bed right there, and another doorway led to a 
larger bed. He imagined that whoever had these quarters had a family with him.
  All of a sudden, there was a light knock on the door. Boxey went and opened 
it, and found Toria there. "I just came to say goodnight again, because I could 
not sleep," explained Toria.
  They looked around, and Toria noticed the bedroom with a larger bed. Then she 
asked, May I join you in these quarters? I'll sleep out there, and you in 
here."
  Boxey felt somewhat awkward, but did not mind. "Sure, Toria."
  "Ooh, Thank you, Boxey."
  With that, Boxey went into the other room, and changed into his sleep-wear. 
Outside, Toria did the same. At the same time, they both climbed into their 
beds.

Apollo and Sheba climbed into their bed, and in the one of the two smaller 
rooms, Troy and Dillon slept in one bed, and in the other room, was Hera and 
Pandora. Also in Troy's room, was Muffey, lying down in a corner.
  Going through Troy's mind was that if they got the Olympus started, he would 
no longer be able to play with his best friend, Dillon. Also, no more big 
brother to help settle disputes between him and his sister.
  Dillon was not looking forward to going to the Olympus to be with his mother 
and father, because he would no longer be able to play with Troy and Muffey 
anymore. At the same time, however, being the son of a battlestar had appeal.
  Hera and Pandora also had similar thoughts that kept them both awake. The 
difference between the two boys and their younger sisters were that they 
actually spoke about it to each other. "Hera?" asked Pandora. "Are you awake?"
  "Yes, Pandora. Can't sleep either?"
  "No. I don't like this, having to transfer to the other battlestar to be with 
my mother and father. I like it here on the Galactica, playing with you, and I 
know that Dillon feels the same way."
  "But you will be the daughter of the commander, Pandora. It will work out for 
us."
  "Yeah, but..." Pandora trailed off.
  "Well, Pandora, our big brothers may be bullies at times, but let's talk to 
them in the morning. They will think of something. Even of they ARE big 
bullies, you know that when WE are feel bad, they ARE there for us. As a matter 
of fact, I think that Troy REEEEAAALLLY likes you."
  They both giggled. Pandora said, "And it does seem that Dillon likes you, 
too."
  They both giggled again.
  "I want to see them NOW," said Pandora. "They are also probably unable to 
sleep."
  "All right," said Hera. With that, they both climbed out of bed.

Back on the Olympus, Toria kept shifting and turning, trying to get herself 
into a comfortable sleeping position. Finally, she gave up, and got out of the 
small bed. She headed for the room that Boxey was sleeping in.
  Boxey was also doing the same thing, tossing and turning, with no success of 
finding a suitable sleeping position. He then saw Toria standing there. "Oh, 
hi, Toria. Are you having trouble sleeping, too?"
  "Yes. I was uh, wondering. May I join you."
  Now, Boxey felt very awkward. He very much wanted to say, 'Yes,' but... 
Finally he did. Toria then climbed in with him, and then they embraced. After a 
long, passionate kiss, they both fell asleep.

Back in Troy's room, Troy said, "Yeah, I was going through the same thing, 
too."
  "Me, too," said Dillon.
  Troy embraced Dillon, and Hera and Pandora did the same. Then the two big 
brothers embraced their respective younger sisters. After that, Troy embraced 
Pandora, and Dillon embraced Hera.
  "Aunt Athena will know what to do," said Troy. "We can see her in the 
morning."
  "But I want to see her now," said Pandora.
  "She's probably asleep," said Dillon.
  "NO!" cried Pandora.
  "Dillon is right, Pandora," said Troy.
  Pandora then sat on the floor in the corner and started crying. Troy joined 
her, sat next to her, and held her. With Dillon and Hera seeing this, they sat 
together like that in the opposite corner. In the third corner, Muffey slept 
on, recharging his batteries.

Back on the Olympus, Rigel awoke with a backache. "Awww... My back," she 
moaned. She also got a message on the comm system.
  *Olympus... This is Dr Wilker of the Celestra... We have found two suitable 
tylium-to-solium converters Whenever you're awake, you can pick them up.*
  "I copy, Dr Wilker," answered Rigel.
  Omega awoke, sitting in the in a chair as well. After that, Boomer and 
Starbuck arrived.
  "How did you sleep," asked Boomer.
  "All right, I guess. Rigel was the one who had a bad night."
  Rigel struggled to stand up, but the pain in her back made it difficult.
  "Omega, Help her to the infirmary," said Starbuck. Then he changed his mind. 
"You two, let's see if we can move on with getting this battlestar going." I'll 
take her."
  Just then, Brie arrived, to have orders given to her from Starbuck. "Brie... 
Great, you're here. Get to the Celestra, and see if Dr Wilker has scrounged up 
with tylium-to-solium converters."
  "Yes, Commander." With that, she waltzed right off the bridge.
  Starbuck went to the station that Rigel used to have on the Galactica, and 
waited. Just then, Boxey and Toria walked in. Seeing Rigel in her condition, 
Toria volunteered to get her to the infirmary. Boxey then took her place. Then 
Starbuck sent Boomer and Omega to engineering.
  After that, Starbuck heard Brie's voice saying, *Shuttle Six requesting 
clearance to launch.*
  "You're clear to launch, Shuttle Six," answered Starbuck.

The Colonial day was not a good start for Apollo and Sheba. Sheba went to 
Hera's room to wake her and Pandora up, to find the room empty. Apollo went 
into Troy's room to get Troy and Dillon up. Both beds were empty, and they went 
into a panic.
  Sheba and Apollo met, and Sheba cried, "I cannot find Hera or Pandora!"
  "Yeah, Troy and Dillon are gone, too." Immediately, Apollo went to his comm 
system, and said, "Launch control... This is Apollo. Have any shuttles or 
vipers left the Galactica during the night?"
  *No, Commander,* answered a voice.
  "Well, please check."
  *Why? What going on?*
  "Troy, Hera, Dillon, and Pandora may have run away."
  *Well, nothing has left the Galactica since after your trip to the Olympus... 
I'll put out a ship-wide search for them.*
  "Thank you."
  Muffey emerged from Troy's room. "WHAP! WHAP! WHAP!" he said.
  "Please, Muffey, not now," said Sheba.
  "Wait..." said Apollo, with a spark of hope. Sheba looked on. Apollo bent 
down to him, and said, "Muffey, do you know where Troy, Dillon, Hera and 
Pandora are?"
  Muffey started turning its tail and ears, and said, "Whap!"
  He ran around in a circle, and back into Troy's room. Apollo followed, and 
went into the corner where Troy was sitting in the corner, sleeping with 
Pandora next to him, with a head on his shoulder. Sheba noticed Dillon and Hera 
diagonally across in the corner, sitting on the floor, sleeping, and Hera was 
leaning on him sideways, with her head on his shoulder. Dillon's arms were 
around her waist. She had an arm around him, too.
  Apollo and Athena looked at each other. "I wonder what prompted this?" asked 
Apollo.
  Just then, the door chimed. Apollo went to answer it. "Apollo, we cannot find 
them anywhere," she cried.
  "We found them, Athena. Come and take a look at this."
  They went back, and she looked. Athena's eyes lit up, and she said, "Oh, how 
cute..." She looked back at Apollo, and said, "Did you cancel the search for 
them?"
  "Oh, I forgot about that." He went to the station, and said, "Apollo to 
bridge... We found them."
  *Great, Commander. We were ALL getting worried.*
  "They were actually right here in front of our faces! I'm sorry for causing 
the trouble."
  *Don't worry. With the tension of the Olympus and all, I understand.*
  "Well, I'll join you there in a centar."
  Meanwhile, the four groggy kids were awake.
  Pandora asked, Troy, "Are we going to talk to Athena now?" She looked around, 
to see that Sheba and Apollo were there as well, and then answered herself. "I 
guess we have to wait until she is alone."

Back on the bridge of the Olympus, Toria was manning Rigel's post. Boxey and 
Starbuck were working at various stations.
  Rigel came back to the bridge. Toria looked up at Rigel, who looked much 
better. "You're relieved, Toria," said Rigel. "Thank you for your help, and 
thank you for watching my station."
  "Are you all right, Rigel?"
  "Thanks to you, yes. Dr Cassiopeia said that from the position that I fell 
asleep in was what caused the problem. She took care of it. And, I feel so much 
better."
  Toria removed the headset and then got up, and Rigel sat down in her place.

In Engineering, Boomer and Omega had just gotten the new tylium-to-solium 
converters installed. "All right," said Boomer. "Start main power."
  Kritter took action at the station he stood by at, and then the regular 
lights came on.

On the bridge, the red lighting changed suddenly from the red battle alert 
lighting to regular lighting. Boxey, Toria, Starbuck, and Rigel looked around 
joyfully. "Good job, Boomer and Omega," muttered Starbuck.
  *Engineering to bridge,* Rigel heard Boomer's voice in her headphones.
  "Rigel here," she answered.
  *Try out the defenses. It seems that the restoration of main power has fixed 
everything.*
  "Yes, Sir." With that, he ran to another station, and Toria took her place. 
Starbuck joined her at the station next to her.
  Toria was now listening intently to what Boomer was saying. Then she got up 
and relayed the message. "Turn on the electromagnetic shielding."
  The regular lights went, and was replaced by the red lighting. "Defense Grid 
up," said Rigel.
  A moment later, Toria relayed, "Everything seems to be working fine, in 
Engineering, Commander."
  A view from outside: The Olympus fired its forward lasers. Various laser 
turrets were also tried out. One swiveled around, and fired. From a missile 
launcher, a piece of scrap metal emerged, and then a turret spun around and 
blasted it into bits.
  Then the battlestar fired up its impulse propulsion, and moved forward. Then 
it disappeared, and reappeared elsewhere.

Aboard the Galactica, Apollo, Sheba and Athena watched as the Olympus moved 
around in front of them. Apollo turned, and said, "Athena, signal the Olympus. 
Ask Commander Starbuck if he is ready to move on."
  "Yes, Sir," answered Athena. She then talked to her station. After that, she 
said, "Apollo... Starbuck said that he is ready whenever you are."
  "All right, let's move on. Then we can continue on with the commander's 
journals and the logs."
  The Galactica followed the Olympus forward, and the rag-tag fleet followed 
the two battlestars.
  On both battlestars, they continued the playback of the logs and journals of 
Commander Peebles.

From the journals of Peebles...
  "Commander Cain and the Pegasus is now gone, after that Cylon attack by 
Molokai. Commander Mercury of the Prometheus has taken it pretty hard. He seems 
stable, but I cannot say. I fear the next encounter with the Cylons. Well, when 
we find a suitable place to build our outpost to build more battlestars, we'll 
have to call for more ships to carry out the process, as those that had come 
with us have all been destroyed.
  Let's see what will happen if we encounter more Cylons...

{The two battlestars did encounter Cylons. Two basestars closed in behind them.
  "White Squadron... You're clear to launch," said the bridge officer into his 
station aboard the Olympus.
  This time, the vipers wiped out the horde of Cylon raiders. When there were 
not that many left, the Prometheus' Green Squadron and Yellow Squadron returned 
to the bays of the Prometheus. Then the Prometheus took the offense. It 
approached the basestars, firing its lasers. When it got in between them, it 
launched two volleys of missiles, one at each basestar. After the massive 
explosions of the basestars cleared, there was no sign of the Prometheus.}

On the Galactica, Sheba and Apollo looked at each other. "Do you think that 
Commander Mercury pulled my father's favorite tactic?"
  "I don't know, Sheba," said Apollo, "He seems too much like my father to do 
something like that. But then, I was only a lieutenant of Blue Squadron when I 
last met him."
  Then the saga continued. Here was the part they were waiting for.

{The Olympus encountered another two basestars. This time, the commander 
decided to take the offensive.
  "Viper pilots... To your vipers... And prepare to launch," said Commander 
Peebles.
  The vipers were out there. The two squadrons split up, one for each basestar. 
One of the vipers opened fire as a Cylon raider launched, blowing it up, and 
making that one bay unusable.
  The battle between the raiders and vipers still took place, since many of the 
raiders were launched before all the landing and launch bays were destroyed.
  The Olympus moved forwards in between the basestars, and fired a volley of 
missiles. When the fireworks cleared, the Olympus was still there.}

The Journal of Peebles...
  This is my final journal entry on the Battlestar Olympus. For we must abandon 
it, since it is virtually useless to us now. We can only go light-speed, or sit 
in space, and we don't have the parts to repair the sub-light drives.
  We did not count on the basestars picking up our approach. Still, half of the 
Cylon fighters did get out.
  All in all, we won the battle, but at the cost of the battlestar. There is a 
suitable planet that we are near, one that the Cylons were building a base of 
operations on. We will settle there.
  What had happened, was that I meant to go in between the basestars, and then 
fire missiles at them, and then go into light-speed before the force of the 
explosions could do damage to the Olympus. However, I miscalculated. We were 
too close to the port-side basestar, and the missiles detonated too 
prematurely. That was what took out our sub-light drives.
  So, being that our original homes are destroyed, and I'm sure that Commanders 
Cain and Mercury are still out there, somewhere, and being that Commander Adama 
has made it safely with a fleet of vessels on a quest for a new home, I have 
planted an explosive connected to main power. Being that Cylons usually do NOT 
follow 
will automatically go into light-speed, until the fuel in the engines run out. 
If the Cylons find it, there is hopefully enough tylium and missiles that we 
have collected over the four-yahren journey, stored all over the place that 
when it blows, it will take a basestar or two with it.
  Commander Peebles... out.

Aboard the Olympus, Boomer said, "So that's how the battlestar ended up all the 
way here, and dead in space. It arrived here at light-speed, and then when the 
fuel ran out in the engines, it stopped dead, with no more power left."
  "I wonder what happened to the commander and the crew," said Toria.
  "Well, that is a mystery, Toria," said Starbuck.
  "What I'm wondering is," said Boxey, "where did Commander Peebles get all 
that tylium and those missiles from."
  "Well, one thing is for sure," said Starbuck. "There was enough to supply the 
Galactica ALONE for at least several yahrens. And we have added extra artillery 
to our collection for when we need them."
  Starbuck pulled out a small box, and handed it to Toria. "By the way, Toria, 
when Commander Apollo and Captain Athena were here, they left this for me to 
give to you."
  Toria took the box, opened it pulled out the pin. Her eyes lit up.
  "Congratulations, Ensign," said Starbuck. "With your and Boxey's 
contributions in getting this battlestar going, you've earned it."
  "Thank you, Commander."

Aboard the Galactica, Athena asked, "If we weren't around to enter what was 
asked for, I wonder if the basestar would have blown?"
  Apollo said, "No. The systems that were started by the regular procedure 
would have shut down by themselves eventually, and it would have waited for 
someone else to try."
  Sheba said, "Commander Cain has something similar to that. If either it was 
disconnected from main power in any way without proper disarming, or if main 
power was activated, it would have gone off."
  Apollo said, "Cylons would have activated main power first, unless if maybe 
Baltar specifically told him to use the standard procedure. And if the Cylons 
followed his orders to the letter."

In another region of space, two Cylon basestars followed.
  Aboard one of them, Lucifer walked into the command center. "By your 
command."
  The throne turned, and Baltar ordered, "Speak, Lucifer."
  Basestars three and eight reported that they will be here in a centar."
  "What about basestar six?"
  "Basestar six is undergoing repairs, and will join us in three centares."
  "WHAT? Already, by the meddling around of the basestars, the Olympus has been 
repaired. Now that will make it twice as hard to defeat the Galactica."
  "Correction, Baltar. The Olympus does not have the technology that we have 
now, after twenty yahrens of new developments. The Olympus will be easy to 
defeat. Even then, I must point out that basestar six happens to be one of our 
older basestars, and has not undergone any retrofits yet. The only significant 
contribution is perhaps the fighters, which are also the old ones."
  Baltar stared at the IL series Cylon.
  "It was also sixteen yahrens ago that we found the commander and crew of the 
Olympus constructing another battlestar, and destroyed their facilities, even 
if our forces were defeated afterwards. That means, that the battlestar has 
been adrift in space for sixteen yahrens. No new technology could have been 
installed, and to make the modifications will probably take several sectons, or 
even a sectar."
  "I suppose that you're right, Lucifer. But the longer we have to wait, the 
stronger that the Olympus will get, and the harder it will be to defeat Adama 
and his pitiful fleet. Either way, tell the basestars to be ready to launch 
fighters upon arrival."
  "By your command." With that Lucifer walked out of the command center.

From the Journals of Starbuck
It has been a centar since the revival of the battlestar Olympus. We have moved 
on, with the Galactica in the lead, then us, surrounded by the rest of the 
fleet. Things have gone smoothly. The upgrade of the defenses, have been 
completed. What still needs to be done are: The infirmary, the computer system, 
engine efficiency, and installation of CORA units and refits are being 
performed on the vipers that Commander Peebles and his crew left behind. 
Ensigns Kritter and Toria, along with help from Sergeant Boxey and Captain 
Omega, under Colonel Boomer's command are almost finished.
  Meanwhile, I cannot help but wonder, as well as the crew from both 
battlestars who listened to Commander Peebles' journal entries and the Olympus' 
logs, where did the original crew of the Olympus go? What became of them? And, 
what happened to the Prometheus?
  All in all, if the Cylons come to start trouble, I hope that we are ready for 
them.

On the Olympus, Rigel said, "Commander Apollo is signaling us on Alpha Comline 
One."
  "Put him through," said Starbuck.
  Apollo spoke. *Are you picking up what I am picking up? On Long-range 
scanners*
  Starbuck asked, "Boomer... what are we picking up on the long-range 
scanners?"
  "I'm not picking up ANYTHING, Commander." reported Boomer.
  Starbuck was just about to respond to Apollo but Boomer followed up first. 
"Wait... I am picking up two basestars heading this way. You know, these 
long-range scanners are not as accurate as the Galactica's."
  *Want to try FOUR basestars?* asked Apollo.
  Starbuck then bellowed, "All viper pilots... To your vipers!"

Toria and Boxey were the first ones in the viper bay, at least, the viper bay 
on their side. Boxey grabbed two helmets, and tossed one to her. "Well, Toria. 
This is your first time. Remember that this is FOR REAL! Not just a 
simulation."
  "I'll keep that in mind, Boxey. Just don't hit your turbos when you're 
supposed to hit your lasers." With that, she kissed him on the cheek, and the 
two of them put their helmets on and hopped into their vipers. Others came 
running in.

Toria's determination was all over her face through her helmet. The first thing 
switch she flipped was to the CORA unit.
  *Hello there... Ready to blow the pogees out of a few Cylon fighters?*
  Toria felt strange, talking to her viper, even though she and Boxey had many 
conversations with different CORA units while performing diagnostics on the 
vipers. This was her first time of flying a real viper, with CORA activated. 
The times that she had been out in a viper was to practice, but having to do 
things manually. Now, she had help that can do things faster than she could. 
Was that good or bad? She could not say. But- she did manage to answer CORA. 
*Yes, CORA.* With that, she flipped one switch, and then the other two flipped 
themselves.
  *Thank you, CORA.* She then hit the turbos on her stick, but nothing 
happened.
  *We need clearance to launch, Toria.*
  *How-* Then she remembered. CORA had the voice identities of many of the 
viper pilots. Hers included.
  Then she heard Dietra's voice. *Blue Squadron requesting clearance to 
launch.*
  *You're clear to launch, Blue Squadron,* responded Rigel's voice.
  Since she was one of those in the front row, it was up to her. She pressed 
the turbos button on her stick, and then fell back as the viper sped forwards.
  Next thing she knew, she was out in space... Her first real combat situation.

On the Galactica, Athena said into her station, "Silver Spar Squadron, you're 
clear to launch."
  Apollo and Sheba looked at each other. "As we have made modifications to the 
Galactica," said Apollo, "so have the Cylons to their basestars. I hope that 
the Olympus can hold out."
  "Starbuck is a capable commander, Apollo," said Sheba.
  "It's not that," responded Apollo. "It's the battlestar itself that's the 
problem. It really depends on our vipers... his and ours."

Out in space, Cylon raiders from four basestars headed towards the battlestars. 
The vipers from both ships converged onto them, causing the raiders to disperse 
somewhat. As soon as they were in range of each other, the vipers and the 
raiders opened fire upon each other. 
  Several Cylon raiders were hit, and a few did explode. Many of the vipers 
managed to evade the Cylon laser fire, but a few did get hit.
  The raiders, however, did not stop to engage the vipers. They just went right 
past them, firing at those in their path. Those vipers evaded the Cylon fire. 
All the vipers then turned around and pursued.

Aboard the Galactica, Sheba reported, "Those Cylon fighters are heading 
straight for the Olympus." She turned and then ordered, "Helmsman, take us 
closer to the Olympus.
  "Belay that order," countermanded Apollo. "We cannot. If we lose the Olympus 
and the Galactica gets destroyed as well, what will become of the rest of the 
fleet? And what of the families of the officers aboard the Olympus. They're 
still here on the Galactica."
  Sheba saw his logic, and agreed with it.
  "There is one thing we can do," said Apollo. "Fire our main laser cannons at 
the basestars."
  "I'm on it." Sheba worked at the post in front of her with a fury.

It turned out that the Cylon fighters were heading straight for the Olympus. On 
the bridge, Boomer said, "The Cylon fighters are heading this way, Commander."
  Starbuck calmly said, "Ready defenses."
  "Electromagnetic shielding up," said a bridge officer.
  "And fire laser turrets at will," said Starbuck.
  "Yes, Sir," said Boomer and several other bridge officers.
  Starbuck went to a post.

Outside, Cylon raiders were firing upon the Olympus. Three of them were 
underneath it, firing at it. A laser turret fired at them, missing. Then the 
lead raider hit the turret, destroying it. A viper came from behind it.
  In that viper, Toria was watching her targeting scanners, with her finger on 
the FIRE button.
  *Allow me...* said CORA.
  *All right, CORA. Just don't miss and hit the Olympus.*
  The viper caught up to the Cylons, and after eight consecutive shots, all 
three raiders were destroyed.
  A smile was on Toria's face after CORA took over for her and destroyed all 
three Cylon raiders.
  *Wow, CORA. Nice shooting.* said Toria.
  *Thank you, Toria,* responded CORA.
  All of a sudden, her viper sped up, and Toria noticed three more Cylon 
raiders firing at her. Another volley fired ten shots to destroy those three 
raiders. *Thank you, whoever that was,* said Toria into her helmetcom.
  *Anytime.* That was Boxey's voice.

Firing its lasers at the basestars did attract some attention of the Cylons. 
With the two battlestars well beyond optimal firing range of each other, not 
that they would fire upon each other, and even more beyond optimal firing range 
from the basestars, the Galactica's laser fire had very little effect. Return 
fire from the basestars had NO effect on the Galactica or the Olympus.

Aboard the lead basestar, Baltar was on the bridge of the basestar instead of 
the command center, working beside Lucifer. 
  "It is very unusual for the commander of a basestar to be on the bridge 
working with his crew instead of directing his crew from the command center, 
Baltar," pointed out Lucifer.
  "Sometimes, Lucifer, a battleship commander must work with his crew to 
accomplish a mission assigned to him. That is how it is done on a Colonial 
battlestar."
  "By your command," said the gold-armored Cylon.
  "Speak, Centurion," responded Baltar.
  "Basestar six will arrive in three centons," reported the gold-armored 
Centurion.
  Baltar pushed a button, and said, "Basestars three and eight, approach the 
Olympus. Bring all weapons to full power, and fire upon it when you reach 
optimal range."
  *By your command,* responded one IL series basestar commander.
  *By your command,* responded the other.

Two basestars of the four approached the Olympus. Sheba and Apollo watched this 
from the Galactica. "Orders, Commander," bugged Sheba.
  "Suggestions," responded Apollo.
  "The Olympus will never survive in a fight with two basestars," pointed out 
Sheba. "Their systems have not been upgraded yet."
  "Concentrate laser fire on the two approaching basestars. Hit them with 
everything we can," said Apollo.
  "We are already doing that," said Sheba.
  "What do YOU recommend then, Sheba, A collision course?"
  "No, Perhaps we should get in between the approaching basestars and the 
Olympus."
  "As bad as a collision course," said Apollo.
  Athena said, "If we could draw those Cylon fighters over here..."
  Sheba said, "I should go out there in a viper and help our fighters."
  "I need you HERE, Sheba. Bojay is out there."

The two basestars got closer to the Olympus, and were getting beside it. They 
were just about to close in on it, one on port side, and the other, starboard.

"I have an idea," said Apollo. With that, he waltz right over to Sheba's 
station, and said, "Galactica to Olympus."
  *I'm a little busy here,* said Starbuck's voice. *What's <crackle> on?*
  *Be ready to engage light speed.*

Aboard the Olympus Starbuck heard Apollo's voice. *<Crackle> -Repeat. <crackle> 
engage light speed.*
  Starbuck has worked with Apollo long enough to know what he wanted. "Arm 
missiles and be prepared to engage emergency light-speed," he called out.
  Boomer and Brie both responded, "Yes, Commander," in harmony.
  "Boomer, be ready to fire four missiles, one starboard-"
  "I hate to say this, Commander, but the Olympus is not as advanced as the 
Galactica. We can only fire two missiles simultaneously."
  "All right. One missile starboard, and one port." He turned to Brie. "Brie, 
be prepared to engage light-speed."
  "Yes, Sir," was the harmonious response.
  "Rigel, let me know when they are within optimal firing range from us. Keep 
in mind that their optimal firing range is further than ours."
  "Yes, Sir."
  "Be ready to engage on Rigel's mark," said Starbuck.

Outside, the two basestars got closer to the Olympus, and turned to close in on 
it. The Olympus itself disappeared as the two basestars fired its lasers and 
missiles. The Olympus' two missiles hit the basestars, as well as the ones 
launched by them. One missile, however, went astray, and hit the lead Cylon 
raider of a group of three, destroying it. The impact of the missile's against 
the raider disabled the other two. From behind, a viper fired two shots, 
destroying them both the rest of the way.
  Meanwhile, the Olympus appeared, and two Cylon basestars almost collided. 
They then turned, and headed for the Olympus again.
  The Galactica headed for the two basestars from behind, firing its lasers at 
them.

When the battle began, the number of Cylon raiders outnumbered the number of 
Colonial vipers four-fold. Now, the number of vipers outnumber the number of 
raiders. However, another basestar arrived, and their fighters launched.

On the bridge of the Galactica, Athena reported, "Another basestar has arrived, 
and their fighter craft are heading this way."
  Sheba jumped up and said, "I should take a viper and be out there leading the 
viper pilots."
  "I need you HERE! Sheba." cried Apollo. "Maybe -I- should go. After all, all 
I'm doing is telling you all what to do."
  "But you're the brains around here. Without you, we could not function 
properly," stated Sheba.
  "So, you got my point. Not only are you the colonel, you're my weapons 
officer. If I let you go, it will be like the brain thinking of what to do 
next, and doing the job of the right arm and hand as well. Now man your post, 
Sheba."
  "Cylon fighters approach," reported Athena.
  Immediately, Sheba handled the controls on the console in front of her.

Outside in space, the raiders went around the Galactica, whose laser turrets 
fired upon them, destroying a few. They fired back at some of the laser 
turrets. Then they headed straight for the Olympus. On the way, they 
encountered the vipers.
  The vipers fired upon the approaching raiders, and took out more raiders. The 
raiders also bypassed them, after firing a few times at them, and went for the 
Olympus. 
  The raiders kept pounding the Olympus with laser fire as her laser turrets 
and the vipers fired back at them. The Cylon fighters fired upon the laser 
turrets. Now, most of the anti-fighter weaponry was eliminated.

On the bridge of the Olympus, Boomer, Omega, Brie, and Rigel worked intensively 
at their posts. Starbuck was also at a post working away. Rigel reported, "The 
two basestars are going ahead of us."
  "Change course," commanded Starbuck.
  Brie said, "Yes, Sir." She then worked intensively at her station, and then 
said, "The helm is not responding, Commander."
  Omega ran over, and then after studying Brie's station, he said, "I have to 
fix that down in engineering. We are moving on inertia only."

Outside, a group of six raiders fired upon the exit of the port launch bay. Two 
vipers got behind them, and fired. Four of them were destroyed, and two were 
only damaged. They collided into the launch bay.

Meanwhile, the other three basestars approached, one behind following the other 
two, and all three firing their lasers.
  The Galactica turned and moved, heading for the three Cylon basestars, and 
firing lasers back at them.
  On the bridge, Sheba, Athena, and the other bridge officers, including Apollo 
were all busy at various consoles and posts. Sheba and Apollo stopped what they 
were doing, and looked at each other. They both nodded a friendly 
acknowledgement to each other, and then went back to work. Athena saw that, and 
smiled as she did what she was doing at her post.
  "Ready missiles," ordered Apollo.
  Sheba pushed a few buttons on her station, and said, "Four missiles, ready to 
launch, Sir."
  This was the first time that they were putting missiles to use on the 
Galactica since they escaped the destruction about seventeen yahrens ago.
  "Athena, let us know when we get to optimal missile firing range."
  "Yes, Sir."
  "Sheba, when she gives the signal, fire those missiles, OK?" Apollo 
approached her, and put a hand on her shoulder.
  Sheba looked back at him. "You are getting like my father now, aren't you, 
Apollo."
  Apollo gave her a half a smile, and said, "Carry on."

By this time, the number of vipers outnumbered the number of Cylon raiders.
  Two vipers were flying side-by-side, and they both fired upon three Cylon 
craft, destroying them.
  *Yeah,* yelled Toria happily.
  *Come with me, Toria,* said Boxey. *We'll destroy the weaponry on the 
basestars before they could do further damage to the Olympus.*
  The two vipers went off towards one of the basestars heading towards the 
Olympus.
  Boxey said, *When My father and Starbuck were viper pilots, they did this 
very same thing for Commander Cain.*
  *Yes, Sheba told me. Now, let's do it for Starbuck.*
  *Boxey! Toria!* That was Greenbean's voice. *Where do you think YOU'RE 
going?*
  *Taking out a basestar's defenses,* answered Toria.
  *Stay here and help us get rid of these Cylon fighters. That's an order.*
  *But Captain Greenbean,* said Boxey. *Those basestars will pulverize the 
Olympus before we're finished with that. Besides... the rest of the viper can 
handle them.*
  *All right, Boxey. Starbuck will kill me for this, and so will your father. 
Please.*
  *I'm sorry, Captain.*
  *Be careful, you two.*
  The two vipers continued towards the nearest basestar.

The Olympus completely lost its starboard viper bay. On the other side, the 
viper bay was still in good condition, but the vipers could not return to the 
Olympus. Even then, they could land in the Galactica, or even some of the 
unarmed ships in the fleet.
  The Olympus moved on, and the two slightly damaged basestars gave chase, 
firing their lasers at the Olympus. The Olympus fired back.

The other two basestars were also trying to get at the Olympus, but the 
Galactica was in the way, firing its lasers at them. The Galactica moved away 
from the Olympus, and the basestars continued on its course towards the 
Olympus. So, the Galactica reversed, holding her ground between the two 
basestars and the Olympus. Then the Galactica fired four missiles. Two of them 
each hit a basestar, and the Galactica veered away from them sideways.

The two vipers fired at various spots on the basestar, and dodged laser fire 
from the basestar's laser turrets. Toria's face showed determination as she had 
her hand on her control stick, and her thumb on the FIRE button. She pressed 
it.
  The viper on the left fired two times, hitting and destroying one of the 
turrets. The viper fired again, just as a missile was launching from a missile 
launcher. The missile detonated prematurely, leaving a mess on the basestar 
where a missile launcher was microns ago.
  The other viper fired at another point on the basestar, causing sparks to 
emanate from it. Then they both ignited their turbos and moved across the 
basestar, continuously firing their lasers at it.

Meanwhile, the other vipers attacked the other slightly-damaged basestar, 
taking out its lasers. Right before a viper fired at and destroyed a missile 
launcher, a missile launched.
  That missile hit the underside of the Olympus.

On the bridge of the Olympus, Brie reported, "The Olympus is gonna blow!"
  Starbuck looked at his console, went to Rigel's post, pressed a button, and 
yelled, "ALL HANDS! ABANDON BATTLESTAR!"
  He removed her headphones from Rigel's head, and said, "Go on, Rigel."
  Boomer told Brie to go with her. "Go on, Brie. Help out with the evacuation 
efforts."
  "Yes, Colonel," said Brie as she briskly walked off the bridge.
  "Well, go on, Boomer," said Starbuck.
  "I'm staying with you all the way, Commander," Boomer responded.

Kritter, and Cassiopeia and her med-techs climbed into a shuttle, and the door 
closed. They launched. Others climbed into several other shuttles, and each one 
launched one at a time. Others climbed into vipers, and launched. Brie and 
Rigel each climbed into a viper, and right before the cockpits closed, they 
gave each other the 'thumbs up.' They, too, took off.

One of the two basestars that was being blocked by the Galactica moved upwards,  
and bypassed the Galactica, heading towards the Olympus. They fired two 
missiles at the Olympus.

Back on the bridge, Boomer pressed a few buttons at a station, and they watched 
as a basestar exploded. The missiles fired by the basestar joining the battle 
hit the Olympus, and rocked it. A few systems on the bridge exploded, and sent 
flying sparks.
  Boomer tried hitting buttons again. "Weapons are not responding, Commander." 
He went to Rigel's communications post, and said, "The Olympus is going to 
destruct in three centons."
  Starbuck went to Brie's station, and pressed a few buttons on it.
  The Olympus did a 180-degree turn, and headed straight for the basestar that 
fired its missiles at it.
  "Come on, Boomer. Let's get outta here."
  The two of them ran off the bridge.
  They got to the viper bay, and put helmets on, and hopped into the last two 
vipers. The cockpit closed, and they both looked forwards, to see that there 
was debris blocking the way out.
  *Let's clear some of this debris, Boomer,* said Starbuck.
  Both vipers fired their lasers forwards, in an attempt to clear the debris.

The Olympus headed straight for the basestar that bypassed the Galactica to 
attack. It collided into the basestar, causing two massive explosions.

On the Galactica, Cassiopeia arrived on the bridge. The sight of the massive 
explosion caused everyone to jump. Cassiopeia turned away. sheba and Apollo 
looked at each other, and then they both looked at Athena.
  Then Apollo came to his senses. "We've got a battle to fight. Work now... We 
can mourn for Starbuck and Boomer later."
  Sheba said, "Four more missiles ready to launch, Commander."
  All of a sudden, they heard, *Viper Squadrons... This is Colonel Starbuck. 
Blue Squadron, come with me. Silver Spar Squadron... Go with Bojay. We've got 
to take out the defenses on three more basestars before they destroy the 
Galactica!*
  Everyone smiled. Cassiopeia wiped her face, and turned around, smiling.
  "Helm, take us about... Be ready to launch missiles, Sheba. It'll make 
Starbuck's job that much easier."
  Athena. Tell the vipers to get away from that damaged basestar.
  "Gladly, Sir."

The Galactica turned and headed for the damaged basestar, firing its lasers at 
it. Then four missiles launched from the Galactica, and destroyed it.

The basestar that remained behind the scenes backed away, and then went to 
light-speed. The last two were being bombarded by the vipers, and could not go 
anywhere.
  Finally, the Galactica fired another volley of missiles at another 
battlestar, and that exploded in a display of fireworks.

Boxey and Toria were cruising and firing at the last basestar. A turret fired, 
and destroyed another viper, and hit Toria's viper as well. Boxey destroyed 
that turret.
  *Toria, are you OK?*
  *I cannot steer this viper! Also, CORA's been disabled. I'm gonna DIE!!*
  *All right, Toria. Don't worry. I'll get you in safely.*
  Boxey watched Toria's viper as it drifted at high speed towards the 
Galactica. *CORA, can we use minimum intensity lasers to guide Toria's viper?*
  *Yes we can, Boxey.*
  *Remember. Minimum intensity... We just want to use the force of the laser 
detonations to guide the viper... not destroy it.*
  *You can count on me, Boxey.*
  Boxey followed Toria, hitting her with minimal-intensity laser blasts. First, 
on the rear wings, and then on its nose.
  *BOXEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?*
  *Don't worry, Toria. We're gonna get you safely back to the Galactica.*
  As they approached the Galactica, the last basestar exploded. Boxey moved in 
front of her. *Close your eyes, Toria.*
  *WHY!?*
  Boxey blasted his turbos, which sent him at high speed, but at the same time, 
slowed Toria's viper down. The extremely bright lighting from Boxey's turbo 
exhaust told her why. She closed her eyes.
  Toria followed Boxey into the landing bay. 
  *Hang on tight, Toria.*
  She hung on. Somehow, she knew what Boxey was doing and was prepared for the 
impacts as Toria's viper bumped into Boxey's in the landing bay until they both 
came to a full stop. Boxey climbed out of his viper, and went to Toria's.
  Other vipers came in and landed. The cockpit to Toria's viper opened, and 
Boxey helped her out.
  "You OK?"
  "That was the strangest way of landing a viper. Being fired upon by your 
wingmate, and banging into him. Thank you, Boxey."
  "WHAT THE HELL WAS ALL THAT FOR!" yelled Starbuck at Boxey. "Firing upon your 
wingmate?"
  "My systems were disabled," explained Toria. "That was a successful attempt 
to get me safely back."
  Bojay held his hand out to Boxey's and Toria's vipers. Boxey's vipers had a 
few dents in it, and Toria's was charred around the entire front and the wings, 
and the entire front was slightly bent to one side.
  "Well done, Boxey," said Greenbean. He gave Boxey a pat on the back.
  "Well, uh..." said Boxey. "I had lots of help from CORA. I only came up with 
the idea. CORA took care of the efforts."
  "Yeah, Boxey, a job well done," said Starbuck. "Even though we've got a mess 
to clean up."

On the bridge, Starbuck and Boomer both handed in their Commander's pin and 
Colonel's pin to Apollo respectively. Sheba, too handed in her Colonel's pin.
  "Nothing could have saved the Olympus," said Omega. "Not after that missile 
started that fire that we could not get under control without killing everyone 
aboard it."
  Sheba said, "It's just as well. Being a colonel under your commander of a 
husband probably would have ruined our marriage."
  Apollo said, "Yes. She's too much like her father, although Starbuck could be 
just as bad. But- I have to sleep with her at night."
  Boxey and Toria walked in. 
  "Ah, Boxey," said Sheba. "Just the person for the last part of the job."
  "Yes," said Apollo. "Boomer and Omega repaired CORA in Toria's viper, and 
repair crews straightened it out and took out the dents from both vipers."
  "Yeah, Boxey," said Sheba. "Now, you can scrub off the laser burns and make 
it look nice and new. That's for disobeying an order from Captain Greenbean."
  Boxey was surprised.
  Toria said, "I'll help. It was to save me that he did what he did out there."
  "FIne," said Sheba. "At least you've returned from your first real mission 
with SOME story to tell."
  Everyone laughed.


After a generation of fleeing from Cylon treachery, the last battlestar, 
Galactica, leads a ragtag fugitive fleet on a long and lonely quest. A shining 
planet known as Earth.