Chapter 28GG - Aftershocks

[Brie]

“Nice idea,” Turner said to Brie. They were back on the Agro Ship, watching Justin secure Brie in his viper. “Moving your eyes like that, they probably thought you were waking up.”

“Justin’s going to have a fun time cleaning out his viper, after the mess I just made,” Brie pointed out.

“I don’t think he’s too worried about it at the micron,” Turner said. “Did you know that he cared that much about you ?”

Brie stared at Turner. “He’d do that for anyone.”

“Maybe. Come on, our journey isn’t over yet. Time to see more of the effects of what things would be like if you had died the night you tried to kill yourself.” Turner took her hand again. Soon they were standing in a large storage area. Brie wasn’t sure where they were, but knew it couldn’t be on the Callisto. “Any guesses?” Turner asked.

“One of the other ships in the fleet?” Brie tried.

“Nope,” Turner replied with a smile. “We’re on the Callisto. This is the Bronze Squadron barracks.”

“If this is their barracks, where are the beds and...”

Turner finished her question. “And the squadron? There IS no Bronze Squadron. There are barely enough warriors to make up two squadrons at the micron.”

“But what about Major Jorlan?” Brie asked.

“Oh, he died yahrens ago,” Turner replied. “Bronze Squadron was made up mostly of refugees from Jorlan’s home planet. Without you leading it, the initial mission went terribly wrong. The three warriors from Gold Squadron escaped with their lives, but no one heeded their warning and the whole planet perished. No survivors.”

“WITH me that mission still went terribly wrong,” Brie said. “I killed a man.”

“In self defense,” Turner added.

“Najinn almost died.”

“But he’s fine now,” Turner reminded her, “and so are a lot of other people. Come on, we have one more stop before I fill you in on that ‘crisis’ that I mentioned before.”

[Brie]

It was a place that Brie knew only too well. The Callisto brig. “We don’t need to stop here, Turner,” she said, “unless you want to remind me why living isn’t my best choice at the moment.”

“That’s not why we’re here, my love.” Turner pointed at the prisoner inside the cell. He was pacing and mumbling to himself.

Brie stared at Turner. “That’s Lazant. What’s he doing in the brig?”

“Murder,” Turner casually replied. “He had come up with a plot to make Major Lucian look bad, back when Lucian had just taken over Black Squadron. One of the squadron members, Lieutenant BatGal, found out about it, confronted Lazant while he was practicing his fencing, and the rest is history. Or if would be, if you had actually died.”

“Is Lucian okay?” Brie asked.

“He’s fine,” Turner said, “although he blames himself for BatGal’s death. He’s become a very bitter man.”

“What does this have to do with me?” Brie asked.

“You befriended Lazant, when no one else would even talk to him,” Turner said. “That meant everything to him. Suddenly getting ahead wasn’t quite as important as it had been. You’ve made a tremendous difference in his life.” He held her hand tightly. “Now to that crisis that I was telling you about.”

[Brie]

In less than a micron they were on the Callisto bridge. Brie could see Lucian over on the side, going over some information with a few others in hushed tones. Charybdis was standing next to Commander Sheba. On a monitor, was Pierce.

“Well, Sheba,” Pierce started, “are you ready to meet my demands?”

“What demands?” Sheba wanted to know. “So far what you’ve done is told me about a bomb that may or may not exist. That’s all.”

Pierce grinned. “Okay, play dumb. I want complete control of the fleet. First, the fleet is to change direction. We’re to head towards that planet that I’ve already told you about.”

Sheba purposely didn’t look at Charybdis or Finky. “Second?”

“Second, my people will be spread throughout the fleet,” Pierce continued, “to make sure that no one tries anything. My bomb and I will stay here on the Agro Ship until we’re about to land. We can discuss the specifics of the transfer of power when you agree to give me control.”

Brie looked at Turner. “He’s still trying to take over the fleet? My letting him use me as target practice meant nothing?”

“Look closer, my love,” Turner said softly. “There are differences.”

“Like what?” Brie asked. “Charybdis is still Sheba’s right hand. Nothing looks different with him.”

“True,” Turner replied. “He’s always been ambitious. That has nothing to do with either of us, some people will never change. Keep looking.”

Brie tried to remember the events on the Agro Ship. She remembered this dialogue. Only...it was different. “Pierce had this conversation with Commander Apollo,” Brie recalled. “Why aren’t they linked with the Galactica?”

Turner smiled. “I knew you’d get it. There IS no Galactica. They were acting as rearguard when the fleet was escaping from the Cylon moon. Since the Black Squadron mission failed, the Galactica was destroyed. A couple dozen ships from the fleet were destroyed as well, including the Rising Star. Sheba is acting Fleet Commander under martial law since Apollo, President Tigh and the Council of the Twelve have all died. Pierce already had everything in place, and he didn’t have to use your Tribunal as a distraction. He jumped at the opportunity.”

A thought dawned on Brie. “Wait a centon. Pierce was on the Galactica during the moon mission. He shuttled over to the Callisto the same time I did.”

“Pierce moved to the Callisto a few sectars ago,” Turner explained. “He had personal reasons for wanting to be here.”

“Personal reasons? Brie repeated.

Turner listened to the side once again. “Let me show you, but we’ll have to be going back a couple of sectars before the mission. I hope you’ll find this interesting.”

[Brie]

As JustinB’s viper drew nearer to the Callisto, the medical team readied. They knew that Brie was in bad shape, but aside from having watched while Pierce shot her three times didn’t know what to expect. They prepared for the worst.

On the Callisto’s bridge Commander Sheba contacted Commander Apollo, and filled him in on the situation. Apollo shook his head. “I’ll be shuttling to the Callisto in a centar or two.”

“Are you sure?” Sheba asked.

“I’ve got a couple of loose ends to tie up here, but then Athena can take over,” Apollo said. “I owe it to Brie to explain to her this mess that I started.”

“That Pierce started,” Sheba corrected.

“True, but I still want to be the one to explain it to her. What’s the status of the Agro Ship?”

“Most of Pierce’s followers are dead,” Sheba explained, “but from what Ensign Dolet told me there were some who survived. Communications are still out with Captain Suttir, so that young ensign has been a valuable source of information. He’s really proven himself. I’ve sent a shuttle with a medical team to the Agro Ship. They should be there in a centar or so. Until then, there’s not much we can do but wait.”

“Start the paperwork,” Apollo told her. “We’ll make everything official once again while I’m there, after I talk to Brie.”

“We’ll prepare for your arrival. Commander Sheba out.” Sheba smiled slightly after the connection had been broken. It had been a while since the commander of the fleet had visited the Battlestar Callisto.

[JustinB]

The closer I got to the Callisto, the closer Brie was to dying. I had my thumb pushing hard on the turbo button in desperate hope it would produce more speed. Brie coughed up more blood and vomit behind me. So much so, it was flowing down in front of me.

"Hang in there Brie. You have to make it," I said hoping to she would here me. I reached around and as uncomfortable as it was, I managed to squeeze one of her hands. "Callisto, this is Black Lead. Whats the status of the medical team?"

"Black Leader, the medical team is ready in beta landing bay and will assist upon landing."

Brie's body seemed to spasm once more. I was finally at the outer marker. I was so committed to landing I forgot to ask for permission to land. I peeked behind me just one last time before I landed.

[Brie]

The Callisto Officers’ Club. Brie recognized it immediately. She didn’t drink all that much herself and when she did you usually ended up regretting it, but it was a great place to unwind and forget about the war for a centar or so. There was soft music playing in the background. A couple of the darker tables were occupied by couples, and there was one group of friends at a larger table, laughing and having a good time. The place was otherwise deserted, except for the lone figure sitting at the bar, talking with the bartender.

“Where is everyone?” Brie asked.

“It’s well into light cycle,” Turner informed her. “And there are Cylons in the area, so the squadrons are on alert.” He looked around. “Recognize anyone?”

“Pierce is sitting at the bar, talking to Osh,” Brie replied.

“That’s not Osh.” Turner led Brie by her hand so that she could see from a different angle.

Brie stared for several microns. Behind the bar was a woman wearing a tight, low-cut, black dress. “Amy? What’s she doing tending bar?”

Turner grinned. “Making a lot more cubits than if she had stayed a warrior.”

“She’s not a warrior? What happened?” Brie wanted to know.

“She went to the academy,” Turner explained, “and graduated close to the top of her class. She joined Gold Squadron, but no one ever took her all that seriously. They couldn’t see past her physical beauty. When word of her relationship with Charybdis got out, there was nobody there to support her. Not a soul believed in her. She quit, and no one tried to talk her out of it. She was offered a spot in the Socialator Training Program, but decided to use her charms here instead. Or maybe it’s her infamy, take your pick."

“At least she still has her brain,” Brie said.

“Does she look happy?” Turner asked. “Don’t you think that she was prouder when she actually made her life count for something? Let’s move closer, hear what Pierce is saying.”

Amy had her hand on the bar, Pierce was running a finger back and forth across the back of it. “I dream of a better life for everyone. No more living in these old, falling apart ships. We could live on a planet, a beautiful place with flowers blooming, rivers, fresh air for all.”

“I’ve never been on a planet,” Amy said quietly.

Pierce smiled. “Stay with me, my pet. I’ll prove to you that anything is possible, if you only trust in me.”

Brie had heard enough. “That daggit! He had better get his hand off of Amy this micron!” She looked at Turner. “Has he...”

“No,” Turner quickly replied. “But not for lack of trying. He thinks that he’s in love with her, which is why he transferred to the Callisto. Although a man like Pierce is incapable of love, but skilled at manipulation. This is how he gets people to join him. He’s the only one who makes Amy feel special at the micron.”

“What about Charybdis?” Brie asked.

“What about him?” Turner replied. “They broke it off not long after they were found out. He’s back with Astraea.”

“Astraea?” Brie repeated. “Astraea’s dead.”

Turner paused. “Let’s go back to the bridge, back to Pierce’s takeover. There’s something else you need to see.”

[Brie]

JustinB’s viper landed, and the medical team carefully took Brie out from the back. She was rushed to the Med Lab. After a quick examination, she was taken into emergency surgery.

[Brie]

Brie had thought that Turner meant the Callisto’s bridge, but instead she discovered that they were on the Agro Ship. Millie and Tanya were both there, Chip was at the controls, and Kyla was standing on the side. She was smiling, not confused as she had been in reality. Logan wasn’t around. Captain Suttir and Dorn were in their same seats, and the other two crewmembers were dead on the floor. The biggest change, besides the missing Logan, was that Pierce had a hostage. He was holding his laser against Amy’s temple.

“You had so much potential,” Pierce said. “You’re so beautiful. If only you had obeyed me...”

“Master, we’re reconnected with the Callisto,” Chip informed Pierce.

“Well, Sheba?” Pierce said with a smirk. “Are you ready to accept my demands?”

“I will not give in to tyrants,” Sheba replied.

“Too bad for poor Amy here,” Pierce replied. He squeezed the trigger.

[Amy81]

Ensign Dolet had been in continuous contact with the Callisto all the while he made the journey from the Agro ship to the battlestar. He reported about the shuttle, and the other things he knew about the situation aboard the Agro ship, and though he had left much earlier than JustinB, he arrived on the Callisto flight deck only microns earlier than the Major. The Scarlet class viper truly was faster ship...

Dolet had climbed out of his viper, and was looking it over with the flight crew when he spotted JustinB coming in. Dolet took a slow walk over, and watched as Major Brie was taken out of the passenger area of the viper. She was a bloody mess, as was the entire cockpit for that matter. Dolet's stomach churned at the sight.

Dolet stood next to JustinB, noting that he had red blotches and unidentified chunks all down the back of his uniform. Dolet knew that JustinB was not injured, and that the gore had instead come from Major Brie.

They watched Brie being placed on a stretcher and taken away. She had instantly turned the white sheets red whereever she touched them, and as the medics covered her, red blotches began to form and bleed through.

Dolet shook his head, yet chose to say nothing, perferring instead to be there in case JustinB asked for something.

They both stood there, wishing they could somehow help Major Brie, yet understanding it was in the medic's hands now...

[JustinB]

I saw Ensign Dolet shaking his head as Brie was taken away by the med team. I was speechless for a few microns then I turned to Dolet.

"Ensign, I want to thank you for your help during this crisis. You performed as I knew you would."

"Thank you Major. Is there anything I can do for you" he asked.

"There is one thing you can do for me. Actually make it two things. First off find RaycerX and Stargazor and tell them, I am ordering them with you to the O'Club and the first three drinks are on my tab. Secondly, if you see Captain Randrius let him know I can be found at the Life centre." I took Dolet's arm and shook his hand.

As I made my way across the bay, I forgot that I hadn't instructed the ground crew to clean my viper out. In a way it wasn't important. It took me nearly twice the amount of time to get to the life centre than it should have. When I arrived, I informed the med tech on the desk who I was and wanted to be constantly updated on Brie's condition.

Her reply, "Major, I will do just that sir. But if you need to leave to clean up just patch your comm through the desk and ask for me, Lieutenant. Jarrynn."

"Thanks Lieutenant, but I will be just here if you please."

"Not a problem Sir," she replied but I also heard her mutter, "Warriors, they are all the same."