CHAPTER FIFTEEN: To Seek and Destroy

Orbit of Aquaria

Battlestar Victorious

Commander Andre Graystone relaxed slightly the Victorious had completed its FTL jump into the space near Aquaria. He looked around at the crew in the CIC and wondered if they were truly ready to begin the upcoming battle. The ship and those who served on it had been through a lot of both physical and emotional exertion in recent events.

'Scott, if you're dead I at least hope you're here in spirit,' he thought to himself.

His brother-in-law, Scott Tolan, a Fleet Admiral in the aftermath of the Cylon attacks, had considered the ship a second home from the moment he had made it his flagship. Now it was the flagship for Rear Admiral Alan Stryker.

"I'm hoping those emergency repairs hold up," Colonel Celina Cruz said as she looked up at the DRADIS.

"For what it's worth, if they don't then we won't have long to complain," he teased and was rewarded with a withering glare from his Executive Officer.

The two had a friendship that went back to their days as rookie pilots fresh out of the Fleet Academy on Picon. She had followed him to the Atlantia when he had taken command as CAG of the fleet's flagship.

"Admiral Ramos would like to have a word with you," Lieutenant Enid Branwen announced from Communications.

He took his eyes from the display on the DRADIS and picked up the receiver from its cradle "Patch him through."

There was a slight crackle as the connection was made and then the voice of Vice Admiral Antonio Ramos came through the receiver.

"Commander Graystone, as soon as the air wing is launched, I want the Victorious to stay on the periphery of the battle."

"Understood, but if you need us then we'll be ready," he said.

"No need, I don't want to risk you and your ship unnecessarily," Ramos countered.

The line went dead and Graystone set the receiver back into its cradle. His thoughts went to Commander Ortiz and the Ark Royal. He wondered if she would get the same sort of phone call. The word 'unnecessarily' did not sit well with him. If Admiral Ramos was so worried about the Victorious, then why were they here?

"Anyone you need me to go punch out?" Cruz asked.

The comment jarred him from his thoughts, and he looked at her. One thing he had to admit about her was that she had the ability to read his facial expressions. He always fancied himself to have an unreadable face when it came to triad.

"This isn't shore leave, and I can fight my own battles," he said to her.

Rear Admiral Stryker had taken up position in the Situation Room where he could monitor activity on both the Victorious and the Ark Royal. His thoughts went to his brother-in-law, and he wondered what Scott Tolan would think of the Victorious under the flag of another admiral. The two had been under somewhat of a strained relationship until the Cylons had attacked. With the battlestar Colossus still unaccounted for, he had to wonder if Tolan was even alive.

'Now's not the time to worry about that,' he thought to himself.

He banished the thought from his mind, there would be time to dwell on things like that once they survived the battle. He turned his attention to Lieutenant Branwen, now was the time to make their move.

"Lieutenant Branwen, send word to Major Alston that it's time to launch the air wing," he said to her before he looked over at Ensign Jared Simons at Tactical, "Ensign Simons, have all gun crews ready to launch a flak screen. The Cylons are going to come in hot and fast at us."

"Hot and fast, just the way I like it," Cruz said.

"Because you get bored in battle?" he teased.

"You knew exactly what I meant," she replied.

Battlestar Ark Royal

Viper Squadron One Ready Room

Major Alisa 'Dagger' Stark looked out at the pilots that were seated in front of her. She stood at the podium not only as the commanding officer of this squadron but also as the temporary CAG for the Ark Royal. Some of the faces belonged to people she had come to know since the Fall of the Colonies. They had been like her, at the right place at the right time to board a ship that was not even theirs.

"Good morning pilots," she said as she started her briefing.

"Good morning CAG," the pilots said back in unison.

Here they were about to embark on another mission, but she kept her focus on the task at hand. Commander Ortiz had briefed her on what lay ahead and what the roles were for the air groups for both the Ark Royal and the Victorious. Normally, the Vipers were the tip of the spear in the attack. This was a different case altogether, and her instincts told her about how well the pilots would take it.

'No pressure Alisa, this is just another day at the office,' she reminded herself.

"This mission will be different from our others," she said as she pressed a button on the podium where she stood.

The lights dimmed and a graphic appeared that showed the formation of the Cylon forces around Aquaria. The planet itself had served as one of the staging areas for the enemy to deploy to other parts of the system in search of any remnants of the Colonial Fleet. A blow here would not put the Cylons down for the count, but it would at least bloody their noses just a little.

"You're telling me that we're playing backup?" Ensign Trent 'Salesman' Donovan asked.

"Artillery wants to have their day in the sun for a change," she said and then after a hesitation she added, "We should be able to have some fun of our own."

"Hey CAG, why are we even here?" Ensign Julie 'Jewel' Beck asked.

"Because the Admiralty wanted us to do more than just patrol Amasen all of the time," she shot back, "Not to mention that someone has to be here to show those hotshots over on the Victorious how real Viper pilots fly."

A chuckle erupted from the pilots in the ready room, and she was glad to see it. Most of these pilots were cadets who had survived the Fall of the Colonies, and she remembered how intense their school rivalries were in the aftermath of the attacks. It had taken time and more discipline than she had imagined would be required, but they had formed a cohesive unit. The Victorious being a sister ship to the Ark Royal had produced a natural rivalry between the two battlestars.

'Now comes the fun part,' she thought to herself.

"Vice Admiral Ramos wants us to focus our attention on keeping the Cylons away from the warstars Svalin, Defender, and Guardian. We will have our hands full staying away from the flak shields that the cruisers are going to throw up, but that will not be a problem for us. If it is, there is some simulator time waiting for you," she said and was glad to see some light-hearted ribbing among the pilots.

"Are we just going to fly around and play keep away with the toasters?" Ensign Hermes 'Thumper' Otaro asked.

"Don't worry, Thumper, we'll all get some shots in," she said.

She looked at the clock on the bulkhead behind the pilots and knew there was not much more time left until the big event.

"Let's get to our Vipers and get out there, it's time to show just how much of a punch the Ark Royal can deliver," she said and watched as the pilots got out of their chairs and filed out of the room.

Warstar Svalin

War Room

Ramos looked around the War Room and took in the sight of the warstar's crewmembers at their station. He knew this was going to be a different strategy than what the Colonial Fleet had used once the battlestars had become the mainstay of the fleet. He always thought of battlestar tactics as something akin to a choreographed dance sequence, to make everything come off accordingly the players had to be in their respective places for the next move.

"Time for us to make some noise," he said aloud as he looked at the monitors that showed the task force's positions.

The warstars were a different breed that harkened back to the early days of space warfare, they were straight-up punchers in a boxing match against the enemy. The Svalin had taken years of design to develop, but the Admiralty also had to use much of its political capital to get President Adar's cabinet to approve the construction of the ship and the two sisters that made up the class. These turrets could deal greater damage and the armor plating had been specialty treated to ensure it was hardened enough to withstand damage that would take down most vessels.

"The turret captains are reporting that they are set, and the guns are loaded," Captain Ulysses Sharp announced.

He looked over to Sharp and nodded his head. Sharp had been his executive officer and had a cruiser background. The Svalin, Guardian, and Defender were going to be protected by Rear Admiral Lewis Ware's cruiser group. Between their point defense guns and the flak shields that would be thrown up they could take the fight to the Cylons and bloody their nose.

"Admiral Lewis is requesting to speak with you."

He looked over at the young woman over at the communications station and nodded his head. Ware had to be eager to get the fight started, and now that they were here there was little point in any further hesitation. His hand found the handset and picked it up out of its cradle.

"It's time," he said.

"My cruisers will keep the Cylons away from the warstars, we're ready for this."

"Good hunting," Ramos said as he placed the receiver back into its cradle, "May the Gods find us in their favor."

Canceron

Lieutenant Rachel 'Gold' Maddox fixed her eyes on the blue horizon as the Raptor skimmed its way along the frozen tundra of the Northern Territories. It was easy for her to imagine she was somewhere far from the damage that had been visited upon the Colonies. Her mind went back to her hometown of Ulysses on Scorpia, and she briefly wondered what it had become after the Cylons attacked.

'Best to remember it how it was,' she thought to herself as she banished the thoughts from her mind.

"Excellent flying," Major Arthur Wallace said as he turned his attention towards her, "I don't think the Cylons are going to notice us."

"You really think they're going to be patrolling this area?" she scoffed.

"It wasn't that long ago that nobody thought we would ever see them again," he reminded her.

She nodded her head in understanding. He was right, there was no way anyone could have imagined what had taken place. When the Victorious had left Caprica for its deployment she thought it would be a simple weapons exercise. Her last one with the ship before she was to transfer over to the Hermes. She envisioned making runs with her Raptor to test weapons or ferrying researchers over to the Athena and Ares to gauge the damage that had been done to the decommissioned battlestars.

"You're right, Major," she said.

Cinta Melati looked towards the Raptor's cockpit and watched Wallace and Maddox while they spoke. She looked over at Major Mark 'Archangel' Hunter, and she saw the look of intense determination on his face. After the fight between him and Wallace on the beach he had not said much, and she wondered what his thoughts were now. Ensign Lacey Tolan lay unconscious on the rear bench, and she may not know Archangel well, but she wondered if his concern for her wellbeing fueled that determination.

"You may want to watch that intensity, you'll wear yourself out," she said.

He looked at her and his features softened a bit at the comment.

"Just thinking of what happened back on the island," he said before he added, "I don't trust Wallace."

"Because he's with the Ministry of Intelligence?" she asked.

Her relationship with Wallace was a complicated one. The whole time she thought he was there to help the Erebea he was undercover with her death the endgame. She had shared more than just her bed with him. She had shared her deepest thoughts, feelings, and everything she would have never let anyone else know. All that time, he would ultimately try to kill her when his mission was over. That was then, and now she believed that their fates were now intertwined.

"There's more to this mission than he's letting on," he said to her as he turned his attention from Lacey towards the cockpit, "I wish I knew what it was, but I'm keeping my eye on him."

"If it helps, I don't trust him either," she said in a whisper.

She expected more of a response from him, instead she got a nod of his head. She was glad that he at least heard her.

"We'll be landing in seventeen minutes," Wallace called out.

"If he has something planned, you won't have to wait too much longer to find out," Melati said to Archangel.

She wanted him to say something, but instead all she got from him was another nod of his head to acknowledge her statement. Wherever his thoughts were, it was clear that Archangel intended to keep them to himself.

Aquaria:

Ark Royal Hangar Deck

Stark exited the hatch that led onto the hangar deck of the Ark Royal. The cavernous area was alive with an electric atmosphere as the deck gang went about its work to have the Vipers ready for launch. She looked to her right and saw the Raptors were being given one last briefing by Captain John 'Tornado' Bruin. He had come over from the battlestar Libran when pilots were needed to fill the air wing of the Ark Royal. He commanded Raptor Squadron Two, and from what she had seen he had the skills to get the job done.

"Good hunting out there, CAG!"

She turned to find Captain Keith 'Boxer' Lloyd not far from her. The two had met back when the Cylons had first attacked. They had only survived because they were fortunate enough to get onto the battlestar before the airlock closed and detached from the ship. He had taken command of Viper Squadron Two and their time in battle over the past months had built a friendship between the two.

"I got some big shoes to fill," she said to him once he had reached her and was more within earshot.

"Archangel wouldn't have wanted anyone else for the job, you know he trusted you more than the rest of us," Lloyd assured her.

"I know, but it feels wrong to take over the position without him here," she said.

"It's not permanent, just remember you're keeping the seat warm while he's away. Unless you do too good of a job then it's going to suck to be him," he said with a wink.

"Fine, I'll drop the humility act and be the badass everyone has come to know and love," she said with a chuckle.

"That's the Dagger we all know and love!" he said before he jotted over to the spot where his Viper had been set for its launch prep.

She walked over to where her Viper had been set for her to board and she ran her hand down along its exterior. Some might have thought it as a silly superstition, but she believed there had to be a trust between a pilot and their aircraft. It did not matter if it was a Viper, a Raptor, or any other kind of craft that flew; if there was not a trust present then the next flight might be the last.

"She's humming like a finely tuned sportscar," Chief Reginald Lancaster said from behind her.

"I never doubted it for a moment, Chief," she said with a smile as she removed her hand from the Viper, "I'm going to apologize in advance for any holes the Cylon cause."

"It's not a problem, Major, as long as both of you make it back in one piece then we'll happily fix any battle damage," he said before he added, "Good hunting out there, ma'am, get in a few hits for us."

"It'll be my pleasure, Chief," she said as she climbed the ladder up to the cockpit and got herself situated.

Olympica:

Presidential Suite:

President Michael Fowler stood at the window and looked out at the ships that were near the Olympica. His thoughts were on Aquaria, which was a change from his usual ones about his home of Libran. Now that he had his family and their belongings brought over from the Ventura then maybe there was a chance for some normalcy.

"Here's to hoping I last longer than my predecessors," he mused as he took a sip of water.

He looked over to the grandfather clock against the far wall. It was a relic of a bygone era, but it gave the suite a look of classic elegance. His guest would arrive soon, and he was eager to see what would come of their conversation. The sound of approaching footsteps caught his attention and he turned from the window to face the door. The handle turned and Dalita Antonian entered the room. She was a member of the gubernatorial staff and he felt it was natural for her to become part of his administration.

"The Vice President is here to see you," she said.

"Thank you Dalita, please show her in."

She stepped away from the door and Brooke Bowman entered the room. She had changed from the attire at her press conference, and she looked more business casual with her long sleeve red shirt and black pants.

"Mr. President," she said once the door had closed.

"Madame Vice President," he replied before he added, "How are you settling in?"

She took a seat on a nearby sofa and made herself comfortable. He wondered what was on her mind, and he was interested in her ideas for how she envisioned the office she now held.

"I have to start packing my things, is the plan to send me over to the Ventura?"

"That's what I had intended, did you have an alternative?"

"I was thinking of the Van Straaten," she replied.

That caught him by surprise. The Ventura was the second largest liner in the fleet, and it was an ideal location to keep her safe. When the idea had been discussed, he was in favor to keep the top two elected officials separate to ensure the continuity of government. Instead, Brooke Bowman wanted to live on one of the two library ships in the fleet.

"Okay, now may I ask why?"

"Because, with my background as a teacher I want to use my office to make sure the children do not miss out on learning," she said before she added, "They are our future, and we will do a disservice to our society if we don't continue their education."

He was struck by the determination in her voice. It was easy to imagine the kind of force she had been at Wilson Elementary back on Caprica.

"You'll hear no argument from me," he said as he wondered just how he could placate her for now, "I'm not opposed to it, but I want to make sure it'll be secure enough for you to make it your home."

"I'd rather that be done sooner rather than later," she said as she looked around at the suite, "I can move to the Ventura temporarily as long you can assure me that I'll get to move to the Van Straaten."

Aquaria

Viper 2593 (Captain Alisa Stark):

Stark steadied her breath as she got her Viper in position. A group of Raiders had come into view as they broke off from the attack on the cruisers and made their way towards the Ark Royal and Victorious. She knew her orders, but the two battlestars were too important to leave on their own. Especially with the Victorious not completely repaired from its previous damage.

"Jewel, Salesman, Pistol, follow me," she called out over the mic in her helmet.

"Roger that, CAG," Ensign Murat 'Pistol' Halouk replied.

Between the four of them they could put up a good fight with the Raiders. Now it was just a matter of timing and skill. The three pilots with her had been cadets who had boarded the Ark Royal with no experience in the Viper cockpit. Now they were part of the air group, and so far had acquitted themselves in battle.

"They see us!"

She heard the excited reply from Donovan and for a moment she worried if he was ready for the battle or scared.

"Salesman, keep your head in the game," she chided.

"Yes ma'am," he replied.

She banked hard to port as the four Vipers began to make their run towards the Raiders. She saw one turn to face her and a red light began to move from side to side along what she thought was a window on the front. She pressed the button on her controls and bullets began to stream from her guns towards it.

"Time to die," she said through gritted teeth.

The Raider turned to avoid the stream of bullets and she adjusted the Viper so that she could launch her missiles at it. Someway, somehow she was going to take this Cylon down. She watched the missiles stream towards the Raider and it missed.

"CAG, you got a toaster behind you," Donovan said.

"No worries, I got it," Beck replied.

"Good work Jewel, take care of it," Stark said as she renewed her focus on the Raider.

She looked down at her DRADIS display and there was Raider that had come in behind her. Mentally she cursed herself for not having caught it earlier, but at least she knew her pilots had her back.

"You're not getting away that easily," she said as though the Raider could hear her.

She activated her maneuvering thrusters to elevate her Viper to higher elevation than the Raider and she angled the nose downwards as she sped up for another shot at her enemy. She pressed the button again to fire her guns and this time her aim was spot on as the Raider began to lose control.

"Now for the finale," she said as a grin came to her face.

She fired two of her missiles and she wanted to pump her fist as they hit the Raider and it exploded. One down, and there were countless more to go.

Olympica:

Mitchell Cain's Suite:

Mitchell Cain watched Helen Octavia's body as she slept beside him. The two had another date that ended up with them back at his suite and a very spirited love-making session. It was during their date that she had shown him a series of photos she had taken on her recent visit to Olympica's Dome Three.

"Look at these people," she said at the time as she pointed out a group seated near one of the trees of the biodome, "Even after all that has taken place, they look happy to be there."

There was something in the background that caught his eye, a man and a woman seated at one of the picnic tables, and it had stayed in the back of his mind. He recognized the man as Eli Hunter, one of the top advisors to the now deceased Quroum delegate Aurelia Gilliam, but the woman was of interest. He had managed to banish the thought from his mind long enough to not have it interfere with the rest of their meal and the activities that came afterwards.

"Hey lover," Helen said as she stirred and came awake.

He stroked her back and hoped it would be enough to ease her back to sleep. He chuckled to himself at the scene that had played out. Here he was in bed with a beautiful woman he had just made love to, and all he could think about was work. If they had met before the Cylon attack this would not have even been an issue since he was still retired from the Ministry of Intelligence, but now he was back to his old life in the shadows.

"Hey you," he said gently as he kissed her on the top of her head, "You're supposed to still be asleep."

"You're a fine one to be talking," she said as she rolled onto her back and sat up, "What's on your mind?"

He wanted to brush it off or give her some sort of vague answer, but she had the journalistic instincts to pick up on the lie.

"Something is nagging me, there's a photo you took," he said as he walked over and brought the photograph she had taken for her to look at, "There's a woman in the background, and for the life of me I can't remember where I've seen her before.

He watched as Helen looked over the photograph and seemed to study it as if she might be able to find a clue that might help him.

"I can't identify her," she finally said with a shake of her head.

He took the photo and sat at the edge of the bed as he studied it more. Helen knelt behind on the bed and began to run his shoulders. He was not sure how she got to be that good with her back rubs, but the stress began to leave his body.

"You keep that up and we'll have another round," he teased.

"You could put Leon Delroy to shame," she whispered in his ear.

"Helen…"

"Mitchell…"

He hated what he was about to do, but no amount of love making was going to satisfy his curiosity. He stood up and leaned down to kiss her on the lips.

"I'm going to take a walk; I promise I'll be back once I have my answers."

He left the cabin and did not look back as he began to make his way through the corridor. His mind was not on the woman he had just left. His thoughts went back to his former life with the Ministry of Intelligence.

Olympica:

Argonne Plaza

Cain walked along the gravel path that made up one of the gardens of the Argonne Plaza. In the first-class area this was a piece of nature amid the luxury that the Colonial Line had built into the ship's design. It was late at night, and there were few people who milled around the plaza. Outside of this grass area were the restaurants and shops where the passengers could splurge on both their meals and souvenirs to bring home to their friends and loved ones.

'No time like the present to dwell on the past,' he thought as he continued his stroll.

These people who walked by him had known the destruction of the Colonies and could still feel the pain of the hurt that had been inflicted on their lives. Would an item bought at one of the shops or a meal consumed at one of these restaurants really help, or would it just be a brief respite from reality. His mind kept going back to the world he knew before. There was loneliness, such was the life for an intelligence agent, but being an assassin as well carried an emotional burden that was hard to carry. He had compartmentalized to justify what he had done in the name of President and Country.

'Is there still a price I have to pay?'

He spotted a nearby bench and decided it would be as good of a place as any to gather his thoughts. The picture still bothered him, and his inability to remember who that woman was continued to bother him.

'Where have I seen that face before?' he asked himself.

It had to have been during the latter part of his career with the Ministry of Intelligence, but the details stubbornly refused to come forward. Octavia stirred and snuggled up closer to him, her left arm now draped over his torso. He moved his left arm to hold her and run his hand up and down her back as he continued to think about where he had seen that woman's picture before. As he lay there, a statement from a conversation with a fellow agent before he had gone undercover on his last assignment.

"Mitch, I've tried everything to find this woman," Agent Santo Capizzi had said to him, "Whenever you come back from this assignment, I want you to be the one to go after her."

As they stood in the courtyard of the Ministry of Intelligence headquarters complex, he had chuckled at the suggestion that he would be asked to pick up where Capizzi had failed.

"Don't be so pessimistic, you got this," he had said to cheer up his colleague.

Capizzi instead shook his head and handed a large brown envelope to him.

"I'm going to recommend you be the one to go after her, she's a bad woman…she could give the Basileus a run for its money."

He arched an eyebrow at the statement and opened the envelope to see a thick stack of paper reports with a large photograph on top of them.

"That's her?" he asked before he could take the credulity out of his voice, "She looks harmless enough, kind of reminds of me of one of my teachers."

"Say hello to Penelope El-Bay, she's from Aquaria. We gave her the codename 'Nakato'…"

His body tensed up as the memories from that meeting with Capizzi came back to him. He had gone home that night to his apartment and read over the reports, and when he was done, he was ready to personally go to his boss and request the assignment. This woman had a ruthless streak to her, and now she was on the Olympica. He would have to tread carefully though, the last thing he wanted to do was rush into an ambush where he might not be able to walk away from.

"You look way too lost in thought," a woman said as she walked over and took a seat beside him.

He looked at the young woman and wondered who she was to fill comfortable enough to walk over and take a seat beside a total stranger. There appeared to he a hard edge to her, as though she had seen more hardship than her age should suggest. He glanced down at her right forearm and saw a tattoo that read 'P38210', and it was when he looked at her face that she gave him a knowing smile.

"The Cylons like to tag their prisoners, one of them told me that was going to be my name for the rest of my life," she said.

"Who are you?"

"Captain Whitney Thompson of the Ministry of Intelligence," she said before she leaned in and said in a lower voice, "It's an honor to meet the legendary Mitchell Cain."

"I appreciate the flattery, but why are you here?"

He would have normally been thrilled to run into a fellow agent, but he had not survived if he had by having blind trust in people.

"I heard that there had been others from the Ministry who had survived and were here on the Olympica," she said.

"With all due respect, at the time of the attacks I was a retired agent," he countered.

He saw the traces of a smile appear on her face and for a moment he wondered what she must have been like before the Cylons attacked. Where there had probably been the confidence of youth was replaced by something more pained.

"The past doesn't matter anymore, I have it on good authority that you decided to get the rust off and jump back into the fray."

He figured someone in the government must have said something to her, but that was information he would get from her later.

"If that is true, why should I bring you along?"

"Because I need a purpose," she began as her emotions seemed to get the better of her for a moment, "I need to find my place in this new world otherwise I'm going to stay lost"

She was truthful, even the best agent could lie that convincingly. He saw something familiar in her and it reminded him of where he was after his forced retirement from the Ministry. She could be an asset to his team, and he needed all the help he could get to make his plans come to fruition.

"That's understandable, but you can find that purpose anywhere," he retorted before he added, "I hear there's a hospital here on the Olympica that could probably use volunteers."

He watched her facial features to see what type of impact his statement would have on her. As he expected, her features harden in a way that let him know he had struck a nerve.

"I'm not going to be some frakking medtech, nurse, or whatever the term is. I was trained for one purpose, to be an intelligence agent."

"So, you somehow discover I'm here on the Olympica and you just wait for the right time to find me and approach me about finding work?" he asked.

"I was very good at my job with the Ministry," she said.

"Let me ask you this, what will you do if I don't bring you into the fold?"

He was curious as to what her reaction would be. She had the determination, that was certain, but this was not a situation where he would just blindly trust her because she was with the Ministry of Intelligence before the Cylons attacked.

"Then you'll leave me no choice but to start my own group," she said as she paused and appeared to be in thought, "Maybe we'd even become sort of a vigilante group. Take out the people you would be too worried about dealing with. I understand that even now red tape still exists."

He looked her face over for any sign of a tell, some trace that she had told him a lie, but he knew she was serious. The thought ran though his mind of what a group like that would entail, and the damage that it could cause. There was no scenario where that would end well for anyone, and he recognized it. Whitney Thompson was a woman he would need to keep close, and maybe he could take her skills and make her a useful agent for his team. He would rather have her on his side than have her as a competitor, especially if she went on her own and did something that would cause him to have to eliminate her.

"Come with me, I have a job you can help me with," he said as he stood up to walk away from the bench.

"Where are we going?"

He looked to find that she had begun to walk faster to close the distance between them. He also noticed a change that had come over her. It was her body language, and it showed a new energy that had not been there before. She was eager to get started, and that was a quality he would need in an agent.

Warstar Svalin

War Room

Ramos looked at the live feeds of information from the ships that made up the task force. He normally would have been in the CIC but this was an operation where he needed to be nearby but not in the way. This was the ideal solution to the dilemma he had, and the upcoming operation would call for his absolute best. He heard the muffled thunder as the Svalin's guns boomed their shells towards the Cylon baseships.

"Admiral Ware is reporting that his cruisers have begun to put up their flak shield against the incoming Raiders."

He looked back at the woman, and it took him a moment to remember she was Ensign Camina Loreius.

"Thank you, Ensign Loreius, keep me informed of further updates," he said as he turned his attention back to the battle at hand.

The Raiders had moved closer to the task force, and he wondered just how much damage the cruisers would take along the warstars. The Victorious and Ark Royal were at the rear of the group, and that was by design. The battlestars were too valuable to put directly into the battle, and he hoped the relatively undamaged Ark Royal could cover for the still unrepaired Victorious.

"Captain Sharp, inform all gun crews to target the center axis of the baseships," he ordered.

He looked to the DRADIS and waited to see what the next move would be. Moments later he heard the bulkheads reverberate as the Svalin let loose its first salvo. This was it, the battle for Aquaria had begun. He knew this was not supposed to be an attempt to retake the colony but if he gave the Cylons more than a bloody nose he would be satisfied.

Olympica

Cargo Hold 8-A

Cain entered the cargo hold and was impressed by the sight before him. Workers had done an impressive job to turn the empty cargo hold into a functional work area. He had turned down the option of space in Olympica Security. The Ministry of Intelligence would need a space if its own, and this section of the ship suited his purposes just fine.

"Just wait until you're really up and running," he said aloud.

Whitney walked in and took in the sight as well. It was something he had begun in secret when David Rush led the civilian government, and he had not yet shared it with President Fowler just yet. It had taken almost five months, but this area deep within the Olympica belonged to him. It was a part of why he was willing to turn down the office of Vice President, this would help him to keep the people safe.

"Let me give you the cubit tour," he said he motioned for her to follow him.

"How did you do this?"

He smiled to himself at her awestruck demeanor. This would be something special within the fleet, and once he had a full staff it would prove its worth.

"I called in some favors, and pulled a lot of strings," he said as he led her down one of the corridors, "To the outside observer this is an area of the ship that has been sealed off due to a radiation leak."

"When in reality, you have your own little fiefdom," she teased.

"Dante Solis wouldn't have happened if this had been operational sooner."

A nearby hatch opened and Jessica Jennings stepped inside. She still wore her Colonial Fleet officer uniform, a compromise for her new role as a liaison between the new Ministry and the military. She appeared to be stunned momentarily by his and Whitney's appearance, but she quickly regained her composure.

"Hey Cain, I thought you were going to be coming in later this morning," she said.

"Something came up, and I needed to gather my thoughts," he said before he gestured towards Whitney, "Meet Captain Whitney Thompson, she was part of the Ministry before the attacks."

"Lieutenant Jessica Jennings, Colonial Fleet," Jessica said as she exchanged handshakes with Whitney.

"Listen, why don't you show her around the rest of the facility and then stop by my office," he said as he stepped through a nearby hatch towards the corridor that led to an area that had been turned into office space.

He knew there would be more work that would need to be done, and he had a to make an appointment with President Fowler to move on to the next part of his plan. The skills that had served him well as an agent may have gotten rusty after he had been forced to retire, but they had never left him completely. If he was going to go after Penelope El-Bay then he would need them to be sharper than ever.

Canceron

City of Pavo, Northern Territories

Ministry of Intelligence Base:

Wallace waited as Maddox set the Raptor down and flipped the switches to turn off the engines. Before them was a stretch of asphalt that seemed to have just been placed there in the middle of the wilderness outside of the city. Around them were structures that looked as though they had not been used in years. It was all by design, to give the appearance of a derelict airfield.

"We made it, now what?" she asked him.

"Now we go access the base," he said as he undid his harness to exit the vehicle.

He took one last look at the unconscious figure of Lacey, and he felt a twinge of regret tug at his mind. For what he had in mind it was necessary to take the actions with Archangel that led to their fight, but he had not intended for her to get hurt. All he had to do was finish this mission and then he could move on to the next part of his plan.

"Looking forward to seeing what happens next," she muttered as she followed him out of the Raptor.

He stepped out into the bitter cold of the Northern Territories. This posting would have probably felt as something akin to banishment back when this base was active. There was one advantage to the base being shut down, it made it less of a target for the Cylons. He had read the reports, the Ministry of Intelligence had found itself targeted for destruction. It was not just their headquarters on Picon, it was every active installation of theirs throughout the Colonies.

"We should bring the weapons in case we run into trouble," Archangel commented.

"They're in the upper cargo bin, they were loaded before we left," Wallace said.

Archangel said nothing but stepped back into the Raptor and pressed a button that opened a small storage area that had been built into the back of the vehicle. There was a bulky metal box inside with a handle attached. He grabbed it and stepped outside.

"What are we going to do about Ensign Tolan?" Archangel asked.

"She'll be okay out here, I'd rather not risk taking her inside," Wallace replied and then he added, "The schematics showed a hospital wing that was standard issue back in the days when this base was operational. Maybe we can find something there we can use."

Wallace waited until Archangel had set down the box and stepped away. He promptly walked over and activated the fingerprint ID system. A press of his right thumb to the scanner and the light went from red to green and the inner locks engaged to open.

"Everyone grab a weapon and be ready, there's no telling what we'll find inside," he said to the team as he turned and walked towards the entrance door.

For an instant he wondered if Archangel would take a gun and shoot him in the back. After the fight they had on the beach he would not have put it past him. Wallace figured if he did not then he would waste an opportunity, but if he did then it would only hurt his image in the eyes of the group as well as the Admiralty once word got back.

Olympica

Presidential Suite

Fowler entered the sitting room of his suite and extended a hand to his visitor. Only recently he had met Fleet Admiral John Kronus about the Colonial Fleet's current campaign against the Cylons at Aquaria. Now was another matter that he felt needed to be discussed, and he felt now was as good of a time as any to at least get the conversation started.

"Admiral Kronus, I thank you for taking the time to meet with me," he said.

Fleet Admiral John Kronus was a throwback to the Cylon War, and a man with a reputation that few could match. Although he had temporarily retired recently, he had come back to take on an even larger role in the military leadership in absence of Scott Tolan.

"When I got your message, I was intrigued by what you wanted to talk about," Kronus said as he took a seat across from Fowler.

"Nothing against David Rush, but I feel there are areas where we could improve going forward," Fowler said as he reached over and took a drink from a glass of water, "That is where you come in."

"I'm happy to help in any way that I can, but your mention of the Eastern Alliance was something that I had not expected."

Fowler had expected Kronus to get straight to the point of their meeting. It was something that had caught his eye as he read over the notes given to him regarding the 'private security company' that was a confederation of different pirate groups under one leader.

"I feel that my predecessor did not use Magnus Ah-Mun and his…people to their full potential," he said.

"Mr. President, just go ahead and refer to them as pirates. There's no need to go sugarcoating what they really are."

Fowler wanted to chuckle at the comment, but he knew he had to be professional. He read the reports on the Eastern Alliance from before the Cylons had attacked, and they had a reputation for being impossible to take down. They had even survived the attacks and had somehow manage to find Admiral Tolan in the time following the aftermath.

"They are pirates with a Cylon War era baseship, I'm not sure how comforting that is to the rest of the fleet."

The door opened and Erica Abbot, Fowler's Chief of Staff, entered the room. She gave Kronus a warm smile before she walked to where the two men were seated.

"Magnus Ah-Mun is here to see you, Mr. President," she said.

Fowler was shocked by the words, he had not decided on exactly when he was going to meet with the man, but he quickly got himself together mentally and nodded at her.

"Thank you, Ms. Abbot, please show him in," he said and once she left the room he turned his attention to Kronus, "Something you want to tell me about?"

"I think it's unfair for us to talk about the Eastern Alliance without their leader here," Kronus said.

"You should have consulted with me first," Fowler countered.

"As you said, he has a Cylon baseship at his disposal. No need to antagonize the man."

Fowler turned his attention from Kronus when the door opened and Magnus Ah-Mun entered the room. He expected him to look more tired, but instead he seemed to walk with an energy of a man half his age. His original plan had been to discuss what to do about the Eastern Alliance with Kronus and then he would meet with Magnus to discuss options. Instead, Kronus had turned the tables on him.

"Hello, Mr. President, I heard you were having a meeting that I should be a part of," Magnus said with a practiced civility.

"Mr. Ah-Mun, thank you for meeting with us, have a seat," he gestured over to Abbot to move a chair closer to where he and Kronus were seated.

"We have much to discuss," Magnus said once he was seated, "I know the Eastern Alliance is a sort of gray area about whether whatever role we should occupy."

"That may be give us something to work with," Kronus suggested.

"Now I'm curious," Magnus said.

"I suggest that the Eastern Alliance members be offered a blanket pardon for crimes committed before the Cylons attacked us," Kronus offered.

"Alleged crimes, there were never formal charges," Magnus said after he had cleared his throat upon Kronus' statements.

"Fine, a blanket pardon for all crimes real or imagined in regard to the Eastern Alliance."

Fowler listened to Kronus' statement and considered the repercussions that such a move could cause. The situation they were in now was different than any he could have imagined before. He had reached the pinnacle of his political career, and he had to think of what would happen if he made that decision to issue a blanket pardon.

"I suppose that could be possible, but what could we do after that?" he asked both Kronus and Magnus.

"I believe the Eastern Alliance could serve as sort of a reserve force of the military," Magnus offered, "We could assist law enforcement on the civilian ships and can be pulled to active military status if one of the branches needs help."

"Like the Colonial Reserve Forces," Kronus interjected, "After the riots on the Olympica I think we could use their help."

His mind ran through the possibilities, and he could see the benefits to having the Eastern Alliance troops in those types of roles. There were more details he needed to have sorted out, but the positives so far had outweighed the negatives. Maybe, just maybe, there was a way to make sure everyone got what they wanted, and he would not have to face excessive public criticism for his actions.

"I'm willing to do this, but first let's sit down and iron out the details," he said as thought of what all would need to take place for this to happen.

Library Ship Van Straaten

B-Deck Passenger Cabins

Brooke Bowman sat at the writing desk and looked around at the new surroundings that would be her new home. When the Adar Administration came up with the idea of a library ship it was designed to be able to provide a place where the students in the low-income areas of the Colonies could come to gain the same knowledge as the students in the best schools. The area where her new home was located was reserved for teachers and administrators who looked to book passage to one of the planets.

"It's a promising start."

As she said this out loud, she took a hold of one of the bags that contained her belongings. The room was small, but perhaps with enough work this area of the ship could be modified to suit her needs. It was not the Olympica, but she felt like after the recent events on that liner it was a nice change of scenery.

"I'm surprised you haven't raided the fiction section for something to read," a familiar voice called out from the doorway.

She turned her head and smiled when he recognized Emily Tolan. Their friendship had formed over the course of the last six years, and she was more akin to a sister.

"Em! I didn't think you were going to come over," she said as she got out of her chair and walked over to give Emily a hug.

"I got the all-clear from the doctors to come over here," she said as she took a seat nearby, "Looks like you couldn't get away from the Olympica fast enough."

"I'm sure the Ventura is nice, but I'd rather be able to pick where I go," Brooke sat back down and looked around the cabin area, "I may be Vice President Bowman, but at heart I'm still the same Brooke I was over at Wilson Elementary."

"That's what'll make you perfect for the job, and the children of this fleet are going to need their education," Emily said and after a moment of hesitation she asked, "Have you heard anything about Scott?"

Brooke knew this question was going to come and there was no way she could avoid it. Emily was a smart enough of a woman to know if someone told her a lie, and she needed to know what may lie ahead.

"We still haven't heard from the Colossus, apart from a piece of wreckage the Victorious discovered there hasn't been any sign of the ship."

She felt horrible, as though she was writing off Scott Tolan as a casualty. A part of her mind had wondered about her own husband, and the worst was the uncertainty if Artimus and the Hermes had survived. Mentally she put her own fear and worry aside to be there for her friend, Emily had been there for her through so much in the years since they had become friends.

"I can't give up on him yet, but I wish he would come back sooner rather than later."

"I understand that one, the uncertainty makes it hard. All you can do is go one day at a time and hope he finds his way back," Brooke said, and, in that moment, she realized she had spoken more about herself than about Emily.

"I'm sorry Em, I didn't mean how that might have come across," she said.

"We're both dealing with our husbands missing in action, it's not the first time that happened," she said.

Brooke's mind went back that day over six years ago when Scott and Artimus had first met, it was a rescue mission where they had been shot down and were listed as missing. It was then that a thought came to her, a memory that jumped to the front of her thoughts.

"Artimus never talked much about that mission," Brooke said as she shook her head at the thought, "Whenever I'd bring it up he'd find some way to change the subject."

"Scott was the same way, and there was one time I joked that he was trying to hide something from me."

Brooke had wondered the same thing, and maybe there would come a day when she could get more information about that time in their lives. It was what had led not only to Artimus' friendship with Scott Tolan, but it also was the start of her close friendship with Emily.

"My family had no love for Artimus, my brother especially hated him," Brooke said as she thought back to that time in her life, "When we had broken up he told me it was time to move on once and for all."

"My father had wanted me to marry someone else," Emily said as she made herself more comfortable in a chair, "He wanted me to end up with someone who had a family name as renowned as the Graystone name."

"I think Scott had a notable last name," Brooke countered.

"Tolan is known for the wrong reasons, and I suppose at the time marrying him was my act of rebellion."

"I suppose that's one way to disappoint your parents, go and marry a man from a crime family," Brooke said, and the two women chuckled at the comment.

Warstar Svalin

War Room

"Admiral Ware is reporting that the Cylons are focusing more on the cruisers, he's not sure how much longer they can hold the line," Loreius called out from Communications.

Ramos looked at the DRADIS display, and he could see the reason for the report. The Cylons seemed to have taken the strategy of concentrating at the front and once the cruisers were eliminated then the warstars would be more vulnerable.

"Tell him to hold the line for a little bit longer," he replied.

This was not supposed to be a full-scale assault on Aquaria, and he felt as though he had to do more than just a simple hit and run attack. His thoughts were interrupted when the Svalin shook violently enough to almost cause him to fall to the deck. It was only his grip on the command console that allowed him to stay upright.

"Sitrep!" he called out to Sharp.

"We just took a weapon to the starboard thrusters," Sharp called out.

"Is the FTL still online?" he asked.

"Yes sir."

He felt the urge to issue a recall order and get the fleet safely back to Amasen. His mind focused again, and he dismissed the thought, and decided that maybe they could put up a little more of a fight before they left Aquaria.

"Send word to the fleet to press forward, I want all gunnery crews to target the center axis of the baseships," he said to Sharp.

Canceron

City of Pavo, Northern Territories

Ministry of Intelligence Base:

Wallace opened the access panel and smiled when the keypad came to life. Even though the Ministry of Intelligence had not used the base in years it still had electronic systems that worked.

"Please enter keycode," an automated voice emanated from the panel.

He knew he did not have much time until the timer ran out and an alarm would ring. The last thing he wanted was to alert any nearby Cylons to their presence. His fingers went to work to enter the six-digit keycode number that would grant him access to the facility. After a moment that felt longer than it was there was a chime and a light on the upper corner changed from red to green.

"Access granted, Major Arthur Wallace," the voice said as the cover for the keypad slid down to cover the numbers.

A nearby door hissed as it slid open to reveal a darkened interior. He looked back towards the party and motioned for them to come inside. With a step inside he turned around to motion again for the rest to follow him inside.

"Quickly, these weren't designed to stay open long," he called out.

The group followed into the entrance and as Wallace went to hit the button to close the door a buzzer sounded, and the door slid closed.

"Okay, Wallace, we're in," Archangel said as he looked around the darkened room, "Might not be a bad idea to turn more lights on?"

Wallace heard the question but did not answer it right away. Instead, he walked over to nearby panel on the wall and entered a code on the keypad to bring up the environmental options. From here could control the everything from the lights to the temperature inside the station if it were fully operational.

"What's the matter, afraid of the dark?" he teased Archangel.

He activated the lights and he watched as the room became more illuminated. It was more chaotic than he had expected. Where he had seen some papers and folders scattered around the floor, he now saw chairs overturned and damage to the walls as well. Something had happened here, and the staff had fled in a hurry.

'Either that, or people tried to scavenge this place for supplies,' he thought to himself.

"Do you know your way around here?" Archangel asked.

"Of course," he countered.

He pulled out a handheld communications device and pressed a button to transmit a message that he had readied for when they arrived on the base. The idea was for Commander Caden Charka to take the stealth ship Hunley on a scouting mission over the Northern Territories in an area that Admiral Sakura believed the Cylons had begun work on a new weapon. It was the promise of the FTL Vipers that had allowed him to convince Admiral Kronus to okay the plan.

'After all, this is a scouting mission as well,' he thought as he watched the message transmit successfully.

For the first time since they had landed on Canceron he began to wonder if the FTL Vipers would still be flyable when they found them. The only real option they had was to continue forward, they have come too far to turn back now.

"We shouldn't have too far of a walk to get to the hangar," he said to the group as he began to walk towards the far side of the room.

The only question was whether there was anything else they would encounter along the way. If there was one thing, he had learned over the past year with all that had happened it was that he should expect the unexpected, and it did not help that he really did not like surprises.