Battlestar Galactica: Objective: Earth
Virtual Season 3, Episode 10
By Matt Wiser
June, 2012

Dedication: This story is respectfully dedicated to 1st Lt. Felix Moncla,
Jr. USAF, and 1st Lt. R.R. Wilson, USAF, of the 433rd Fighter Interceptor
Squadron, Kinross AFB, Michigan. Lost on an intercept mission in an F-89C
Scorpion over Lake Superior investigating an unknown radar contact on 23
November 1953. The story is also dedicated to Fredrick Valentich, of the
Air Training Corps, Royal Australian Air Force. Lost over Bass Strait,
Australia, on 21 October 1978, after reporting an unidentified object was
stalking his Cessna 182.  


From the Adama Journals: 
     It has been thirty days, now, a full sectar, since our encounter
with the alien species known as the Ischt'k, and the abductions they have
perpetrated. Doctor Salik has informed me that those abducted continue to
show no physical signs of their experiences, but that mentally, it has
been a challenge for some. Boxey, however, has shown the resilience of
youth, and the Lords be praised, is back to his usual precocious self.
Cassiopeia and Jena, thanks to Tarnia's therapy sessions, have made great
progress, and are nearly back to their normal selves, though any mention
of the experience is not advised in their presence, Tarnia tells me. For
Cassiopeia, her experience is a reminder of her nightmare on Carillon, at
the hands of the Ovions, while in Jena's case, the aliens were just
simply too frightening for her mind to fathom. Siress Lydia, Tarnia has
advised, was been slow to emerge from the trauma, but has made
considerable progress in her recovery since. I have been concerned, and
after discussions with not only Sire Pelias and Siress Tinia, but also my
old friend Anton, the disability clause regarding Council members may
have had to be activated in her case. That has turned out to be
unnecessary, however, she has taken a medical leave of absence from
Council duties, while she recovers. 
     The Detente' continues to go smoothly, and so far, it continues to
solidify with each passing day. Our pilots and Baltar's seem to have
developed excellent professional relationships, and both Apollo and his
Cylon counterpart, Orion, spend time each day on the communicator,
planning the next day's patrol cycle. All continues to go well on this
front, and the Lords willing, we shall have no...incidents of any sort
that each one of us could regret. 

Chapter 1: 

     Commander Adama left his cabin and proceeded up to the bridge. He
was glad that the Ischt'k affair was behind them, but it was also a
reminder that this was an area of space where dangers could lurk
anywhere. As Adama entered the Bridge, he was also pleased to see Athena
back at her station, this being her first day back on duty following her
maternity leave. But Commander Adama's tranquil morning was about to be
broken. 
     Omega called to him. "Commander, message from the freighter Canopus.
Their water recycling equipment has suffered a major breakdown, and most
of what water they have left is contaminated."
     Adama scowled. What a way to start a morning, he thought. At least
it's a maintenance issue and not something more dire. He turned to his
Exec. "Tigh, notify Engineering. Have a maintenance crew assembled, and
get them to the Canopus as soon as possible." 
     "Right away, Commander," Tigh said.  "And the water supply?" 
     Adama turned to Omega. "Scan for solar systems within patrol range."

     "Yes, Commander." After a moment, he told Adama, "On the board,
sir." 
     Both Adama and Tigh studied the monitor. "Two solar systems,
Commander," Tigh said. A class G yellow star, and a M Class Red Dwarf,
each with planets." 
     "Any planets in the life zone?" Adama asked. Fresh water for the
fleet usually had to come from a planet in a star system's life zone,
because water ice from a moon further out often had pieces of asteroids,
dust, and on one moon, sulfur from another moon's volcanoes, deposited on
the surface. While purification was well within the Fleet's means, fresh
water from an actual planet was preferred. 
     "The G star has seven planets, with one in the life zone. The Red
Dwarf has six, with one in its life zonz," Tigh reported. "No further
data than that." 
     "Get me Baltar, Athena," Adama said, "and pipe this into the Ward
Room." 
     "Yes, Commander." 
     "Tigh, get that crew on its way. Omega, Notify Apollo to have four
Vipers ready to go, and  I'll be in the Ward Room." With that, Adama left
the bridge. 


     In the Ward Room, Adama was talking to Baltar. "Baltar, we've got a
fresh water emergency on one ship. I'm sending you the navigation
coordinates for two planetary systems within patrol range. I have four
Vipers getting ready to launch.  How soon can you have four Raiders ready
to join them?"
     The traitor glanced offscreen, as if he was talking. Then he turned
to Adama. "That's not an issue, Adama. I've notified Moray, and he can
have four raiders under Orion ready in ten centons." He paused, "Is that
satisfactory?" 
     "It is, Baltar. And since we'll be searching for fresh water, and
taking the advantage of replenishing the fleet's supply once it is found,
what is your situation?" 
     "Adequate at the moment, Adama. But as you say, we must take the
opportunity," the traitor replied. "Having a fresh supply is something
one does miss, after a while." 
     "Very well, Baltar," said Adama. "Have Moray coordinate with Colonel
Tigh, and the Vipers will launch in ten centons."
     "Understood, Adama," Baltar replied. 
     Adama then broke the connection, and informed Apollo of the need for
the patrol. Apollo and Starbuck would take one patrol, and head for the
G-type star. Dietra and Brie would take the other, going for the Red
Dwarf. Then he went to the Bridge. 
     "Vipers launching, Commander. They'll meet up with the Raiders, then
they'll peel off for their target systems," Tigh reported. 
     "Good, Tigh. And the maintenance crew for the Canopus?" Adama asked.

     "On the way, Commander." 
     "Very good. Now all we can do is wait." Adama said, wincing. He
knew, as everyone did, that was the hardest part. The waiting. 

Chapter 2: 

     Captain Kevin Bryne, USN, was still exploring his new command. The
ship had once belonged to the late and unlamented pirate Krylon, and he
had renamed it Constellation, after the aircraft carrier he had been CAG
aboard back on Earth, before NASA came calling. He had moved into
Krylon's suite, and the cabin next door soon became his daughter's, and
Jena was fitting right in, helping with the civilians who were now
billeted aboard. Though he found it...discomforting that civilians were
aboard what was becoming a warship, the lack of space in the Fleet meant
that there was no other choice. And there had  been two other surprises
as he and his crew explored their new ship. Jena had found one of them,
as she was checking out her new cabin, she had discovered a bulkhead
panel that came off quite easily. It led into a hidden cargo compartment,
obviously used in the past for smuggling. Several cases of Zykonian
Langulin had been found, along with a considerable amount of the drugs
that Krylon had been smuggling as well. The drugs had been quickly
jettisoned, but the Langulin might be useful, as it had become a luxury
item in the Fleet, and maybe selling some of it might give him an
opportunity to have some civilian clothes made for himself and Jena,
among other things. And one of his crew-a Zorloch by the name of Malik,
had made the other discovery. Malik had been checking the topmost deck
aboard, when he found two concealed gun mounts, mounts meant to "pop up"
in combat, but were otherwise concealed from outside prying eyes. Byrne
had ordered a further check of the ship, and two dorsal mounts, of a
similar configuration, had been found. 
     Now, as he went to his station on the bridge, Byrne wanted to
contact Galactica, and request that either the Battlestar's gunnery
officer, or one of his junior officers, come aboard to examine the
weapons, and supervise some weapons training. Malik had also suggested
that one or two of the crew at least be trained in basic maintenance of
the weapons, a suggestion that Byrne heartily approved. He turned to
Alyssia, his communications officer. "Miss Alyssia, get me the Galactica.
I'd like to speak to Commander Adama. If he's not available, I'll talk to
Colonel Tigh." 
     "Yes, Captain," she replied. 


     On Galactica's bridge, Adama and Tigh were focused on the two
patrols. Dietra's patrol had a fast transit to their target system, and
was already returning. A brief message from Dietra was disappointing: the
only habitable world was a desert, and had no surface water. And
surprisingly, there were no gas giants in the system-and gas giants often
had moons with accessible deposits of water ice. Adama turned to Omega.
"What's Apollo's patrol status?" 
     "They should be entering the target system now, Commander," the
bridge officer replied. 
     "Very well, Omega. Steady as she goes," Adama said. 
     "Sir." 
     Then Athena spoke up. "Captain Byrne on the line, Commander." 
     Adama went to the Commander's station, and Byrne's face was on one
of the monitors. "Captain?" 
     "Commander, we've found a couple of surprises on Constellation.
Krylon had some concealed weapons mounts installed, and they were well
hidden. Probably to fool customs inspections, Commander. Anyway, if it's
possible, I'm requesting that someone from Galactica's Gunnery Department
come aboard in a day or so, to examine the weapons, conduct some test
firing, and oversee some gunnery training," Byrne asked. 
     "By all means, Captain," Adama replied. "One of the gunnery officers
will be over as soon as possible. Colonel Tigh will see to it." 
     "Thank you, Commander. I'd appreciate that." Byrne said, nodding.
"Constellation out." 
     After the connection was broken, Byrne turned to Malik. The Zorloch
was a formidable warrior in his own right, and it was obvious from just
looking at him that getting on his bad side was not a good idea. "Were
you a gunner on your old ship?" 
     "Yes, Captain, I was. And a very good one, I might add," the Zorloch
replied. 
     "Good. Because I'm making you the ship's gunnery officer, starting
now," Byrne told him. 
     "Thank you, sir. I won't disappoint you. Nor will I dishonor the
ship." 
     Byrne nodded. These Zorlochs and their honor. In a way, it reminded
him of what he'd read about the Japanese prior to World War II. They had
a similar attitude towards honor, and Death Before Dishonor was more than
a catchphrase in the Japanese military at the time, and the Zorloch had a
similar outlook. But if his ship ever got into a combat situation, he'd
rather have the Zorloch on his side, rather than against him. 

Chapter 3:

     Apollo and Starbuck, along with Strike Leader Orion and his wingmate
Plavius, flew into their target system. So far, it had been uneventful,
and also disappointing. Although the system had a gas giant and what the
astronomers back home had called a gas midget, none of the moons had
accessible deposits of water ice, though two of the moons had Tylium
deposits. Noting that, the patrol continued into the system, finding the
habitable world. 
     "Looks similar to Caprica, Apollo," Starbuck radioed. "And I'm
picking up signs of not just lakes, but oceans.
     "Same here.," Apollo agreed. "Orion, are you getting the same
readings?" 
     "I am, Captain," the Cylon replied. "Also life form readings, but no
signs of advanced life. No indications of transmissions of any sort, or
ships of any kind." 
     "Confirmed," Plavius added. 
     Apollo looked at his scanner. He knew from his survival training
back at the Academy, not to mention a couple of winter sports events,
that glacier water was the freshest and most pure. "Orion, form on me.
We'll enter the atmosphere and check the northern regions. Let's see if
we can find some large freshwater lakes in those areas." 
     "Understood, Captain," Orion radioed back. 
     "Starbuck," Apollo said, "You and Plavius maintain a high orbit. And
cover us if you have to." 
     "Copy, Apollo," 
     "By your command," Plavius replied. 
     Apollo turned his Viper towards the Northern Hemisphere, with
Orion's Raider right alongside. After entering the atmosphere, the two
ships leveled out over a large plain, and as they continued north, a
mountain range came into view.
     "Captain," Orion said, "I am picking up a large concentration of
liquid water directly ahead." 
     Apollo looked at his terrain-following scanner. Sure enough, a large
lake was coming into view. Then he saw it with his own eyes. It was
larger than any of the natural freshwater lakes in the Colonies. And the
shoreline was suitable for landing shuttles. "This is more than good
enough, Orion. Let's get back into orbit." 
     "On your wake, Captain," And both Viper and Raider peeled off and
climbed back into space. 
     As the two ships left the atmosphere, Apollo noticed Starbuck's and
Plavius' ships had moved away from the planet. 
     "Starbuck, what's going on?" he radioed. 
     His longtime wingmate responded, "We've found something here. It's a
drifting ship." 
     "Drifting?" Apollo asked.
     "Verified, Captain," Plavius responded. "It appears to be damaged,
and is drifting in space. No life signs detected, and only a faint power
signature." 
     "Orion?" Apollo asked. 
     "I have the same readings, Captain. The vessel has been damaged, and
it is not as the result of an accident. There appear to be blast holes
near the stern of the craft," the Cylon strike leader said. 
     Apollo flew alongside the ship. It looked like a smooth cylinder
with a tapered bow, about three times the length of the Eastern Alliance
Destroyer that had escaped to Terra. The engines looked similar to a
Colonial vessel's, but two of them looked like they'd been blown apart.
As he flew along the starboard side, he noted the stub wings, perhaps for
limited atmospheric flight. There were no weapons indicated, but as the
Cylon wingmate had indicated, there was only faint signs of power. And as
he approached the bow, a bridge appeared, just above the stem of the
ship. Though large, it would still fit inside one of the Galactica's
landing bays. 
     "All right, let's get back to the Fleet," Apollo said. "We've found
our water, but we've found a mystery." And the four ships set a course
back to the Colonial Fleet, leaving the ship in their wake. 

Chapter 4: 

     Apollo led his patrol back to the Fleet, and as soon as he was in
communications range, he contacted Galactia. "Blue Leader to Galactica."
     Athena responded. "Galactica, Blue Leader. Do you have a Patrol
Report?" 
     "Affirmative, Galactica. Put the Commander on, please." 
     After a moment, Commander Adama came on the line, "What do you have,
Apollo?" 
     "Commander, we've found what we went for. And something else. ETA
five centons." 
     "Understood, Blue Leader." 
     The Vipers peeled off for the battlestar, while the two Raiders went
to the base ship. The debriefing would be via com channels. 
     After Apollo and Starbuck landed, they had a brief exchange with the
LSO. Starbuck had a reputation for flashy landings, but this time, the
LSO had no complaints. Apollo had no such problems, and the LSO had
nothing bad to say about the Strike Leader's landing. They went to Decon,
and then to the briefing room. Adama and Tigh were there, waiting. Orion
and Plavius were on the line from the base ship. 
     "Commander," Apollo said, "We found it. A habitable world, with
plenty of fresh water." 
     "Let's see your scanner log, Captain," Adama said. 
     Apollo produced the disk, and inserted it into the player. Sure
enough, the world seemed lush, but hidden dangers could still lurk on the
surface. Or beneath it. Adama was pleased, nonetheless. "Colonel, notify
all ship captains that we'll be changing course to this system. Not only
will we replenish our fresh water supplies, but we'll also search for any
usable resources." 
     "Yes, Commander. Right away," Tigh said. "It looks too good to be
true, though." 
     "Before we start pumping water, have Doctor Salik send a team down
to make sure there aren't any unpleasant surprises in the water. And
check the vegetation as well.," Adama said. 
     Tigh nodded in the affirmative. He turned to Apollo. "What else did
you find, Captain?" 
     "I believe Orion's wingmate, Plavius, should take over, that part of
the debrief. He found it, after all." 
     Heads turned to the Cylon, who wasted no time in getting to
business. "While on high cover, my scanner detected a drifting ship. I
notified Lieutenant Starbuck, and we proceeded to investigate the
contact." 
     Starbuck nodded. "And when we got there, this is what we found." He
played his scanner tape; it showed the alien ship, drifting in space. "No
life signs, only a low-level power reading, and it looked like someone
was working them over. Have a look at the stern, Commander." 
     Adama looked at the imagery. The aft area of the ship was scorched
and blasted, with what looked like weapon impacts near the stern. He
turned to Plavius. "The side you investigated was in the same condition?"

     "Yes, Commander. It was. The vessel was obviously in a combat
situation. However, there were no signs of any other ships in the system,
and no signs of any intelligent life as well," the Centurion replied. 
     Apollo spoke up. "Commander, we ought to take a look inside that
ship. She'll fit inside one of our landing bays, and who knows what we'll
find inside. Star charts and other data. Maybe we can get into their
computers, and find out who did this. If whoever attacked this ship is
still around, though not necessarily in this system...." his voice
trailed off.
     "I agree with Captain Apollo, Commander," Orion said. "And if we are
entering a dangerous region of space, the more information about those
dangers, we can prepare for such events." 
     "He's right, Father." Apollo said. 
     "I agree," Adama said. "Orion and Plavius, pass along my thanks to
your pilots. And Plavius, well done. What we find aboard that ship may be
of some importance." 
     The two Centurions nodded. 
     "Very well," Adama said. "Orion, please be prepared to have
additional patrols flying. We'll be on a heightened alert until we know
for sure whoever attacked this ship is not in the area." 
     "By your command," the Cylon replied. 
     With that, the connection to the base ship was broken. Adama turned
to Tigh. "Set course for that system, Colonel."

Chapter 5: 

     It took two days, at normal Fleet speed, to enter the system. Both
the Galactica and the base ship had patrols flying, but they had detected
no other ships in the system, nor any signs that anyone else had been
there since Apollo and Orion's patrol had left. Several asteroids in the
system showed Tylium deposits, and Adama ordered mining teams sent to go
after the precious mineral. And then the Fleet approached the third
planet in the system. It looked very much like Caprica, with a single
large moon and a smaller one, apparently a captured asteroid. Then the
derelict appeared on the battlestar's scanners. Adama looked at the ship,
and the planet, and then made his decision. He turned to Tigh. 
     "Colonel, inform Doctor Salik. Have him assemble a team, and get a
shuttle ready to fly them to the lakes Apollo's patrol found. Have them
test the water, and the vegetation. If there's a chance we can add to our
food supply, then we must take it." 
     "Right away, Commander," Tigh said. "And the derelict?" 
     Adama turned to Athena. "Have Master Chief Varica report to the
Bridge. I'd like his opinion, Tigh, before we commit to bringing that
ship into one of our landing bays." 
     "Understood, Commander." 
     In Life Station, Salik was making a decision of his own. He could
lead the landing party himself, but decided not to. Cassie was recovering
well from her abduction ordeal at the hands of the insectoid Ischt'k and
not only had she done so thanks to Tarnia's therapy sessions, but had
immersed herself in work. It was an easy choice to make, and so he called
Cassie into his office. 
     "Feel like getting away from the Galactica, Cassie?" he asked. 
     "A change could help, Doctor. What do you have in mind?" she
replied. 
     "How'd you like to lead the landing party to the planet? You'll be
testing the water, as well as the local plant life, to see if there's any
unpleasant surprises before we start collecting it," the CMO said. 
     "You know, that might be just what I need. A chance to 'get away
from it all', even if it's just for a day or so." 
     "Good, Cassie. Get your gear, and assemble a team. Have them in
Alpha Landing Bay in twenty centons. And four of Croft's men will be
going with you, the Commander says. 'Just in case.'"
     She smiled. Croft and his Special Forces team had saved her life,
along with an injured cadet, on Ki. "With some of Croft's men coming
along, I know I'm safe." 
     "Get going, Cassie," the CMO said. "And I knew you'd be glad they're
coming along. And so am I." 
     While Cassie was assembling the landing party, Master Chief Varica
was talking with Commander Adama on the Bridge. The Galactica's longtime
deck chief, he knew just how much room the landing bays had, and what
could be kept in them. He was going over the scanner readings of the
alien derelict with the Commander and Tigh. 
     "She's three times as long as that Eastern Alliance Destroyer, Sirs.
But she'll fit, with some room to spare." 
     Tigh said, "You're sure of that, Master Chief?" 
     "Yes, Sir. I am." 
     "Commander?" Tigh asked. 
     "Very well. Get some shuttles launched, and tow that ship in," Adama
said. "Notify Doctors Salik and Wilker, and have Croft there with the
rest of his team." 
     "Sir?" Tigh asked.
     "No one's going aboard that ship, Tigh, until it's declared safe to
do so. Croft and his men will make sure that it is." Adama said. 
     "Yes, Commander." 


     It took three centars of work, but the alien ship was slowly and
gently towed into Galactica's Beta Landing Bay. And it didn't take long
for the first surprise to show itself. As the ship was being lowered into
the bay, landing gear extended from the ship's dorsal section and the two
small wings. Since there were no life signs, Wilker thought that an
automatic sensing system had detected a surface beneath the ship, and had
extended the landing gear. After the ship had been secured, an airlock
with a decontamination chamber was quickly placed on a hatch near the
port wing, and a probe made of the atmosphere inside the ship. There was
almost no atmosphere, which both surprised and appalled Salik. Wilker,
meanwhile, was able to determine the ship's power system: while the main
drive was still undetermined, the backup power was a form of nuclear
fusion, providing some light and heat. But despite attempts to signal,
there were no life signs, and no response to the signals. Croft and his
men would have to do it the old-fashioned way: going into the ship and
checking it out, top to bottom. The Special Forces leader briefed his
men. 
     "Remember, we're not at war with whoever may be inside that ship.
Weapons set on stun, and lethal force is only as a last resort," he told
his men. 
     Heads nodded as he continued. "Team One is with me, Team Two follows
us in, then Three and Four. Check your sensors for any signs of hazardous
gases, or anything that may be dangerous. If there's no more questions,
let's get started." 
     Croft's team got into their hostile-environment suits. These suits,
with some body armor built in, were designed for combat in areas filed
with radion, chemical weapons, or biological agents. After they were in
their suits, and a quick com check, Croft led his men into the ship, via
the airlock. 
     The troopers got inside with no problems; the hatch into the ship
opened, as if by a motion sensor. One of the first things Croft noticed
was the language. Some kind of symbolic language, vaguely resembling the
old Kobolian language, but still, it was nothing he'd seen before. The
team came to a corridor, and he spoke over the com line. 
     "Team one, follow me to the right. Team Two, check the left. If you
find any kind of access to the next level, call it out." 
     "Copy, Major," Team Two's leader replied.
     With that, the two teams split up. Team Two's leader soon called in.
"Major, we've found part of their engineering section. Looks like it's
their backup power plant." 
     "Anything we need to worry about?" Croft asked. 
     "Not yet." 
     "All right, continue the mission." Croft said, pushing deeper into
the alien ship. 
     A centon later, one of his troopers found a small door. Quite by
accident, he brushed the stud next to the door, and it opened up. "Sir!"
he called. 
     Croft and two of his men came up. He led the three into what
appeared to be a docking bay. Inside, there were two discus-shaped craft,
about twenty metrons in diameter, and four metrons thick at the center.
There were no windows. Croft remembered a briefing the two Earth officers
had given, something about what they called "UFOs" or "Flying Saucers."
These two ships looked like some of the images they'd shown him and the
Viper pilots. Looks just like what Byrne and Allen had said. This he had
to call in. 
     "Croft to Galactica Bridge." 
     "Tigh here, Major. Go ahead." 
     "Sir, we've found a docking bay, a small one. And two discus-shaped
ships. Small ones, just like what Captain Byrne and Commander Allen had
briefed us about." 
     Adama came up. He looked at Tigh, and then spoke into the com. 
"Major, you're quite sure of that?" 
     "Commander, I'm very sure. They're pretty close to what they
described as what someone was flying in Earth's skies." 
     "Continue, Major. But exercise caution," Adama said. 
     "Yes, sir. Croft out." He turned to his troopers. "Let's find a way
to the next deck." 
     The team left the bay, and continued forward. Several other doors
were opened, and though most appeared to be either maintenance areas or
storage, one was very familiar-looking. It was clearly a small armory.
The weapons looked familiar: energy rifles, pistols, some support
weapons, and explosives. But none of the racks were empty. Whatever
happened to this ship hadn't involved a boarding, that was certain to the
commando leader. Then one of his team called, "Major!" 
     "What is it?"
     "I've found a working elevator, and what looks like an emergency
ladder." 
     "All right, hold there," Croft said. "Team Three, come on in, Team
Four, stand by. Team Two, status?" 
     Two's leader called in. "We've found a ladder to the next deck,
Major. We're headed up." 
     "Exercise caution, Two." 
     "Acknowledged, Major." 
     Team Three came into the ship. Lieutenant Castor was its leader. He
came up to Croft. "Major?" 
     "Keep working your way forward, until you've gone as far forward as
possible. Then find a way to the next deck, and work your way aft, until
you meet Team One. Clear?" 
     "Yes, Major," Castor replied. 
     "Right, then. Move out." 
     Castor led his Team forward, while Croft's Team One climbed the
ladder to the next deck. When his team was on the deck, he noticed right
away that more compartments had those symbols above them. Shaking his
head, he called Team Two. "Status, Two?" 
     "We're in the engineering section, that's for sure. Looks like some
kind of antimatter drive in here, Major." 
     Uh-oh. Croft thought. Those things could be bad news. "Any signs of
radion or other agents?" 
     "Negative, Major. Looks like it's been shut down for a while, and
the reactor itself looks empty. Maybe they jettisoned the core? But
there's damage here, signs of fire, some compartments evacuated to space,
you get the idea." 
     Croft breathed a sigh of relief. "Doctor Salik, did you copy that?" 
     "Affirmative, Major. No signs of hazards in the ship's atmosphere?"
The CMO asked.
     "Nothing so far, Doctor." Croft replied. 
     "Major! Come forward; We've found something!" One of his troopers
called. 
     "What is it?" Croft called back. 
     "You're not going to believe this, Major. Come and see for
yourself," the trooper said. 
     Croft and the three troopers with him went forward. Two other
troopers were standing next to an open doorway, and a third was standing
in the doorway. "What did you find, trooper?" He asked. 
     The man stood aside so Croft could see for himself. Inside what was
clearly a cargo bay were two primitive aircraft. One was a small
propeller-driven high-winged monoplane. The other was a twin-jet, tandem
seat, jet fighter. Both were sitting on their landing gear. "Holy Frak!"
Croft said. 
     "What is it, Major?" Tigh's voice came over the com line.
     "Colonel, there's two old aircraft here, sitting in a cargo bay,"
Croft said as he motioned his men to check the cockpits of the aircraft.
After a quick check, they shook their heads no. "No sign of any crew or
passengers in the aircraft." 
     Then Adama's voice came on the line. "Two aircraft? Is that correct,
Major?" 
     "Yes, Commander. No idea where they're from, though. You might want
either Captain Byrne or Commander Allen to get over here, maybe both of
them,  and have a look for themselves," Croft said. 
     "Do you think they're from Earth, Major?" Adama asked. 
     "I honestly don't know, Commander. Maybe," said Croft. 
     "What kind of aircraft, Major?" Tigh asked. 
     "Colonel, one's clearly a civilian aircraft. Propeller-driven, high
wing monoplane configuration. The other's obviously a fighter. Twin-jet
powered. With rockets under each wing. Maybe internal guns as well, Sir." 

     Adama asked, "Any sign of the pilots, Major?" 
     "No, Commander. Both aircraft are empty," Croft replied. "And this
ship's empty as well, Sir. No bodies, none on any of the decks so far." 
     "No bodies?" Tigh asked. "That doesn't make sense." 
     "Major," Adama said. "Continue searching that ship, but be
cautious."
     "Yes, Sir." 
     Croft and his men left the cargo bay, and proceeded aft. Then
Castor, Team Three's leader, came over the line. "Major, come forward.
We've found something." 
     "On our way, Castor." Croft said, and he and his troopers moved
forward, until they came across what looked like a laboratory
compartment. Tables, lab equipment, storage compartments, it all looked
like a  miniature version of one of the Academy's science labs. One room
looked like a medical examination room, but with shackles on the table.
Then he found what looked like a specimen room, and a set of stasis
tubes. Castor and his team were there. 
     "What'd you find, Castor?" 
     The tough sergeant motioned to the tube. It was swirling with some
kind of vapor, and then the vapor parted. Inside was a naked blond woman,
and she appeared human. "Is she alive?" 
     "No way to tell, Major." 
     "Doctor Salik, you'd better get in here. We've found some kind of
stasis chamber on the second deck. And there's what appears to be a human
woman in it." 
     "WHAT?" Both Adama and Salik said at the same time.
     "Sirs, there's a woman in this chamber, and she looks like she's
asleep. We can't tell if she's alive or not," Croft responded. 
     "Can you open the chamber?" Adama asked. 
     "There's a series of latches here, Commander. So we should be able
to open it," the commando leader said. 
     "Don't touch it until I get there, Major," Doctor Salik said. He
turned to a pair of medtechs. "You're coming with me. And notify Life
Station there's a patient coming." 
     "Yes, Doctor," the senior medtech replied. She was one of
Galactica's longest serving medtechs, and had seen it all. Or thought she
had. 
     Salik took his team into the alien ship. Croft's troopers helped
Salik and his medtechs get their stretcher to the lab area, and the CMO
saw for himself. He took out a medical scanner. "She's alive. And in
hibernation." 
     Croft looked at the tube. "Can we get her out of here?" He asked the
CMO. 
     "Yes, by all means, Major," Salik said. 
     Croft nodded to two of his troopers. The two opened the latches on
the tube, and the naked woman fell out of the tube, into Castor's huge
arms. She was quickly put on the stretcher and covered with a blanket,
and then Salik and his techs made their way out of the ship and to Life
Station with their patient. 
     On the Bridge, Adama scowled. Then he turned to Tigh. "You have the
Bridge, Colonel. I'll be in Life Station." 
     "Yes, Commander," the Exec replied as Adama left the Bridge. 


     On the alien ship, Croft and his teams finished searching the deck.
No bodies had been found, though they had found the ship's analog to Life
Station. It looked very similar to Galactica's, but appeared to be older.
The equipment wasn't as advanced, but that's for Salik to decide, Croft
thought. Then he found another access ladder to the next deck. "Team
Four, this is Team One. Come on in, and finish searching the second
deck." 
     "Copy, Major," Team Four's leader said. While Four was coming in,
Croft took his team to another access shaft, and used the ladder there to
get to what appeared to be the top deck. This appeared to be the crew
quarters, and when he entered the first cabin, he found a pair of bodies
slumped in chairs. These aliens appeared to be very human-looking, and
appeared male, but they were bald, and their eyes were set further apart
than a human's. His team checked several other cabins, and found more
bodies: some were in their bunks, others were like the first, slumped in
their chairs. "Bridge, this is Croft."
     "Go ahead, Major," Tigh said. 
     "We have bodies, Colonel. The aliens are very humanoid, and so far,
they're all in their cabins." 
     "You're in the crew quarters?" Tigh asked. 
     "Affirmative," Croft replied. 
     "All right, Major. The Commander went to Life Station to check on
the woman, so let me know when you've found their bridge," the Exec said.

     "Yes, Colonel," Croft answered. 
     One of his team sang out, "Major!" 
     "What is it, Trooper?" Croft asked. 
     "Looks like a library, sir,"the man said. 
     "On my way." Croft and two of his troopers moved forward. He found
two troopers standing in an open hatchway, and inside the compartment was
a table, a viewscreen, and a bulkhead full of symbols, with a button
beneath each symbol. He'd never seen characters like these symbols, he
thought. And for sure, nobody in the Fleet has. Then Castor came up from
below. 
     "Major, we've found several bodies. They were in what looked like a
crew lounge. All slumped over in their chairs, or on the deck. And
they've been dead for a while," Castor said. 
     "Tough-looking bald fellows?" Croft asked. 
     "Tough-looking? Yes, Major. But not all were fellows. Two or three
looked female. They had some hair, and the same anatomy as any woman. At
least on first glance," Castor added. 
     "All right. Stay here and back us up. I'm headed forward. The bridge
can't be too far." 
     And with that, Croft led his team forward. And soon enough, they
found a compartment with a hatch that was closed. One of the troopers
waved his hand over what looked like a motion sensor, and the hatch
opened vertically. It was obviously the bridge, Croft thought as his men
went in. Consoles lining the bulkheads, a large viewscreen on the fore
bulkhead, and two chairs sitting in front of it. Then the chairs turned,
and revealed a body sitting in each. The aliens stared at the Colonials
with sightless eyes, as both were quite dead. One of Croft's men checked
his sensor. "All clear, Sir." 
     "Galactica Bridge, this is Croft." 
     "Go ahead, Major," Omega called. 
     "Bridge secured, Omega. Please notify Colonel Tigh," Croft called. 
     "I heard it," Tigh said. "The ship is secure?"
     "It's secure, Colonel. And no trace of any bacterial, chemical, or
radion agents. Wilker's people can come aboard." 
     "Excellent work, Major. I'll notify the Commander," Tigh said. 
     "Colonel, there's also quite a few bodies of the alien crew," Croft
pointed out. "We'll need to get them out of here."
     "I'll notify Salik in Life Station, Major," Said Tigh. 

Chapter 6: 

     Down on the planet, Cassie was actually enjoying herself. Her
shuttle had landed close to a beautiful mountain lake, only a few
kilometrons from a glacier, and the water was crisp and clean. A quick
check with a scanner showed no harmful bacterial agents in the water, and
she, her team, and Croft's four troopers were drinking their fill.
However, the vegetation, though plentiful, was a different story
altogether. Every sample, so far, had shown red on the test kits, meaning
unfit for human consumption, and one of the techs was busy using a field
lab kit to figure out why. And it was plain that the animal life, though
plentiful, was also off-limits, since it was eating the same plant
life-along with each other. The other techs were collecting plant samples
to bring back to Galactica, for analysis. Shrugging her shoulders, Cassie
went into the shuttle to contact the Galactica. 
     "Landing Party to Galactica." 
     "Go ahead, Cassie, this is Omega." 
     "Galactica, the water's just sitting here, waiting to be picked up.
No harmful substances found, though the plant life is another matter.
It's showing on the test kits as unfit for human consumption, and we're
collecting samples for further analysis," Cassie said. 
     "Affirmative, Cassie. Will notify the Commander," Omega replied. 
     "Copy, Galactica. Landing Team out." She then broke the connection
and went back outside. There she heard laughing coming from a nearby
river. The scans showed the lake, but only a few centons' walk away to
the west, was a river. She followed a game trail to see what the laughter
was all about. One of the troopers was sitting there, rifle in hand.
"What's going on?" She asked the trooper.
     "Have a look for yourself, Ma'am." He motioned with his rifle. 
     Cassie looked in that direction. There was a beautiful waterfall,
and the team members who had finished their work were taking field
showers-under the waterfall! Their clothing neatly stacked adjacent to
the riverbank, everyone was getting happily soaked, and not caring at all
if anyone was watching. Cassie smiled. Then she turned to the trooper.
"Let me know when they're finished." 
     "Ma'am?" the trooper replied. 
     "Rank has its privileges, Corporal. If I'm getting one of those
showers, I want some time for myself." 
     The trooper smiled. "Yes, Ma'am." 


     Aboard Constellation, Byrne was busy talking to Lieutenant Maximus,
one of Galactica's gunnery officers, in his cabin. Shaking his head at
the name, which was that of a character in one of his favorite movies, he
was busy listening to the young officer. 
     "The weapons are very similar to our defensive turrets, Captain. But
they're just a little bit more powerful." 
     "How much is 'just a little bit', Lieutenant?" Byrne asked. 
     "By about ten percent, Captain. You can concentrate fire on a larger
target and you'll be inflicting some serious damage. Oh, not enough to
kill something like a base star, but you'll be killing something your
size, or smaller," Maximus replied. 
     "That's good to know," Byrne said. 
     "And in the anti-fighter role, they'll do just fine, Captain." 
     "And the bow torpedo launchers?" Byrne wanted to know. Shortly after
Maximus had come aboard, that had been another discovery. The weapons
were Zykonian, given Krylon's origin, since in that sector, reloads would
be easy to find. Out here, though, that was another matter. 
     "That shouldn't be a problem, Captain. We've got plenty of reloads
via the Zykonians and RB-33, and your magazines are full," Maximus told
Byrne. 
     "Too bad there's nothing out here we can use for a practice target,"
Byrne said. "I'd like to see how they work." 
     "Trust me, they work. Some of the Vipers used them when..."
     "I know, when you guys and Baltar teamed up to go after that other
base star," Byrne said. Then there was a knock on the cabin door. "Come
in!" 
     The door opened and Jena came in. "Alyssia on the bridge sent me,
Pop. Your intercom must be off. Anyway, there's a message for you from
the Galactica. They're sending a shuttle to pick you up, and to pick up
Uncle Ced on his ship as well." 
     "Did they say why, Jen?" 
    "No, but they did say to bring Maximus with you, and anything the
stuff from the old Saint Brendan that dealt with UFOs back on Earth." 
     "Captain,"Maximus said. "It must be something to do with that alien
derelict." 
     "What derelict?" Byrne asked. He'd been so busy aboard his ship,
he'd barely paid attention to what else was happening. He'd heard about
an alien ship being found, but hadn't paid any more notice. 
     "They were towing it in when I left Galactica. They must have found
something that they want you to check out," Maximus replied. 


     Commander Adama waited outside Life Station. He had been kept
informed of what Croft's men had found after the woman had been brought
in, and had sent for Byrne and Allen to come and see if the aircraft had
been from Earth. Adama was certain of it, but wanted to know for sure.
He, too, had remembered Bryne telling him that the military and
scientific authorities on Earth were certain that some aliens were
visiting Earth, and that the information was being kept a closely guarded
secret. If the aliens had abducted these two aircraft-and their
pilots-from Earth-then one of the reasons for the secrecy became very
clear. Not to mention that a human woman had been found in some kind of
stasis chamber on the alien ship, and if she, too, was from Earth, then
he could easily see why some of Earth's military were concerned about the
motives and intentions of those who were visiting Earth-some of them, at
any rate. The door to the examination room where the woman was being
checked out opened, and that broke his thoughts, and Salik came into the
room. 
     "How is she, Doctor?" Adama asked his CMO. 
     "She's resting for now, but she is out of hibernation. Once those
vapors were out of her system, it didn't take long for her to awaken. And
she was clearly distressed, not to mention combative, Commander," the
doctor replied. 
     "'Combative,' Doctor?" 
     Salik reached over and poured two cups of java. Handing one to
Adama, he nodded and continued. "Yes, combative. She kicked one of my
medtechs and gave him a broken jaw, and had another in some kind of
wrestling lock before she could be sedated."
     "Did she say anything, Doctor?" Adama asked. 
     "Yes. She's demanding to speak with someone in authority, preferably
military. I think she may be a member of one of Earth's armed forces."
Salik took a drink. "I think either Captain Bryne or Commander Allen
ought to speak to her before you do. It'll take some explaining for her
to understand where she is now, Commander." 
     Adama thought for a moment. "I'll have them come and speak to her,
Doctor. Is there anything else?" 
     Salik called up her chart. "Other than having been in a stasis
chamber for Lords knows how long, she's in good health, otherwise. She's
in excellent physical condition, though the scan revealed she has a
precancerous lump in one of her breasts. Other than that, she's fine. And
no implants of any sort." 
     "How soon can she leave?" Adama wanted to know. 
     "I'd like to keep her here for another two days, Commander. She
needs some food and rest, not to mention her vaccinations for Fleet
medical, and I'd just like to keep her here for observation," Salik said.
Then the telecom buzzed. "Salik here," 
     "Doctor, this is Tigh. Is the Commander available?" 
     "Yes, Colonel, he is. Stand by." Salik handed the telecom to Adama.
"Colonel Tigh, sir." 
     "Yes,Tigh?" 
     "Commander, the shuttle with Captain Byrne and Commander Allen is
approaching," Tigh reported. 
     "I'll be there to meet them. What's the status of the Landing
Party?" 
     "Cassiopeia reported that the water is safe to drink, but that the
plant and animal life, for some reason, is unfit for human consumption,
Commander. She's gathering samples to bring back for further analysis." 
     "Very well, Tigh. Start getting shuttles down to the surface, and
start the replenishment process. I'll be in Alpha Bay, then. I'll have a
look at this derelict-and its contents-for myself." Adama told his Exec.
     "Yes, Commander." 

Chapter 7: 

     The shuttle bringing Byrne, Allen, and Maximus to Galactica
approached Alpha Landing Bay. Before the shuttle entered the landing
pattern, they could see Beta Bay, and the alien ship inside. Then the
shuttle began its final approach, and the trio strapped themselves in.
They felt the shuttle touch down, and Mackin, who was the pilot this
trip, taxied into position. Then the hatch opened. "You can disembark,
Sirs." 
     Byrne, Allen, and Maximius got up and left the shuttle. Both Adama
and Apollo were there, waiting. 
     "Commander," Allen said, saluting. 
     "Captain, Commander," Adama said. "It seems we have a mystery on our
hands, and you might be able to fill in some of the blanks." 
     "Maximus told us you found a derelict, but that's all we know,"
Allen said. 
     The young lieutenant nodded. "By your leave, sir?" he asked Adama,
who nodded, and he went off back to the fire control station. 
     After he was out of earshot, Adama continued. "It's a lot more than
that, a lot more. Apollo, fill them in on what we've found." 
     Apollo did so for five centons. Both Earth officers were shaken.
Allen said, "Commander, before we joined the program, we'd heard a lot of
these stories. Crazy tales of aircraft disappearing, people being
abducted and taken from Earth, things like that. Nobody gave them much
thought." 
     "Until now," Adama said. 
     "Until now," Byrne confirmed. "You're certain the aircraft are from
Earth?" 
     "We think so, but if you could verify or deny that, and talk to the
woman..." Adama's voice trailed off. 
     "Not a problem, Commander," Byrne said. "Let's have a look." 
     The group then transitioned to Beta Bay, where the derelict was
being examined. There, they saw an incredible sight. A deck crane,
normally used to pick up any Vipers who had lost their landing gear on
landing, was hoisting the fighter out of the alien ship's cargo bay. The
light plane sat on the deck, and Wilker was already examining it. "Whoa!"
Byrne said. 
     Then Allen looked at the side of the light plane. He noticed the
registration code, VH-DSJ, and his jaw dropped as he did so. "You found
it. I can't believe it, but you found it." 
     "Found what, Commander Allen?" Adama wanted to know. 
     "Commander, you may have helped solve one of the great mysteries of
Australian aviation. This plane's been missing for well over fifty
years-or yahrens." Allen said. He turned to Apollo. "Was there any trace
of the pilot?" 
     "No one in the cockpit, but nobody's opened the doors, yet." Apollo
replied. 
     Allen went over to the plane. Wilker scowled at him, as if resenting
the intrusion into his space. Allen ignored him, opened the left side
door and got in. He looked around, searching for any papers, air
navigation charts, anything that might indicate where the pilot was.. He
found a navigation chart of the Melbourne-Bass Strait area, but apart
from that, and four life jackets, nothing.
     "No personal belongings, nothing, other than this chart," Allen
said. "So he's still missing." 
     "The pilot?" Adama wanted to know.
     "That's correct, Commander," Allen said. 
     Meanwhile, the deck crane had just placed the fighter on the deck.
And Byrne, along with Apollo, went over to check it out. Byrne noted the
serial number, 51-5133A. He nodded in the affirmative. "The Kinross F-89,
Captain. This plane's been missing longer than that light plane." 
     "F-89?" Apollo asked. 
     "That's the designation of this type of fighter. It was the Air
Force's first twin-jet, radar-equipped interceptor. Crew of two, armed
with six cannon and eight unguided rockets-four under each wing, and
those rockets are still there," Byrne noted. 
     "They're live, Captain?" 
     "That's right," Bryne said as he walked over to the fighter. He
noted the canopy release, and pulled. The canopy came up, revealing the
cockpit. Byrne got onto the wing and looked inside the cockpit, searching
for any sign of the two crew members. Other than a air navigation chart
of part of the Great Lakes region and southern Canada, there wasn't
anything. He then got into the front seat, and after looking over the
cockpit, found what he was looking for. The Master Arm switch. After
turning it, he got out of the cockpit. Adama, Apollo, Wilker, and Varica
were there, waiting.
     "The Master Arm's been turned off. The underwing rockets, and the
internal guns, are safe. There's no chance of them going hot, not now,"
Bryne told the group. 
     Adama asked Byrne, "Captain, what happened to this aircraft?"
     "We need to talk, Commander. Senior officers, those who found this
ship, one or two members of the Council, and as much as I hate to say it,
Baltar, too, since some of his pilots found this ship first." Byrne said.

     Twenty Centons later, there was a briefing going on in the Ward
Room, and via comlink with Baltar. 
     Besides Adama and Tigh, Apollo, Starbuck, Boomer, Sheba, and the
rest of the squadron commanders, plus Croft, Wilker, Technician Hummer,
and Doctor Salik, were present, along with both Siress Tina and Sire
Pelias, from the Council. Baltar was there, via comlink, along with
Command Centurion Moray. 
     After Apollo and Croft had reported on what they had found, Byrne
and Allen got up to give their portion of the Briefing. "Ladies and
Gentlemen, based on what you've found, two of Earth's most unusual
aircraft losses have been solved. At least partially, anyway," Byrne
said. "I'll explain the circumstances of the fighter, while Commander
Allen will explain the loss of the light aircraft." 
     "The fighter is a Northrop F-89C  interceptor. It's the first
twin-jet, radar-equipped interceptor that was accepted by my country's
air force into service. And that was seventy yahrens ago. Forgive me for
going into Earth terminology, but it's easiest to explain. On the night
of November 23, 1953, radar picked up an unidentified target over this
area here," Byrne said, pointing to the viewer, which showed the area of
the Great Lakes, and nodding to Hummer, who zoomed in on where two lakes
came close. "This is the Soo Locks. These locks facilitate shipping
traffic on the Great Lakes, whether private or commercial, and in the
days when the manned bomber was the greatest threat, it was considered a
potential target. So when this contact was picked up on radar, a fighter
scramble was ordered." 
     Adama nodded. "Logical, Captain. Given it was when, the period in
your history when the 'Cold War' was ongoing?" 
     "That's correct, Commander," Byrne said, continuing. "This fighter
was launched from this peninsula," pointing to Michigan's Upper
Peninsula, and Kinross Air Force Base,1 "and vectored by ground intercept
controllers to the unknown." 
     "What happened?" Starbuck wanted to know.
     "The last contact with the crew was the intercept controller telling
them that the target was on their nose, just below them, and that they
should have a visual," Byrne responded. "The pilot replied that he had
the target in sight, and was closing for a better look. Then the
controller on the ground saw the radar blips merge on the scope, until
only the unknown blip remained. It continued on course, until it went off
the scope, out of range." 
     Tigh asked, "How did your military respond?" 
     "Colonel, a second interceptor was launched, not to confront the
unknown, but to search for their squadron mates. They turned back after
encountering some very rough weather. The next morning, a full-scale
search for the missing aircraft was launched, with both aircraft and
surface vessels. No trace of either the aircraft or the crew was ever
found. The two men were listed as missing and ultimately declared
presumed dead," Byrne said. 
     "What was the public explanation?" Pelias asked. 
     "The Air Force explained away the incident as an aircraft accident,
and not a 'UFO' case. Their report, as I recall, 'identified' the unknown
as a Canadian military transport aircraft. The problem with that, though,
was that the Canadian military denied any of their aircraft were over the
lake at the time. But the Air Force stuck to the explanation, and they
said the same thing to the families of the two missing airmen. There were
those inside and outside the Air Force, however, who disagreed with the
official explanation, and maintained that the aircraft had either been
destroyed or captured by whatever the object was," Byrne noted. "It
appears they were right in the latter." 
     "Quite so, Captain," Adama said. He turned to Croft. "And the woman
was the only occupant of the stasis tubes?" 
     "Yes, Commander. We even opened the others, just to make sure. No
one else," the commando Major replied. 
     "And the small aircraft, the civilian one?" Sheba asked. 
     Commander Allen came up to take over that part of the presentation.
Nodding to Hummer, the chart of the Melbourne-Bass Strait area came up on
the viewer. "The aircraft is a Cessna 182. A light aircraft used for
pleasure flying, or to teach student pilots. In fact, this plane is
popular with flying schools for that purpose. The pilot in this case was
aspiring to fly large commercial passenger aircraft, which led to
whatever fate befell him." 
     Pausing to notice the nods, he continued. "On 21 October, 1978 2,
almost twenty-five yahrens after the disappearance of the F-89, the pilot
of this aircraft, took off from Morrabbin Airport in Melbourne, and after
flying south to the coastline, flew along the coast to this location
here, Cape Otway, where there is a lighthouse marking the western end of
Bass Strait. He then flew south, with King Island, here, as his intended
destination. However, only centons after reporting passing the Cape and
his turn south, he contacted Air Traffic Control again: unknown air
traffic was approaching his aircraft," Allen said. 
     "Was the unknown picked up on your Traffic Control scans, or Radar
as you'd call it?" Boomer asked.
     "No, Lieutenant," Allen said. "At least, not that I'm aware of."
Continuing, he added, "The pilot described the object as having four
bright lights, similar to aircraft landing lights-these are very powerful
white lights, used on night landings-and that it seemed to be stalking
his aircraft. He also said that it had a long shape, had a green light
and a white light, and was metallic in color."
     "Just like the reports they gave us at Area 51, Ced," Byrne reminded
his fellow Earth officer.
     "That's right. There are a number of reports from reliable military
and civilian witnesses of objects with a similar shape," Allen confirmed.
He went on, "But then, things got ominous: after the pilot reported
several passes over his aircraft, the object disappeared. Then he said it
was coming back. He then reported engine trouble, and his last
transmission was that the strange object was hovering above him, that it
was hovering and not an aircraft. A strange clicking sound was then heard
over the radio, then silence."
     "How did the authorities react?" Adama asked. 
     "A search aircraft was sent out almost immediately, Commander,"
Allen said. "A search lasting several days, involving military and civil
aircraft and surface vessels, was then mounted. No trace of the aircraft,
or the pilot, was found. He was declared missing and presumed dead
several yahrens later, when the official report was released." 
     "I take it there were those who also disagreed with the official
explanation?" Siress Tina asked. 
     "Yes, Siress." Allen responded. "Most notably the father of the
pilot. He believed quite honestly that his son had been abducted by
aliens, and he went so far as to keep his son's room at home as he had
left it, ready for his return. The father felt that way, until the day he
died. And there were reports by reliable witnesses of strange lights in
the sky that evening in the area, including over Bass Strait."
     Byrne jumped in, "I should point out that the 'UFO' phenomenon was
officially investigated by numerous air forces over the years, Even
though public investigations ceased for the most part, those applied to
reports submitted by the public. Sightings of strange craft by military
personnel continued to be investigated, at least they were before we left
Earth. And handled through special military and intelligence channels set
up for that purpose." 
     "So there was no official investigation?" Wilker asked, "That
doesn't make sense." 
     "Doctor, the lost plane was treated as an aircraft accident, and
investigated by the Civil Aviation authorities. Any military
investigation, though, is likely still classified by the Australian
military," Allen said. "As for the sightings, civilian groups did
investigate, and those groups felt that something strange had been going
on that night." 
     "Obviously," Adama said. "Now, what about the woman?" 
     Croft said, "We searched the lab area of the ship, Commander. No
personal belongings, no identification, nothing. Either those were left
behind, or, they were jettisoned or destroyed at some point." 
     Nodding, Adama turned to Salik. "Doctor?" 
     "When she awoke, she was speaking the language of Captain Byrne and
Commander Allen, that is, English," Salik replied. "That was before she
kicked a medtech in the jaw, and had her arms wrapped around another's
neck before we could sedate her," 
     Byrne winced at that. Kicking somebody in the jaw? That spoke of
some kind of training. "Commander, if I may?" 
     "Captain?" Adama said
     "That kind of response means she's had some kind of training in
unarmed combat. She's either military, or maybe in law enforcement. And
for sure, somebody who's an English speaker ought to be there when she
wakes up." 
     "I'll second that, Commander," Allen said. 
     "Agreed," Salik said. "What Captain Byrne and Commander Allen
suggest would make things easier, both for her and us, Commander."
     Then Captain Byrne offered another suggestion, " Commander, that
woman's been through who knows what. Somebody who's been through a
similar, though much shortened experience, would be ideal. Someone 'who's
been there, done that,' in other words." 
     "Your daughter, I presume?" Adama asked. 
     "That's right, Commander. And in a way, it'd help Jena complete her
recovery." Byrne added. 
     Adama turned to Salik, who nodded yes. He turned to Apollo. "Have a
shuttle launched and sent over to the Constellation to bring her to
Galactica." 
     "Yes, Commander," Apollo said. 
     "Now, what about the water situation?" Adama asked Salik. 
     "Cassiopeia has reported back that though the water is fit to drink,
the plant and animal life is not fit for human consumption, Commander.
She's bringing back samples of some of the plant life for further
analysis, though I have a theory," Salik reported. 
     "A theory, Doctor?" Baltar said. 
     "Yes. As you know, humans and most other known life forms use levo,
or left-handed, amino acids. There are a few worlds where life uses
dextro, or right-handed, amino acids," Salik reminded everyone. "If one
were to eat food with the wrong amino acids, that person would derive no
nutrition from the meal, and if that person continued, malnutrition will
eventually develop, and ultimately, death," he concluded. 
     "It's possible that the plant and animal life on this world uses
those dextro amino acids, but some lab tests will verify that, or perhaps
there's something else entirely. At any rate, if one did eat the food on
this world, you would eventually die of starvation while on a full
stomach," Salik told the group. 
     Several of those around the table winced at that, Baltar especially,
while Byrne shuddered at that news. 
     Adama paused, then he spoke up. "If that's the case, it's
unfortunate." He turned to Tigh. "How long to collect and distribute the
water to the Fleet?" 
     "At least a secton, Commander. Several captains have decided to
conduct maintenance on their recycling systems, as you'd expect. If there
was room, we could land a few of the smaller ships next to the lake, and
pump the water directly into their tanks, instead of using shuttles,"
Tigh reported. 
     "A pity, Commander," Siress Tinia said, "But not unexpected." 
     "Indeed, Siress," Adama said. He turned to Moray. "Command
Centurion, please continue to coordinate with Captain Apollo. Until we
know more about these aliens, and who may have attacked them, the patrol
schedule will be maintained, as we discussed earlier." 
     "By your command," the Centurion replied. 
     Adama then turned to Tigh. "Start the shuttle replenishment at
once." 
     "Yes, Commander." 
     And with that, the meeting was adjourned. 

Chapter 8: 

     Jena sat in a chair, next to the bunk where the woman from the ship
lay asleep. She had been surprised that a shuttle had been sent to pick
her up,  though Sergeant Mackin, the pilot, had relayed a message from
her father, "Pack for a few days, and bring plenty to read, you may be
there a while." And so Jena had brought a couple changes of clothes, and
some of the books she read while living on the planet that was
technically home, though she really felt that Earth was her real home.
Even her legal status had been sorted out, with her father pointing out
that both of her parents had been U.S. citizens, and though she had been
born outside the U.S., she was technically an American national. Though
Sire Glaberus had objected, and had done so strenuously, Sire Pelias and
Siress Lydia had been on her dad's side, and Jena was now considered to
have both U.S. and Colonial citizenship. When they got to Earth, whenever
that was, she'd have to choose. And despite that nightmare a few sectons
back, when she and Aunt Kylesha had been abducted by the Ischt'k, she
felt a lot better now. 
     Now, because of that experience, she was now watching over this
woman who'd been found on the alien derelict. Her dad had told her that
this woman needed an English speaker to talk to first, not to mention
someone who'd gone through a similar experience, and she fit the bill.
Glad to be of help, she settled down for what might be a long wait. Then
she noticed the woman beginning to stir. Putting down the book she'd been
reading-Jena waited for the woman to wake up. The woman opened her eyes,
and then focused on Jena. 
     "Where am I?" she asked. 
     "Take it easy, you've been through a lot," Jena said. 
     "I said it once: Where am I?" the woman demanded. 
     "What's your name? I'm Jena Byrne," Jena told her.
     "Lauren Wagner." 
     "OK, Lauren, do you remember what happened before you woke up the
first time?" Jena asked. 
     "Not much. I was driving down a road, and saw a light. I thought it
was a plane at first, then it changed course and came for my car. There
was a blinding white light, the outline of a disc, then I passed out,"
Lauren said. 
     "What happened then?" 
     "I remember lying on a table, naked, and strapped to it.
Those...those men were examining me," Lauren said, shuddering at the
memory. 
     Jena paused and took a deep breath. Just like those bastards, what'd
Dad say they were, Ischt'k or something like that. Well, they'd been
blasted out of the universe and back to their own, and wouldn't be back.
Good for them. But someone else doing the same thing? 
     "What next, after they examined you?" asked Jena. 
     "One of them, he asked me about the missiles." Lauren said. 
     "What missiles?" Jena asked, puzzled. 
     "I live near Great Falls, Montana. There's Minuteman missile silos
there." 
     Jena thought for a moment, remembering something her dad had told
her.. "OK, after that, what happened?" 
     "I guess they didn't like my answers, because one of them came and
put a mask over my face. Next thing I know, here I am. But where's here?"
Lauren wondered. 
     "OK, here's the deal, Lauren," Jena said. "You're on another
spaceship, but the 'people' who took you are dead. This ship's run by
humans like you and me. And no, they're not from Earth. It's a long
story." 
     "Prove it, Jena," Lauren said. 
     Jena handed her a robe. "Put this on, and go over to that window.
You'll see." 
     Lauren did, and she walked over to a viewport. Her jaw dropped,
seeing several ships, including the Base Ship, and smaller ones going
back and forth towards a planet below. "My God...it looks like something
out of a movie." 
     "That's what I thought, along with my Dad, the first time. You get
used to it," Jena said. Then she asked, "What do you do on Earth?" 
     "I'm a Deputy Sheriff for Cascade County, Montana. I'm also in the
Montana Air National Guard, you know, a 'weekend warrior.'" 
     "Okay, Lauren. Just sit down on the bed, and I'll be back in a few
cent..minutes. They use a different time scale than we do," Jena said. 
     "I'm not going anywhere, that's for sure," Lauren said. "Oh, when
you come back, could you bring something to eat?" 
     "I'll ask first. The Docs want to make sure you're up to it." Jena
said as she headed to the door, seeing Lauren nod. "Like I said, I'll be
back." 
     Jena left the room and to her surprise, found not just her father,
but Commander Adama, Apollo, Sheba, and Doctor Salik. Her dad looked at
Adama, who nodded. "Well, Jena, how'd it go?" 
     "Well, sorta like this; her name's Lauren Wagner," Jena said. "She
was driving along at night, when a light appeared in the sky. It came
close to her vehicle, and she passed out. Next thing she knows, she's
strapped to a table, naked, and those men, she called them, were
examining her." 
     "Sounds familiar," Sheba said. 
     "Yes, it does," Adama said. "Please go on, Jena." 
     "After they examined her, one of them was asking her some
questions," Jena said.
     "Questions?" Byrne asked. "What kind of questions?" 
     "They were asking her about the missiles. She lives in a part of
Montana-that's one of our states-and there's Minuteman missiles there." 
     Byrne turned to Adama. "Commander, those are Minuteman-III ballistic
missiles with intercontinental range. They're a key part of my country's
nuclear deterrent." 
     Adama nodded, and looked at Apollo, who scowled. "That doesn't make
sense," Apollo said, "Why would these aliens be asking about
intercontinental missiles?" 
     Adama paused, "It does make sense, if they were contemplating an
attack?" 
     Byrne thought for a moment. "Oh, my God. If someone wanted to take
over Earth, nuclear weapons would be part of our defense. Those missiles
are in hardened underground silos, and they're protected against anything
up to a direct nuclear strike." 
     "Just like on Ki, Father," Apollo said. 
     "Just like on Ki," Adama agreed. "What else did she say, Jena?" 
     "They must not have liked what she said, because one of them came
with some kind of mask and put it over her face. She passed out, and next
thing she knows, she's here," Jena said. "Oh, and one other thing." 
     "Yes?" Adama said. 
     "She wants something to eat," Said Jena. 
     Adama looked at Salik. The CMO nodded, "I'll have a meal sent in.
Does she think she's up to it?" 
     "She must be, because she said she's hungry," Jena said. "Is there
anything else? I promised her I'd be back." 
     "What does she do on Earth?" Adama wanted to know.
     "She's a Deputy Sheriff in Cascade County, Montana. And she's in the
Montana Air National Guard," Jena said. 
     Adama turned to Byrne, who explained, "That's local law enforcement,
Commander. And the Air National Guard is a reserve component of the Air
Force." 
     "That explains her actions when she woke up the first time," Sheba
told everyone. "Being a law enforcement officer, and having some military
service, that was her training taking over." 
     "Quite," Adama said. "Jena, go back and be with her. We'll want to
speak to her shortly." 
     Jena nodded, and went back into the room. 
     After that, Adama asked Byrne, "Did any of your briefings hint at
what your visitors had in mind for Earth?" 
     "No, Commander, none. If the powers that be do know, they're keeping
it very tightly held. But that does explain some of the sightings:
there's been reports of these craft over military bases, power plants,
industrial complexes, major cities, and so on. Someone may be scouting
out Earth for an attack," Byrne said. 
     "We need to find any files or records on that ship, Father," Apollo
said. 
     "Agreed. I'll get Wilker and his people on it. And Pliny, the
linguist. Cracking that language is going to be difficult, at best,"
Adama said. 
     "Maybe there's a key?" Byrne wondered aloud.
     "A key?" Sheba asked. 
     "Yeah, a key," Byrne said. He went on to explain the Rosetta Stone,
and how it gave scientists their first decryption of Egyptian
hieroglyphics. "Maybe there's something like that. A translation key for
English into their language. Find that..." 
     "And one can then translate that into Colonial Standard," Apollo
finished, looking at Byrne, who was nodding. 
     "That will be Wilker's priority, as of now," Adama decided. He
turned to Salik. "Anything on the aliens as of yet?" 
     "Not yet, Commander, but the first autopsies are set for tomorrow,"
responded the CMO. 
     "Very well, Doctor. Let me know what you find," Adama told him. 
     "Of course, Commander," Salik nodded. 
     "How long do you expect to keep Ms. Wagner, Doc?" Byrne asked.
     "Another two days or so, Captain," Salik replied. "Just for
observation, taking care of that precancerous lump before it becomes
something serious, and getting her vaccinations for Fleet Medical. After
that, I'll release her." 
     "Thanks, Doc," Byrne said. He turned to Adama. "Commander, I need to
have a look inside that ship. Allen, too." 
     Adama nodded. "Granted, Captain."

Chapter 9: 

     Aboard the derelict, Byrne and Allen were awestruck. They'd seen the
wrecked alien craft stored at Area 51, but they'd all been smashed up in
their crashes. This one, though, other than the stern, was intact. As
they went through the ship, they recognized areas now familiar, thanks to
their time on Galactica, and their new ships. Bryne decided to check out
the alien lab area, while Allen headed for the Bridge. And it was Byrne
who first found something, something that not only would Wilker and his
people find interesting, but when they got to Earth, the military back
home would also be interested.. He found it in a desk drawer, and started
to look through it, while Apollo was looking at the strange
hieroglyphics. "Apollo, I found something." 
     "What is it, Captain?" Apollo asked politely. He knew that Byrne's
military used a different rank system than the Colonials did,  which
meant that Byrne was the equivalent of a Colonel, and thus his superior.
     "It's some kind of book," Byrne said as he flipped through the
pages. "Holy crap....take a look at this." 
     Apollo came over to see what Byrne had found. It was a book, with
photographs of human beings being examined. And one of the photos showed
Lauren. "They were keeping a record of their abductions, it seems." 
     "You've got that right. Can't read any of it, but that's Lauren,
sure as hell," Byrne said. 
     "We need to get this to Pliny right away, Captain." Apollo pointed
out. 
     "Commander Adama needs to see it first, Apollo. And Lauren: she has
a right to know," Byrne replied. "Then we'll get it to Pliny." 
     Byrne's communicator came to life. "Kev, this is Ced. Come up to the
Bridge." 
     "What'd you find, Ced?" Byrne wanted to know.
     "You'll have to see it to believe it," the Aussie naval officer
said. 


     Byrne and Apollo made their way to the bridge, passing some of
Salik's medtechs who were taking out the last of the alien bodies. Both
Byrne and Apollo glanced at the bodies, and viewed the aliens with some
contempt for what they'd done to Lauren, and who knew how many others. As
the pair came onto the alien ship's bridge, they found Allen sitting in
one of the bridge chairs, with Starbuck, Dietra, and Hummer nearby. Allen
turned, and told Byrne, "You won't believe what we just found." 
     "What was it, Ced?" Byrne asked. 
     "This." Allen said, as he pushed a button on the console in front of
him. The viewscreen came to life, and a strange symbol, which looked like
some stylized image of a human, came on, followed by portions of a news
broadcast-from Earth. "CNN is now reporting that Governor Bill Clinton of
Arkansas has clinched the Democratic nomination for the Presidency," the
first clip went, followed by images of the fall of the USSR, the UN
weapons inspectors in Iraq after the First Gulf War, the opening of the
Yugoslav breakup, a space shuttle launch-though which specific mission, 
Byrne wasn't sure; the Super Bowl, an Indy-Car race, what looked like a
travel show on the Grand Canyon, clips of the Barcelona Olympics-from
ESPN, it looked like, and concluding with footage of a ocean liner and
the voice "Call your travel agent or Carnival today." Then the screen
briefly went black, the stylized image came up again, and then it went
black again as the video stopped.
     Byrne was speechless for a moment. Then, "Whoa, Ced." 
     "That's what I thought, Kev," Allen said. "Looks like they've been
monitoring Earth's broadcasts." 
     "Looks like?" Starbuck asked, a bit of sarcasm in his voice. "How
old are those?" 
     "Let's put it this way, Lieutenant. I was on my first cruise as a
carrier pilot when those events happened," Byrne said. "That's 1992 by
Earth's calendar." 
     "About forty yahrens ago, Captain?" Hummer asked. He'd quickly done
the conversion in his head. 
     "Something like that. Jeez. If Lauren's been in that stasis tube for
that long..." Byrne's voice trailed off. 
     "Lords of Kobol," Apollo said. "If you're right, Captain, this
ship's been here for all this time." 
     "We don't know that yet, Apollo," Starbuck said, nodding at Byrne,
who nodded in agreement. 
     Things were quiet for a centon or two, as everyone digested the
implications. Then Hummer broke the ice. "Sirs, I've seen that image
before-the one that appeared before the video, and again at the end." 
     "You have, Technician?" Byrne asked. 
     "Yes, Sir. In their library," Hummer said, remembering his first
look inside the ship. 
     Apollo looked at Byrne and Allen. He then turned to Hummer. "Show
us, Technician." 
     "Yes, Sir. If you'll follow me," Hummer said. 
     The group followed Hummer off the bridge, and then turned to enter
the alien ship's library. There was a viewscreen, just like on the
bridge, and along the walls were symbols, with a button beneath each one.
He walked over to where the same symbol the video footage had shown at
the start and the end. "This one, sirs." He then pushed the button. 
     On the screen, the same image came into view, then it shrank as
other symbols came onto the screen. To everyone, it looked like there was
information being displayed-but in a completely alien language. 
     "That must be the symbol for Earth," Dietra said. 
     Apollo looked at the screen. It was continuing to show the alien
text. "No argument there." He turned to Hummer. "Get Doctor Wilker up
here as soon as he can. Tell him this is what he needs to start his
search. This symbol." 
     "Yes, Sir." Hummer said. 


     In Adama's quarters, Apollo, Starbuck, Byrne, and Allen were
briefing Adama on what they'd found. 
     "So they've been monitoring Earth's broadcasts?" Adama asked. 
     "No doubt, Commander," Byrne said. "The images are at least forty
yahrens old." 
     "That doesn't make sense, Commander," Starbuck said. "If they've
been visiting Earth, wouldn't they have more recent images?" 
     "Something we'll have to look into, Lieutenant," Adama said. He
turned to Byrne. "And this book?" 
     "My guess is, and it's only a guess, is that it's some kind of
logbook. Who they abducted, when, and what was done. And if that person
was released, or kept for some reason," Byrne said. "We'd know for sure
when this gets translated." 
     "Wiker's working to find that key, as you said," Adama remarked. "If
it's there, he'll find it, or Hummer will." 
     "And Lauren, how is she?" Byrne asked. 
     "She's eating, and has a strong appetite, Doctor Salik says," Adama
replied. "She hasn't said anything new, though. Jena is still with her,
and they seem to have formed a bond." 
     "Two survivors, Commander," Allen said. Adama looked at him. "Jena
survived what the Ischt'k did to her, and Lauren survived what
these.....people did. It's only natural." 
     Adama nodded, understanding what Allen meant. It had happened often
enough in the Colonies, and in the Fleet. "There's one thing more we'll
need to ask Lauren, though." 
     "What's that, Commander?" Byrne wanted to know.
     "The last calendar date she remembers. If we can correlate that with
what we already know," Adama said. 
     "We can figure out how long this ship's been out here," Apollo
finished for his father. 


     The group left Adama's quarters and went to Life Station. Cassie was
there, coming out of the lab. "Commander," 
     "Cassie. I've been meaning to ask. Do you have anything on the plant
samples?" Adama asked. 
     "I'm afraid there's bad news, Commander. Doctor Salik told me of his
theory about incompatible amino acids, and I checked that out," Cassie
said. 
     "What were your results?" Adama wanted to know. 
     "He was right, Commander. The initial tests for dextro amino acids
came back positive. I've rerun them, to make sure there were no false
positives, but they came out the same. I'm sorry, Commander,"  
     "No need to apologize, Cassie," Adama said. "Still, I'd like
Carmichael's opinion on this. Have some samples sent over to him on the
Agro Ship." 
     "I've already talked to him, Commander." Cassie replied. "He's
already requested samples, and he'll get them later today." 
     "Very well. And good work, Cassie." Adama said. 


     Adama and the rest of the party then entered Life Station. Salik was
there, and he reported that Lauren was willing to have visitors, and he
felt that she was ready. Byrne suggested that he go in first, to set her
at ease, and both Adama and Salik agreed. He went in, and after a few
centons, came back and motioned for Adama and the others  to come in.
Jena was sitting in a chair, while Lauren was sitting on the edge of the
bunk, still in her robe. She saw Adama, and immediately stood to
attention. Adama recognized that: her military training was coming back,
he knew.  He motioned for her to sit, asking, "Would you like to be
called by your military rank, or as Lauren?"  
     "Whichever is all right with you. You must be Commander Adama," she
said. "Captain Byrne's filled me in." 
     "I am, and since you're not technically on active duty, may I call
you Lauren?" Adama asked. 
     "That's fine, Commander." she replied. 
     "Excellent.  Captain Byrne and his daughter have told me about your
experience. I'd like to hear it in your own words, but before we do so,
there's one question to take care of first." 
     "What is it?" Lauren asked. 
     Adama nodded to Captain Byrne. "Lauren, this is important. Do you
remember what date it was, when you were abducted?" 
     She thought for a moment. "Yeah. September 4th, 1992. Why?" 
     "You've been gone a long while. That was about forty years ago,
Earth time." 
     Lauren stared back at him, her jaw dropping. Then she got up and
went to the washroom. There she found a mirror. She shrugged, smiled, and
came back. "Well, that makes me the youngest looking seventy-five year
old on record." There was some stifled laughter, and she said, "Nothing
like a little humor to break the tension. I'm at your disposal,
Commander." 
     The discussion that followed, though disturbing in what the aliens
had done, went better than anyone expected. Lauren said that the aliens
had been interested in not just the air base, but in the missile silos
themselves. How were they hardened? What kind of ground security was
there? Any kind of defense against air attack? How were the nuclear
warheads guarded at the base? All questions that the aliens wanted
answered, but she had either not known, or deliberately lied, as her
military training had kicked in, figuring that the aliens did not have
Earth's best intentions in mind. And when she was shown the book that
Byrne had found, a look of contempt came over her. "Those slimy, rotten
bastards. Not just me, but sixty or seventy other people!" She looked at
Adama. "Commander, I've only got one regret." 
     "What's that, Lauren?" Adama wanted to know. 
     "There wasn't one of them in another tube. Because I'd want to kill
him right now," She replied. 
     Jena looked at her father. Both had similar feelings about the
Ischt'k, and Sheba also looked at Jena. Nods were exchanged. They knew
the feeling. 
     "That's understandable, Lauren," Salik said. 
     "So what happens to me now?" Lauren asked. 
     "I'd like to keep you for another two days," Salik said, "Just for
observation, and to treat that lump I found." 
     "Then what?" She asked.
     Byrne spoke up. "How'd you like to come and be with Jena and me
aboard our ship?  Just being with somebody from Earth would help you fit
in." 
     Lauren smiled. "I'd like that." 
     "So decided," Adama said. "Is there anything else you need?" 
     "Do you have something to write with?" Lauren asked. 
     Adama looked at Byrne and Allen. Both men shrugged. "What for?"
     "There's two aliens I'd like to know if they're dead. One was the
Examiner, the one who did the medical exam. The other was the
Interrogator. They had these symbols on their uniforms," Lauren said. 
     Jena brought a pad and pen. She'd brought it over from
Constellation, where she'd been also keeping a journal, the old-fashioned
way. "Here you go." 
     "Thanks, Jena." Lauren said, and she proceeded to draw the symbols.
One was similar to a reverse capital E, while the other looked like a W
that had been tipped over on its left side. Only they were still...
different. She tore off the paper and handed it to Adama. "Find those
two. They had them on the left shoulder, on some kind of patch." 
     "If they're there, we'll find them," Adama promised. 

Chapter 10: 

     Adama went back to his cabin,where he contacted Baltar and filled
him in on what had been found. After his own experience with the Ischt'k,
Baltar was obviously contemptuous of the aliens. "First the Ischt'k, now
these....people, Adama. What are we dealing with?" 
     "A people that clearly has no qualms about doing whatever it feels
like, Baltar." 
     "Just like the Ischt'k...Thank you, Adama, for keeping me informed."

     After the conversation ended, Adama went up to the Bridge. There,
Tigh informed him that the water replenishment was proceeding apace, and
that Carmichael's people had the samples Cassie had sent over. They had
verified her results. "This planet's bounty is only the water,"
Carmichael had said. 
Though disappointing in regards to food sources, at least the water held
no dangers, and that replenishing the Fleet's supply would take another
three or four days, assuming no problems. The Tylium mining was also
going well, and their supply would be topped off. And the patrols both
the Galactica and the Base Ship were mounting continued to show the
system clear. 
     Then Wilker came onto the Bridge. He was clearly excited.
     "Commander, we've found it!" 
     "Calm down, Doctor," Tigh said. "What do you mean by 'it'?" 
     "The key. Captain Byrne suggested that we look for a key to
translate English into the alien language. Hummer found it. And similar
keys for a number of Earth languages, and, apparently several other alien
languages, from other races," Wilker responded. 
     "Good work, Doctor," Adama said, pleased with the news. "How soon
can you and Pliny begin translations?" 
     "At least twenty-four centars, Commander. But the information will
be flowing," the scientist said, pleased with that knowledge.
     "What do you plan to start first?" Adama wanted to know.
     "The pilots who've been looking over the ship want the bridge
symbols translated, so they'll know what the consoles are saying. The
engineers want the same for the alien ship's engineering section, and, of
course, the library," Wilker admitted, sounding disappointed. He wanted
the library's material translated first, something he and Pliny agreed
on.
     "The bridge and engineering symbols come first, Doctor," Adama told
him. "I don't want to take the chance on any unpleasant surprises, like,
say, a self-destruct charge triggered from the bridge." 
     Wilker turned pale, realizing what Adama had just said. "We'll get
that first of all, Commander." 


     While Wilker and Pliny were preparing to get their translation
matrix fully functioning, Byrne and Allen, along with Apollo, Starbuck,
and several other pilots and bridge crew, Rigel among them, were going
over the alien ship's bridge deck. One of the cabins had clearly been the
Captain's quarters, and Byrne and Apollo had been giving the cabin a
through going-over. 
     "I wonder if this guy kept some kind of private log, or journal,"
Byrne was saying as he rummaged through the single closet, looking for
any kind of books, papers, and so on. 
     "Most captains do," Apollo said, "Even my Father does." 
     "Always nice to have someplace to record your private thoughts,
isn't it?" Byrne said. 
     "Have you checked his desk?" Apollo said.
     "I was about to. Care to join me?" Byrne asked.
     "No problem, Captain." Apollo said. 
     Both went through the desk's drawers, and didn't find anything,
other than a piece of paper with the alien script. "Want to bet that's
his computer code or password?" Byrne asked. 
     "Some things are universal, it seems," Apollo remarked. "I've done
the same thing, in case I forget." 
     "Same here," Byrne added as he opened a cabinet next to the desk.
"Jackpot." 
     "What?" Apollo asked. Evidently, another "Earthism." 
     "Besides wining the lottery or the big money at a casino, it also
means you find whatever it is you're looking for. Have a look, Captain." 
     Apollo pulled out the drawers. The cabinet was filled with folders,
and the papers were, of course, filled with the alien script. Then he
found a binder, just like a student's. He opened it, and this time, the
script was obviously handwritten. "This must be it." 
     "I'd bet money on it, Captain," said Byrne. "When did Wilker say
they'd be able to scan actual documents, besides downloading from the
library and bridge?" 
     "Another day or so. But you've gotten to know Wilker..." Apollo
reminded Byrne. 
     "Yeah. Typical scientist. He does what he wants, whenever he wants,
and unless you order him, what you want him to do has to wait until his
pet project is done," Byrne said. "Reminds me of some scientific types
back home." 
     "More than one like Wilker? Lords help us all," Apollo said. 
     "Seconded," Byne said. "All right, let's get this to him anyway.
This gets priority, along with that book of abductees." 

Chapter 11: 

     The next morning came. Byrne had been given the cabin he and Jena
had stayed in, before moving over to Constellation, and after breakfast
with Apollo and Sheba, he went over to Life Station to check on Jena and
Lauren. Both were still asleep. The duty medtech said that both had up
pretty late, just talking. Byrne smiled at that: his little girl wasn't
so little anymore, and she was finding a way to help out. And Lauren?
Maybe her law enforcement and Air Force training could be useful, as
Master-at-Arms aboard Constellation? Something to keep in mind, as he
went to Beta Bay. 
     He found a number of techs already there, and Hummer was among them,
getting ready to go back inside. 
     "Where's Commander Allen?" he asked. 
     "He's been here for a centar, Captain," Hummer said. "He wanted to
get going early. Now that the bridge stencils have been translated and
noted, he wanted an early start." 
     "All right," Byrne replied. He went into the ship and made his way
to the Bridge. As he did so, he noticed that Pliny the linguist was
already aboard, setting up the equipment needed to start downloading and
translating the library's contents. Then he got onto the Bridge. Allen
was already there, taking notes for not only his report here, but for
when they got back to Earth. Like Byrne, he was thinking ahead. 
     "Morning, Kev," the Aussie said. "Looks like we can figure this
stuff out now, without blowing ourselves up." 
     "Let me guess: somebody found the self-destruct system?" Byrne
replied. 
     "Yep. And not just explosive charges: they were a backup. Primary
was connected to the main antimatter reactor. Overload that, and....." 
     "All over in a flash," Byrne finished. "Well, now that the movies
are real life for us, nothing's a surprise now." 
     "You've got that right. Anyway, I've figured out what the consoles
are for," Allen said. 
     "Lay it on me, Ced." 
     "Center console: obviously the Captain's. He can monitor everything,
he's got a couple of CRT screens or their equivalent, for that. Captain's
override, a scanner screen, you name it," Allen said, pointing out the
controls. 
     "Weapons?" Byrne asked.
     "Right over there, on the left. Lasers, and the fire-control guys
will be up here later today, Tigh told me. They'll check the guns out,
and there's also some kind of missile launchers, for either ship-to-ship,
or surface attack. Those puppies get unloaded, and I imagine they'll
figure out how to use 'em on Galactica," Allen said, pointing to the
station. 
     "Well, since they can't go home to reload, it's like there's a
choice. You take every chance you get," Byrne reminded his colleague. 
     "Yeah. Right: sensors, right next to the weapons station, and in the
center, helm and navigation," Allen said. "And on the right, engineering,
or at least a monitor station for engineering, along with a
communications system," 
     "Anything that we'd call an ELINT or SIGINT station?" Byrne asked.
"They're monitoring our broadcasts somehow." 
     "Nothing obvious, but I'd bet that's part of the communications
system. If we can find a manual, or a log, Kev," Allen told his friend. 
     Byrne thought for a moment. "If the com officer has a log, it's
probably in his quarters. And since we don't know which cabin's his....
But when we do..." 
     "I heard about you and Apollo finding the Captain's log. Probably
the com officer has one, too." Allen said as he noticed Byrne looking
around. "What is it, Kev?" 
     "Just thinking, Ced." Byrne said. "Who would've thought we'd be
living a movie or TV show?" 
     "Thought about that a bit myself," the Aussie replied. "Feel like
Jim Kirk yet?" 
     "Sort of. More like Janeway, though. A long ways from home, and who
knows how long to get there? Byrne said. "And RB-33 was no DS 9. More
like a wild west version of B5." 
     "After what I saw there? Kev, that's an understatement," Allen said.



     While the two Earth officers were going over the alien ship's
Bridge, Doctor Salik, along with Cassie, was conducting the initial
autopsies of the aliens. He had selected three bodies for through
examination and dissection, and one body was one of the few females.
Salik had also been informed by Commander Adama of Lauren's request, and
one of his medtechs was checking the other bodies, for none of the three
had the images she had described. 
     Cassie had had a couple of autopsies in her training to be a MO, but
now, this was the first one for real. She was struck by how close the
aliens appeared to being human, and Salik had also noticed that. He'd
decided then and there to collect DNA samples, to see if there was any
sign of genetic engineering, as he'd found with Kalyesha and the
Zohrloch. Both also noticed how the aliens' internal organs were similar
to those in humans, something that made Salik more certain that these
beings, whoever they were from and called themselves, might have been the
product of some Kobolian research project. After the first two bodies had
been autopsied, Commander Adama arrived, to get a status report. 
     "Commander," Salik said.
     "Doctor," Adama replied. "Do you have anything so far?" 
     "We've finished the first two procedures, Commander. What we've
found is raising a few questions." 
     "How so?" Adama responded. 
     Salik pointed to one of the aliens-the body was covered in a
sheet-and said, "Once you hear the basics, Commander." He picked up a
chart. "Weight, 80 kilons; height about 1.7 metrics. Thumb, forefingers,
and five toes. Obviously, a biped, and he has pale blue eyes. His heart,
lungs, and other organs all appear similar to humans, but how similar?
We'll have to wait for the lab results, and DNA testing." 
     "Doctor, do you think this is something similar to what we discussed
a couple of sectons ago?" Adama asked. Cassie raised her eyebrow at that,
remembering that Salik had had a private meeting with the Commander about
some kind of medical mystery. 
     "Yes, Commander, I do," Salik replied. "There's something else,
though." 
     "Oh?" Adama asked. 
     "Both of these bodies have an appendix, a tailbone, and a Nardarian
Gland behind the eyeball. Those are useless to us, but these beings?  I
don't know. Too similar to humans, though, to be any kind of a
coincidence." 
     "Any sign as to the cause of death?" asked Adama. 
     "Not yet, Commander. The lab results should tell us something. I'll
let you know when those come in," Salik told the Commander.
     "Thank you, Doctor. And how is Lauren?" Adama inquired. 
     "She had a minor surgery to remove the precancerous lump in her left
breast, and it was a routine procedure, much to her surprise. On Earth,
that can be a secton in a hospital. She's had her vaccinations, and is
eating and sleeping normally. I'll release her tomorrow," the CMO said. 
     "Good. I'll inform Captain Byrne." Adama said. 


     Meanwhile, Lauren was resting in her cabin. She had had a long talk
with Jena, who had had a similar experience to hers, just recently, and
then the female doctor they called Cassie came in. Apparently the same
aliens that had abducted Jena had also taken Cassie, and she was still
somewhat shaken up by the experience. Cassie had found out quite quickly
that talking with someone who'd had an experience similar to what she'd
had, made putting it in the past that much easier. One other thing they'd
had in common was that their respective abductors were now deceased, and
wouldn't be bothering them-or anyone else-ever again. Then the subject
had shifted to what the Colonial Fleet was doing in this particular solar
system, and how they had gotten so far away from home. 
     "You fight a war for over a thousand years, and in the space of a
day, you lose it all. No thanks to a piece of scum like Baltar," Lauren
said. 
     "Yeah. When my dad found out what Baltar had done-and Commander
Adama had to be pretty cautious,  well, he was pretty ticked off," said
Jena. 
     "Anyone try to kill him, Cassie?" Lauren wanted to know. 
     "Not that I know of. But he's still regarded as the worst traitor in
human history, and if somebody tries to kill him...." Cassie's voice
trailed off.
     "And his crew might go on a rampage with that base ship, if that
happened," Jena said. 
     "Happy thought....not," Lauren said. "Cassie, you had how many back
home?" 
     "There were about fifteen to twenty billion people in the Colonies,"
Cassie replied. "There's just about 70,000 in the Fleet." 
     "Holy.....And what happened to everyone who couldn't get to a ship?"
Lauren asked. 
     "We try not to think about it," Cassie said. "Everybody in the Fleet
knows people who didn't make the Exodus, and you just put it out of your
mind." 
     "I guess that's the best way to look at it," Lauren said. "And this
is it for your military? This battlestar?" 
     "There might be another one out there," Cassie replied. She told the
story of the Pegasus and her legendary commander, Cain. 
     "But you don't know?" Lauren asked. 
     "That's right. And if he did show up again, we'd have a big problem
on our hands. Cain would probably fire on the base ship-and he'd do it on
sight." 
     "Based on what you told me, that's the last thing you guys want or
need." Lauren said., looking at Jena, who nodded. 
     "The understatement of the millennium," Cassie said. 
     Now, Lauren was thinking about what would come next. She'd be
leaving Life Station tomorrow, and moving over to Byrne's ship. A
position as Master-at-Arms? One thing for sure, she decided, I'm going to
make my military and law enforcement training work here. And I'm going to
see if I can have a look at that ship. Forty-plus years asleep in a tube!
Too bad Galactica was the only real warship in the Fleet, not counting
the Base Ship, she thought. Because I'd like to find the aliens'
homeworld and blow it to hell. 


     Aboard the derelict, Byrne and Allen were checking the bridge
consoles. One thing that both naval officers remembered from their days
at sea, was that navigators often had drawers to store charts and other
papers next to their plotting boards. After some searching, they found
what they were looking for. 
     "Gotcha," Allen said as he pulled the charts out from below the
console. 
     "Their charts?" Byrne wanted to know. 
     "Right you are, Kev," the Aussie said as he scanned the first chart.
He was looking for Earth, and having seen the aliens' symbol for Earth,
he knew what to look for. After a few centons of searching, he found it.
"And here's Earth," he said, pointing. 
     Byrne came over and had a look for himself. Same symbol and
everything. "They've got the files from the Saint Brendan all copied,
Ced. And don't forget that one of the files we were bringing along was a
star catalog, with a map of the stars closest to Earth." 

"Match that, with this, and it give us a nice map to get home, Kev." 
     "Not necessarily; Krylon had charts in his ship, we found. They're
only about a couple hundred light-years across. This looks like the same.
The scale's similar," Byrne told Allen. "Anything else?"
     "System charts: and one of 'em is for ours. All the planets are
there, the asteroid belt, the Kuiper Belt, Oort Cloud, everything." Allen
said. "And several other systems, as well. 
     "Adama's going like this, Ced." 
     Allen replied, "Not to mention the folks back home." 

Chapter 12

     Later that day, Adama held a status meeting in the Ward Room. Byrne
and Allen presented the map, while Wilker and Pliny were able to report
that the translation process was well underway. Salik had autopsied
another body, this one a female, and so far, there were no leads as to
the aliens' cause of death. Their stomach contents were still there,
surprisingly, and they were being examined. Essentially, Salik was
treating their deaths as he would any regular autopsy in the Fleet. And
Lauren would be released from Life Station the next day. Tigh reported
that the water replenishment was proceeding, and that in three or four
days, the whole Fleet would have a new supply of fresh water, while
maintenance was proceeding on several ships' recycling systems, a couple
of which were near breakdown. All would be back to normal within two
days. 
     Pleased with things so far, Adama was about to adjourn the meeting
when a call came in. Technician Hummer had found something important in
the alien ship's library. He adjourned the meeting, and went to see for
himself, with Byrne, Allen, Wilker, and both Apollo and Starbuck. 
     The group found Hummer hunched over a terminal, with two monitors
he'd hooked up to view what the alien screen showed, plus translations in
English, as well as Colonial Standard. "Commander, I'm glad you're here.
I found a document that you, as well as Captain Byrne, need to see." 
     "What is it, Technician?" asked Adama. 
     "This," Hummer said as he replayed a document he'd just finished. He
had briefly perused it before realizing what he'd found, then he called
Adama.  "It's a report of a previous visit by these aliens to Earth." 
     "How old is the document?" Adama wanted to know, looking over at the
two Earth officers. 
     "It's pretty old, Commander. None of the attached images are from
their time," Hummer said, referring to Byrne and Allen.
     "So how old, Technician?" Wilker asked.
     "Several thousand yahrens, at least, Doctor," the tech replied. "The
aliens describe the capture, training, and use of certain 'animals' as
slaves, both male and female. The slaves worship them as gods." 
     "They came to Earth before the Kobolian refugees?" Adama asked. 
     "It appears so, Commander," Hummer said. "The report gets a
little...well, strange." 
     "What do you mean, 'strange'?" Byrne asked. 
     "Sir, the report says that the female slaves found it a great honor
to be chosen to live with, and....bear the gods' offspring," Hummer said.
"And when the aliens left Earth," he went on, "they were forbidden to
take the 'domesticated animals' with them." 
     Byrne and Allen looked at each other  Son of a bitch, that was the
unspoken word between the two. 
     Then Allen spoke up, "What else is there?" 
     "That's the next document, Sir." Hummer responded. He called it up.
"This one mentions several ships arriving on Earth, origin unknown, and
the aliens' command asked for permission to intervene. However,
permission was denied. Then the aliens apparently fought a war amongst
themselves-reason unknown, and they ignored Earth for quite a while after
that, it appears." 
     Apollo looked at the translation. "Commander, if this is true, and
there's no reason to doubt that, this is an account of the arrival of the
Thirteenth Tribe on Earth." 
     "Indeed, Apollo," Adama said. "Does the document give any details?" 
     "No, Commander, none at all," Hummer said. "Just that the ships
arrived at Earth, and after landing, were destroyed by their crew and
passengers." 
     "Like in the Colonies," said Adama, "When the Twelve Worlds were
settled, the people destroyed their ships and technology, out of
repentance for having despoiled the mother world, Kobol." 
     "And the newcomers either killed the aliens' experiment, or brought
some disease with them," Byrne said. "That's going to raise a big fury
back home; finding out everything they know about human evolution on
Earth is false." 


     That evening, though still technically a patient in Life Station,
Lauren was invited to a dinner in Adama's quarters. Byrne and his
daughter, Allen and Kaylesha, Apollo and Sheba, along with Boxey, Boomer
and Athena, Starbuck, Cassie, and both Sire Pelias and Siress Tinia were
the other guests. 
Right then and there, she was getting along fine with what she was
beginning to feel were her surrogate family. And Adama appreciated
talking to someone from Earth who had a different background than Byrne
or Allen, and although from the same country as Byrne, lived in a
different region of the country. And so Lauren talked about life on the
Montana Prairie, how being a Deputy Sheriff in a rural area was so much
different than being a police officer in a major city, and her duties as
a Combat Security Police specialist in the Montana Air National Guard.
But all that had changed rather abruptly. After recounting her abduction
and examination, the next thing she knew, she was aboard Galactica. And,
as Byrne and Allen told her beforehand, there were a lot of questions,
before, during, and after, dinner. Only this time, she was only too happy
to answer them. 
     "I wouldn't trade living there for life in a big city, Commander,"
she said after dinner, also nodding to Pelias and Tinia. "I knew a lot of
the people in my area of the county, and hardly anything happens. The
most serious call I went on was a drunk-and-disorderly. Other than that,
not much happens. In Great Falls, itself, it's got some problems, but
then, what city of about 60,000 or so doesn't? And the people who live
there like it that way." 
     "Incredible. Whole areas with no one?" Pelias asked. 
     "Yes, Councilman. You can go for days 'off the beaten path' as we
say, and not encounter another person. Whether it's in the mountains west
and south of Great Falls-like a wilderness area, or in Yellowstone
National Park-it's one of the most visited, but go into a wilderness area
and chances are, you won't encounter very many people. Same thing if you
take a rafting trip down the Missouri River, through Fort Peck Lake. If
it's solitude you want, my home state is one of many places in America
you can find it," Lauren said, a touch of pride in her voice. 
     "Maybe," Siress Tina said, "When we get to Earth, that's one region
where perhaps some of our people might find a home. As you said, whole
districts with not that many people." 
     "We can be pretty good neighbors, once we get to know you," Lauren
replied. "You've got some weird folks there, but we've got the idea that
there's space enough for everyone." 
     Siress Tina glanced at Adama, "We should keep her area in mind,
Commander. I realize it's way, way premature, but, perhaps, one can
dream?" 
     "Certainly, Siress. No harm in that," Adama said. He looked at
Byrne, "And has Captain Byrne offered you a position on his ship, or do
you feel up to that yet?" 
     "He's already done that, Commander," Lauren replied. "What the U.S.
Navy calls 'Master-at-Arms.'" She noted Adama's puzzled look. "It's
essentially the ship's chief security officer." 
     "Ah, I see," Adama acknowledged, and noting Byrne's nod. "Naval
terminology makes the transition to space." 
     "Space is essentially a black sea, Commander," Byrne replied. "No
reason not to bring a Navy to the sea between the stars." 
     "That explains his and Commander Allen's adopting Naval protocols on
their ships, Father," Apollo said. 
     "What else should you expect from two Navy men?" Allen asked, and
everyone laughed. 

Chapter 13: 

     The next morning, Lauren was waiting on her final clearance to leave
Life Station. While Cassie was handling her final checkup and the
paperwork, Salik was busy elsewhere. He had found partially dissolved
pills in the stomachs of two of the three alien bodies autopsied, and so
he had decided to select two more at random. These two, also, had the
pills, and this certainly raised his interest. He now had a nagging
suspicion that the aliens may have taken their own lives, but wanted
further proof. And so he went aboard the ship to examine the alien ship's
medical section, and see if the ship had any supplies of lethal drugs.
His suspicions were raised when he found a walk-in closet, and it
appeared to be the storage for the ship's medical supplies. However, the
hatch was locked. And so Salik went to Master Chef Varica for
suggestions, and so one of his crash rescue crews, complete with cutting
torches, followed him back aboard. A few centons' worth of cutting gained
him entry, and he soon found what he was looking for. Salik was soon back
in Life Station, examining the pills, and running tests on them. And then
he notified Adama, who immediately came from the Bridge. 
     "I may have a cause of death for the aliens, or at least, a number
of them, Commander," Salik told Adama when he arrived. 
     "Interesting, Doctor," Adama said. "What do you suspect?" 
     "Suicide pills, Commander," said the CMO. 
     "Suicide pills?" 
     "Yes, Commander. I found partially dissolved pills in the stomachs
of four alien bodies. So I decided to check out their Life Station, and
with the help of Master Chief Varica's crash crew, I found what I was
looking for. Their medical locker. And it had a supply of these pills,
under lock," Salik said. 
     "How soon until you have the test results?" Adama wanted to know.
     "Sometime today, Commander," responded the CMO. 
     "Very good, Doctor," Adama said. "Please let me know once your
results are in." 
     "Of course, Commander." 
     "That raises a whole new question altogether, Doctor," Adama pointed
out. "Why did they kill themselves?" 
     "Perhaps they landed on the planet below, and ran the same tests we
have on the plant life? At any rate, I'll know in a few centars for
certain," Salik told the Commander. 


     Meanwhile, Lauren was heading to Beta Bay, with Jena and their
escort. Lieutenant Castor had been detailed to accompany both of them
while aboard ship, and it gave the burly Castor a chance to meet the
woman he'd caught as she fell out of the stasis chamber. After he
recounted that story, she thanked him, and there was a pleasant
conversation as the trio went to the bay. How he'd handled being in
combat, both planetside and aboard ship, for one? Did he get along with
his CO, Croft? Anyone from your Basic Training days that you loved or
loathed? She told Castor of her time in Air Force Basic Training, and
while they all despised their Drill Instructor, her experience in the
Gulf War meant that the DI had gotten things into her enough that she
went through a couple of Scud missile attacks and never missed a beat.
Castor answered her questions as best he could, realizing the difference
between Colonial society and hers, but, since he had felt his DI had been
a monster dressed as a human, he said, "Some things are universal,
Lauren," and she agreed. 
     Then they entered the Bay, and both Jena and Lauren's jaws dropped.
It was the first time for both that they'd seen the derelict, and there
was a small stream of people going in and out. The two aircraft were
still parked nearby, and overnight, the two scout ships had been
unloaded. Small teams had gone aboard each one, and had found no
surprises, much to everyone's relief. The trio went to one of the
disc-shaped craft, and Lauren shook her head. "Too bad I won't know who
the bastards were who took me. Because I'd take an ax to 'em, even if
they're dead, and hack them into tiny pieces." 
     Castor nodded, "From what I've heard, I don't blame you." While Jena
nodded, saying, "Galactica and the Base Ship took care of the creeps who
abducted me, and Dad says that was revenge enough." 
     The trio went over to the F-89 and the Cessna. The fighter was
familiar to Lauren, as another F-89 was on display outside the Air Guard
Base at Great Falls Airport. "The unit flew this type of plane, a long
time ago. Can't believe one's here." She shook her head and asked, "Did
you find anyone else?" 
     "No, you were the only one in stasis," Castor replied. 
     Nodding, she went over to the Cessna. "I might have wound up
wherever the pilots are...But For the Grace of God Go I..." 
     "I know what you mean," Castor said, looking at Jena, who simply
nodded. 
     Captain Byrne and Commander Allen came up. Both had been aboard the
ship earlier in the morning, and had finished up a break. Byrne asked,
"How's my future Master-at-Arms this morning?" 
     "Fine, Captain. Salik and Cassie gave me my release, so I'm free to
go. When do I report aboard Constellation?" Lauren asked. 
     "When I'm through here," Byrne said. "Speaking of which, how'd you
like to go aboard and have a look?"
     "Considering they didn't give me a guided tour the last time, I'd
appreciate that, Sir." Lauren replied.
     The group then went aboard the derelict, with Byrne and Allen
pointing out compartments. Some of Croft's men were finishing up
stripping the aliens' armory, and they ran into Croft himself. He, too,
was having a more leisurely look around the derelict ship, and Lauren
took the opportunity to thank him for getting her out of stasis. "Just
doing my job, that's all," had been the reply. Then the group stopped by
the lab area and the stasis tubes. Lauren took a good look around.
"God....forty-plus years in that tube," she said. 
     "Angry?" Allen asked. 
     "No, just bitter," Lauren replied. She turned to Byrne, "Did they
find the two I was asking about?"
     "Don't know yet, but I'll find out," said Byrne. 
     "Good," she said as she walked around the examination table, its
straps still there. Looking around, she asked, with an ice-cold tone of
voice, "What's going to happen with the bodies?" 
     "Haven't heard anything yet," Byrne said. 
     "How about shooting them into this planet so that they burn up on
entry?" 
     Bryne, along with Jena, Allen, and Castor, looked at each other. All
understood what she wanted, and that was simple. Revenge. The Ischt'k had
been blasted to hell, she had heard from Jena and Cassie, and she wanted
her abductors sent there as well. "That's for Adama to decide," Allen
admitted. 
     "If he asks for suggestions, that's one. Let's go on. I don't want
to see this room ever again," Lauren said. 
     "That's going to be arranged." Byrne said. 
     The group then went on to the Bridge level, and found Hummer busy
downloading more material from the ship's library. There was a lot of
material on Earth, they were finding. Then the group went onto the
Bridge. A couple of Wilker's techs were there, examining the various
consoles. "And here it is," Byrne said. 
     "Looks like something out of a movie," Lauren admitted. "A cheap
Sci-Fi movie, but a movie anyway." 
     "Now we're living a movie, the four of us now," Allen said. "How's
it feel?" 
     "Like I'm in some episode of Star Trek, The Next Generation," Lauren
said. Then she noticed some  buttons on the captain's console. "What are
these?" 
     "We hit one, and a video played. They've been monitoring Earth's
broadcasts," Byrne said.
     "Maybe there's another?" asked Lauren. 
     "Go ahead and see," Allen said. 
     And so she pushed one of the console buttons. Sure enough, a video
did begin to play, with a voice that sounded like someone's voice not
only distorted, but fast-forwarded. No one there had heard such a
language before. Not even Allen, with his time on RB-33, had heard
anything similar. Then the video closed in on a star system, and it was
quickly obvious which system it was: Earth's. 
     "What's this?" Jena asked. 
     "Different than what we saw earlier," her father admitted. "No
symbol-we found their symbol for Earth, and that didn't play here." 
     The video then showed Earth from space, a full planetary rotation,
with the continents clearly marked. Then the video closed in on the West
Coast of North America, and a location familiar to Byrne came into view:
San Diego. 
     "What the hell....? he asked, as two horizontal grid lines, with
several circular images, all converged on  what was Downtown San Diego,
and then a host of symbols appeared. The video then moved north along the
coast, to the San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant, and the same pattern
played. Other locations in the Los Angeles area, such as LAX, Marine
Corps Air Station El Toro, Los Alamitos Reserve Base, March AFB, were
then showed, followed by other locations all over North America, and then
in other parts of the world: military bases, power plants, industrial
complexes, space launch centers (both Kennedy Space Center and its
Russian counterpart, Baikonur Cosmodrome, were shown, along with the
French site in French Guiana), and key centers of communication. 
     When the video finished playing, everyone who had seen it was
speechless. Byrne then broke the silence. "What was all of that?" 
     "I have no idea, but those locations must be important to them,"
Allen said. 
     Byrne turned to Castor. "Go back to the library and see if Hummer's
there. If he is, bring him back here." 
     "Right away, Captain," Castor said. "And if he's not there?"
     "If not, find him and get him here. Now." Byrne said to Castor.
     Fortunately for Castor, Hummer was still in the library. Castor
brought him to the bridge, and after Byrne explained what Lauren had
found, the tech set up his equipment to record the video. While he was
doing that, Byrne had thought for a moment. "Ced, I think I know what
this is." 
     "What, Kev?" the Aussie asked. 
     "This looks like a strike template, or something worse." Byrne said.

     "A strike template? You're serious, right?" Allen asked.
     "It fits: the questions they were asking Lauren about the missile
base and the silos. And all these strategic locations," Byrne said, a
tone of anger coming into his voice. 
     "What do you mean, Pop?" Jena asked. 
     "These are all sites someone would want to seize or destroy if they
wanted to attack Earth."
     Lauren looked at him, a shocked look on her face. "Oh, my
God....this is an invasion plan?" 
     "It sure looks like it to me," Byrne said. 
     "Holy...." the Aussie said. "How do we know for sure?" 
     Hummer then said, "All ready to record, sirs. When you are." 
     Byrne hit the button and the video began to play. As it began, and
Hummer started recording, he turned to Castor. "You've got your
communicator?"
     "Right here, Captain," the lieutenant replied. 
     "Contact the Bridge and ask where Apollo is. Get him here, right
now. And if Sheba or Starbuck's with him, bring them, too." 


     Apollo had finished a patrol with Orion, and he actually found
working with his Cylon counterpart getting more and more easier all the
time. No signs of any ships had been found, nor any transmissions of any
kind picked up, and it was obvious that this was a system that nobody was
really interested in. Perhaps word about the plant life had gone around,
Apollo wondered. And even Orion had asked the same question. He was just
finished with the debriefing when the call came from the Bridge. Adama,
who had conducted the debriefing, decided to come with him. 
     When the two officers reached the alien ship's bridge, they found
Byrne's group watching the video again, this time with a more practiced
eye. "What's this, Captain?" Adama asked. 
     "Commander," Byrne said. "We were giving Lauren a tour of the
derelict, and she hit one of the buttons on the captain's console, and
this video began to play." 
     Adama and Apollo watched with interest. They watched as strategic
locations on Earth were displayed, with the grid pattern and the symbols.
Adama looked at the video, then at Hummer. "Any progress, Technician?" 
     "Still working on it, Sir," the tech replied. 
     "Opinions?" Adama wanted to know.
     "Commander," Byrne said,  "This looks like an attack plan. Either
these locations are targets for destruction, or they're going to be
seized." 
     "An invasion plan?" Apollo asked. 
     "It sure looks like one," Allen admitted. "It's not just locations
in the U.S., they're all over Earth. I noticed a few locations in
Australia, and if I was planning an attack, those are places I'd target."

     "Sirs," Hummer said, "That's what it is. I've got a translation for
these symbols." 
     "What do they say?" Adama asked. 
     "These locations are all 'Designated Landing Areas.'" 
     "My God....they're going back to Earth." Lauren said. 
     "If they are, this information's way out of date," Byrne thought out
loud. 
     "What do you mean, 'out of date?'" Adama asked. 
     Byrne turned to Hummer. "Can your computer show the early parts of
the video?" 
     "Not a problem, sir," the tech replied. And he did so.
     As it ran again, Byrne noticed a particular target. "Pause it,
Hummer." After the tech did so, Byrne noted, "That target is Mather Air
Force Base, California. It was a nuclear bomber base. I say 'was' because
the base was closed about a yahren after Lauren's abduction. Keep going,"
Byrne said. 
     The video continued, with Byrne occasionally pointing out bases that
had been closed, and their units either transferred, or in most cases,
disbanded. And not just in the U.S., but elsewhere in the world. 
     "Do you have a translation for the other symbols?" He asked Hummer. 
     "Yes, sir. When certain bases or power plants appear, there's a
notation about the presence of nuclear material-though they're not
differentiating between material and weapons," Hummer said. 
     "And some of those bases have closed?" Apollo asked. 
     "Yeah. We went on a 'peace dividend' about twenty yahrens before our
mission. We cut our military back by about a third, and some countries
cut back even more. The Cold War was over, and people wanted a change,"
Byrne said. 
     "So why strike on the basis of inaccurate information?" Apollo
wanted to know. "If these aliens were serious, the information would be
up to date, showing data after Captain Byrne and Commander Allen's
mission." 
     "Sir," Hummer said, "There's some documents that seem to be
connected with this, that we haven't translated yet. And one of them has
an attached video." 
     Adama looked at Byrne, who nodded. "Get on it, Technician. That's
top priority, as of now." 
     "Yes, Sir!" 


     A centar later, Hummer came back. "Commander, I've got one document
translated. It's a rough translation, but it mentions that the planning
was to continue, but that the actual operation was no longer an action
item." 
     Adama nodded. "Anything else?" 
     "Yes, sir. Another document, a brief one, mentions what the aliens
called Earth. Te'ra." 
     "Father, did you notice something?" Apollo asked. 
     "Te'ra...what they call Earth." Adama said. "It sounds just like
Terra." 
     "It does, Commander," Apollo said. 
     Pliny, the linguist, came in. He had just overheard some of the
conversation, "Excuse me, did I hear someone say 'Terra?'" 
     Adama turned to see him. "Yes, Pliny. Why do you ask?" 
     "Their language-at least the spoken word, is similar to what some
have described as what ancient Kobolian may have sounded like. Granted,
the information we have is sketchy compared with what we had back in the
Colonies, but it appears to be very similar," the linguist said. 
     "Could there have been a rogue group, who broke away from one of the
tribes?" Apollo asked. 
     "I'll have to check the old records in Galactica's library, but I
don't think so," Adama said. "I'm just as confused as you are." 
     "How about a colony before the Exodus?" Castor said, speaking for
the first time.
     "That's very possible, Lieutenant," Adama said. "We only know what
the colonists took with them from Kobol-knowledge they wanted to take
with them, and even that's incomplete." 
     Then Adama's communicator buzzed. It was Salik. He wanted to see the
Commander, as soon as possible. 
     "Hummer, make however many copies as needed for Captain Byrne and
Commander Allen to analyze. Video files, anything they need." 
     "Yes, Commander," the tech replied. 
     "I'll be in Life Station." With that, Adama left the aliens' bridge.


Chapter 14: 

     In Life Station, Salik was examining his results-again. Cassie was
helping him, and she'd come to the came conclusion he had. Not just the
autopsy results, but samples of the aliens' DNA. Then Adama came into
Life Station. "Doctor, you asked for me?" 
     "Yes, Commander. I have cause of death for the aliens. Two causes,
in fact," the CMO replied. 
     "How?" Adama wanted to know. 
     "With several of them, it was these pills. They contain an mixture
similar to potassium cyanide. Death would have been quick. Within a
centon or so," Salik told the Commander. 
     "I see," Adama said. "And the others?" 
     "I'm not entirely certain, but it appears to have been suffocation,
Commander." 
     "Suffocation? How?" Adama asked. 
     "I'm not sure. But I am open to suggestions, and not entirely
medical ones," Salik said. 
     Cassie, who'd been silent, remembered something her father had told
her once, when they'd been flying their freighter between the Colonies
and various outposts. "Commander, Doctor Salik, I might have an idea." 
     "What is it, Cassie?" Adama asked. 
     "My father told me something about a derelict he'd found once. A
freighter similar to the Gemini, drifting in space, crew dead. After he
towed the ship into port for the salvage fee, they told him that the
ship's life support system gave out. And they had all suffocated," she
said. 
     Both of her superiors raised an eyebrow. "It makes sense, Cassie,"
Salik nodded. "Commander?" 
     "Cassie, you may have solved that part of the mystery. I'll get
Engineering to check the alien ship's life support system," Adama said. 
     "There's one other thing, before you go, Commander," Salik said. 
     "And that is, Doctor?" Adama asked. 
     "The alien DNA. It's about eighty percent human. I know, they look
human on the outside, but some of their DNA is clearly from another
species. What kind, I have no idea," the CMO said. "If we had found one
alive, in stasis..." his voice trailed off. 
     "That's....unfortunate, Doctor," Adama told Salik. "Have you
exhausted the tests that you can run?" 
     "I have, Commander. So what is to be done with the bodies?" 
     Adama paused for a centon. "I'll let you know, Doctor, on their
disposition." 
     "Understood, Commander." 


     Back on Galactica's bridge, Adama asked for a status report on the
water replenishment. Tigh reported that it was on schedule, and that the
smaller ships' supplies had been completed. The larger ones, including
Galactica, the Rising Star, the Prison Barge, and the Base Ship, would
take longer, of course.
     The three ships they'd picked up at RB-33 were also on that list as
well. 
     "Good, Tigh. Keep at it," Adama told the XO. 
     "Yes, Commander." 
     Adama turned to Omega. "Get me Engineering." 
     After Omega made the connection,  Lieutenant Zimmer, the watch
officer in Engineering, came on the line. "Commander?" 
     "Zimmer, have you and your people checked over the alien ship?"
Adama asked. 
     "Yes, Commander, but our report isn't ready yet. It'll be another
day or so before it'll be ready for you," the engineering officer
replied. 
     "Your specialty is Life Support, isn't it?" Adama wanted to know. 
     "Yes, sir, and I looked over that ship's system." 
     "What did you find? I'm asking this because something has come up
that makes me wonder if there was something amiss with the ship's life
support," Adama said.
     "Sir, that system had been deactivated somehow. I can't tell you if
it was done in the engineering section, or remotely done from the bridge,
but that's what happened. The system was 'turned off' so to speak,"
Zimmer responded. 
     "I see. Thank you, Lieutenant. Your findings will be most welcome,"
Adama said. 
     "Sir." 
     With that, the connection was broken. Adama turned to Tigh. "That
fits with what Salik said. Some of the aliens took suicide pills, while
others suffocated." 
     "Why deactivate their life support system in the first place?" Tigh
asked. 
     Adama looked at his old friend. "That is a very good question." 


     In the Ward Room, Byrne, Allen, Jena, and Lauren, with Technician
Hummer, were going over a copy of the invasion plan video. They'd been at
it for several centars, and Castor, who was outside, had even gone to the
Officer's Mess to get lunch for the group. Like many a planning session
at NASA, food cartons and cups shared the table with their notes. Only
this time, Byrne thought, it's not Chinese take-out. 
     "This is what, the third time we've seen this?" said Allen after a
break. 
     "Yeah. There's something that we're missing," Byrne said. "And I
can't figure out what." 
     Jena spoke up, "Pop, didn't Hummer say the aliens had decided to
stop planning?" 
     Byrne looked at the technician, who nodded. "That's right," he said.

     "So why did they stop?" Lauren asked. "We know they did stop, but
nothing about why they did. And why they were planning to return to Earth
in the first place?" 
     "Wait. Wait a centon," Byrne said. He remembered something he'd
found on the ship. "The Captain's log." 
     "What?" Allen asked. 
     "That notebook I found in the Captain's cabin. Apollo was there, and
we were looking in the Captain's desk. There was a cabinet next to the
desk, and it had a lot of papers, along with a notebook. I'm sure it was
his private log. And there's something else," Bryne said. 
     "Pop?" Jena asked. 
     "On his desk," said Bryne, "There was a slip of paper that had those
symbols. Apollo and I thought it was his computer password." 
     "In case he forgot it?" Jena said. 
     "Right. I did it back home. Hummer, you do that here, don't you?"
Byrne asked. 
     "Sometimes, Sir," the tech replied. 
     "OK, here's what I'm thinking," Byrne said. "Hummer, are there any
encrypted files? You know, password protected?" 
     "Yes, sir. Quite a few, as a matter of fact." 
     "I'll bet that there's documents in those encrypted files that say
why they decided to not to strike Earth. And that material would be
restricted to the Captain, and maybe the Exec. 'Need to know' and all,"
the USN Captain said. 
     "We need that paper. Scan it, translate it, and we get the password.
And those files," Allen said. 
     "Right you are, Ced." Byrne said. He turned back to Hummer. "When
can you scan the printed material?" 
     "That should be up by now, sir," Hummer replied. 
     Byrne nodded his approval. "Good. Get going on the Captain's Log.
Castor!" 
     The door opened, and the burly Lieutenant came in. "Sir?" 
     "Let's get to that ship again. I need you to help me find something
in the Captain's Cabin," Byrne told him. 
     "Yes, sir. What are we looking for, exactly?" the Security
Lieutenant asked. 
     "One piece of paper." 

Chapter 15: 

     Captain Byrne, with Castor at his side, raced through Galactica's
corridors for Beta Bay. Those techs who were examining the alien ship
were having a break, so he and the burly lieutenant had the ship all to
themselves. A few centons after getting aboard, they were in the
Captain's Cabin. 
     "I'll check his desk again, Castor," Byrne said. "Look for any stray
scraps of paper." 
     "Right, Captain," Castor said. 
     A few centons of searching found what Byrne was looking for. A piece
of paper with a half-dozen of the alien symbols. "Got it." 
     "Sir, what if that's not his only password?" Castor asked. 
     "What do you mean?" replied Byrne. 
     "If their system is like ours, and probably like what you have on
Earth, he'd have one password to log onto the ship's computer. Then he'd
have another one to access certain files," said Castor. 
     Byrne looked around. He and Apollo had checked over this part of the
cabin, which was the Captain's office space. "We only checked half the
cabin." 
     "Sir?" Castor asked. 
     "Apollo and I only checked this space, the captain's office. We
never checked his private room," Byrne said, pointing to another door.
     "Then let's do it, sir," Castor said. 
     Byrne found the stud on the doorway and the hatch slid open. Sure
enough, it was a bedroom, with an private head and shower. Next to the
bunk was a nightstand, with several drawers. "That must be where it is,
Castor." 
     The two men began pulling out drawers and searching them. While no
loose papers were found, they found a small book. To Byrne, it reminded
him of a bible put in a hotel room. "Nothing here, sir." Castor said.
"Maybe he flushed it, or burned it." 
     "No. It's here," Byrne said as he opened the book. As he flipped
through it, he noticed the passages were filled with the alien script. It
did remind him of a bible, he thought. Then a piece of paper fell out. It
was very similar to the one they'd found on the Captain's desk. "That's
it." 
     Castor looked at the paper. It had ten characters, rather than six,
but it looked familiar. "I'd lay money on it, Sir." 
     "We found what we came for. Let's get back to the Ward Room," Byrne
said.
     "What about the book, Sir?" Castor wondered. 
     "Give it to Pliny or Wilker," Byrne replied. "Let's get this to
Hummer." 


     A few centons later, Byrne and Castor were back in the Ward Room.
Apollo and Sheba had come by to see how Byrne's people were doing, and
Allen filled them on what they'd found so far. Then the door opened and
both Byrne and Castor came back in. 
     "Here you go, Hummer. Two passwords. I'd bet money on that," Byrne
said, handing the papers to Hummer.
     "Two?" Apollo said, confused. "I thought we only found one." 
     "We never checked the Captain's bunkroom, Apollo," Byrne pointed
out. 
     "Got it!" Hummer exclaimed. "The longest set is the entry password."

     "Into the system?" Allen asked. 
     "Yes, Commander. Now for the short one," Hummer said as he tried
that set. "I'm in, sir." 
     "Good," Byrne said. "Look for any files regarding Te'ra. That's what
they seem to call Earth." 
     "Captain, there's a whole folder for that. It could take a while to
get it all downloaded and translated," the tech replied. 
     "Then don't waste any more time talking to us," Byrne said, looking
at Apollo, who nodded. "Get going." 
     "Yes sir. Oh, here's the printouts from the Captain's Log," Hummer
said, handing them to Byrne, who took them to another table and sat down,
with the others crowded around. He handed some to the group, and everyone
was reading. 
     "Something here's quite universal," Allen said as he read an entry. 
     "What's that?" Sheba wanted to know, looking up from what she was
reading. 
     "He's complaining about supply being a bit slow, and that their
supply corps is, and I quote 'the worst enemies of the state are found in
our supply centers.'" 
     Apollo raised an eyebrow. "'Enemies of the state'? That doesn't
sound good." 
     "It never does," Lauren said as she read another entry. "This one's
about a space shuttle launch. 'A Te'ra shuttle was launched, and it
deployed an orbiting space telescope. That's the Hubble Telescope,
right?" 
     Byrne nodded. "That's right. Launched in 1990, and repaired in space
several times by space-walking astronauts." 
     "So they did fix its bad vision? I remember seeing that on the
news-before the aliens grabbed me," Lauren said. 
     "They did. It was still running when our mission launched, and it
was still producing science,..." Allen said, his voice trailing off.
"Wait. I think I've found it. His last entries." 
     Apollo looked up. "His last entries?" 
     "Has to be," Allen said. "There's nothing more after this." 
     Then Sheba spoke up. "Lauren, this one's about you, I think." 
     "Let me see," the abductee replied, coming to read over Sheba's
shoulder. Sure enough, the details about her, the questions asked, and
where "Subject 72, female" had been taken from. "He's just matter-of
fact. Saying that because I was 'uncooperative' that they were putting me
in stasis so I could be properly questioned on the home world. Bastard!" 
     Byrne listened, and looked over at his daughter. She nodded, and he
acknowledged it. Both could understand Lauren's feelings. Including her
desire for revenge. 
     Allen was ignoring this, as he was intently reading the alien
captain's last entries. "People, we've got it. What they were doing
here." 
     "What, Ced?" Byrne wanted to know. 
     "They had an FTL accident. After a battle with, well, the
translation's blank there, but their FTL malfunctioned, and they wound up
here, or, as he says, 'wherever here is.'" The Aussie officer said. 
     Sheba nodded, looking at her husband. "That explains the damage.
These guys got into a fight with somebody." 
     "Do we know who?" Apollo asked, looking at Hummer.
     "Sorry, sir," the tech replied. "Some of the translations are still
rough, at best."
     "Not blaming you, Technician," Apollo replied. 
     "What else does he say?" Byrne asked. 
     "He says that the plant life isn't compatible with their amino
acids, and so neither is the animal life." 
     Apollo said, "That fits. Cassie said the same thing, and Carmichael
verified that." 
     "What else, Ced?" Byrne asked. 
     "He's saying that they're in an unknown area of the galaxy, no way
to get home, with no working 'star drive', and no main power reactor. The
planet can't support them, and there's no way out. He apologizes to his
crew, the 'Supreme Leader'-whoever that is, the gods, and his family. 'I
will watch over them, until we meet in the afterlife.' he says." Allen
said, reading from the printout. 
     "Anything else?" Apollo asked. 
     "That's it. The final entry." 
     The room went silent.  

Chapter 16: 

     The group was still in the Ward Room as evening went on. Though
Apollo and Sheba had excused themselves to pick up Boxey, and enjoy a
family dinner, several others had come in to see how things were going.
Boomer came by for a while, and was the object of some jokes about being
a new father. Byrne reminded him of something one of his old squadron
commanders had said when the man, already having a sixteen-year-old,
found out his wife was pregnant again. "A piece of advice to all of you
bachelors: You spend the first year of fatherhood getting them to walk
and talk, then the next twenty getting them to sit down and shut up!"
Starbuck had also dropped in, bringing Cassie along, and she had some
news for Lauren. The insignia she'd drawn had helped identify the two
aliens she had mentioned. Upon hearing that, her response was to suggest
"flushing them out with the rest of the garbage." 
     Castor had gone to the Officer's Mess again to get some food for the
group, as everyone was waiting on Hummer's translation effort. Again, the
table was filled with food cartons as people were reading what had
already been translated, while Byrne and Allen had watched the video
again. This time, they took plenty of notes, knowing full well that their
governments back home, not to mention NASA and other space agencies,
along with the military, would be very interested in what they'd found. 
     Then the door opened. Adama came in. Starbuck was the first to
notice, "Commander!" 
     "As you were, all of you," Adama said. "Apollo's briefed me on what
you've found so far, so is there anything new?" 
     "All we know so far is that they were conducting a lot of
surveillance on Earth, and had drawn up an invasion plan, Commander,"
Byrne said. "Right now, we don't know why they were planning to return, 
along with who they got into a war with that made them cancel the plan." 
     "Those are interesting questions," Adama remarked. "I understand the
aliens had no way to return home, and had no idea where home was in
relation to where they found themselves?" 
     "That's right, Commander," Allen said, "They got into a fight with
somebody, who,specifically, we still don't know. Their ship was damaged,
and had a runaway FTL drive. They wound up here, and had to jettison
their antimatter reactor for some reason-probably due to battle damage
and that runaway drive, and the rest, well...." 
     "Sirs," Hummer said. "I have two new documents translated. The first
one is on the monitor." 
     Everyone looked at the wall monitor. The alien document indicated
that the peoples of  "Te'ra" had gone astray from the "true path," and
"needed guidance to set themselves back on the true path." If that meant
invasion and occupation to do so, so be it. Byrne, Allen, and Lauren's
faces all got slightly red with anger. And she exploded,  "That's what
this was all about? Some kind of freaking religious crusade?"  Then she
calmed down. "Sorry, Commander." 
     Adama nodded. "Perfectly understandable, Lauren, given the
circumstances." He kept reading the document. "It appears so, as they
note that the people of 'Te'ra' no longer worship the proper gods." 
     "Great," Byrne said. "I thought religious crusades were in the
past." 
     "Apparently not," Adama said. "It's happened in our history, before
the Colonies were unified." 
     "Sir, the other document," Hummer said. 
     The next document came on the monitor. It mentioned the abductions
from Earth. And the criteria for either releasing or retaining those
abducted. Those who were cooperative, and consented to answering
questions that followed the medical examination, were released. Those who
were not, were to be put in stasis pending return to the home planet "for
further proceedings." 
     Again, Lauren's face turned red with anger, now knowing what had
been intended for her. But she calmed down, saying, "Does it say what
'further proceedings' mean?" 
     "Yes, Ma'am, it does," Hummer said. He scrolled the document down. 
     "Holy frak..." said Starbuck." 
     "Yeah. And right now, I'd love to blast these 'people' to hell,"
Bryne said, reading the document. 
     The document stated that those who cooperated during the
interrogations on the home planet could not be returned to "Te' ra."
Instead, those so taken were to be sent to a planet whose conditions were
similar to that of  "Te'ra", where a continent had been set aside for
them. The "Te'rans" were noted as being self-sufficient in food, had set
up several communities with an organized government, and their only
contact with the outside was with a guard force at the landing field. 
     "They have the nerve to call it a 'reservation', Lauren said,
scowling as she read. "It's a prison, period.," she spat.  
     "What was it you said, Lauren?" Jena asked. "But for the Grace of
God, Go I?" 
     "It says there's a few hundred people brought from 'Te'ra', and with
their children, it makes a population of about five thousand," Allen
said, reading aloud. 
     "What about those who don't cooperate?" Lauren asked. 
     "I'll scroll down, Ma'am," Hummer said, and as he did so,the answer
became plain. 
     "Regarding those who refuse to cooperate after further proceedings:
their fate is to be determined on a case-by-case basis. Some may be sent
apart from the others, in a form of marooning. Others, who are totally
intractable, may be......liquidated," Byrne read. "Bastards!" 
     Adama scowled. Byrne's reaction was perfectly understandable. Not to
mention justifiable. How would he feel, if an alien race had done the
same thing to residents of the Colonies? Likely the same reaction. And
his old friend Cain would be the first to be arguing for those aliens to
be blasted out of the universe, even with the war with the Cylons raging. 
"Technician," Adama quietly asked. 
     "Yes, Commander?" Hummer asked. 
     "Are there any references to the pilots of the two aircraft found in
the alien ship?" 
     "Yes, sir. The document mentions that the pilots of the aircraft
known as an 'F-89' were sent to the colony after their...interrogations
on the home planet. The two pilots conducted themselves as if they were
Prisoners of War, it says. The same fate happened to the young pilot of
the civilian aircraft." 
     "So they were alive, at some point," Byrne said. 
     "Likely they're dead now," Allen pointed out. "Well, the two F-89
pilots, but Mr. Valentich, if he's still alive, he'd be an old man
today." 
     "Where's this prison planet?" Jena asked. 
     "Good question," Byrne said. 
     "We don't have the alien star charts translated yet, but when we do,
and match those with what was on the Saint Brendan," Hummer said, "And
compare that with the star catalog Captain Byrne had on his ship...
     "At least we'll know where they are in relation to Earth," Adama
said, a scowl still on his face. He looked around, and saw that everyone
was getting tired and edgy. And the revelations of the past centar
weren't helping anyone's mood any, he noticed. It was time to bring it to
an end for the day. 
     "I can see your nerves are becoming frayed, and you're all getting
tired. Why don't you, as Captain Byrne says on occasion, 'call it a day,'
and come back in the morning?" Adama said. Heads nodded around the table.
He turned to Hummer. "That goes for you as well, Technician." 
     "Yes, sir." 
     "I'll inform Colonel Tigh, and have him send Corporal Komma to take
over for the night. As you mentioned, there's more alien documents to be
retrieved, and he can handle that work overnight," Adama said. 
     "Yes, sir. I'll get him up to speed, and then find my bunk," Hummer
replied. 
     "That also goes for the rest of you. Get some rest, and return in
the morning," Adama said. He turned to Castor. "See the Byrnes, Lauren,
and Commander Allen to their quarters," 
     "Yes, Commander." 

Chapter 17: 

     Adama had just finished his breakfast when the chime rang outside
his quarters. Captain Byrne wanted to see him. 
     "Enter, Captain," Adama said.
     Byrne came in and sat down. "Commander, I'd like to apologize for
some of the outbursts yesterday. Tempers got a little short, seeing that
material, and Ms. Wagner, especially, seeing what the aliens had in mind
for her..." 
     "No apology necessary, Captain. Under the circumstances, it's
perfectly natural," Adama said. "And if this had happened to us, back in
the Colonies, I'd be feeling the same way. "
     "Thank you, Commander. There's something else," Byrne said. 
     "Yes?" 
     Byrne shifted in the chair. "Commander, Lauren wanted to know what
your plans were about the alien bodies. I'm asking this because she's got
two or three ideas, and they may not go very well."
     "What does she suggest?" Adama asked. 
     "Either flushing them out with the rest of the garbage, dropping
them into a gas giant,  or shooting them into the atmosphere of this
planet, so they burn up," Byrne said. 
     "Given her experience, I'm not at all surprised," Adama said. "I
haven't made any decision yet, but they'll be handled quietly." 
     "Thank you, Commander." 


     After Byrne left for the Ward Room, Adama went to the Bridge. Tigh
was waiting as he came onto the command deck. "Commander." 
     "Good morning, Tigh." Adama said. "Status report, please." 
     "The Tylium mining is completed, Commander. The refinery ship
reports that its tanks are full, and those ships that needed refueling
have been topped off," Tigh reported. 
     "Excellent, Tigh. And the water?" 
     "That will take at least another day, probably two," Tigh said. "The
Rising Star , Agro Ship One, and the Prison Barge have been replenished,
and several other large ships will have that done today. The Base Ship
and the Galactica will be the last."
     "Very good, Tigh. The Council will be pleased with what we've
obtained here in terms of resources," Adama said. He turned to Omega.
"Get me Baltar, please, Omega." 
     "Right away, Commander." 
     "And feed this to my quarters," Adama said. 


     In his cabin, Adama made the connection with Baltar. He filled the
traitor in on the progress of the water replenishment and the Tylium
mining. Baltar's fighters still had plenty of fuel, some of it obtained
from RB-33, so the Base Ship was set on that front. Adama then told
Baltar of what had been found in the alien ship, and what the aliens had
in store for Earth, until someone-whose identity remained unknown, had
gone to war with the aliens.
     "Interesting, Adama. So Earth may have had protectors, and they
didn't know it?" 
     "It appears so, Baltar. However, whoever attacked the aliens, they
may have done so for their own reasons,"said Adama. 
     "I see. Do we know who they are, and where?" Baltar wanted to know.
     "Not presently," Adama admitted. "But we do know that wherever the
aliens are from, it's still a long way off."
     "Just like Earth," Baltar said. 
     "Yes," Adama agreed. "On a different note, once the current slate of
patrols is finished, I'm going to relax the alert status of the Fleet.
It's obvious now that whoever attacked these aliens is not in this
vicinity." 
     "That seems prudent," Baltar said. 
     "Colonel Tigh will notify Command Centurion Moray,  Baltar, once
we've debriefed the patrols that are out, and after that, we'll return to
a normal alert." 
     "Understood, Adama. Is there anything else this morning?" Baltar
asked. 
     "Just one more thing, Baltar. Your water replenishment will likely
be tomorrow, along with Galactica's." 
     Baltar nodded. "Thank you, Adama, And a pleasant morning to you."
Adama nodded, and Baltar signed off. 
     Well, that's out of the way, Adama thought, as he returned to the
Bridge. 


     In the Ward Room, Byrne, Allen, Jena, and Lauren had gathered, along
with Hummer. Corporal Komma had managed to download and translate a
number of documents, and a video file had been found and downloaded as
well. The four from Earth were joined by Sheba again, after she'd dropped
off Boxey at Instructional Period, along with Bojay, her old wingmate
from the Pegasus. Apollo was out on patrol with Starbuck, and was flying
again with Orion. 
     "A lot of this looks like what any bureaucrat would be doing," Sheba
said as she went through some of the papers. "Look at this, requests for
more translators to learn 'Te'rean' languages, administrators to become
familiar with the areas they were to occupy, things like that." 
     "Planetary invasions involve a lot of planning, it seems," Byrne
observed. "In a way, I've seen something like this before." 
     "What do you mean?" Sheba asked. 
     "I've told you about the 'Cold War', right?" Byrne asked. Seeing
Sheba and Bojay nod, he went on. "When it ended, with a whimper and not a
real war, we, that is, the U.S. and its allies, got hands on the other
side's plans for a war in Europe. Everything was detailed, and nothing
left to chance." 
     "How detailed was it?" Bojay asked. 
     "How detailed?" Byrne replied. "I'll tell you how detailed. How
about occupation currency already printed, new medals ready to be handed
out to the troops, new names for streets in cities in Western Europe,
administrators already appointed to run conquered cities and areas, new
road signs made, lists of those to be arrested, things like that." 
     "Looks like the aliens were doing the same thing here, Captain,"
Bojay said, looking at his copy of the paper. 
     "I'll go along with that," Allen said. "These guys weren't leaving
anything to chance." 
     "Same here," Lauren said. "This paper even says how much food was to
be allowed to the conquered civilian population." 
     "Captain Byrne?" Hummer then asked. 
     "Hummer?" 
     "Sir, I've got the video Komma found. I can play it if you're
ready." 
     "Go ahead," Byrne told him. 
     The video began to play. Instead of scenes of Earth, it showed an
unfamiliar star system. The aliens' ships were clearly visible. And so
were someone else's. There were five large ships, each with an upright
isosceles triangle, a base area, then a similar triangle, only inverted.
And from bays in that base area, smaller ships emerged. Some, shaped like
arrowheads, were strike craft, while others, viewed from head on, had a Y
configuration. Those maneuvered like a fighter would, and instead of
lasers, some kind of bolt was fired. 
     "So that's who these guys wound up fighting," Allen observed as one
of the aliens' ships-one much bigger than the derelict, took fire from
two of the large ships and exploded. 
     "Looks that way," Byrne said. "Hummer, anything that IDs who these
others are?" 
     "Sorry, sir. What we've got is still untranslatable," the tech
replied. 
     The group watched as another of the aliens' ships was attacked, this
time from the fighters and strike craft. Several of the latter fired what
appeared to be either missiles or torpedoes, and struck their target aft.
That portion of the ship blew apart, and secondary explosions moved
forward, until the whole ship was torn apart in a blossom of fire. 
     "Whoever they are, they're pretty good shots," Sheba noted. 
     Lauren looked at her. "I've got no complaints about their shooting,"
she said coldly.  "One question: anything that says where this took
place? That's not Earth." 
     "Good question," Byrne said. "Hummer?" 
     "Ahead of you, sir. I'm searching," the tech replied. 
     The image then shifted to the aft end of the derelict. Several of
the newcomers' fighters were making a run on the ship, and were scoring
hits. One of them took a hit from a laser and exploded, but the others
escaped. Then the attack craft came in, fired their weapons, and several
of them hit, Then the camera imaged blurred. "What's going on?" Jena
asked." 
     Bojay noted, "The ship must have triggered its FTL drive. They were
getting out of there." 
     The image stayed blurry for several centons, then it stabilized as
the ship came out of FTL. And everyone recognized the system as the one
the Fleet was currently in. Then it stopped. "That's it, sir," Hummer
said. 
     "The Captain's log mentioned a runaway reactor and 'star drive',"
Allen said. "They must have jettisoned the reactor, and even if their
backup power system was running, no FTL, no way home." 
     "You're right about that, Ced," Byrne said. "They have no idea where
'home' is, this planet can't support them, and so...." 
     "That explains the suicide pills and shutting down the life-support
system," Sheba said. "But how did Lauren survive?" 
     "Maybe the stasis tubes were still getting power from the backup
power source," Bojay said. "That's a fusion reactor, and they've got some
scoops for that: just pick up stray hydrogen as it drifts, and it
would've been enough for some light and power." 
     "Sounds as good an explanation as any," Allen agreed, looking at
Lauren. 
     "I'll go along with that," Lauren said. "Or maybe, just maybe, one
of them had a conscience." 
     "We'll probably never know," Allen said. 
     Byrne looked at the documents. There were still two nagging
questions. "Okay, but what's the home planet of these guys, and who are
the folks they got into a shooting war with?" 
     "Good question, Kev," Allen said. "Hummer, can you run a search in
that alien data?" 
     "Oh, yes, Sir," the technician replied. 
     "First, let's look for anything that mentions the 'Te'ra' operation.
Say, a cancellation or postponement."
     "How does that help answer those two questions, Ced?" Byrne asked. 
     "Find the second, and then maybe we can find the answer to the
first," Allen responded. 
     "Sir, I have something. Two new ones, as a matter of fact. Just off
the translation matrix," Hummer said. 
     "Let's see 'em," Byrne said. 
     The first document was a short one. It simply stated that the
'Te'ra' operation was suspended, due to the outbreak of hostilities. The
second document gave an indefinite postponement, with no hint as to when
it might come up again. And the document also stated where the other
aliens were coming from. "Ke'Zar" was the origin. 
     "What the hell is that?" Byrne asked. 
     "That's how it translates, sir," Hummer said. "But the name for the
race itself is still untranslatable." 
     "We'll have to do this the old-fashioned way," Byrne said. "Where's
the star charts we found in the navigator's bridge console?" 

Chapter 18: 

     After asking around, it turned out that Pliny had the charts. He was
most impressed with the symbols, and how similar some of them appeared to
some of the Kobolian symbology, but the similarity was only rudimentary.
Byrne and Sheba had then shown up in his office, and asked to "borrow"
the charts for a few centars. After Pliny got a promise to return them,
Byrne and Sheba headed back to the Ward Room. There, Apollo had arrived,
having landed and debriefed his patrol with Orion. Allen and Bojay had
filled him in. For a while, Apollo remembered his dream before the
Holocaust, of hoping to get back to deep space exploration, before he and
Zac had encountered the Cylon strike force that ambushed the Colonial
Fleet and set the Holocaust in motion. 
     "These are from the alien navigator's station?" Apollo asked. 
     "That's right," Byrne said as he laid the alien chart on the table.
"Hummer, bring up the alien symbol for Earth." 
     The symbol quickly appeared. Byrne and Allen went over the chart,
"Got it," Allen said. 
     The rest of the group peered over the table. Byrne had his own star
catalog and maps from the Saint Brendan, and was quickly comparing the
two. "Nearest star to Earth is Alpha Centauri, then Bernard's Star, Wolf
359...OK, things are falling into place. They're not from any star system
within a dozen light-years from Earth."
     "So where are they from?" Lauren asked. 
     Hummer paused. He'd just gotten a message from Wilker and Pliny. The
aliens' home symbol had been found. "Sirs, Doctor Wilker has found the
aliens' home symbol. It's on the screen." 
     The symbol came up. Byrne and Allen started looking at the map,
trying to find a match. "There," Allen said. 
     "Got it," Byrne said. "Looks like a star called DM-41 328, a star
just like Earth's Sun. " 
     "How far is that from Earth?" Apollo asked. 
     Byrne checked the list. "About 37.38 light-yahren, or light-years,"
he said, looking at Lauren. 
     Allen whistled. "The scientists at Area 51 all thought it was
somewhere in our 'stellar neighborhood', one might say, where those
visiting Earth came from. Now we know. Well, some of them, anyway." 
     Lauren asked, "What about the abductee colony? They took those
people someplace." 
     Hummer looked at his computer. "I'll run a check, Ma'am." A few
centons passed, then he said, "Found it. On the screen." 
     The symbol was very similar to Earth's, but had a diagonal slash
across where the torso would be on a human. Byrne, Allen, and Apollo
began searching for that symbol on the alien chart. Then Apollo said,
"Here it is." 
     Byrne and Allen compared it to the chart from the Saint Brendan.
"Delta Trianguli, looks like. It's a binary system, according to the star
catalog," Byrne said. 
     "How far from Earth?" asked Jena. 
     "37.81 light-years," Allen said. "Long way from home for those
people." 
     Sheba asked, "Is there a system chart for all of these?" 
     Hummer said, "Probably on the ship's computer. We've downloaded
their navigation files, but haven't cracked those yet. Given time, we
will, Ma'am." 
     One question remained, and Allen asked it. "Now, who are they
fighting?" 
     "I'll type in 'Ke'zar' and see what I come up with," Hummer said.
"It might take a while,though." 
     Byrne thought for a moment. "It has to be somebody not just close to
Earth, but close to these guys. 
     "I'd go along with that," Allen said. "They could be fighting over
something like a border dispute, or a competing claim to a planet, trade
disagreement, whatever." 
     "How does Earth fit into this?" Sheba asked. 
     "It may not fit at all," Apollo replied. "Earth might just be
something both sides may not want to bother with. Yet." 
     "Or the 'Ke'zar' might have their own ideas for Earth?" Byrne
thought. 
     "We'd have to ask them," Allen pointed out. "But at least Earth
didn't become a battleground between these two." 
     Byrne looked at the Aussie. Then at both his daughter and Lauren. He
shook his head. "Not a happy thought." 
     "Sir, nothing yet among the translated material." Hummer said. 
     "How long until you have something?" Byrne asked. He was concerned
not only for Earth's security from these aliens, but possibly the
'Ke'zar.'
     "It may take a while, Sir. It could be tomorrow, it could be sectons
from now," Hummer said. 


     Later that day, Adama was being briefed by the group. Along with
Sire Pelias and Siress Tinia. And Baltar was present via com from the
Base Ship. His pilots had found the derelict, after all. Tigh was also
there, along with Salik, Pliny, and Wilker. 
     "Do we know anything more about these 'Ke'zar?" Adama asked. 
     "Not yet, Commander," Pliny said. "Even with all the work that
Hummer and Komma have done, we've just gotten started. There's just so
much information to translate." Wilker nodded, at that, as did Hummer. 
     "Fascinating," Siress Tina said. She turned to Captain Byrne. "I
gather none of this was known on Earth?" 
     "The invasion plan? No, Siress," Byrne said. "All we knew was that
someone-or multiple someones-was very interested in Earth's defenses,
industrial centers, and so on. The reported sightings of unknown craft
pointed to that, but more than one alien race has been doing it. This
bunch was just one. But it does confirm the suspicions held by some
people on Earth about possible motives and intentions of
these...visitors." 
     "And the abductions?" This from Baltar, who had good reason to ask.
     "They were partially for medical research, but also for
intelligence-gathering as well," said Byrne. "Most were released after a
short time, but others were taken to the alien homeworld, and then were
forcibly settled in another star system close by." 
     "Not as vile as the Ischt'k, but still disgusting," Pelias said.
"How many are there on this, this, 'reservation' as the aliens call it?" 
     "Counting their descendants, about five thousand, Sire Pelias,"
Byrne said. 
     "Commander, if it turns out this world is on our course..." Pelias
said, turning towards Adama. 
     "If we can, maybe something could be done to help them, Sire," Adama
said, "But we do not know where that system is, and none of the alien
material so far matches the charts in both our database, and the Cylon
database." 
     "Commander, there's one other thing about those people," Allen said.

     "Yes, Commander Allen?" Adama asked. 
     "Chances are, by the time we get there, the population will be
entirely those born on that planet. Even if they're no longer captives,
that planet is home to them. They may not want to leave." 
     Heads nodded around the table. "A valid point, Commander Allen,"
said Adama. "We'll deal with that situation when it develops." He turned
to Salik, "And the aliens themselves, Doctor?" 
     Salik stood and gave his findings. Their DNA was eighty percent
human, though he wasn't able to determine the remaining twenty percent
with the equipment available to him. Their cause of death was a mix of
suicide pills and suffocation, and he felt that if any of them were
alive, and no one knew their background, the aliens could pass for
humans. That made Byrne and Allen take notice.
     "Pass for humans, Doc?" Byrne said. 
     "Yes, Captain, they could," Salik replied. 
     That didn't make neither Earth officer happy. It was possible, they
realized, that with the proper language and cultural training, some of
the aliens could have infiltrated Earth, and no one would know. And both
also knew that there'd be no way to find out, unless someone, somehow,
got a DNA sample. By then, it might have been too late. Something else to
put in their report when they got back home.
     "What about the alien ship?" Apollo asked. 
     Adama turned to Wilker. "Have you finished downloading their
computer files, and recoverable documents?" 
     "Yes, Commander, we have. Pliny and his students are going to be
very busy," the scientist replied. 
     Adama turned to Pliny, who nodded. "You have everything you'll
need?" 
     Pliny nodded again. "Yes, Commander." 
     "Engineering tells me their report is almost finished. They have no
further need for that ship," Adama said. "I'm open to suggestions." 
     "Let's scrap it, Father," Apollo suggested. "We can use the
material." 
     Lauren, who had recounted her ordeal, but had said nothing since,
spoke up. "Use it for target practice. Then scrap what's left." 
     Tigh looked at her, but then thought better of saying something. He
realized that was a survivor talking, and she did have a legitimate
grudge with the aliens. Starbuck, though, looked at her and nodded. He
was still angry about Cassie's abduction, and sympathized with Lauren. In
her position, he'd want the same thing. 
     "In our position, abandoning it, or shooting it, is out of the
question," Adama said. "The recycling ship will use the derelict for
scrap. What cannot be scrapped or reused will just be...disposed of." 
     "The scout ships, too?" Sheba asked. "Varica tried cutting one, he
told me. The hull's pretty strong." 
     "In that case, what do you suggest?" Adama said. 
     Sheba looked at Lauren. "We use them to get rid of the alien
bodies." 
     "Excuse me?" Sire Pelias asked. "How would you do that?" 
     "Simple, Sire Pelias," Sheba said. "We've been inside them already.
So all we do is put the bodies inside both of them, tow them out of the
bay, and just give them a nudge toward the planet. Orbital decay takes
its course, and both burn up in the atmosphere." 
     "Their power supply is still functioning, you do realize?" Wilker
said. 
     "So what if it is? If their fusion drives overload and blow, no
great loss," Sheba said, looking at Lauren again, who nodded and mouthed
the words 'Good riddance.' 
     "Very well, Sheba," Adama said. "That is how we'll have it." He
turned to Salik. Do you plan to keep one or two for any further
examination, Doctor?" 
     "No, Commander. There's no reason to." 
     "All right, you can move the bodies to Beta Bay for disposal in
those scout ships," Adama said. "Now, to a different matter, our water
supply," 
     Heads turned to Tigh. "All water replenishment should be completed
by tomorrow morning. The Base Ship should have its tanks full by 1600
today," Tigh said, pausing to see Baltar nod in acknowledgment, while
Galactica's tanks will be full by 1000 tomorrow." 
     "Excellent, Colonel," Adama said, seeing Pelias and Tinia nod at the
news. "The mining?" 
     "All completed. And the mining locations have been sterilized: even
if someone else enters this system, they'll know there was a mining
operation, but not who or when," Tigh responded. 
     "So our business in this system should be finished by 1200 tomorrow,
once our patrols return?" Pelias asked. 
     "Yes, Sire," Tigh said. 
     "Well done, Colonel," Adama said. "And that goes for everyone who
examined the derelict as well. If there is nothing further, we're
adjourned." 

Chapter 19: 

     Morning came, and Byrne, Allen, Jena, and Lauren were down in Beta
Bay. The alien ship had been stripped of everything portable, from the
contents of the armory to the personal belongings of the crew, and
several of the Fleet's scholars were interested in those. And now,
several shuttles were preparing to tow the derelict to the recycling
ship. 
     "What are you thinking, Lauren?" Byrne asked. 
     "Not what I had in mind for that ship, but some good comes out of
it. From what they said, things like hull plates, bulkheads, et cetera,
are needed, so why not?" she said.
     Allen looked at the two scout ships. Salik's medtechs were
transferring the bodies inside, prior to the ships' disposal. "What about
them?" 
     "All I can say is goodbye and good riddance," Lauren replied. "And
maybe Sheba's right: those ships will blow. And send them to hell and
gone. I don't have any sympathy for them: they didn't for me. Nor any of
the others they took, so why should I have any in return?" 
     "That's in the past now. Time to look forward," Byrne said. 
     "I know," Lauren said. "Guess it's time to live a movie for real." 
     "You've got that right. Once you're settled aboard Constellation,
you'll have another job, besides Master-at-Arms." Byrne said. 
     "What do you mean?" Lauren asked. 
     Byrne looked at her. "When Battle Stations sounds, everyone has
another duty station. I've got some guns aboard, but I'm short of gunners
right now. How'd you like to be a gunner?" 
     "Fair enough, Captain, but if that's the case, I ought to be
reactivated," Lauren pointed out. 
     "We'll sort that out, when we get to Earth. Right now, as far as I'm
concerned, you're back on active duty, Sergeant Wagner." Byrne said. 
     "There's only one problem, Sir," Lauren said, her military bearing
coming back. "I am out of uniform," and everyone laughed. She'd been
wearing some civilian clothes that some of the female pilots had loaned
her. 
     "No problem about that," Allen said. "There's a tailor on the Rising
Star who made our uniforms and civies, and no reason he can't do the same
for you." 
     "Putting on Air Force Blues again after all this time....You know,
I'd like that." Lauren said. "And so long to those bastards," she waved
as the alien ship was towed out of the bay. The scout ships were being
hooked up to their towing rigs, and shuttles were being moved into
position to tow them out. 
     Varica's deck crew was efficient; within centons, both ships had
been rigged for towing, and were soon on their way. "All I can say about
those ships...Burn, babies, burn." Lauren said, and the others nodded, as
the ships left the bay. 
     "It's done, and it's over." Byrne said as the two ships left the bay
for the last time. "Ready to go?" 
     Lauren took a deep breath and let it go. She nodded. "Not just ready
to go, but ready to go home, Sir." 
     And with that, the party went over to Alpha Bay, where a shuttle was
waiting to take them to their ships. 


     On the Bridge, Adama and Tigh had watched things on one of the
bridge monitors. "That takes care of that, Tigh. We've refilled our water
tanks, stocked up on Tylium, and the recycling ship will be busy for
quite a while, scrapping that derelict. And in so doing, we saved a life,
and developed more information on Earth. A productive stop on the
journey." 
     "Yes, Commander," the Exec responded. "Once the shuttles are in, and
our patrols have landed, we'll be ready to depart." After the shuttles
returned, and the patrol had recovered, Tigh turned to Adama.  "It's
time. At your convenience, Commander,"
     Adama turned to Omega. "Helm, take us out. Signal the Fleet: Break
orbit, and set course for Earth."
     "Sir." 
     And with that, the Colonial Fleet left the system, back on the
Espilon Vector 22 heading that, one day, would lead it to Earth. 


Fleeing from the Cylon Tyranny, the last battlestar, Galactica, leads a
rag-tag, fugitive fleet on a lonely quest: A shining planet, known as
Earth. 
 
1	For more information on the Kinross Incident:
http://www.nicap.org/531123Kinrossdir.htm 
2       For more information on the loss of VH-DSJ and its pilot:
http://www.nciap.org/781021bassstraitdir.htm