No going back WHO: Jilleen Simmons and Darlene Wolff WHERE: Caprica City, Caprica WHEN: During Admiral Nagala's retirement party.
Capricans were always the best at extravagant cocktail parties, and the there was no difference in the military as the Caprica Fleet Commander hosted an event to honor the retirement of Admiral Nagala, Chairman of the Joint Fleets of the Colonial Forces. There were over a thousand people in the grand ball room, most of them wearing Colonial Dress Gray uniforms. Jilleen wore her tailored fitted Dress gray with a white aiguillettes over her left shoulder, to signify that she was an aide-de-camp to one of the Fleet’s flag officers. She was speaking with another officer who was also wearing a white aiguillettes.
“He enjoys skeet shooting on the weekends rather than chasing a little white ball on manicured lanes of turf. So when one of the local ground commander’s invited him to a driving range on the coast to hit some golf balls, the Admiral had me bring his shotguns. I felt sorry for the Colonel when the Admiral had him hit his little white balls down range, while the Admiral tried to shoot them out of the sky with his shotguns. Everyone on the staff got a chance to do the same while the Colonel launched balls into the air. It was good fun.” She smiled and then took a sip of her drink, while the other officer laughed.
The retirement event was an important colonial tradition when an officer of distinguished service reached the age requirement or indeed that individual had decided to pass the reigns onto the next generation. Darlene was dressed in her Colonial Dress gray's and making the rounds, a glass of something in one hand as she tagged onto the back of many conversations. The rounds were hard work especially considering her gap in the service which had been patched over.
As the story was told about the Admiral and his shotguns, Darlene was in eavesdrop range and lightly pressed her free hand on the good Colonel's arm; "Excuse me, I have just spotted an old friend." She stepped out of one conversation and approached another with a mild smile spread across her lips; "Jill Simmons!" Darlene raised her voice to attract attention.
Jilleen looked over her shoulder and recognized her formal squadron leader. She immediately checked her rank insignia so she could address her appropriately, and saw that she was still a captain. "Darlene Wolff," she replied with a smile. "I haven't seen you in a long time." She turned to face both her and the other aide-de-camp. "Captain Worth, Captain Wolff," she introduced. "She was my last squadron leader from the Pegasus."
"Good to meet, you, captain." he said, and then faced Jilleen. "Well, Jill its nice to meet you, but I must make a phone call, so if you will excuse me?"
"Good to meet you as well," she nodded and with that he left the two.
Darlene nodded her head out of courtesy as Captain Worth motioned off and then she returned her attention to Jill Simmons. She took a sip from her glass and smiled, "So Jill, how long has it been?" Darla couldn't quite remember the last time they crossed paths but it was quite a while.
"A few years," she remembered exactly when they last saw each other. It was here in Caprica City during James' recuperation and physical therapy, and months after Bridget's death. "I thought you left the service." She then sipped from her drink, while her eyes were locked on Darlene.
A smile stretched wider as she remembered their last meeting and then she nodded when asked the question about her resignation from the service. She sipped her glass a little and looked around the room then back, "You know how this works; the military isn't something you walk away from and I tried but life...well it became meaningless so here I am." Darla had rehearsed that speech all night around the room, this time she might have cracked it right. "So, aide-de-camp huh? What happened to being that hothead pilot I knew once?"
"You know, other challenges and opportunities landed my way," she said. Jilleen would admit she was a good pilot and had a thing for speed, but she was not a gifted one. Dropping from her last tour on the Pegasus to be at James's side did not reflect well on her record. It was a fact of life in the military and she accepted it.
"It's not so bad holding an Admiral's bag," she smirked. "It has it's perks."
Darlene looked Jill's way barely holding a surprising smile back, "You don't mean, you're not...with the Admiral?" Perks in a job like that meant you were getting something tangible from it and most of the aide-de-camp's she knew had a thing for older men or dare say women.
Jilleen got her meaning. "No, its not like that. I'm no longer in an open marriage, we are happy and exclusive." There were many types of marriages in the Colonies from group to same sex, but Jilleen marriage with James was monogamist, and not open as it once was before James was injured. The reality of their relationship in the military required them to be separated for long periods of time and each agreed they needed an outlet.
"You don't know what you are missing; being tied down like that." Darlene teased with a little smirk before then sipping her drink once more and taking the moment to recall Jill's husband, not that they formally met or anything but she felt like she had through the way Jill described him back when. "So, I take it everything is good on the home front then, no problems like before?"
Jilleen knew exactly what her formal superior meant, there had been some wild times during liberty calls back then. The crew of the battlestar knew how to work and play hard. She nodded. "It's absolutely fantastic. He's been with me this last week, we both took leave together." She beamed.
"Hm, you've changed Jilleen, more grounded or maybe seasoned?" Darlene teased as she sipped again from her glass it grew smaller and smaller in volume.
"Perhaps more grounded," she took another sip. "What about you? What are you up to these days, are you assigned to Caprica?"
"Not exactly. I'm taking a more active role again" Darlene replied honestly.
"What's that? Are you flying?" Jilleen asked.
Darlene shook her head, "No, I am a bit seasoned myself for that. I'm serving as tactical"
"Tactical? For which ship?" Jilleen always asked a lot of questions. "Oh unless it's some Colonial secret."
"Avalon" Darlene replied keenly.
"Avalon? James assigned to that battlestar. Oh he will be pleased to see you." During their troubles her formal squadron leader came up a few times in conversation back then. He thought Darlene was a bad influence.
"I'm looking forward to meeting him too" Darlene replied gracefully.
"Do you want to walk outside to the balcony? I was meaning to ask you something." Jilleen requested. She wanted to follow up on business arrangement that they made years earlier.
"Sure" Darlene nodded.
Jilleen walked through the crowd, occasionally acknowledging someone with a hello. She made sure that Darlene followed her out into one of the large balconies which was private enough for them to talk. "When do report to the Avalon?" she asked with her drink still in her hand.
Darlene joined her old friend outside on one of the balconies; "Few days, once the paperwork is pulled through." She had only agreed to this assignment the other day after reading the latest from her employers.
"I see," Jilleen glanced around to make sure no one was within ear shot. "Do you remember the favor I asked from you? Regarding my friend's killer."
"Umhm, I remember" Darlene replied point blank.
Jilleen looked at Darlene. "I've decided to forgive him." She quickly sipped from her glass. After seeing Jake again on Bridget's birthday, she realized that she could finally make her peace and let go of her friend.
"I'm glad" Darlene looked from the scenery she was viewing to her friend; "But it isn't that easy."
"What do you mean? Can't you simply make a call and pull back his abusers. I no longer wish him harm." Jilleen knowledge of the criminal underworld was limited to what she read in the news and from films. Darlene was the one with the contacts.
"I warned you when you agreed to this that it is all in...we can't change the wheels in motion now" Darlene had hoped she had made it clear the last time but evidently not.
"There must be a way," Jilleen insisted. At the time she made the deal, she made it perfectly clear she wanted the drunk driver who killed her friend to serve his short 4 years in prison under horrific conditions. She did not care how they did it inside, because she could have cared less for the man.
"It is out of my hands" Darlene replied short.
Jilleen shook her head, and then had another drink. It was dangerous if she continued to push the matter. Who knows what kind of people Darlene knew in the Tauron underworld, and they might not be too happy about someone outside their circle making demands. There was also the danger of leaving a trail back to her if there were any investigation. Everything had been carefully arranged in the beginning. Why ruin it?
"We leave it to the Gods then," Jilleen said.
"If you believe in such things" Darlene had little faith in the Gods, she knew her sins wouldn't be looked on highly if they were real. She sipped her drink and looked back inside at the party.
"It's better to believe than be sorry in the afterlife, I always say," she snorted. The matter with her friend's killer was like Darlene had said was out of her hands. "There are more people who worship the Gods, who are in power than those who don't for a reason."
"I'm sure" Darlene agreed.
"So what have you been up to lately anyway? Other than becoming a crewmember on Avalon." she asked as she moved closer to the edge of the balcony that over looked the massive gardens below.
"I'm seeing someone..." she replied, just blurting it out but proudly.
"Oh really?" she raised an eyebrow. "Is it serious?"
"Yeah I think so, why you jealous?" Darlene teased.
Jilleen laughed.
"She is special" Darlene replied.
The aide-de-camp placed her hand on the other officer's shoulder. "I'm sorry, I wasn't laughing at you," she looked at Darlene. "I'm happy for you." Jilleen let go.
"Thank you" Darlene drank to that.
"I'm glad that you have someone." She let go and then looked out into the gardens from the balcony.
"Yes, gives some meaning to my life." She turned to face the same direction and looked out.
After a while, Jilleen turned to look at her formal shipmate. "I'm sure that I will see more of you, now that you are on Avalon. The battlestar is on my admiral's list to make it his flagship." The orders had not yet been issued but Avalon will eventually be attached to the Expeditionary Force to halt illegal smuggling.
"I look forward to it, means we can relive old times later." It was her meaning to bring up what her people wanted in return for the assistance provided to Jill.
"Not all of them," she smirked. There were some activities that could never be repeated again. "I better get back inside. It's was very good see you again."
Darlene raised her glass to that sentiment, "Give my best to the admiral"
Jilleen smiled. "I will." She had no intention of even mention Captain Wolff to Admiral Pierce. With a nod, she then left Darlene on the balcony.
After Jill returned to the event inside, Darlene held a smirk for a moment and then headed back inside herself with a mental note to follow up on this later.