FicWad

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
RETURNS

Prologue

November 2048

Admiral Lee Adama was becoming more and more pensive as his UED Fleet moved closer and closer to The Colonies. He knew he would feel like this four years ago, when his Colonial Class Battlestar, the William Adama, had left its Shipyard in Northern Australia. But at that point, The Colonies were four years away, and he had plenty of time to deal with what he knew was coming.

Now, the four years had passed, and he didn't know how to deal with these building emotions. For an Admiral who knew what he was about, it was disconcerting.

He commanded fifty-six vessels under the umbrella of United Earth Defense, an organization that was born out of the arrival of the long-ago scuttled Battlestar Galactica at Earth in the year 2022. It had been the cornerstone of Earth's defense during the Earth-Cylon War in 2027, and had led to the ever-expanding Fleet of Battlestars, Deep Space Explorers, and other ships that comprised this Fleet, and which would comprise future fleets: and not just Fleets to The Colonies, but to uncharted space as well.

When they had departed in late 2044 there were sixteen Terran Class Battlestars that comprised the main stellar defenses of Earth. The Terran Class were modestly larger than the original Battlestar Pegasus, which Lee himself had sent on a collision course so many years ago. Two more had gone aloft since their departure, and two more would sail within the next two years.

But his ship, the William Adama, along with her sister the Laura Roslin, were the first Colonial Class Battlestars: almost twice the size as her Terran Class sisters. They were being built primarily to begin a regular shuttle between Earth and The Twelve Colonies. The goal was to begin the reconstruction of those worlds and to bring civilization back to the people who had been left behind. The next two Colonial Class ships, the Caprica and the Libran were scheduled to set sail from the Russian Shipyard in six months, to begin their proving runs.

All told, UED and the United Nations were investing in well over eight-hundred ships that would initially comprise the fleet, and serve it through the end of the 21st Century on Earth and beyond that time.

But Lee couldn't worry about that at the moment. The Fleet that he was Military Commander of, would be arriving at Ragnar, where the former Colonial weapons depot had been located. From that point, Admiral Kara Thrace-Bond's ship, the Laura Roslin, would swing in towards Aerilon, while the Adama looped around to the other side of the Cyrannus System and approached Caprica.

They didn't know what shape the survivors were in; they didn't know what shape the different planets were in; they didn't know much. But the best estimates were that life was probably still not easy thirty years after the Cylon attack that forced Galactica to flee.

They were told to expect almost anything on their arrival. And Lee, like most Admiral's of a Battlestar, was expecting the worst.
___________________________________________________________________________________________

I

"Helm, new course 313 mark 285, drop to one-quarter impulse", Admiral Kara Thrace-Bond intoned to her crew. "Begin prep for Fleet Stop at Ragnar Anchorage."

The last time Kara had been this close to "home" was when her group of soldiers and Marines had pulled Sam Anders' resistance fighters off of Caprica some thirty years earlier. As time passes on Earth, she was now fifty-two years old, and like Lee Adama, she had a case of The Butterflies as they were back in territory that once was dominated by mankind.

She wasn't afraid of what lay ahead. The real fear that she had in coming on this journey was two years behind her, when it was discovered that the world known on Earth as Kepler 452b had been the Cylon Earth. She had felt frightened in returning to the place where she saw her "body" with Leoben so many years before. But she had found that the place no longer spooked him. It had been incredibly difficult for her adoptive parents to see the place, which no one had expected.

And by design and some luck, her entire family was with her on this voyage. Her sister, Doctor Abby Bond-Creider was Chief Physician aboard the Deep Space Explorer Carl Sagan; her brother, Captain Nicholas Bond, was the CAG on board the Adama; and her parents, Fleet Governor Justin Bond and First Lady Judith Bond were on the DSE Martin Luther King, Jr, which served as the flagship for the Civilian Government of the fleet.

"Admiral", replied her XO, Commander Chase "Rabbit" Carrico, "Anchorage in sight, fleet ordered to a stop in two minutes."

"Thank you, XO, notify when we're stationary." Starbuck looked at her computer console, where an incoming message from Admiral Adama had just popped up on the screen.

"Chase", she said, looking up from her console and at her XO, "thirty minutes after the All-Stop, I've been requested to head over to the King to meet with the Governor, Admiral Adama, and the captains of all the DSE's."

"Aye, Admiral", he replied crisply, "I guess that'll mean party-time, right Admiral?", he added with a mischievous wink, which made the crew in CIC smile.

"Uh, not, Rabbit", she said with mock severity, but with a smile on her face, "If there's a party, I'll be throwing it", which elicited laughter in the room.

Kara was a no-nonsense Boss on her ship, but she had learned from her father, who had been President Of The United States when she had arrived on Earth that you could be tough but fair with your crew and that you always treated them with dignity and respect. Her crew knew that when there was work to be done, that they were expected to perform professionally, but she had also learned there were times and moments for being human. This was such a moment.

"Well, if you insist, Admiral", Rabbit chuckled, I'll keep the party favors and booze on ice for another time. Kara laughed at that one.

"You better", she said moving away from her station, "I'm going to my quarters to talk to Admiral Adama and the Governor before I head over. You have the bridge, Party Boy."
___________________________________________________________________________________________

Ten minutes later, she was on the computerized phone system with Lee, "You feeling as nervous as I am about getting back here, Apollo?", she inquired, knowing that he was absolutely feeling the same way, but wanting some reassurance of her own.

"I've been feeling like this for the last month, Kara", he said honestly, "I don't have any dark premonitions or forebodings about anything, but think about it: we've been part of society on Earth now longer than we were in The Colonies. This is like heading to a foreign land."

She hadn't thought of it quite that way, but Lee was right. "Interesting way to look at it. But remember, the Op Plan gave me the ass-end of The Colonies. You get the exciting area", she winked with an impish smile.

"Overall Command does have its perks, Admiral", he grinned back at his friend, "but remember, the chances are I'll deal with more problems than you will here at the, uh, what did you call it?"

"The ass-end", she said with a broad grin.

"The ass-end, right", and he laughed through the speaker. "I see your father changed the meeting time to 1800. Wonder why he moved it back?"

"Governor's prerogative, I'm sure, Admiral", she said with a mock formality, which made Lee snicker again. "Maybe dad wanted everyone just to unwind for a few hours after we stopped. That's my bet."

"I bet you're right", and then Lee paused for a few moments, "Is he still getting some nightmares, Kara?"

"They've died down, Lee. He's not getting them as often as he used to", she admitted. The nightmares that they were referring to were from his visit to the Cylon Earth and seeing the remains of the Viper that Kara-or somebody or something had occupied when it crashed on that planet. It had hit the usually unflappable Governor with an emotional force that he wasn't remotely prepared for. Her mother had had the same reaction, but had never encountered any problems afterward.

Kara had become quite concerned for him and even had her younger sister Abby talk to her dad about it a few times.

"I hope they go away, and soon." Lee said with sympathy, "he's such an incredible guy."

"He is, but it shows that even the best can get rattled from time to time." The nightmares had mostly been her father looking at her face in that cockpit as the ship began to tear apart, and watching her, unconscious, with her head bobbing wildly around inside. He would wake up screaming or soaked in sweat. She hated seeing him that way. "I hope so, too", she replied quietly, "because other than that, he hasn't had a lick of problems on the journey, besides the political kind, and he's used to that."

"Well, I'm gonna get my stuff together, then take about a two-hour nap. C'ya on board the King."
__________________________________________________________________________________________


At that moment, Governor Justin Bond was doing the very thing Lee was about to do, which was taking an afternoon siesta. In about three hours, he would meet with the the Admirals of all eight major ships in his fleet to go over the plans for the beginning of the search of the Twelve Colonies.

This was another of his "babies" coming to fruition; when he was President of The United States, he had proposed this very mission after the Earth-Cylon War in 2027, along with the fleet of ships currently in space and being built on Earth. He had quite a few "babies" he had admitted to himself on more than one occasion.

He had dozed off peacefully enough, as he usually did. He had been fortunate enough to be one of those people who could zone out in a matter of minutes under almost any circumstance if he needed to, and that had been a good thing when being a pilot in war, and during his time as President and now as Governor of The Fleet.

The dream he found himself in was peaceful to begin with: a waving, rolling field of tall green grass against a clear blue sky on what looked to be a wonderful summer day near Richmond, which he had seen on so many occasions. He could almost smell the grass and feel the breeze blow through his hair.

But as he walked a few step further, the grass suddenly died into an oatmeal-brown color, and the wind picked up, the sky darkening. He began to run...

...He heard Kara's distressed voice from all directions, Just let me go! He'd run in one direction, then the other, and he'd cry out her name, trying to find her, but her voice persisted, Just let me go...

He saw what appeared to be an opening to his left, and her voice seemed to be coming from that direction, so he bolted in that direction, in an eternal slowness that maddens so many dreams...and then he saw it: the Viper; the skeleton with a shock of blond hair, underneath a Pilot's helmet...

And suddenly he was thrown into space, looking at Kara in the cockpit of the Viper, where she was unconscious, as it was tossed about by the stresses that were beginning to tear her ship apart. He tried to scream "Kara!", as loud as he could, but no voice emanated. Kara finally opened her eyes and looked directly at him, and in a voice that sounded like a devil, screaming JUST LET ME GO!

...His eyes flew open and he sat bolt-upright in bed, out of breath as if he had actually run in the dream, his hands shaking and bathed in sweat.

"Damn..."

In a few minutes, he got up, went to the bathroom and splashed water on his face, then looked in the mirror at his seventy-six year old face. "Well, at least these damn nightmares are happening less and less", he comforted himself. He was sure they'd go away some day. But today wasn't that day. He sometimes wished he had not visited that place on Cylon Earth with his daughter. But he would never tell her that.

He got up, changed back into his Dockers and a comfortable short-sleeved polo-type shirt and went out into the living room. His wife Judith knew immediately that he had suffered another nightmare.

"I won't even ask", she said with sympathy. Judy Bond hadn't suffered any after-effects from visiting the Viper cockpit two years ago, which she found astounding. She found it more astounding that her husband, who had fought in a war and been shot down, and who had been severely injured in a terrorist attack five years earlier, would succumb to such visions.

"Thanks, babe", he said with a small smile, "it's the same movie I've seen over and over." He did recover quickly afterward, which was a blessing, and it hadn't affected his duties as Governor.

"Abby still wants you to talk to Dr. Beazos on the Gandhi?"

"Yes, she does, and I have nothing against the good Doctor, but I don't want a shrink quite yet", he said in a reasonable voice, "I'd still like some time to try to work this out myself."

"I'm not going to argue, Mr. Governor", she said evenly, "we've had this discussion before. I wish you'd consider it more, Justin."

"I might get to that point, Judy", he said honestly, "but the nightmares are lessening. Just give me a little more time."

"I will. I know better than to try to brow-beat you after forty-seven years of marriage", she said archly, but with a twinkle in her eyes, "But if they get worse..."

"If they get worse, I promise, I'll go.", he said crossing his heart with his index finger. Judy just rolled her eyes, "Get ready for the powwow, Governor", she said, getting up from her chair, with a pillow from it in her hand, and bopping him on the head with it.
___________________________________________________________________________________________

"And we have all of the land vehicles ready to roll when we get to Caprica. They all went through maintenance checks in the last forty-five days, so there shouldn't be any Lemons in the group." Lee Adama was going over the last-minute prep for when he peeled off from the Roslin and took precisely half the fleet with him to the Helios Alpha System, with Caprica as their first stop.

"What have the scout Raptors seen so far-from either Caprica or Aerilon?" The Governor asked, with a pen and paper in front of him. He still felt personal notes helped him more than tapping on the computer screen all the time, and he was an expert note-taker. His daughter spoke up first.

"Sir", Kara said, looking down at the printouts in front of her, "We've had passes over Goath and the surrounding countryside in the last few days", she said, not looking up from the information in front of her, "It looks like the remains of the city have been cleared of debris for the most part, but little rebuilding seems to have taken place", she flipped the page, "we do see crops in much of the countryside all over the planet. It doesn't look very organized, but we can see fields of what is akin to corn and wheat, and some other vegetables in the fields and some of them look to be in pretty good shape."

"Inhabitants?", that was Admiral Pauline Lysak from the DSE Albert Einstein.

"Sir, we've seen few inhabitants. but they've scattered when we've made low passes", she said with a small sigh, "for all they know, they may think the Cylons own the Raptors, and these birds don't look that different from the ones that flew here before the Holocaust."

"It sounds like there are more than a few left, what with growing crops that seem to be in pretty good shape, and with no real debris in Goath", Lee offered to the assembled.

"One of the things we have to be concerned with is the mindset of the people left here", the Governor interjected, "As you've said over and over, Lee, we just don't know how they've been living for the last thirty years?"

"A good point, Governor", said the Admiral Caprica Baltar, who was the Military Commander of the Governor's ship, the Martin Luther King, Jr. "It's one we need to remember."

"Lee", the Governor turned towards his Supreme Military Commander, "what's the latest from Caprica?"

"Sir, all the passes over Caprica City have shown the same thing: debris still lying everywhere; some wooden structures built within the debris next to remains of buildings-not unlike what we found on Cylon Earth when we discovered Deanna's enclave", and he looked up from his notes, "and very few, if any, signs of human life." That caused the room to quiet for a moment.

"Remember, Governor", Kara advised him, "there wasn't a helluva lot left here when my team pulled Sam and his resistance off of there."

"And if I recall", the Governor closed his eyes for a moment, "Didn't Helo and Athena say they had found absolutely no one that was human when they were wandering through Caprica City?"

"Not a soul", Admiral Thrace-Bond spoke up instantly, "I went waltzing through there myself, remember, Lee", she said looking at The Military Boss, "And the only beings I saw were Helo, Athena and a Six." The fact that she could say that without immediately glancing at Caprica, or at Caprica becoming self-conscious about such a thing showed how far the remaining Cylons that had sailed on with Humanity had come in all these years. She and Caprica Baltar were friends and colleagues now, and Kara trusted her implicitly.

"There's gotta be someone there", the Governor said, almost sotto voce. "There were, what? Almost five billion people on the planet when the attacks began?"

"That's correct, Governor", Lee Adama confirmed, "I have a hunch we'll find people in the more mountainous regions of the planet, away from Caprica City, and in the smaller cities as we do a thorough search", he went on, "but The Cylons wanted to obliterate Caprica, as it represented everything about Human civilization."

"Lee's right, Justin", Caprica said, dropping formalities for a moment. "there were more nukes dropped here than on any other planet, and it was to make a statement." Now Caprica felt some guilt over what her brothers and sisters had done, but she kept it to herself.

"I hope you're right, Admiral Baltar", the Governor said quietly. "One thing we did assume is that there'd be at least some people on all the populated planets."

"Since we're not finding much movement in Caprica City, sir, I'm going to start patrols and scouting missions away from the Capitol-we'll start in the areas around what remains of Delphi and Phoebus, and work our way around."

"You lived here, Lee, so I'll give you lots of leeway in your search.", the Governor advised him. Lee liked working for Justin Bond because he had never been a micro-manager. He trusted the people who were on the ground or knew the terrain. That had probably come from the Governor's own combat experience almost fifty years earlier in the United States Air Force.

"OK, that about does it folks", the Governor began to wrap things up, The Adama, Mandela, Sagan, and Einstein will depart in forty-eight hours, and the Roslin and the remaining DSE's will take orbit over Aerilon. By the way, Admiral Thrace-Bond", he said, smiling at his adopted daughter, "I just may take a few Raptor missions over the planet-maybe even a scouting mission on the ground." Lee tried to hide a small smile.

"Oh, just what I need, a nosy Governor", she said with a wink, which got a laugh out of the group. "I'll be on the other side of the planet, then, thank you very much", she said sweetly, and he shot her a mock venomous star, but with the corners of his mouth upturned.

"Dismissed, everyone, you're welcome to stay onboard for dinner before heading back."
___________________________________________________________________________________________

Gaius Baltar wasn't sure how he felt, now that the time to orbit his old homeworld had arrived. He had grown up on the poor, working-class planet, but had left when he was eighteen, thirsting for knowledge and culture beyond the back-breaking life on the Breadbasket of the Colonies, and the rough-hewn language and demeanor of his kinfolk. Being a genius, as many thought he was, with a touch of madness as was often the case with the incredibly intelligent, he had worked hard to become a doctor, a scientist, a stellar cartographer.

His problem hadn't been his brains: it has been that he thought all too often with another part of his body, and that had what got him into hot water as the Holocaust unfolded. He and Caprica played a large role in the destruction of The Colonies, and Gaius tried, somewhat successfully, to hide his treasonous doings from The Fleet after he arrived on Galactica afterward.

But later in the voyage to Earth, both he and Caprica had committed themselves to Humanity's future, with Gaius wanting to pay penance for what he had done, and Caprica coming to the realization that what she had helped put in motion had been a mistake to begin with. Both had not wavered from Humanity since.

But he had come to age learning to farm. He knew the culture, as it had existed, and he could easily slip back into his native, throaty brogue dialect whenever he wished. And, as a scientist, especially as one who had studied the drought in the United States and New Caprica a few years back, he felt he could offer his advice on the people and the state of the planet.

"Caprica, this isn't going to be very easy for me", he told his wife in their quarters on board the King. "I'm not looking forward to this."

"If Kara could face going back to Cylon Earth and seeing that Viper again, you can get through this, my dear", she said, with a mixture of affection and exasperation. He had never quite grown a full backbone, especially when it came to his own past, but he had improved remarkably since after the battle with The Colony. "You're there more as a scientist than anything, remember", she reminded him, "just take it one step, one day at a time."

"You're right, of course", he said apologetically, "Kara faced a much more difficult task than this, but I worked so hard to get away from this world...but the people who are left deserve our help, so I'll make it through it", he then smiled, perhaps it will make me a stronger person, not unlike Starbuck in facing down her demons?"

"I hope you're right, Gaius", she said with a softer tone, "Look, I'm not overly thrilled about coming back here for personal reasons myself. I know what I did to inflict this on these people, but I made a commitment a long time ago to help Humanity, and I'll be damned if I go back on my word."

"Think you'll fly any of the missions?", he inquired delicately.

She paused, then sighed, "I'm not sure, Gaius", she said plaintively, "I have always tried to lead by example, and doing everything that I asked my troops to do, but I could very well be recognized there, and that may not help matters much", she paused and took a breath, "but I have to at least fly some scouting missions from the air to survey the shape of the planet. I can't do anything less than at least that."

"I guess we both have our phobias to overcome on this trip, my dear", she said without rancor, "I just hope we're all up to the task."
___________________________________________________________________________________________

II

Captain Nicholas Axman Bond was finishing his CAP duties for another day and was on final to touchdown aboard the Adama. He was not only CAG of the Flagship, but by default, that gave him the title of CAG for the entire fleet of Raptors and Falcons for this journey. He wouldn't be here at all if the former CAG on the Adama hadn't lost her wife in a tragic auto accident in Munich, Germany several months before the launch. As it was, he was glad that he was here, since his older adopted sister, Kara, and his parents had both been chosen for the mission. And it had all come together for the family when his younger sister Abby Bond-Crieder had accepted a last-minute posting as Chief Medial Officer onboard the DSE Carl Sagan.

"The forty-three year old Captain had felt blessed to get this assignment. While there was still military protocol to follow under his Boss, Admiral Lee Adama, the Admiral had given his pilots a little more freedom when flying to improvise some. The Admiral had always been a proponent for military discipline and the Chain Of Command, but he also believed that those under him couldn't learn everything from "the book"-whatever book that might be for their specialty. He had wanted pilots who could think, improvise when needed, and keep their wits about them at all times. Nick Bond fit right into that mold.

He would head up to CIC to see Admiral Adama before showering and then having something to eat. They were just two days away from the first real, in-force mission to Caprica, and he wanted to make sure he was on the same page as the Boss.

"Reporting as ordered, Admiral", CAG saluted crisply to both the Admiral and his XO, Commander Brevin Cross, and both returned the salute.

"Thanks for getting up here, Nick", Lee said with a smile on his face. He was practically like another member of The Bond clan, and long before he and Nick were part of the Chain of Command, the two had become friends. But both knew the line between that and their duty. "Brevin has put the final touches on the Op Plan for scouting Caprica, and I want you two to go over it this evening just to fine-tune it, if needed, and then to brief your pilots tomorrow morning."

"Wilco, Admiral", Nick looked over at Commander Cross, "Any major changes in there, sir?"

Cross shook his head, "No, Nick, just some minor stuff, to be honest, but it never hurts to make sure the I's are dotted and the T's are crossed."

"Sounds good to me, Commander", he said with a nod of his head, "do you mind if I shower and eat first?" He smiled at his two Bosses, "I'm starving right now." Commander Cross chuckled at that.

"I don't want our CAG to be hungry for this mission, Captain, so eat away.", which elicited smiles from the three Officers.

"Just an FYI, Nick", Lee interjected, "Admiral Thrace-Bond launched her first full-scale mission for Aerilon about two hours ago", he said with another smile. Nick idolized his older, adopted sister, and she, along with her father, had been the reason he had wanted to join first the U.S. Air Force, then UED. "She sent me a message this morning to tell you 'Godspeed and safe landings.'"

"Just like Kara", he grinned ruefully, "Well, when you message her back, give her the same message from me", he said, eyes beaming at the thought of Starbuck, "but for now, gentlemen, with your permission, time to shower and eat." The three men saluted each other, and the Captain left CIC.
___________________________________________________________________________________________

Nick was hoping that he didn't seem like he had been rushing the briefing, but he had a good reason to want to shower quickly-he had a companion for dinner that evening. About ten months earlier, he had met a Raptor engine mechanic onboard the Adama, and he had been seeing her since.

Natalia Schrevrenko was a thirty-three-year old Russian from Smolensk, a city that had seen its share of war over the centuries. She came from a military family, just like Nick Bond, and they had gotten along from the first moment they had met.

He hadn't told his parents or his sisters yet-or anyone else for that matter, as the two were waiting for their relationship to develop further. Nick felt he'd be able to tell them all soon because things were developing in the relationship.
___________________________________________________________________________________________

"Roslin Actual, CAG, we're beginning our approach to Goath, standard dispersal pattern." CAG onboard the Laura Roslin was a young, typically fiery redhead from Virginia named Cory Mathers. Call Sign "Sundown", she had been the youngest CAG in UED when she was picked for the position six years ago and was still the youngest, as far as anyone knew.

She had grown into a teenager after the War in '27, idolizing Kara Thrace-Bond. Starbuck was legendary among younger girls, and Cory had wanted to be a bad-ass pilot just like her idol. So when the interviews had started for CAG on the Roslin, she had jumped at the chance for an interview. She was twenty-seven then, and didn't think she had any shot at getting the position. But she was confident, had a sparkling service record, and had a drive that Kara had seen in only a few pilots. After the interview with Sundown, Kara didn't schedule anymore-she took the young lady to be her Air Boss and had never regretted it.

"CAG, Actual, copy that, proceed with your landings, advise when all birds are safely down", Kara responded to Sundown.

"Aye, Admiral, CAG out."

There were forty Raptors in this first in-force mission that would land about seven miles East of the former Capital of Aerilon. Each Raptor had a crew of three, plus ten Marines each. The group would fan out and approach Goath. This was the first boots-on-the-ground mission for the Roslin group. It was a fact-finding mission, and nothing else, if they could help it.

Five minutes later, all forty Raptors were on the ground, and their passengers out the door. With each group of thirteen, there was one specialist who spoke the native language of Aerilon, in case they did run into survivors.

Once on the ground, Captain Mathers ceded command of the entire enterprise to Marine General Seth Trevor, a fifty-six year old native or Aerilon. He had grown up roaming the planet as a young boy and man and knew the terrain like the back of his hand. He would lead the reconnoiter of Goath.

When all four-hundred and seventy members of the patrol were organized across a three-kilometer front, General Trevor depressed the microphone for his in-helmet radio to talk to the Captains in charge of each group.

"All units, this is General Trevor, we have the green light to move in force towards Goath. Safeties on, standard formation. It's still early in the day, so we don't need to double-time there. Keep your eyes sharp for anything, all units, forward."

And with that, the forty different squads moved out.

Sundown was alert, but not nervous. They had trained for this over and over, sometimes on deserted moons, simply to get their formations set. It was a good day to march: about seventy-five degrees Fahrenheit, with a light breeze, and some cloud cover to break up the glare from Helios Delta overhead. It would take them about three hours to make the distance.

They encountered not a soul in the open country east of the remains of the city. As they moved closer, the remnants of buildings and some homes became visible. A few makeshift wooden structures also came into sight, which meant that more than likely, someone had lived in the area after The Holocaust.

Finally, around mid-day, the entire scout force were a few hundred yards from the city. General Trevor once again keyed his radio.

"All units, assume urban deployment, safeties off your weapons. From here on out, we have to consider this a combat zone. Again, keep a clear eye, Trevor out."

Captain Mathers took a deep breath, flipped off the safety on her assault weapon, and headed forward.

"OK, here we go..."
___________________________________________________________________________________________

Around the same time, around eight clicks South of Delphi, Caprica, Nick Bond landed his Raptor. The second-largest city on the planet before The Holocaust, Admiral Adama had wanted to start here because there seemed to be signs that what was left of the city and surrounding smaller towns had been cleaned up somewhat since The Holocaust, while Caprica City had looked deserted.

Like Sundown on Aerilon, Captain Nick Bond gave up command once on the ground. Marine General Kendrick Grayson, a former United States Marine, was in charge of the ground mission. He was what you expected of a Leatherneck: tough, no-nonsense, and a singular focus on the mission at hand. He had seen enough combat years before to know that he had no love for fighting, but he would protect his command if it came to it.

"OK, everyone", the General announced to his troops, "we move out in five minutes, get your gear organized ASAP. It'll take us about two hours to reach Delphi."

And right on schedule, they moved five minutes later. It was a chilly day on Caprica, with temperatures around fifty-seven degrees Fahrenheit, but it was comfortable for the march.

Like Cory Mathers on the other side of the system, Nick Bond was paired up with the Commanding General. The two talked about military life before joining UED, with, as expected, some good-natured shots at the others' branch of the service, but it was all in fun. But they kept their eyes peeled for anything.

They approached the city by early afternoon, and what they had seen in their overflights of the city was borne out on the ground: if there had been rubble here, it had been cleaned up. The buildings certainly had not been rebuilt, but the streets were clear.

The city certainly felt like a ghost town to Captain Bond, but something didn't feel right about the quiet. Instincts honed over years in the service had developed those gut instincts when something seems out of place. He didn't know why, but it just didn't seem right.

About fifteen minutes after entering the city, a call came out from the left side of the spread-out scouting party, "Command, Unit one-five, we have movement to our front, about a thousand yards directly in front."

"One-Five, Grayson, hold position, I'll be there in a few minutes", then he turned to Nick Bond, "Nick, you're with me. Everyone else stays on the defensive, we need to check this out."

Ten minutes later, the General and Captain were with Unit Fifteen. "Lieutenant Sizemore, what do you have?", the General said as he approached the unit leader?

"Sir, that block of buildings straight ahead? The third one from the right, we definitely saw movement, not sure if it was human, but we all saw it."

"Let's get a little closer to see what's around there", the General replied. He didn't have to ask if the safeties were off of the weapons, as that had occurred when they approached the city. "Standard dispersal." The forces paired off in three loose formations of five soldiers each and headed toward the sighting.

I'd rather be in my Falcon or Raptor, Nick Bond mused to himself. Like most pilots, that was his comfort zone, not ground-pounding. But he had been well-trained for this mission, and he trusted his military instincts to see him through.

The group was quiet as they approached, General and Captain slightly in the lead of the others. When they got to within around three-hundred feet of the row of structures, the General suddenly raised his arm and clenched his fist, which was the signal to "hold position". Everyone stopped, still keeping their heads on a swivel looking for trouble in all directions.

The General signaled to the Aerilon Language Specialist in his unit and motioned the woman forward. "Corporal Grell, I'm pretty sure there are people in there. See if you can talk to them if you please."

"Yes sir", the Corporal responded. She grabbed the bullhorn that was with every Specialist and began speaking.

"Attention to those in the building in front of us, we are from the Colonial Armed Forces, please show yourselves." It had been decided during the planning of this mission that it would make no sense to say they were from UED, since no one on here would have a clue what that meant. And, in a sense, these forces were representing what would, they hope, be a future Colonial government.

All the soldiers in the area had gone to one knee, to present as small a target as possible to any assailants, and their weapons were at the ready. For a few minutes, nothing happened. Corporal Grell repeated the message.

Finally after five minutes, there was movement visible inside the building, and human figures were outlined from inside the dark structure. Nick Bond tensed his finger on the trigger but keeping himself calm.

Then about a dozen people emerged...

"Jesus Christ", General Grayson breathed, almost to himself.

"God Almighty", Nick Bond followed.

The other troops in the area, now numbering more than sixty, stayed alerted, covering any direction in case bad guys popped out. But those who were facing the building, suddenly lowered their weapons, mouths agape.

Before them were eight children and four women. All of them wearing nothing but rags; all of them with blank expressions on their faces; all of them as skinny as skeletons. And they all looked frightened out of their mind.

Grayson then spoke to his troops, "Everyone, stay cool, keep your eyes locked and weapons cocked, just in case this is a trap. Approaching the subjects."

Grayson looked at Captain Bond, who nodded, and then they and Corporal Grell began a slow approach towards the people in front of them. They had lowered their weapons, and put the safeties on, with their arms stretched cautiously out in front of them, with their hands raised, palms facing the women and children.