Now, Dawg has kindly let me post this with the thread open so thus-ly if any comments are to be of course in the neighbouring Comments Thread. My thanks
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DEEP SPACE- 7361
ONE
“Shadow of Before”
The old Colonial space station known only as Capricorn had been built just after the start of the Thousand-Yahren War. Shaped like a Gemonese mushroom it was roughly on par with the
Pacifica in terms of size. It was also built for Battlestar replenishment amongst any other ships. Like much from that early period of the war it had long been forgotten dwelling in records almost as old as its grey fractured surface.
Commander Elijah surveyed the control room of the Capricorn hand on his blaster.
“How we doing, Marina?”
“Fuel is almost gone, sir. Fifteen centons.”
“It’s like robbing a grave,” Elijah grunted. He ran a hand across a dusty surface. “Nobody’s crewed these stations in a millennia.”
“They weren’t meant to be,” Ares said standing close by. He had flown the replenishment crew over in a shuttle.
“Quite right.” Elijah dusted his hands off together waiting quietly whilst Ares drew a fumarello from his pocket. “How in the name of Hades do you still have those?”
“I had a massive pile stashed away,” Ares smiled. “Starbuck would understand.”
“You two were always trouble if I remember Cain rightly.”
During the final year of the academy warriors were assessed along the way by officers including Cain. The fact that Ares had been dating Cain’s daughter at the same time did not help.
She’s the only daughter I have. The only person linking me to her mother, Ares.
Ares shook his head to clear the thought. Everything now was just about over he reflected. Two yahrens since Molecay give or take a quatron. They occasionally heard snatches of communication from the Colonies but nothing ever strong or lasting enough before the Cylons traced it back to
Pacifica.
“Something on your mind, Ares?”
“Just Molecay, sir.”
“I know,” Elijah nodded slowly, “it’s marked all our lives. Oh, how I wish we had made progress and sent a message out.”
“Sixth Fleet was immaterial. We would have lost anyway. Cain’s loss will hit the Colonies the hardest.”
“And ours. They must think we’re dead.”
Several centons of heading into deep space to avoid any Cylon patrols or reinforcements. Several centons of trying to make repairs based with what they had and for what? For nothing. Certainly, along the way they had met some Cylons and defeated them but it had been a long two yahrens.
Marina walked up attaching her mobile scanner to her belt. “Sir, we have everything we needed. Left about 20% fuel and Tylium for those who come here next.”
“You’re optimistic,” chuckled Ares making Marina smile a little. Yes, Molecay’s shadow extended far into the future. It had also made them a tightknit band. Marina glanced at Elijah.
“Sir?”
“We’ll return to the ship.”
The replenishment party made their way to the shuttle bearing boldly the
Pacifica emblem of a blue anchor against a starfield. Elijah took to the co-pilots seat wanting to remind himself as he so often did of his old warrior days when Adama, Cain, Tigh and himself made a name in the great war.
Under Ares’ hands the shuttle began to back out once everybody had boarded and hatches sealed. The engineers were all clad in bright orange flightsuits except for their boss –Toby- who doubled mainly as the ship’s maintenance and flight deck officer. Toby wore black to hide the grease he collected in his duties. Marina stood behind Ares hands on the back of his seat watching Capricorn grow in side. Beyond it etched brilliantly against the stars sat
Pacifica. Elijah reached to press a button on the console.
“Core Command, this is Elijah we’re on route.”
“Acknowledged. Land port bay aft.” Carter Stuart’s voice boomed. Ares made a face that Elijah caught.
“Something wrong?”
“No, sir.”
“You two need to sort out your differences. If anything you should be happy he’s no longer the CAG on this Battlestar and you are.”
“He was my CAG for a very long yahren, sir. Right after the academy when I joined here. He never made any pretence of liking me and made it a mission to hinder my progress.”
“Just as well promotion came when it did,” Marina muttered. “Lieutenant Mellor dying at Grelastair helped I suppose.”
Elijah and Ares cocked their heads to look up at her. She looked innocently at them.
“Well, it did.”
Ares remembered once his father coming home with Commander Adama. Adama had been at the Science Institute of the Colonies providing a military opinion on what the institute was trying to do concerning better shielding for Battlestar’s. Ares had just started the academy and had been veritably awed by the man whose deep voice was a shade of the man himself. At the time Ares had not yet met Apollo (he would end up in a class above the others) yet knew all about Adama. At dinner he kept asking questions until eventually Ares’ father ordered him to be silent. Adama had laughed reaching to place a hand on Ares’ shoulder.
“Young man, you will one day be a great warrior. To do that, harness your enthusiasm.”
So he had, to a point. Marina on the other end was something special. She had learnt directly under Cain graduating the academy a yahren before Ares. She was based on
Pegasus until a secton before Molecay where her transfer came.
A few centons later the main trio had returned to Core Command. Marina went to peer over Carter’s console watching the readings change.
“Almost done, Commander.”
“Good. We’ll set off soon.”
Carter looked up spying Ares lingering by the commander. The two were quite opposed in some respects. Ares was tall, brown tousled hair with a slight build whereas Carter (a yahren or so older) had blond hair, athletic build and tanned skin. Temperaments were similar yet dissimilar to provoke differences.
“You landed your shuttle in the wrong quadrant.”
“He didn’t,” Marina said standing right by Carter loud enough to make him cringe. “You on the other hand are not directing the Tylium correctly.”
Ares hid a smile whilst reaching for his untouched fumarello. “I’ll be in the mess if you need me, sir.”
“By all means. Pilots on standby?”
“Should be Hermes, Amadeus and Jenna.”
The lattermost was one of the survivors from
Poseidon who had landed in the dying moments of
Pacifica’s Molecay involvement. In all fifteen pilots had been picked up during that battle from the
Rykon,
Daedalus and
Poseidon combined.
As Ares went to go Lieutenant Gamma called out sharply.
“Commander, something’s coming up on our screens from home!”
Everybody stopped what they were doing as they so often did when home was mentioned. For many, home was quite literally Caprica rather than any other colony. Ares and Elijah reached Gamma’s console at the same time. On screen which crackled with lines and static could be seen the Great Square at Caprica. In the distance pyramids lit brightly shimmered in the darkness of the night whereas on the square’s side was flowers arranged in a single word.
“Peace,” whispered Elijah looking at Ares. “Could it be that they’ve done it back home?”
A woman came into view wearing a shawl. She had beautiful features that seemed quite earnest as she spoke. Elijah ordered the amplifiers boosted.
“…we stand here on the edge of history. The moment we have all been waiting for is near. The armistice between the Cylon Empire and the Human Race. After a thousand yahrens…”
“My God,” whispered Marina. The image that they saw on Caprica were being beamed now throughout the Battlestar including the bridges main viewer. Ares turned to watch that main screen hearing the woman’s voice clearly.
“Even as I speak the President is putting finishing touches to the armistice with the Cylons. We have, as we understand, Count Baltar to thank for this. If it was not for this great man we would not be where we are now.”
“Is this a present transmission, Gamma?” asked Elijah.
Gamma stabbed at his console quickly. “Just about sir. We have a thirty-centon delay but it’s live to us.”
“President Adar has done it,” Ares said. “Peace.”
“I knew he was good for something,” Elijah said. “Baltar though…I know Baltar from the old days and he’s a conniving daggit. I hope Adar counts his fingers after shaking hands with him.”
“Wait…something’s happening!” cried the woman.
Behind the reporter explosions flared into the sky, one blowing the top off the pyramid overlooking the square. Swooping into view came Cylon raiders in classic battle formations. Laser fire rippled across the floral arrangement.
Cries went up round Core Command, hands held to mouths as the Cylon attack became more apparent.
Elijah glanced at Ares.
“Peace was fleeting, captain.”
