Battlestar Avalon

WHO: Callie Morgan, Darlene Wolff & NPC’s
WHERE: Caprica Aviation School Hanger
WHEN: Night 12 May Y1997 (Backstory)

Thump, another body falls down on the canvas as the fans cheer for the victor of the ring. A brown haired woman leaned against the ropes, head covered with protective gear and hands suitably gloved as she caught her breath from the last match. Second on the trot, there was no stopping the Queen of the ring and while she wasn’t a savage that lived for bloody sports, she had to admit to enjoying the attention. She panted for some air as the cheers sung round “Callie, Callie, CALLIE!”

( No Tame Catfight )

While tossing a bale of hay off the bed of his pick-up truck the sound of a single engine prop plane overhead caught his attention. Colin looked up to see the small red plane fly above the field to the east. From his vantage point on the ground, it looked like the plane itself was flying toward the setting ringed sphere of Ragnar, Aerilon’s guardian in the sky, on the horizon. It took his mind back to another day long gone.

WHO: Colin Ives
WHERE: Bee Lucky Ranch, Aerilon / Caprica
WHEN: 12-5-Y02 / march Y97 (backstory)

( Moo the cow said to the moon )

WHO: Blake Hayward & Michael Sheppard (NPC)
WHERE: The Viper's Lounge, Caprica
WHEN: Oct 25th, Y2002

The news of a pregnancy was never an easy pill to swallow and for a certain mother to now pregnant Blake Hayward, it was an impossible pill. The rest of the family were delighted at the news while her mother soured the news and made it bitter. An argument ensued the delivery of the news and it was promptly ended with a slap across the face and the words ‘slut’ being uttered. After that, Blake scattered out the family home in a flood of tears and despair. That could have gone better.

( Manageable Pain )

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.

( It's in the hands of the Gods )

WHO: Lt Tra Mitchel
WHERE: Caprica City
WHEN: Final Day of Port Leave

The silence of the bedroom was shattered by the ringing phone. Slowly opening his ice blue eyes to the darkness, Tra unwillingly came back to reality. He glanced at the glowing hands of his watch. 2:00. But was it am or pm. He couldn't tell with the heavy drapes in his bedroom closed tight. His hand groped the nightstand for the phone and his cigarettes. Finding both he sat up.

"Hello?" He said as he took a cigarette out of the pack and lit it with his battered chrome lighter.

"Is this Lt. Tra Mitchel?" A voice on the other end of the line answered.

"This is Lt. Mitchel, who is this?" He said, annoyed.

"Good, good. Lt. Mitchel, this is Captain Lloyd, with the 114th station operations and maintenance squadron. If you still want to shuttle the Viper upstairs, it's ready to go." Captain Lloyd said.

Tra took a long drag from his cigarette and shook his head."Yes sir. I'll be there in an hour"

The line went dead as Captain Lloyd hung up, leaving Tra once again alone in the dark. Getting out of bed, he walked over to the window and opened the drapes. The light and heat hit his body all at once forcing him to squint. I guess it's pm he thought to himself.

Showering and shaving quickly, Tra put on his flight-suit. Checking himself in the mirror, he could tell everything was in it's proper place. Once again he looked like an officer instead of a bum. Grabbing his flight bag he opened the front door of his house.

"Lights off" He said as he walked out and locked the door. Climbing on his motorcycle he started the engine and pulled out on the street.

Fifty five minutes later Tra was standing outside hanger 19. Behind him a pair of Viper Mk VIIs roared off the runway climbing into the sky. "Lucky frakkers" He thought as he watched the pair disappear into the bright blue sky. Walking into the hanger he saw several rows of Vipers and Raptors in various states of repair. Mechanics and technicians crawled over the ships like an army of ants tearing apart and putting together the stricken ships.

"You must be Lt. Mitchel." Captain Lloyd's voice said from the office door on the right wall.

Tra turned and faced the Captain who was already closing the distance between the two men. Captain Lloyd was a tall thin man with a receding hairline. The kind of man you would expect seeing in a classroom teaching a class on some kind of science.

The two men exchanged salutes. Then motioning for Tra to follow, Captain Lloyd started walking down the center of the hanger.

"She's right over here Lt." He said motioning to the only craft that was whole.

A smile spread across Tra's face as he walked slowly towards the Viper Mk II. Running his hand across the wing he made his way towards the cockpit. Everything else seemed to melt away as he went through the preflight walk around he had performed so many times before.

"I used to watch my parents fly these." He said in a low whisper "Gods, they loved flying."

"Your flight plan is filed. Wheels up in thirty." Captain Lloyd said.

Thirty minutes later Tra was in the cockpit of the old Viper waiting for the tower to clear him.

"Achillies, tower. You are cleared for takeoff on runway 35. Wind id 11 knots from the southwest."

"Tower, Achillies. Roger that. Runway 35"

A few moments later Tra slammed the throttle forward. The Viper lept forward, remembering the freedom of flight. Pulling back on the stick Achillies felt the Gs push him back into the seat as he hurtled skyward. The sonic boom echoed in the cockpit as he passed mach 1. Going totally vertical he watched as the blue sky slowly turned into the black of space. Looking at the Dradus he saw two contacts on his right.

"Well, they never said I had to go directly to the Galactica" He said to himself.

Pulling a hard right Achillies Viper MkII closed quickly on the two unsuspecting Vipers from Avalon's CAP. Like a bird pf prey Achillies dove between the two Viper's, firing his training lasers as he went. "One down" He thought as he pulled back hard on the stick. The nose of Achillies Viper Mk II flipped around towards the CAP Viper he had missed on his first pass.

"I know who that is." A familiar voice said over the com "Do you really think you can beat me in an antique Achillies" Wild-man said.

Before Wild-man could maneuver into a firing position Achillise fired again, waxing the Viper. "Looks like I just did, Wild-man. Or are you gonna cry about how I took you by surprise?" Achillies said, laughing at his angry squadronmate.

( The Caprican - Politics Section )

WHO: Darlene Wolff & Classified
WHERE: Outdoor Café on Caprica
WHEN: A few days before New Dawn.

The sun beat down on the colony in a quaint little café in the middle of the market place - a haven for the lost or a waiting place for those not lost but looking to be found. Darlene sat under the shade, eyes hidden behind dark lens as she waited with vested interest for her contact to arrive. It was always standard protocol for such meetings to be held in the public eye, hiding the truth from the innocent by flaunting it right under their noses. Time ticked like grain of sand slowly slipping down the hourglass. Darlene’s eyes ran around the points of interest, the points of vulnerability which stretched around the market place from left to right, right to left – it was hard to switch off the tactical appraisals. Her attention was retracted back to the immediate area, the few yards around her very being; the bright umbrella standing tall over the table, the barely dressed table based in front of her and now a strong figure dressed like a waiter standing over and too the right. His voice matched his physical stature, strong and willing.

( Classified )

WHO: Admiral Thomas Burk
WHERE: Caprica City Spaceport
WHEN: Before returning to Battlestar Avalon


"Attention at Gate twenty-five, Inner-Sun Flight Zero Ten, Departing for Casperon will be boarding shortly. Please make sure you have your passport and boarding pass is ready at the gate, and thank you for choosing Inner-Sun Lines."

( Saying Good-bye )

Caprica City, The home of Lt. Tra Mitchel... Today

The wind driven rain fell heavily on Tra stopped his motorcycle in front of his home. A bolt of lightning lit the night and for a moment he could see the four story red brick firehouse he had been left when his parents died. Shutting off the engine, he stepped off the bike and walked slowly through the storm to his front door. As he slid the key into the lock he could hear several metallic clicks as the tumblers fell into place unlocking the door. Reaching for the doorknob, his hand froze inches from the knob. His hand fell back to his side as his head lowered. Closing his eyes tight he could feel the soaked flight suit cling to his body as the rain mixed with his tears in thin rivulets before falling to the ground. Taking a deep breath, Tra opening his red rimmed eyes. Reaching out slowly he opened the door.

WHO: Jilleen Simmons, Jake Mackenzie, James Chase
WHERE: Her apartment in Athens Park, Caprica
WHEN: Toward the end of the Avalon's liberty call.

"Where are you James?" she said to herself before she pressed call on her phone. Her husband went to the market to get some steaks and a few more things to grill out in the patio. He should have been back by now. Jilleen had to take a last-minute conference call with the chief of staff for Admiral Pierce who arrived on Caprica this morning for the Quorum hearings in two days.

She heard the sound of his ringtone in the other room. "James are you here?" She walked into his den and saw the blue glow of his phone on the desk, but James was nowhere to be found. He left for the market without his phone. She believed that had been his intention, no doubt. He knew she did not want to meet Jake alone when he arrived, but he had argued it would be best if she did. Part of her agreed with him, but she was nervous to see Bridget's widower.

Jilleen waited on the phone to leave a voice message. "Asshole," she said into the mic and then pressed the end call button. She was not furious with him, just did not like being set up.

Jake had to admit to a trace of nervousness at seeing Jill again, the first time since the public memorial service for Bridget and her family after they'd been killed by that frakking drunk. She'd been pretty clear in her silence afterward that she wasn't interested in keeping their friendship alive.

Maybe it had just been too much for her, Jake had theorized at the time. Jill had known Bridget since they'd been young girls after all, and they'd been very close friends. He chuckled to himself at the memory of how horrified she'd been when he'd started dating Bridget. She'd loosened up eventually, but he had to laugh about it now.

He rang the doorbell and waited for James or Jilleen to open it.

( It's been a while )

From the dome observation deck over the Battlestar Galactica Memorial and War Museum a teenage boy who contemplated enlisting in the Colonial Forces after his high school graduation, looked beyond the old battlestar's hump of cold and silent engines. His rewarded was 4 instant white flashes that he quickly identified as Faster Than Light events, and saw 4 military type spacecraft materialize after the flashes disappeared.

He quickly rushed to one of the telescopic viewers at the edge of the reinforced glass where a visitor to the memorial could inspect half of the topside of the near mile long decommissioned battlestar from the outside. Excited by this rare opportunity, the boy fixed the telescope on to the flight, and identified them as Raptor Mark II's. They flew in close formation toward the Galactica.

( Caprica Approach )

WHO: James Chase and Jilleen Simmons
WHERE: Caprica City, Caprica
WHEN: Hours after the Charity Event

---

"Jim catch you next time," he shook the host's hand with a strong grip.

"Yo tak'car of Jill, ya hear," replied the overweight and balding media executive for one of the Colony's premium publishing companies. Jim's thick Lower Leonis accent was strong after a few drinks.

"You bet." James glided his hand on Jill's lower back as she said her good byes to Jim's wife, and then wrapped his arm around her waist, to urge her that it was time to leave. They shared a non-verbal system of communication as a married couple. The little pull of his hand on her waist, told her that he wanted to leave and he had enough of socializing tonight.

It had been a big adjustment for him after they been together for a while to keep up with her social networking. It was fun the first couple of years but the constant stream of small talk and being on his best behavior became too much for him. Special Forces training was easier than the politics involved in Jill's social network. It even strain their marriage until they were able to come to a compromise. He simply wanted some quiet time on his days off from work, and she always wanted to do an activity, but somehow they had found a middle ground.

Jilleen had spent nearly her entire life socializing. He did not. They were opposites in that regard.

( After leaving the after-party )

WHO: Jilleen Simmons and James Chase
WHERE: Caprica City, Caprica
WHEN; During AVALON's visit to Caprica

She squeezed her husband's hand.

The light instrumental music played in the background was mostly drowned out by the chatter of people speaking to each other at the tables as the last of the desserts were served. Jilleen wearing a black silky evening gown sat next to her handsome husband who wore a smart black suit and tie.

( Save the Forest of Canceron )

WHO: Blake Hayward & Jon Randell
WHERE: Delphi Museum
WHEN: Day After "Bombshell"

Delphi was a city of history and the last stop on their recap through military history. Ever since they conspired to meet and spend time together during port leave, Jon and Blake had been inseparable. That was special, memorably and a lot of fun but since Blake’s conversation with Jill, there was only one thing running through her mind over and over.

A small glow sparked in the dimly lit room of the museum and was followed with a gust of smoke flooding from the mouth and nostrils of Blake Hayward. Blake wrapped her forefinger and middle finger around the filtered cigarette and retracted it from her lips, blowing a gust of air from them as she lowered her hand to the side of her. The museum had a policy of no smoking and therefore it was only expected for the other patrons being guided through the museum to look at her with a look of disgust. Blake gave a half glare and then turned to look around the museum waiting for Jon to arrive.

They had agreed to meet in the museum as one of their final stops of port leave together and Blake was a little early. She was anxious, very much so about the little news she had to drop on his lap. He was going to be a father. How would he react to that revelation?

The sound of the surf filled His ears as Achillies slowly woke up. Opening his eyes he found himself still under the outcropping that he had found during the storm. The clear blue sky was bright as the sun cast rays of light across the crystal blue water. Sitting up Achillies watched the seabirds dive down to the water only to pull out at the last moment. In spite of everything he had to smile. His first memory was with his family on the beach. He remembered his amazement when he realized that his father and mother flew faster in their Vipers than the birds could ever dream of . It had been then that Tra had felt his first longing for flight, for the ability to fly higher and faster than the birds in the sky. Glancing at his watch, he noted that nine hours had passed from when he had stepped out of the Raptor and into the sea.

"OK, lets get to it" He said to himself as he reached into the pack the Colonel had given him.

Inside the rear cabin of a Colonial Forces Raptor, Colonel Randell sat back down in the ECO's chair after the flight crew informed him of their location. The daylight from the pilot's canopy had darken as they flew into the night side of Caprica.

He grabbed a black day pack. “Hey, catch this.” He threw it at Tra. “You will find a canteen of water, a half day's ration, pocket knife, a compass and map.” He had been silent for most of the flight and did not answer the pilot's questions he may have asked about returning to Avalon.

“Like I said before, I dislike unnecessary paperwork, but I can't quiet trust you will stay out of trouble for the remainder of our port of call. Do you know how much paperwork is involved to remove someone from the number two spot in a squadron and remove them from permanent flight status?”

WHO: Jilleen Simmons and Blake Hayward
WHERE: Caprica City, Caprica
WHEN: Second day of liberty


In the Athens Park District, not so far from her townhouse, Jilleen walked on the sidewalk and wore a flowery light color skirt with a silky peach blouse, and high heels. She took advantage of her short days off in the city to wear nothing resembling a uniform. She was excited to meet a friend that she had known since James' time in the hospital.

( Breaking News )

From the white leather couch in the living room of her apartment, Jilleen proof read the message she wrote on the e-tablet. A message she neglected to send to an old friend when he first arrived to Caprica over a day ago. She made a load of excuses over the last few months why she should not write to him. Jilleen known him for years, and even considered him a friend long before he married her best great friend.

James had said it to her that morning before he left for Delphi. “Jill, talk to him. Jake loved Bridget as much as you loved her. Don't let her death, split apart the two people she loved back.” As usual, James clarity of vision helped her again.

WHO: Callie Morgan
WHERE: Caprica Beach
WHEN: Mid-morning after "A need for speed"

Callie flew back down onto the bedding in a heated sweat, her breathing labored as she was joined by someone else, someone she had just met but it didn’t matter. She was itching for some relief and finally she was getting some. Her naked body contorted in pleasurable tone, her lips broke silence in soft moans of joy as she was treated to some finesse from crimson lips.

( Hot & Sweaty )

WHO: Jon Randell and Tra Mitchel
WHERE: Caprica Beach – Police Station
WHEN: Mid-morning after THIS

“Yup, that's it,” Colonel Randell pointed on the computer tablet held by the female pilot wearing a flight suit next to the wing of the Raptor. “File a flight plan, Lieutenant.” he ordered and then started to walk away.

“Yes, sir.” relied the Raptor pilot.

A few steps later, Randell stopped and turned around. “Oh Lieutenant, one more thing.”

( His way or paperwork? )