Part 5 Battlestar Galactica: Back To The Colonies: Homecomings

Chapter 7

He had been just outside Caprica City when the attack happened. A small handful of survivors from the initial attacks had made it away from the city and had fled to the countryside, hoping to escape the death was approaching.

The survivors had come over a hill and had seen a Colonial Raptor on the ground near them, and they had approached the ship, hoping to get off of the dying world. The two officers onboard the ship had recognized one of the group as a famous scientist and had taken the place of one of the officers. Clevin had tried to jump onto the Raptor as it started to take off, but the officer who stayed behind had shot him.

Like many, he had wandered for years, with no idea what to do or how to scratch a living. But he had made it, convinced others that their salvation was in the mountains, and that they could rebuild human civilization, albeit crudely. They had had things pretty good for a number of years.

Then the Military had shown up. Three dozen of his followers had died as a result. They had died because the Military was defending a downed pilot. His people had found the Raptor but hadn't touched it, for fear of what might happen. But they could tell someone had survived. He wanted that survivor. He wanted him or her so he could keep the Military at bay and away from his stronghold.

Clevin Monteith had never scared easy. And he was laying plans to keep searching for that pilot again.

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The prisoner that had been lifted from the surface of Caprica had sung like the proverbial canary. He went simply be the name of Enoch and refused to give his last name. He had told the interrogators all he knew. He had given him the approximate numbers of followers and "guest workers" who inhabited the hidden mountain redoubt; he didn't know the leader's name, only the name he went by. Yes, a group had found the aircraft, had seen the two dead crew members and had surmised a third was on the loose as there were bloodstains away from the ship. Yes, The Crown wanted this pilot to bargain with against the Military. No, he didn't think they'd accept the Military control of Caprica, and certainly not of the hidden stronghold.

Son of a bitch, Lee thought to himself. Twenty-five thousand? At the very most, he could field twenty thousand ground troops if he combined The Fleet again, not counting Raptors and Falcons. Those weren't great odds against an enemy he knew little about. This group could, and already had, thrown a huge monkey wrench into his timetable for the scouting of the Twelve Worlds. But Caprica had to be settled. Eventually, the other worlds would find out about what was going on here. It was inevitable. But if Caprica were to slice away on its own there would be no hope of re-establishing the Twelve Colonies.

He had told this Enoch that he was to be set free. "I'm giving you a message to send to The Clown", he mocked to get a rise out of the man.

"It's The Crown, you idiot", the man said far too loudly. Lee simply smiled at him.

"Your to give him the message I will send with you. There will soon be a new Colonial Government and Caprica City will be the Capital. We will not allow this man or any other man, to hold slaves on this or any other of the twelve planets", he paused to add emphasis. "I will meet him at the location where our downed aircraft is. I will have sentries with me, and he may bring sentries as well."

"He won't take the bait Admiral", the man said defiantly.

"That may be, but the offer is there. How long will it take you to get back to this guy?"

"If you can drop me off at first light, I can be there by mid-day", the man said honestly. "How long does he have to meet you?"

"Two days to the minute after I drop you off", Lee confirmed. "As I said, he can bring his own guards, but I guarantee, if they start trouble, we'll end it."

Enoch believed the man in front of him.

First light would be in two hours. The man agreed to find his leader.

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Ensign Natalie Schrevrenko had not yet told anyone other than Admiral Adama, Captain Wimbusi and the Bond family about her relationship with Nicholas Bond. But she found herself strengthened by the support and love shown to her by Nick's family. The first wave of grief had passed. The news that Nick had apparently shot two men dead about five days ago buoyed her hope that her guy was alive and would make it back to her.

Governor Bond was still on the ship, as was Admiral Thrace-Bond. Admiral Adama had told them that there were some sticking points on Canceron, but that Commander Carrico had the situation on that side of the Colonies under enough control for the moment. He needed Kara here for now. No one complained.

The Governor had invited Natalie to join the family for dinner when she could. Her schedule that day had her off by 1830, and she sauntered over to the Governor's VIP quarters. The Governor and Admiral were not there, but Judith Bond was.

"Natalie, it's nice to see you, my dear", Judith smiled warmly and hugged the young lady. "Is work going better?"

"Yes, ma'am", she said with confidence. "I'm still scared but I'm more myself now than I have been since this unpleasantness began."

"I'm glad to hear that, Natalie", Judy said with sincerity. "Can I get you a drink?"

"I would like that", and she tentatively smiled. "Do you have any vodka?"

Judith looked surprised. "Uh I think I do, Natalie, come to think of it." She got up and went to the liquor cabinet, and there was a bottle of Russian Vodka in there.

"Only two fingers, young lady", Judith said with mock crossness. "I don't want the Governor to come home and see the two of us plowed from emptying the vodka." Natalie laughed.

"That would be a sight, wouldn't it?" And they both laughed. Natalie became serious for a moment, "May I propose a toast: to the safe return of Nick to both of us." Judy smiled warmly, and they bumped their small highballs of Vodka together.

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By his reckoning, Nicholas Bond had been on the run for thirteen days now. He was losing the battle against the infection, his lack of hunger and lack of water was weakening him almost hourly. He was lucky if he could get five hundred yards before collapsing in agony. The only thing that kept him going was thinking of those he loved that were above him.

The Spec Ops team was about three miles behind him, but he had drifted a little southwest off their line of march. Captains Thomas Dalbott and Grey Solis had heard more commotion to their right, and it had slowed their progress, as they didn't want to be ambushed. Grey Solis told Dalbott that he felt something was in the air.

Enoch had arrived home and taken the message to The Crown. Clevin Monteith didn't like the idea, but he didn't see a choice that was any better. He set out for the rendezvous point early the next morning.

Before leaving, he had sent another force of his to the south. He ordered them to veer west before breaking that hotly contested tree line. He wanted that pilot.