Chapter 28F - Going Home

[Brie]

Inside the shuttle cockpit Pierce was standing so close behind Brie that she could feel his breath on her neck. She made a mental note to take a turbowash at the first possible opportunity. “Major Brie,” Lieutenant Roy said, “this is Captain Cyrus.”

“What’s the problem, Captain?” Brie asked.

“It’s not really a problem, not yet at least,” Cyrus replied. “We’ve got the outskirts of the fleet on our scanners. We’ve been trying to make contact, but so far there’s just a lot of static.”

“Have you asked Black Squadron about it?” Brie asked. “Have they had the same results?”

“That’s just it,” Cyrus replied. “When I’ve tried to contact them it’s just been static as well.”

“Try this.” Brie reached over on the console and switched frequencies. “Would you mind patching me in?” Captain Cyrus handed Brie a headpiece. “This is Major Brie to Black Squadron. Come in.”

There were several cracks but then a voice could be heard. “This is Major JustinB. What’s up, Brie?”

“We’re having a hard time contacting the fleet,” Brie said. She was in full problem-solving mode, it didn’t even bother her that she was speaking with Justin. “Have you had any luck?”

“Negative. If I didn’t know better I’d think that someone was jamming us.”

“Have you sent anyone ahead, see if the fleet even knows that we’re out here?” Brie asked.

“Sorry, Major,” Justin replied, “but my orders are to stick with the shuttle, all four of us. If you think that I should...”

“No,” Brie said quickly. She glanced at Pierce. “You wouldn’t want to be court-martialed for doing your job. We’ll keep one comm open on this frequency. Let us know if there are any changes. Major Brie out.” She removed the headpiece. “That’s a short-range frequency that viper pilots will sometimes use when they can’t get through anywhere else,” she explained. “Keep trying to raise the Callisto. I wonder if they’re having the same type of scanner problems that the Galactica is having.”

“Will you be returning to your seat now?” Pierce’s tone was more of a command than a question.

“I think I’ll stay here for now,” Brie said, taking a seat in the cockpit. “After all, I’m still the highest ranking officer on this shuttle.”

[Agelastus]

I'd been one of the last people onto the shuttle, lurking in the last centon rush.

Now I was being inconspicuous in one of the worst seats on the shuttle.

A decision I now slightly regretted, as I was near the back of the shuttle and couldn't hear what was going on forward between the Major and the shuttle crew. Something seemed to be up.

Nothing I could do about it though, so I returned to the documents I'd been reading.

Galactica and Fleet logs. I had yahrens to catch up on.

[Brie]

“Major Brie,” Pierce said loudly, “you are NOT to have anything to do with the operating of this shuttle.”

Brie sat back in the seat she had taken. “Captain Cyrus, Lieutenant Roy, have either of you ever experienced a communications breakdown before?”

“No, Ma’am,” they replied in unison.

“So would you like my help?”

“Very much,” Captain Cyrus replied. He looked a little bit young to have made captain, and Roy was even younger. Neither of them could have had that much experience.

“You’ve got it,” Brie said. She looked at Pierce. “Either go strap yourself back in or take a seat here, but don’t get in the way. I’ve got work to do.”

Pierce took a seat next to Brie, making it very crowded. “I’m keeping an eye on you.”

“What, you think I’m going to crash the shuttle?” Brie was almost laughing again. “And after you already said that I ran from the moon to save myself? Watch it, Pierce, you’re contradicting yourself.” She turned her attention to Cyrus. “Anything new?”

“No, Ma’am,” he said. “Except that it seems to be getting worse. More static. It’s even on that other frequency that we used before.”

“Let me try.” Lieutenant Roy handed Brie the headset. “Major Brie to Major JustinB. Come in, Major.” She waited several microns, hearing only crackling sounds. “Major Brie to Black Squadron. Can anyone hear me?” There was no reply. “You’re right, it’s worse. Still no luck raising the Callisto?”

“No, Ma’am,” Roy replied. “If they’re in position we should be picking them up on the scanner any centon.”

“I hope the Callisto realizes who we are,” Pierce said with a small amount of worry in his voice.

“There’s a lot of traffic within the fleet,” Cyrus informed him. “Even if they don’t know we’re coming from the Galactica, they should just think we’re another shuttle.”

“What will they do if they don’t know who we are?” Pierce asked.

“Don’t worry, Major,” Brie said. She was enjoying watching him sweat. “I know what I’m doing. Your life is safe in my hands.”

[Brie]

In the front of the shuttle Brie was enjoying herself immensely. She knew that there really wasn’t a reason for her to be there, except for the fact that Captain Cyrus and Lieutenant Roy weren’t really sure what to do since they couldn’t contact anyone. The best part was watching Major Pierce squirm. Communications problems weren’t uncommon but Brie wasn’t going to let Pierce know that! Brie knew that she had to live in the moment, her turn to squirm was coming all too quickly.

“Major,” Lieutenant Roy said, “there’s something big on the scanner. I think it’s...”

“The Callisto.” Brie had thought that she would never see her again. For a brief moment she wondered what she was going to find once they landed. It was going to be hard enough to explain to everyone about Amy, Lazant and Deke, but it dawned on her that it was entirely possible that some of her friends and squadron-mates hadn’t survived the latest battle. The Callisto had jumped with the fleet because she had been heavily damaged. Then again, Brie had just survived attacking a Cylon base. Surely Gold Squadron could handle a few raiders!

“What’s that launching?” Pierce asked, causing Brie to enjoy herself again.

“It’s just a single ship,” Brie explained. “Probably another shuttle or a cargo transport. Don’t worry, Major, they’re not going to send a flight of vipers to attack us.” She caught Captain Cyrus’ eye and winked. “At least not yet.”

“If we can’t make audio contact what do we do?” Roy asked.

“The vipers were assigned escort duty,” Brie replied. “That means it’s their job to see us on the Callisto safely. We would land first, then they would land. Keep close to the vipers and we’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure that’s what they’ll do?” Cyrus asked. “Just how well do you know this Major JustinB?”

Even in his nervousness Pierce managed a small laugh, which Brie ignored. “It’s procedure, Captain,” she informed him. “My guess is that when the Callisto realizes that it’s a shuttle and four vipers they’ll allow us to land with no problem. Just expect a welcoming party when we disembark. That should please you, Major, fleet security should be there, waiting for us. ”

The ships of the fleet were coming into visual contact. It was a beautiful sight.

[LucianG]

The klaxon went off suddenly as the unknown ships began to appear on the scanners.

"What is it?" asked Commander Sheba.

Geenie looked at the scanner and replied, "Commander, it looks like a Colonial shuttle and four Vipers, but we don't have anything in that area. We're still having some isolated trouble with the interfleet communications, too. We haven't been able to reach the Rising Star in a couple of centars, though it seems we can reach everyone else, except those basically in line with the Rising Star, that 'shuttle,' and those 'Vipers.'"

"If that's what they really are," said Sheba, somewhat relieved that the communications problem wasn't as widespread as had originally been feared. "If they're not ours, then there are a couple of options. It's either a Colonial shuttle and four Vipers from elsewhere, most likely meaning the Galactica, or it's a Cylon trick. Let's find out which it is. Launch a C.O.R.A. probe to do immediate reconnaisance, and get four Vipers ready for intercept if we don't like what we see."

[Brie]

“What are they doing?” Major Pierce was watching the scanners with great fear and interest.

“Launching a C.O.R.A. probe,” Brie replied. “They’ve picked us up on their scanners, they want to know if we’re friend or foe.”

“Why would they think we’re foe?” Pierce asked.

Brie smiled. Watching Pierce sweat might be worth all the felgercarb that she was about to face. “They’re scared that we’re a Cylon trick of some type. Can never be too careful when it comes to Cylons.”

“What do I do, Major?” Cyrus wanted to know.

“Just keep doing what you’ve been doing,” Brie told him. “Keep in formation with the vipers. Avoid looking hostile. I know that sounds really stupid, but if you change anything the probe might think we’re going to attack, and then the other vipers will launch.”

“What other vipers?” Pierce asked, more fear in his voice. “You didn’t say anything about any other vipers.”

“It’s just a precaution,” Brie explained. “You can bet that there are at least four vipers ready to launch, probably from Bronze Squadron. If CORA doesn’t like what she sees we’ll be meeting with them soon enough. But as long as we don’t show any hostility everything will be fine.”

There was still no audio contact with any of the ships in the fleet, nothing from the four Black Squadron vipers either. The shuttle had passed by most of the ships in the fleet. Suddenly there she was in full view, the Battlestar Callisto. Brie was awed by the sight, she suddenly felt like she would be able to handle anything since she had been given the blessing of seeing her home base once again. Her thoughts were interrupted by Pierce’s annoying voice. “Next time you see her from this angle you’ll be on your way to the Prison Barge.”

“Quiet,” Brie said without any hostility in her voice. “Or would you rather I not concentrate and we mess up? Since I’m the only here who understands what is going on you MIGHT want to rely on my expertise.”

“Okay, Major, what do we do?” Captain Cyrus wanted to know. “The probe is getting closer.”

“Nothing,” Brie said. “We just wait.”

[Brie]

“Commander Sheba,” Geenie said on the Callisto’s bridge, “you may want to see this.”

“What is it?” Sheba asked, trying not to show her concern.

“It’s the C.O.R.A. probe,” Geenie replied. “It seemed operational when it launched. But the closer it gets to that shuttle, the worse the signal becomes. It’s almost like the shuttle is blocking its transmission.”

“Has the shuttle or any of the vipers done anything else unusual?”

“No, Ma’am.”

Sheba thought for a moment. “Give the order for the four vipers to launch. They’re to get as close as possible and be prepared to intercept if need be. But allow the shuttle and the vipers to get closer. If they haven’t shown any hostility allow them to land.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Commander Sheba put in a call to Gold Squadron and fleet security. All available personnel were to report armed to the landing bay ASAP.

[Brie]

“What’s that launching now?” Major Pierce asked.

“The four vipers I was telling you about.” Brie smiled. “Was I right or what?”

“I thought you said they wouldn’t launch if we weren’t aggressive,” Pierce said.

“CORA must not have liked what she saw,” Brie remarked. “My guess would be that whatever is messing with our signal messed up the probe’s signal as well. Will probably mess with those vipers too. I swear, we’re being jammed from somewhere.”

“From where?” Captain Cyrus asked.

“I have no idea,” Brie honestly told him.

“So with vipers out there what do we do?” Lieutenant Roy asked.

“Keep doing what you’re doing,” Brie said. “Keep on the same flight path. Even though they’re not sure who we are they’ll let us land.”

“What makes you so sure?” Pierce asked. He seemed to think that the vipers were going to attack, it showed all over his face.

“I know how Commander Sheba thinks,” Brie said calmly. “She knows that there’s a chance that we’re coming from the Galactica. She’s going to allow us to land, but as I said before, we’ll be greeted as soon as we do.” The four vipers flew close, then backed off, staying close enough to attack if necessary. Although they tried, they weren’t able to communicate with them. Brie hoped that they had been able to scan for lifeforms, but with the jamming somewhere they probably wouldn’t be able to get a fix.

When they were growing close to the Callisto Black Squadron pulled away. “See how Black Squadron has dropped back?” Brie pointed out. “I was right, they want us to land first. Just act like this is a regular landing. Put her in nice and gentle, try your best for no awkward moves or sudden jerks, anything that might make them think there’s someone besides a regular shuttle pilot in control.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Cyrus said.

The landing was uneventful. Cyrus and Roy proved that they were good at what they did. Soon they were safely on the Callisto.

Brie undid her harness and returned to the passenger section of the shuttle. “Listen up, everybody,” she said loudly. “We had some communications problems, so the good folks on the Callisto aren’t sure who we are. As soon as Captain Cyrus opens the hatch I want everyone to put their hands on their heads until they realize that we’re friends. Prepare to be boarded.” As the door slowly started to open Brie set the example by putting her one good hand on her head, the rest of the passengers followed suit. Brie couldn’t help but wonder who would be the first person to walk through the hatch.

Still in the cockpit, Major Pierce made a mental note of what Brie had said. “She knows how Commander Sheba thinks.” He knew what he needed to do.

[Brie]

Although Captain Cyrus had unlocked the hatch, it only opened a crack from the outside. Someone was obviously being cautious. “Who are you, and where are you from?” a male voice came through the door.

With her hand still on her head, Brie walked close to the hatch so she wouldn’t have to shout. “I’m Major Brie, Commanding Officer of Gold Squadron. We just came from the Galactica.”

“You can’t be Major Brie,” the voice said. “She died. Her whole team died on the Cylon moon.”

“I don’t know where you got your information,” Brie said, slightly startled to hear of her own demise, “but it’s wrong. Twenty-four of us survived, several of whom are on this shuttle.”

“You’re wrong,” the voice informed her. “I know that Major Brie died. I went to her funeral.”

“Frack!” Brie replied. “You mean I missed another one? They didn’t read my will, did they?”

“Who are you, and where are you from?” the voice repeated.

Brie was growing slightly agitated. “If you’ll just open the door you’ll see that I’m telling you the truth.”

“You’re a Cylon spy of some type, aren’t you.” It was a statement, not a question.

“Yeah, right, by your command.” Brie sighed. “Is Captain Urdea around? He knows who I am. Or Major Jorlan? Or Captain Skyler?”

“That proves you’re not who you say you are,” the voice said with a small amount of arrogance. “It’s MAJOR Skyler, not Captain.”

For the first time Brie believed that the Callisto thought she had died. Skyler would then have been promoted to major and given command of Gold Squadron until the next election. “Just find someone who knows me, okay? This is getting a little bit annoying, and I’m sure that Commander Sheba wants to know the coordinates of the Galactica right away.”

“The Galactica’s been destroyed too,” the voice said. “Hold on a centon.”

Although she couldn’t hear what was being said, Brie recognized Captain Urdea’s voice. “Captain Urdea,” she almost shouted, “will you please open the door? I’ve got some pressing business that I want to get over as quickly as possible.”

Slowly, the door opened. Everyone in the shuttle kept their hands up as a dozen blackshirts stormed the shuttle. The last one in was Captain Urdea. “Major!” he exclaimed and embraced her uncharacteristically.

“For now,” she said without explaining. Everyone put their hands down. “The four vipers with us are Black Squadron. They need to be allowed to land, they’re probably getting low on fuel.”

Major Pierce came up behind Brie. “Major Brie, it’s time to...”

“Can we do that in a centar or so?” Brie asked. “Everyone thought my whole team died! I promise, I’ll meet you on the bridge in a centar. When you think about it that will be a lot more humiliating for me than here and now.”

“I’ll make sure she’s there,” Boleman said. Brie had almost forgotten about him.

“One centar,” Pierce said. He pushed past Brie and disembarked. He stumbled and almost fell, he was still a little bit shaky from thinking the shuttle was going to be destroyed. Brie grinned in spite of everything. It was good to be home.

[Brie]

As she walked down the ramp from the shuttle, Brie was surprised to see most of Gold Squadron and several more blackshirts. She was even more surprised by the applause and the cheers as she and her team stepped off the shuttle and onto the Callisto. “Wait until they find out,” she thought to herself.

Standing at the front or the group was Skyler. She had never seen anyone grinning so broadly. She walked over to him and, ignoring protocol, gave him a long overdue hug. “Hello, Major,” she said after several microns. “Congratulations on your promotion.”

Skyler took a small step back and looked at Brie, he seemed to be trying to decide if this was real or a dream. “It will be Captain again in a few centons, as soon as they can get the paperwork done. You’ll resume your rightful place at the head of Gold Squadron.”

“You get to keep the promotion and the squadron for now,” Brie informed him.

“Why?”

“Hold on,” Brie said. “Everyone needs to hear this.” Brie walked back up the ramp of the shuttle so she was standing higher than everyone else. She held up her good hand. She knew that Boleman wouldn’t like what she was going to do, but this was her family, she owed it to them. “Can I have your attention, please?” she shouted. Immediately there was silence. “Thank you. I’m going to be admonished for what I’m about to say, but I really want you to hear this from me. When we left the Callisto a lifetime ago we weren’t expected to survive. Including the unexpected addition of Lieutenant Kiwi there were 32 of us. By the grace of the Lords of Kobol 24 of us lived. Some are still back on the Galactica, but Doctor Salik has promised me that he expects everyone to recover fully. Unfortunately from the infantry we lost Corporals Peterson, Rim, and Perkins, Private Stew and Sergeant Castor, and from the warrior contingent Lieutenant Deke, Captain Lazant and Captain Amy.” There was a slight gasp through the crowd. “Amy, Lazant and Deke laid down their lives, drawing fire so several more people could escape. They died as heroes, I want you to remember them and all of our fallen as such.” Brie took a deep breath. “We had a limited amount of time, Lazant knew exactly how much. After laying down cover Amy, Lazant and Deke didn’t make it to the ship. We waited, but it soon became obvious that they weren’t going to show. I had to make a decision, continue waiting for three people who were probably already dead and risk the lives of ALL the survivors, or accept the fact that they were dead. It was the hardest decision of my life. Unfortunately, there are some people who think that I ran.” She paused for several microns. “I’m being held responsible for Amy and Lazant’s deaths. I’m being court-martialed.” She paused again. “Until this is resolved, I expect you to continue to listen to Major Skyler. You’ll probably be hearing some pretty awful things about me over the next few cycles. Just remember, I stand by my decision, and I love you all.” She walked down the ramp and through the crowd, Boleman close behind her.