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                          BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
                           Time Trouble Part 2
                     Based on Battlestar Galactica
                         Created by Glen Larson
             Written by Daniel G. Allan and Stuart C. Ransom
     There are those who believe that life here began out there, far across
the universe, with tribes of humans who may have been the forefathers of the
Egyptians, or the Toltecs, or the Mayans. They may have been the architects
of the great pyramids, or the lost civilizations of Lemuria, or Atlantis.
Some believe that there may yet be brothers of man who even now fight to
survive, somewhere beyond the heavens...
     The Galactica damaged beyond repair, was a drifting hulk. The port
landing bay was completely gone, along with the main engine section. The
Cylons kept up the attack until at long last the great ship Galactica broke
apart, exploding like a supernova. The blast destroyed half of the attacking
Raiders, forcing them to withdraw.
     As the little Viper rocketed toward the Cylon base ship at faster than
light speed, Starbuck was thinking of only one thing.
     I'm going to take some of you with me!
     The Galactica was gone now, along with everyone he had ever cared
about. Athena, Cassiopeia, all of them dead. Dalton was probably gone as
well. He had watched in horror as all of his friends and comrades had died
in battle. Boomer, Sheba, Jolly...but not Apollo. He had a feeling his
closest friend was still alive. What was certain, however, was that this was
the end for the fleet. The blast blinded him and he screamed from the sheer
intensity of it. Starbuck let his hand fall away from the Navi-hilt. After a
few microns his vision began to return, his head pounding with pain. The
base ship was gone.
     What happened? Looking around, all he could see was debris from the
Cylon ship. He adjusted his course to starboard so he could pass safely
around the wreckage. As he passed around the debris he saw something in his
star field dead ahead. He quickly checked his scanners for a match. The
scanner was completely destroyed, probably from the blast. All of his
tactical equipment was dead. Things were getting worse every micron. Angling
toward it, he hit his turbos.
     As he got closer to the object, he could tell it was much larger than
the Galactica. It was a sphere of sorts, but slightly pointed on one side.
It was shiny, a glowing silver like the armor of the Cylon Centurion.
     "What the..." Starbuck jerked his Navi-hilt hard over. Adrenaline was
coursing through his body, his mind on automatic. With practiced ease,
Starbuck made a hasty retreat. After he was certain he was distant from the
strange craft, whatever it was, he eased off on the turbos. The Viper was
running low on fuel.
     How did they find us? Apollo thought. We haven't seen that many Cylons
since the destruction of the colonies.
     Apollo couldn't believe what he was seeing, all the yahren of running,
of hardship, and now this.
     This truly is the end of mankind, he thought. Lets see what's left of
the fleet.
     As he called out on his com-link for a roll call he silently wept. He
had been so sure that their journey to Earth was almost over. After speaking
with Lieutenant Allan, Apollo had left to go and sort out his next move. One
thing had been obvious: Earth was at war, possibly with the Cylons. Allan
had acted as if he were a prisoner rather than a guest.
     "Lieutenant Allan, are you still with us? Please respond.  This is
Commander Apollo."
     After what seemed like an eternity, but was only a few microns, Allan
responded.
    "This is Lieutenant Allan, go ahead Commander."
     Breathing a sigh of relief, Apollo said, "The Rising Star appears to be
the only ship left of the fleet. When you land I'd like to have a word with
you, in private."
     "Sure thing," came the reply. "I'm just about to land so I'll see you
there," came the reply.
      As Allan landed on the Rising Star, he was deep in thought.
      I need to tell them something, but how much? If I tell Apollo
everything, will it change what must be?
      He also had other thoughts as well. Elana... she seemed to be right
there in his mind.  She hadn't regained full consciousness yet. Hopefully
there would be someone to look after her on board the Rising Star. He
decided that would be his first task.
     Apollo was certain of one thing, if his people were to survive,
Lieutenant Allan was the key.
After landing aboard the Rising Star, Apollo quickly secured his Viper. It
was amazing how much preparation went into readying a Viper. These were
things that most pilots took for granted. The landing crews always
re-prepped the Vipers immediately after landing, so the pilots could get
into decon and then debriefing. As Apollo was putting the finishing touches
on his ship, Allan walked onto the cramped little flight deck of the Rising
Star. It had never been intended for this type of use. It was only able to
handle a few shuttles and now it was the primary deck, the only deck to land
on, actually. The two men didn't speak while on the flight deck which made
them both feel uneasy.
      After reaching the quarters that had been assigned to Apollo on the
Rising Star, Apollo said,
"Lieutenant Allan, I need to ask you some more questions. Earlier this
cycle, when the alarm sounded, you seemed to know who was attacking. How did
you know?"
     Allan just looked at Apollo for a moment, then shaking his head as if
in resignation, he decided that he couldn't keep his secrets anymore.
     As Troy maneuvered the shuttle away from the battle, he was furious.
     I can't believe this! What happened! Why did I have to be here instead
of there in the battle?
     Dalton was devastated.  She was openly weeping. With tears streaming
down her face she looked over at Troy and spoke with a trembling voice.
"Troy, the Galactica is gone! The scanner just flashed, and when it cleared,
the Galactica wasn't there."
     Troy looked over at Dalton and with rage in his voice he replied, "WHAT
DO YOU MEAN IT'S GONE?! " Then with tears forming in his eyes, Troy looked
out at the star field. He knew it was no use to speak.  It wouldn't change
their situation.
     "Troy, where do we go from here?" asked Dalton.
     Still looking ahead, Troy answered, "I don't have any idea. One thing's
for sure, though, we can't go back to where the fleet is... or was."
     The battle was no longer on the scanner now. Troy and Dalton sat in
silence for a long time. Finally, after going through everything in his
mind, he reached over and turned on the intercom.
    "Andar, this is Troy. Could you come up here for a moment?"
     After a few microns, Andar came forward to the pilot station. Standing
right behind Dalton, he leaned against the back of her chair and asked,
"What is it, Captain?"
     Looking back over his shoulder at Andar, Troy said, "Since we seem to
be on our own, we need to decide where we go from here. Do you have any
suggestions?"
     Looking at the two men, Dalton exclaimed, "What do you mean?! Our duty
is to the Galactica and the fleet. We have to go back.  They need us!"
     Troy and Andar stared at Dalton incredulously. It was obvious she was
losing control. The fleet was gone! Deep down Dalton knew this also, but a
strong feeling of guilt had washed over her. When they had needed her, she
hadn't  been there. Reason told her that there was nothing she could have
done. The fleet's destruction had been overwhelming and one more pilot
wouldn't have made much difference.
     Troy reached over and put his hand on her shoulder and forcing himself
to control his own rage, spoke soothingly to Dalton. "Dalton, there isn't
anything we can do to help them. We have to go on. You know that."
     Wiping away the tears, Dalton nodded her head in agreement.
     Andar, who had been watching Troy and Dalton said, "Captain? The way I
see it our choices appear to be very limited. My staff and I have been
sifting through the samples acquired at the wreckage.  We have gleaned a
little bit of information from it. The wreckage is a battlestar, the
Galactica to be exact."
     Troy  looked at Andar in astonishment. "That's impossible! We found the
wreckage before the attack."
     "We checked the samples three times, Captain. It is the Galactica,
there is no doubt. "
     Troy looked over at Dalton. She was busy checking the scanner. After a
few microns she looked up from her computer with astonishment and muttered,
"What is that?"
     "Captain, we have found some more refugees. It appears to be a
shuttle," reported the young crewman.
     "Plot a course to intercept, Ensign," replied Commander Ransom.
     Commander Ransom was a tall man, who wore old-fashioned wire rimmed
glasses. He had rejected eye surgery years ago. He always felt that the
glasses made him appear more distinguished.
     After the shuttle was safely on board the Antarctica, he turned and
left the bridge. As he walked out he could hear the customary "CAPTAIN IS
OFF THE BRIDGE" statement. Even though everyone always knew when the Captain
was departing, it was the Junior Officer of the Deck's duty to yell it out
for all to hear. It was an old tradition dating back to the days of sailing
ships, however nobody knew why.
     Walking into the sick bay, Commander Ransom surveyed the scene before
him. Most of the people appeared to be Colonial Warriors. He knew  most of
them would die. Their injuries were beyond medical help. But they could be
kept comfortable. As he continued to look around, he saw a middle-aged
Warrior sitting up in bed. He had a deck of cards in hand, just shuffling
them. Walking over to the man, he looked down at him.
     "How ya doing, son?" asked Ransom.
     Looking up at the older man, Starbuck replied, "Where am I? What is
this place?"
     "You are on board the Battle Cruiser Antarctica."
     "The WH . . .  Where are you from?" asked Starbuck.
     "We are from the Earth Alliance. When we found you, you were headed
into enemy territory. We got to you just in time. The Cylons were about to
intercept you."
      If only Andar were here, he would be able to make sense of this,
thought Apollo. This is all my fault. Someone else should have been leading.
I have brought the human race to ruin. Oh father, how did you do it? To have
held the fleet together for so long. I was a fool to have ever thought I
could take your place.
      Allan looked up at Apollo and sighed. Then, standing up, he began to
tell Apollo everything.
     "Apollo, what I am about to tell you is going to be very hard for you
to believe."
     Looking up at Allan, Apollo said, "Try me. Some how I think you know
alot more than you've been telling."
     Allan started pacing. After deciding what to say he started in. "First
let me tell you...I am from your future. Ninety-five years ago, Earth was on
the brink of self-annihilation. We had come so far, yet we couldn't seem to
break past our own differences. We had several factions that believed their
way was the only way. We fought amongst ourselves constantly. Then one night
the Cylons came. When they attacked Earth, they hadn't planned on us being
ready for war. Although we were about to destroy ourselves, we turned our
war machines on the Cylons. We were putting up a valiant fight, losses on
both sides being heavy.  But it was obvious we were going to lose. The
Cylons were just too advanced technologically."
     As Allan told the story of Earth, and her war with the Cylons, Apollo
just looked at him in awe.
     Allan told of the Galactica, and how they had turned the tide of
battle, the Galactica being the key element in Earth winning the battle.
"After the that, we  had someone to hate more than ourselves," Allan added.
     Then Allan talked about the war. "The Cylons hadn't counted on us being
so war-like.  And steadily, as time went on, we began to win the war with
Cylon. Retaking the colonies, we made alliances with other races. Races that
had also been under Cylon tyranny. Finally it had come down to the battle
for the planet Cylon itself.
    "The Cylons were beaten. In a final effort to turn the tide, the Cylons
sent a base ship back in time to put an end to the one thing that had
changed their destiny. They would destroy the Galactica before she could
fulfill her mission."
      Apollo was speechless. He almost couldn't believe what he was hearing.
Andar had tried once to explain time travel but he hadn't thought much about
the conversation. It had sounded like some kind of fantasy to him.
     As he listened to Allan, Apollo began to tremble. Then regaining his
composure, Apollo said, "What you're telling me then, is that what happened
during the last cycle wasn't supposed to happen. The Cylons changed time?"
     Allan just nodded his head. He wanted to leave. He wanted to check on
Elana. He had grown fond of her since their short time together.
     Sensing Allan's desire to leave, Apollo said, "We'll finish our talk
later. I need to go up to the bridge anyway. Thank you for being honest with
me."
     Before leaving, Allan said, "Apollo, there is one other thing I want to
tell you. When we re-took the colonies we found survivors. The Cylons hunted
them for practice. They were treated like animals. Only a few were aloud to
live in order to keep the sport alive. Other races hunted them also."
     Apollo was silent, looking off into space when Allan left.
     Walking into the cramped little medical office on the Rising Star,
Allan saw Elana immediately. She was completely awake now. As he walked over
to her she looked up at him and smiled.
     Elana was happy to see Allan. She had taken an interest in him the
first time she had seen him. It seemed like that was a lifetime ago though,
now. She tried in vain to straighten her tangled hair but it was no use. She
looked awful and she knew it.
     "How are you feeling?" asked Allan.
     "Well the doctor says I'll be fine in a few cycles," she replied.
     "Good, I can't fly without my co-pilot you know." He had always been
awkward around women. He knew he sounded foolish saying that. She is a
woman, not a child, he thought.
     With sincerity in her eyes, Elana said, "Listen, I want to thank you
for saving my life."
     Beginning to blush, Allan could only nod.
     They continued their talk for the rest of the cycle. Both knew that
this was the beginning of something wonderful.
     "THE CAPTAIN IS ON THE BRIDGE!" yelled the Junior Officer of the Deck.
     Walking toward the Captains chair, Commander Ransom was deeply
disturbed by the turn of events. He knew that he had arrived too late to
save the Galactica, but he wasn't sure what to do about it.
     "Captain! We have a contact on the outer marker approaching at
sub-light speed," reported Ensign Woods.
     Looking down in the direction of the young Ensign, Commander Ransom
asked, "Can you identify, Mr. Woods?"
     "It's coming through now, sir," came the reply.
     This was Ensign Woods's first mission. He had only graduated from
Annapolis 6 months ago. He looked so young. It was hard to believe he was 23
years old. His hair was red, and cut short. He wasn't very tall but was
built solid. Being the youngest member of the crew, the other officers
teased him incessantly. It wasn't uncommon for him to find a baby's bottle
or a children's blanket in his quarters. As a result, he always felt a need
to act professional at all times. Sometimes he would be so homesick he would
weep. The other officers knew how he felt. They also knew that in time he
would overcome these things. Everyone had felt that way in the beginning.
     "The computer says its a star liner, sir," reported the young Ensign.
     Sighing, Commander Ransom ordered the communications station to hail
the star liner. After trying to establish communications on several
frequencies, their hail was returned.
     "Commander, we are being hailed by the alien ship," reported a crewman
aboard the Rising Star.
     Walking over to where the communication station was, Apollo picked up
the microphone and said, "This is the Rising Star."
     Who is this? he wondered. Every Cylon in the Galaxy is trying to kill
us. . . who could this be?
     Apollo was excited, his mind racing. His body was filled with anxiety.
After a very brief   pause, the reply came.
     "This is the Battle Cruiser Antarctica from the Earth Alliance forces.
Please identify your- selves."
     Just then, Allan walked onto the bridge of the Rising Star. As the
message was being received, he broke into a smile.
     "YEAH!!"
     Everyone on the bridge stopped what they were doing and looked at
Allan. Apollo was the first to speak.
     "What are you so excited about?" excitement showing in Apollo's voice.
     "Commander! Were saved. That is the Antarctica. She's  a heavy cruiser.
The Cylons are in for a big surprise now. That type of vessel only has one
mission and that's destroying Cylon base ships."
     Everyone on the bridge joined in Allan's euphoria, except Apollo. After
the past few cycles he appeared to be completely destroyed and his
confidence was seriously shaken. The fact still remained, the Galactica was
gone and the fleet destroyed. Everyone he loved and cared about was dead.
Apollo wasn't sure he could rebuild his life again.

     After the excitement began to wear off on the bridge of the Rising
Star, Apollo looked out at the star field. As he watched, the Antarctica
began to appear. It was as big as a Battlestar. It had what appeared to be a
standard tylium drive engine. It was long and all the edges were slightly
rounded. On the upper side of the great ship was what looked like a pyramid
just in front of the main engine section. This section appeared to be
leaning toward the back and was dozens of decks high. On the sides were huge
wings with a total span of what appeared to be as long as a Battlestar with
huge bay doors, several on each side. On the tops of the wing section were
medium sized pulsar cannons, four on each side, along with four more on the
bottom of each wing. On the bow of the vessel were two turrets. Both had the
largest pulsars Apollo had ever seen. There were three of these pulsars on
each turret. This ship definitely looked formidable.  Apollo was awestruck.
     On board the shuttle heading for the Antarctica, everyone was silent,
deep in their own thoughts about this turn of events.
     Allan was elated. He was looking forward to the reunion with old
comrades.
     Apollo was skeptical. It appeared there were many different forces
controlling the destiny of his people. He wasn't so certain of their
intentions. He felt like a pawn.
     Elana, somewhat recovered from her injuries, was thrilled. She was
certain as long as she was with Allan, she would be safe. Her lot in life
was improving. A few cycles ago, the thought of riding with Commander Apollo
on a shuttle to a meeting with unknown people would have been pure fantasy.
Lieutenant Allan had refused to leave her behind. Her injuries still needed
better treatment than was available on the Rising Star.
     The shuttle hatch began to open. Commander Ransom could see movement
inside. This was a big moment for him. He admired Commander Apollo. The feat
of moving an entire population through occupied space in a hostile
environment was amazing. He recognized Apollo immediately. He looked just
like the photographs in all the history books. Commander Ransom grew up on
the stories of Apollo and Starbuck. They were true heroes.
    " ATTENTION ON DECK!!" yelled the Boatswain.
     The entire company snapped to attention.
     Apollo appeared at the shuttle hatch and proceeded down the steps.
Ransom stepped forward to greet Apollo.
     "Welcome aboard the Antarctica," Ransom said with a slight smile.
     "Thank you," Apollo replied while trying his best to appear in control.
     "I am Commander Ransom, captain of the Antarctica. I presume you
are..."
     "Commander Apollo of what was the Battlestar Galactica."
     "Yes....yes...I know.  I'm sorry, I know what happened.  Why don't we
go to my quarters where we can talk."
     As Apollo was walking with Ransom across the hangar deck he saw Allan
standing in the distance speaking with several others.  He could also see
Elana being carried on a stretcher away from the hangar deck.  Apollo looked
around.  There were hundreds of fighters on the other end.  Flight deck
personnel were busy readying the fighters. Apollo had to pause to take in
the full effect of the sheer immensity of this area of the ship.
     Ransom was quite proud of his ship and remarked, "She's really
something, isn't she?"
     "It's incredible," Apollo said under his breath, then turned to enter a
passageway. The passageways on the way to Ransom's quarters were full of
people hurrying in each direction.
Entering into the quarters, Apollo could see that the room was remarkably
similar to the one he had on the Galactica.
     "Have a seat," Ransom said as he approached his desk.
     "Commander Ransom, I..."
     "Please, call me Steven.  I haven't heard anyone use my first name in
months.  I do grow weary of hearing ŒCommander Ransom' constantly."
     "First name? How many names have you got?" Apollo replied, growing more
confused at each passing moment.
     "We generally have three, a first name, middle, and last.  How many
names have you got?"
     Apollo smiled and said sheepishly, "We have one.  It's simpler that
way."  Apollo could sense the easing of tension which had plagued him for
what seemed an eternity.
     "Would you like a drink?" Ransom asked.
     "Yes, a good glass of Ambrosia would be great right now."
     "I don't know about Ambrosia but I have some good Tennessee whiskey."
     "I can see we have a lot to learn about each other. I'll have a drink
of that Tenne....well, whatever you called it."
     Ransom pulled out two glasses and began to pour the drinks. "We picked
up quite a few survivors from your fleet, mostly warriors, and one shuttle."
     "Steven, with everything that has happened, you can guess that the
survivors we have are completely bewildered as to what is going on, myself
included." Apollo's thoughts turned to Allan. "We had intercepted Lieutenant
Allan's ship several cycles ago. Is he one of your crew?"
     "No, Allan is not a member of my crew.  He must have been from another
ship in our fleet."
     "Who are you?" Apollo said, feeling the tension he previously had
coming back.
     "We're from your future.  We're here to destroy a Cylon baseship which
came back in time to destroy the Galactica. Unfortunately, we arrived too
late."
     "Then they've succeeded," Apollo said with a clear look of frustration.
"Is there any hope?"
      "Maybe there is," Ransom replied, handing Apollo his drink.
     Looking down at Elana, Allan smiled. She is so beautiful, he thought.
The doctor treating her told him she would make a complete recovery.
     "You need sleep," said Elana. It was obvious Allan hadn't slept in a
few cycles.
     "I'm OK, you're the one I worry about," replied Allan.
     "The doctor says I'll be fine, now go get some sleep." said Elana
insistently.
     "OK... OK, I'll try," said Allan with genuine concern.
     Walking out of the sick bay, Allan saw Sergeant Mullins. Running to
catch up to Mullins, Allan yelled, "Hey Mule! Wait up!"
     Sergeant Mullins had been one of the instructors at the Academy. He had
taught Prisoner of War classes. All pilots were required to attend Prisoner
of War class. The class lasted for six weeks. It was a very difficult class.
Most pilots had washed out in P.O.W.C.
     Sergeant Mullins, or Mule as his friends called him, was a quiet man.
He had a medium build and blonde hair, cut short. His blue eyes were cold,
and a lot of his contemporaries swore he could stare down a Cylon Centurion.
It wasn't true though, but looking at his eyes made a person think so. Mule
could be very intimidating.
     The old friends embraced, then shook hands. Both were elated and
surprised of this reunion.
     "How did you get here?" asked Allan.
     "The military called all special forces for the invasion of Cylon,"
replied Mullins. "I figured you were dead by now. After the crazy stunts you
pulled back at the school, it amazes me you aren't."
     "Lets go get a drink," said Allan, "Where's the Officer's Club on this
old tub anyway?"
     "Follow me ole buddy," replied Mullins.
     Twenty-four hours later, in the briefing room, Captain Ransom sat with
Commander Apollo. The two commanders had been discussing the current
situation along with Andar, Sergeant Mullins, and Lieutenant Allan, along
with several other key tactical officers.
     "Commander," said Mullins looking at Apollo. "We can't change the past.
The Galactica is gone! The best we can do now is work on the here and now."
     Andar looked around the table. "We CAN change the past. Don't you see,
if these people came from the future then they can certainly try again. What
we need is.."
     Colonel Sykes speaking for the first time interrupted. "We have already
tried to change the past. We only have enough energy to send ourselves home,
to our own time! What you're suggesting Mr. Andar, is that we condemn
ourselves to the past. I for one don't think that is a good option."
     Ransom stood up and looked hard at Sykes, quietly reprimanding him.
"What do you think Commander?" looking now at Apollo.
     Apollo was quiet for some time, appearing to weigh his words carefully.
"As I see it, we don't have many options. The choice must be yours,
Commander, and your crew. If we don't try, we will all die, and the Cylons
will have won. If we do try, they might still win. At this point you don't
have a home to go to anyway. I guess my people are at your mercy."
     "There is of course one problem with trying to change the past. We
don't know where or when the Cylon Sphere first materialized," explained
Andar.
     "That does present a problem," replied Ransom, shaking his head in
acknowledgment.
     "There is a way to find out." replied Mullins.
     Everyone looked at Sergeant Mullins, bewildered.
     Standing up, Mullins began to pace slowly around the table. "If we were
to send a small team aboard that Sphere, we could get the information from
their navigational computer Database. It would be a slim chance, but when I
was in the training teams, part of our job was to learn the Cylon ships
thoroughly. With a little luck, my team could be in and out before they
realized we were there."
     Sykes shook his head in disbelief. "Are you mad?! You're talking about
suicide. Even if we could figure out how to get you aboard there are over
thirty thousand Cylons on the damn thing."
     Standing up together, Apollo and Ransom indicated that the conference
was over. Everyone knew they would have an answer in the morning.
      Released from sickbay, Elana and Allan were sitting together in the
Officer's Lounge.
     "The doctor says you're going to make a complete recovery," said Allan
looking into her eyes.
     "For whatever good it will do, I have no place to go," replied Elana
sullenly. "And to tell you the truth I have no desire to spend the rest of
my life waiting for the end."
     "What do you mean? You have me!" Allan paused, then added, "I'm sorry,
I'm out of line."
    Smiling at him, Elana was elated. "You're not out of line. I feel closer
to you now than I have ever felt to anyone." She reached out for his hand,
which he grasped tenderly and squeezed.
     "I know it's too soon, but I must tell you, you are very special to me
Elana. I love you."
     Elana didn't answer with words. She pulled him to her in an intimate
embrace.
     "Have a seat, Sergeant Mullins," said Ransom from behind his desk.
     Mullins sat down. Looking at the Captain, he waited for him to
continue.
     "After talking with Commander Apollo," Ransom said, " I spent the
better part of the night trying to decide whether to risk sending your team
in or not. I believe this is our only chance. I want a battle plan on my
desk by tomorrow."
     Standing up, Sergeant Mullins saluted smartly, then withdrew a folder
from his tunic and set it on the desk. "Aye sir, that's what I had figured
also, so my team and I stayed up late preparing this." Turning around,
Mullins walked out of Ransom's office without another word.
     Picking up the folder, Ransom smiled.
     After consulting Commander Apollo, they agreed on the battle plan and
called a briefing.
     Once everyone was seated, Ransom cleared his throat. "Lying in front of
you is a folder containing your specific orders pertaining to the battle
plan. Please read them carefully."
     Ransom and Apollo sat in silence while all of the officers read the
folder placed in front of them.
     Apollo felt comfortable with the plan, although he wasn't sure why. He
knew with Starbuck leading the Colonial Warriors, Mullins and his team would
make it safely to the drop point.
     After everyone had finished reading their respective folders, Ransom
and Apollo stood.
     "Commander Apollo and I believe this is our best chance to restore the
time line," said Ransom. "It has a slim chance for success but God willing,
we will triumph." Ransom, then indicated to Commander Apollo to finish.
     "Many times, over the past many yahren we have faced insurmountable
odds," Apollo said, "and so far we have managed to beat them. Now, in our
most dire hour we have one more task to complete. When the fleet first set
out all those yahren ago, we have dreamed of the time when we would be able
to fight the Cylons alongside our human brothers from Earth. Now that time
is at hand."
     After the applause had quieted down, Colonel Sykes stood and walked
over to a holographic board. With the pointer in hand, he indicated to the
board. "Here is our position. Our scouts have found the position of the
Sphere here." Pointing to the coordinates of the sphere, a holographic image
appeared. "The plan calls for our forces to engage the Cylons directly.
While the battle is waged, Captain Starbuck and his warriors will slip in
behind the enemy carrying Sergeant Mullins and his team to this point." The
holographic Sphere enlarged showing an opening on the lower section.
"Sergeant Mullins and his team will disembark the Vipers and enter the
Sphere, working their way up the waste chute entering somewhere below decks.
Then they will work their way to the navigational Database which is here.
Since we cannot determine where the enemy will be at any given moment, how
they get to their destination is up to the discretion of the team. Once
there,  they will access the Database and transmit the information we need.
Then they return to the drop off point to be picked up by Captain Starbuck
and his team. Once they are out of danger, we will retreat from the battle
and prepare to make the time jump." Colonel Sykes then indicated that he
would answer any questions.
     After the briefing, Allan went looking for Elana. He found her in the
refugee quarters, talking to a young woman. Walking up to the pair, he
looked at Elana. "I thought I might find you here."
     Elana reached up and put her arms around Allan's neck and kissed him on
the cheek. "How did the briefing go?" Then remembering Dalton was present,
she introduced them.
     Looking at Dalton, Allan said, "You must be Starbuck's daughter. He
speaks highly of you."
     Smiling at Allan, Dalton thought to herself, why does he look so
familiar?
     Dalton excused herself from the couple, and left.
     Putting her arm around Allan, Elana said, "Dalton tells me you seem so
familiar to her. She's not the only one who's said that. So what's the
deal?"
     Half smiling, Allan chuckled, "At first I didn't know myself. As my
memory returned, I realized the reason for their confusion is simple. My
great grandfather was Commander Apollo."
     Apollo was impressed. He hadn't seen this many human fighter craft
since before the destruction of Caprica. There were over two thousand
fighters leaving to do battle. Ten of the craft were Colonial Vipers,
assigned to insert the assault team. May the Lords of Kobol go with you old
friend, he thought. His friend Starbuck probably wouldn't come back, but if
they succeeded, all would be OK.
     "THE CAPTAIN IS ON THE BRIDGE!" yelled the Junior Officer of the Deck.
     "As you were." replied Ransom. Walking over to Apollo and Andar, the
three men stood quietly looking out at the stars.
     "All fighters are in position, awaiting your order, Captain," reported
the Communications Officer.
     Looking at Apollo, Ransom sighed. "Commander Apollo, would you like to
give the word?"
     Apollo looked at Ransom and smiled. "Thank you Commander, I would have
never thought I would live to see this day. Officer of the Deck! Commence
the attack."
     As the two great ships approached each other the Antarctica fired
first. The great pulsars belched out green bolts of energy and with that,
the battle was begun.
     Allan raced head long into the Cylon defenders, his little ship firing
in all directions. Three Cylon fighters disintegrated. "First blood!" he
yelled, then coming around for another run, explosions rocked his ship
violently. That was close, he thought, then fired again.
     As the Cylon and human combatants engaged each other, it was impossible
to tell who the victor might be. So far it was evenly matched.
     "I'm hit! Please someone.." the flash was bright as a Viper exploded.
     "What the.. frack!" yelled Starbuck then added, "they know we're here.
Take evasive maneuvers now!"
     The Colonial Vipers tried to evade the Cylons but to no avail. Only
Starbuck managed to escape. They had been easy prey for the futuristic
Raiders.
     Flying like a madman, Starbuck jerked the Navi-hilt from side to side,
up and down, firing blindly at Raiders as they passed in front of him.
     "Were in big trouble here!" came the voice of Starbuck over the
com-link. "Somebody.. Acknowledge."  Allan wasted no time. He turned down
underneath of the Sphere and hit his turbos. As he approached Starbuck's
position, he sighted in five Raiders and fired. All five disintegrated in
huge balls of fire, extinguishing immediately because of the vacuum of
space.
     "I've got your six, Starbuck," said Allan.
     Looking around, Starbuck could see Allan had the Raiders on the run,
but it was too late. All that was left of the assault team was Sergeant
Mullins and himself.
     "Sergeant, we have to withdraw." said Starbuck over his shoulder.
     "Keep going Captain!" replied Mullins. " We can still do this, you and
me!"
     Starbuck angled the Viper towards the opening and coasted in close.
"Are you crazy!" exclaimed Starbuck. "We can't do this by ourselves." He
unbuckled himself and turned on his personal environment suit.
     "We've got to try, Captain," said Mullins. He liked this warrior,
always talking like a coward yet continuing on like a hero.
     As the canopy opened up, the two men moved out of the cockpit. The
protection suits they wore were very confining, but without them they
wouldn't stand a chance. They tethered the Viper to the hull and scrambled
into the Cylon Sphere.
    Badly damaged, Allan maneuvered his fighter into the hangar. The first
assault had inflicted heavy losses on both sides, but the Cylons received
the worst of the exchange. Losing a third of their Raiders, they had tried
to retreat, but that had proved to be their undoing. The humans had
destroyed half of the Cylon complement before disengaging the Raiders. They
continued to stay close, alternating fighters back to the Antarctica for
refueling and repairs before continuing the battle.
     Mullins and Starbuck continued to climb up the garbage chute. The
gasses being released created the effect of gravity. They had already
covered about 500 metrons when they came to a hatch.
      "Is this the one we want?" asked Starbuck hopefully.
     "No this is.."
      The garbage was moving so fast it knocked the two men back down the
chute 20 metrons before they barely managed to find something to hang on to.
     "As I was trying to say that was the radioactive discharge chute," said
Mullins. "You don't want to go in there. He started to climb again.
     "I wish I could learn to follow my own advice," muttered Starbuck as he
began his ascent again.
     After climbing 100 metrons, they came to another hatch.
     "This is it, Captain!" yelled Mullins over the rumbling of the main
engines.
     Pulling out a small laser cutter, Mullins cut into the locking
mechanism.
Sliding the small hatch open, air began to rush out. Mullins and Starbuck
climbed through the hole entering the air lock.
     Closing the hatch behind him, Starbuck looked at Mullins. "What now?"
he yelled.
     Mullins just smiled, and started cutting through the next lock.
     A Centurion walked over to the garbage chute and opened the hatch.
Dropping the waste he reached for his saber. As he started to pull it out of
the sheath, a hand came up and the laser cutter bore into his head. He was
dead before he hit the deck.
     "LIEUTENANT ALLAN, REPORT TO THE BRIDGE," was heard over the P.A. in
the hangar deck. Allan turned and headed for the bridge.
     The hangar was busy with flight crews refueling and repairing the
fighters. Only by yelling could a person be heard over the noise.
     Walking onto the bridge, Allan went over to the Officer of the Deck,
who motioned him over to the Commander.
     "Lieutenant Allan reporting as ordered, sir!"  he said.
     "At ease," said Ransom calmly. "What happened to the assault team? Did
they make it?"
     Looking first at Apollo, then at the Captain, he said, "Well sir, sort
of. Most of the team was ambushed before getting to the Sphere."
     "How many?" asked Apollo anxiously.
     "One Viper made it. Captain Starbuck and Sergeant Mullins."
     "We have to withdraw," said Ransom, looking devastated.
     "Commander, we have to give them a chance, even if it's only two men,"
replied Allan excitedly. "I can't think of anyone else I'd rather have in
there."
     "I agree with Allan," said Apollo. "We have to give them time."
     Climbing out of the garbage chute, Mullins kneeled down by the Cylon
and cut another hole where the aliens groin should have been, then laughed
when Starbuck shook his head in disbelief.
     "There is something wrong with you, Mullins," said Starbuck jokingly.
     Holding his finger to his lips, Mullins pointed to the hatch. After
removing the cumbersome suits the two men made their way over to the hatch.
After taking a couple of deep breaths, Mullins opened it.
     Both men leaped into the passageway rolling opposite of each other with
laser pistols drawn. Both came up in crouching positions. Four Centurions
drew their weapons but the humans were too quick. The Centurions were dead.
     Starbuck and Mullins began their trek through the great Sphere. Both
expected to die, but were resolved to the idea that the mission must
succeed.
     "Commander!, I've made an error in my calculations," said Andar
urgently.
     "What error?" asked Apollo, irritation beginning to show in his face.
"I don't want to hear that!"
     "In order for this to work," replied Andar, "we have to destroy the
Sphere also, or they could conceivably go back in time and start this
nightmare all over again."
     "WHAT?! Is it really possible?"
     "I believe so. For all we know that could have been the case already."
     "Oh lovely," Ransom interjected. "So if we don't destroy them here, the
fleet may still be destroyed. I'm not so certain I like you Mr. Andar. Is
there anything else you haven't thought of?"
     "Well, now that you mention it," Andar replied nervously, "all the
people of the fleet have to leave here, or they will be caught in your time,
Commander...at least I think so." Andar then felt a strong compulsion to
exit the bridge quickly.
Mullins, was an efficient soldier. Starbuck could almost admire the younger
man. He was alot like himself in his younger days. Peering around the corner
Starbuck saw a squad of Centurions moving in their direction. Quickly
retreating, he motioned to Mullins to follow him.
     Mullins, as calm in his tasks as Starbuck was at his own, silently
opened a small ventilator and crawled in with Starbuck behind him. The
Centurions rounded the corner just as Starbuck managed to fit the screen
back into place. Both men froze. Not moving a muscle and hardly breathing,
they waited.
     The Centurions were marching by in formation made up of two rows with
about twenty in each line. These were the semi mindless drones created for
battle. They stood at least a head taller than the average human and were
twice as wide. The design hadn't changed in a thousand yahren.
     After the last one had passed, the two men crawled out of the
ventilator. Standing up, they came face to face with an I-L series Cylon.
     The creature let out a gasp and tried to scream ,but Starbuck slammed
the ventilator cover down on the creatures head, shattering it. The Cylon
collapsed onto the deck with a loud crash. Glass was everywhere.
     "Do you have to be so loud?" asked Mullins. Then he indicated they
should keep moving.
     Reaching the Database, Mullins hooked up his miniature transceiver to
the machine and turned it on.
     "I've got it... wait... wait a minute, how is this possible?" said
Mullins incredulously.
     "What's the problem?" asked Starbuck.
     "According to this readout, the Sphere arrived in the past twice!"
     "What do we do now?" said Starbuck, more to himself than to Mullins.
     "First, we send this information to the Antarctica. Also, we tell them
were going to blow this bucket."
     "How are we going to blow this thing up, anyway?"asked Starbuck.
     "Well, we have to go to the main Engineering space, release solium into
the space, then ignite it."
     "But that means we die!" exclaimed Starbuck.
     "Look at the bright side, Starbuck. If we succeed, you get to live."
     "You seem to be fine with this," said Starbuck.
     "I always knew I could die in this occupation," replied Mullins
seriously.
     "Captain, we have the coordinates," reported the young Ensign. "Also
Sergeant Mullins and Captain Starbuck say they are going to blow up the
Sphere."
       "Can they do that?" asked Apollo.
      "Oh yeah, but it's suicide." replied Ransom. "They have to vent the
solium into the engineering sections and ignite it."
     "There has to be another way," Apollo said, adrenaline rising within
him. "We have to stop them!"
     "It's too late for that." replied Ransom, then added, "You better get
going, Commander, you don't have much time."
     "Good luck, Commander Ransom," responded Apollo while saluting him.
"May the Lords of Kobol go with you."
     "And you, Commander,"said Ransom, returning Apollo's salute.
     Taking a last look around the Bridge of this great vessel, Apollo
turned and left.
     Running down the corridor, Starbuck and Mullins were out of breath. The
Cylons were right behind them. Half turning, Starbuck felt a laser bolt rip
into his arm. Returning fire, another Cylon fell. Opening the hatch to the
main engineering section, Mullins took another shot at the advancing
Centurions. His shot went right through the first two in line, killing both.
Another Cylon fired and the blast hit Mullins right in the chest knocking
him back through the hatch. Starbuck closed the hatch and fired a shot at
the control pad.
     "That should buy a few microns," Starbuck remarked.
     Looking down at Mullins, Starbuck could see pieces of the man's chest
protector sticking out. The protector wasn't going to save him. It was only
meant to protect a person from glancing shots, not direct hits.
     "I don't think I'm going to be able to help you, Starbuck," said
Mullins faintly. Starbuck knelt down beside the dying man. "What do I do
now?" he asked.
     "Find the red section...." Mullins was fading a bit.
     Starbuck, believing Mullins to be dead, began to get up.
     "Help me up...Starbuck, help me up," Mullins said, struggling to raise
himself up. It was only the man's determination that was keeping him alive
now. Holding each other up, they set off to find Red Section. They could
hear the Cylons still pounding on the hatch. Hobbling along, the two men
started down some stairs. Tripping, they tumbled to the bottom. Getting up
and looking around, they noticed they had found it. Mullins pulled out his
laser pistol and took aim at a pipe.
     The Cylons were charging down the steps as Mullins fired.
     The great Sphere trembled, beginning to disintegrate. Starbuck and
Mullins clasped their hands in a triumphant gesture just as a fireball tore
through Red Section consuming and killing them both.
     "Ensign Woods, engage the time drive!" ordered Captain Ransom.
     "Aye sir." came the reply. Then he punched the commands into the
computer.
     The Antarctica began to glow a bright red and slowly faded out of
existence...

     Sergeant Rigel sat at her work station on the bridge of the Galactica
observing the readouts from the scanning computer. Many sectons had passed
without anything to report. The job had become very mundane. Many times
Rigel thought of being the first one to detect Earth. The excitement it
would create, the celebration....could it happen? Perhaps....
Blip
     The computers alarm pulled Rigel from her thoughts. A large amount of
debris had come into range.
     "Colonel Athena!" Rigel called out.
     Athena was finishing up with the deck log when Rigel called to her. She
was expecting Commander Apollo to arrive on the bridge at any moment to
relieve her.
     "Yes Sargent Rigel," Athena replied hurrying over to Rigel's station.
"What is it?"
     "I'm picking up a large amount of debris in sector two."
     "Send a Viper probe to investigate. Have them report to the bridge when
they're done."
     It wasn't long before Apollo walked onto the bridge. He still couldn't
get used to the image of the bridge without his father, Adama, at the
command station guiding the great battlestar and it's rag tag fleet. This
ship had always been and always would be Adama's ship. Sometimes he still
wondered with awe at how his father had always been so calm and completely
in control even in the most desperate situations.
      In the Officer's Club, at a table playing pyramid, Starbuck, as usual,
was winning and everyone else at the table was thinking about how stupid
they were for playing with him.
     "You know," said Starbuck, "on payday you should all just give me your
cubits and save me the trouble of beating you out of them."
     "One of these days you're going to lose, Starbuck," replied Jolly, "and
you can bet that I'll be right there to see it happen."
     Greenbean looked up from his cards and glanced across the table before
returning his gaze upon his hand. "It's too bad Apollo couldn't be here to
play more often," he said. "He seems to be the only one who can keep you in
check, Starbuck. Remember, Jolly, when Starbuck talked him into going over
to the Rising Star?"
     Everyone began to laugh except for Starbuck who pretended to look
bored.
     "Yeah, Starbuck lost all of his cubits," said Jolly, still laughing.
     Boomer, grinning widely, said, "Starbuck looked like he was about to
cry."
     "I thought Apollo was going to kill him," added Sheba.
Troy and Dalton maneuvered their Vipers up close to the debris.
     "What do you read Troy?" asked Dalton.
     "Nothing much. Whatever it was, it was huge."
     "Well, according to my readout, it was Cylon, and had features of our
own technology."
     "I'm sending the information back to the Galactica now," said Troy. "My
guess is, we will never know what happened here."
     Elana, looking down at the mysterious guest on the bed sighed. He is so
handsome she thought.
     "How are you feeling today?" Elana asked as she set the nourishment
tray down in front of him.
     Looking up at her he answered, "Pretty good. How are you?" He hadn't
said much to anyone since regaining consciousness. After all, these
strangers could be the enemy. Until he knew for sure, he wouldn't tell them
anything, not even his name.
     "I'm fine, I guess," Elana replied, letting out a sigh. "So, how come
you won't tell anyone your name?"
     The man sat up in bed and looked intently at Elana's face. Her beauty
had a radiance to it. He overheard the scolding she had received from
Cassiopeia and felt a bit sorry for her. It seems she's always in trouble
with Cassiopeia. He looked around the room.
     Why does this place seem so familiar to me? Even the people seem
familiar.
     Looking at the door he saw another face which reminded him of someone.
But who? What is this place?
     "Hello," said Apollo as he walked over to the bed nodding to people he
knew along the way. "I'm Commander Apollo, and you are...?
     "Lieutenant Allan." Giving his name out so suddenly surprised Allan. He
didn't mean to.
     Standing next to the bed, Apollo looked down at Allan.
     "Well, Lieutenant," Apollo said, "I would like to ask you a few
questions if you don't mind."
     "Ask all you like," Allan snapped back. "I'm not going to answer any
questions until I get a few answers myself, such as who are you people? How
did I get here?"
     "I'm Commander Apollo, as I've said already, and you're on board the
Battlestar Galactica. As for you, we found your ship adrift in space. You
were unconscious when we found you and brought you aboard."
     Allan excitedly asked, "My ship! How is it?!"
     "You and your ship appear to be in perfect condition, Lieutenant,"
Apollo responded.
     Bewildered, Allan replied, "That's impossible. The last thing I
remember was a large explosion. I've never seen an explosion like that
before. It's as if it was all in slow motion. I could see every element of
it."
     Apollo, trying to be tactful, decided to ask the question everyone
wanted to know.
     "Lieutenant," he began, then slowly added, "are you from a planet
called Earth?"
     Everyone in the life station stopped what they were doing and looked in
the direction of the two men.
Allan paused for a moment, then, rubbing his forehead, answered, "Yes,
Commander......I am."
     Fleeing the Cylon tyranny the last Battlestar....Galactica, leads a rag
tag fugitive fleet on a lonely quest. A shining planet known....as Earth.
                                                             The End
 
There are those who believe that life here began out there far across the Universe with tribes of humans who may have been the fore fathers of the Egyptians, or the Mayans, or the Toltecs............