Kobol's Legacies

In the Dr. Hanover‘s office, Jilleen sat on the soft chair across from the doctor and already discussed what she had done since the last session. “I feel better today. Its as if a something has been vanquished that had been draining my energy in the last few days. Its hard to define, but I feel free now.” Jilleen explained to the doctor. “I think I figured out how these sessions work. Its not so much about making significant break thoughts during the time allotment, its what I do with what I discover of myself between these sessions.”

Jilleen settled back against the soft backing of the chair. “I have all this spare time at the moment to think, to really think.  If I had not been forced to take this leave, I would have buried myself in my work and avoided having to look at myself. Like I have been doing for all these years. Its so much easier to hide under a pile of paperwork.” She paused to draw in some air into her lungs. “Instead I was thrown into a situation where I had  no where to hide. Stripped of my cover.”  

“Its either very clever or a very fortunate coincident .” She smiled at the doctor and then added. “But you will probably try to find some way to make me cry today.” She teased.

( Cloud busting )

*(NPC) Dr. Judith Hanover written by Stargazer

The departure lounge on the Ark Royal was nearly empty of people as Jilleen sat in one of the leather chairs to wait for the next shuttle to the resort liner. It was late in the day according to the clock hanging over the gate door marked with the number 3. She had come to the Ark Royal unintentionally after she missed the cargo shuttle back to Shangri-la after her last session. Instead of waiting till early morning to take the next direct cargo shuttle, she hopped on one that had numerous stops, the last being to the Ark Royal. She had not been sure about the timetable of the civilian shuttle routes, but the Ark Royal was one of the  hub ships.

( Layover )

Jilleen placed her hand on the glass of the large view port that looked out into space that was cool to the touch. She had come up to the observation lounge as she waited for her ride to the botanical cruiser for her next session. The view was of the many ships of the fleet which included both of the Mercury-class battlestars. She could not make out which one was the Avalon or the Pacifica out in the distance. As she stood and watched she wondered what her ship would face on its next mission.

Somehow Jilleen felt she had let down her crew mates. They were preparing for a dangerous mission while she was away passing her time on a resort liner while on orders to see a shrink. She was forced off duty, the Admiral had ordered her to take the time off while she sorted herself out. The Admiral knew what was best for her battle group and at this moment it did not include Major Simmons.

( So many things to say )

*NPC Judith Hanover written by Stargazer.

Dearest Jake,

( Happy Hunting )

There were no special arranged transports to taxi her from the Shangri-la to Concord, but there were regular flights to the botanical cruiser. Several flights in fact occurred daily between the huge resort liner and the agriculture ship. Jilleen was on one of these cargo runs that returned to Concord. The shuttle carried large black tanks of liquid waste in the shuttle's hold. The waste was to be converted and process into fertilizer pellets. It was not a bad flight, the cargo was out of site and the crew were pleasant.

Inside the large hanger bay of Concord, among other smaller ships that ferried food stuffs throughout the fleet, the shuttle pilot gave her directions on where to find the office of Dr. Judith Hanover. It was practically the farthest point of the ship,from the hanger deck and the distribution center. She had been on the Concord before on business, but she had never known that there was a psychotherapist aboard. Her name was on the list that was attached to her orders, among a few others. Dr. Hanover was highly recommended on the list and one that was available to see her.

( Farmer's ship )

(npc) Dr. Judith Hanover is written by stargazer.

From the terrace of the Sertorius’ suite, Jilleen in a dark red sweat jacket and gray shorts stretched for her morning exercises.  Her first meeting with her therapist was not scheduled until later in the day. She had arrived on the Shangri-la last night after the shuttle had made stops at the Pacifica, Ark Royal, and then Babylonia, which a majority of single men and some women had disembarked for a night of recreation.

Jilleen’s unexpected leave of duty left her no desire to remain aboard the Avalon, especially in the midst of preparations for the impending operation. Her written orders from Sinclair had made allowances for off ship sessions and were non-specific about the length of time. On the Shangri-la, Councilman Sertorius and his wife allowed her to stay with them and shared their luxurious residential suite, giving her a private room all to herself.  It afforded them the privilege to boast of hosting a daughter of a former Aerilan Governor among those of their social circle. In return, Jilleen enjoyed all the amenities of first class accommodations and membership.

( Morning Exercise )

Alone in her semi-private cabin with light music playing, Jilleen typed the last sentence of her report on her lap top computer. Her report documented all that took place from her point of view in the hanger earlier and listed the names of witnesses she knew were present.  She expected she would take the full blame. She was a Colonial officer, she should have known better than let her personal feelings interfere with the performance of her duty. 

( Leave of duty )

“Frak, what have I done?” she said as she looked at herself in the mirror above the sink in the empty uni-sex rest room.  Her little talk with Lt. Lancelot had accomplished no favor. The pilot was one of those who still believed in the honor code, like Jilleen once had before the start of the war.  Her view changed after the start of the war and her experiences on the ground back in the Colonies.

If honor was so important, she should have stayed behind on Leonis with the un-selected and let someone else do the dirty work. Instead, she did her duty, like the rest of those with her on the ground to follow orders and to move on to the next assignment. Be that assignment to gather supplies or round up survivors to be rescued. There was no honor in what they had to do, nothing noble about leaving the un-selected, those un-important people. It did not make up for the fact that they did indeed rescue a good deal of people. Jilleen chose to live with that disappoint of having to leave.

How could a viper pilot understand that, one who saw things from a cockpit way above the ground, they did not have to live in the dirt. Lt. Lancelot and others can live with their honor intact.

( Solace )

Jilleen had the double role of being the Avalon’s operations officer and the Strike Group’s operations officer, a position of great responsibility, one of which she had been performing for years now. She had her set ways, and for the most part understood her place in the scheme of things.  It was her job plain and simple.

After Commander Burk informed her of the Sting, and its possible role in the close reconnaissance mission, she saw the merit. What she did not understand was why they would agree to allow the civilian captain to pilot the ship, there were plenty of talented and skilled military pilots who could do the job. She could herself, at least she believed so. Any ways it had been part of the deal, they get to use the ship if Anika flew it.
( Unwelcomed )

Dani shifted her position in bed, trying to find a comfortable position when her body was letting her be anything but comfortable. She moved a pillow underneath her hips and that seemed to help, and with a sigh she turned back to the book she was trying to read. "You'd better be worth it," she groused good naturedly to her greatly distended abdomen, and chuckled as she got a kick in response.

Since the visit with the doc she was now on limited bedrest, which meant she was supposed to stay in bed as much as possible but was allowed to get up from time to time. It had been a few days now and she was already getting the sense that it was going to feel like an eternity between now and when the babies actually arrived, assuming she made it to full term in less ten weeks.

She sighed again and turned the page.

[thread open to absolutelysheba]

“Eva, do you ever get tired of this old routine?” Jilleen laid back in her bunk with a cigarette in her hand. “I mean, our line of work and living aboard this ship. I sometimes wish, I could just leave and start new career. Something outdoors.” She laughed as the smoke from her cigarette lingered above her.
( Roomies )

Jilleen stood before Admiral Sinclair. “My apologies Admiral. I was away on the Destroyer Delphi when your message was sent for me to come see you. I’d come straight here upon my return.” The Delphi had been on picket duty on the far outer perimeter of the fleet.

As part of her responsibility, Jilleen had spent her time on the destroyer visiting with the Captain of the Ship and reviewing the ship’s force protection procedures, along with observing a training exercise. The Delphi’s crew was extraordinary; the captain ran a tight ship. The destroyers may not have the glamour of a Battlestar, but they were vital in the defense of the fleet. In the last two years not one civilian ship had been lost to any Cylon attack.

She did not know why the Admiral had called for her to come see her. She could only presume it must be something about the fleet. It not like she had ever had many conversations with the admiral on any other subject.

In the lower bunk with the curtains drawn, Jilleen laid under her covers asleep. She stirred a bit as she dreamt.

( Dream world )

28 months earlier


Miniature jets from the Raptor's control thrusters made final adjustments as the space craft hovered over Shoshoni Bell's illuminated landing pad. The ship was designed as a large landing carrier for ferrying passengers and their automobiles, and never really designed for long term space flight. Like so many in the refugee fleet, it had to be modified and redesigned for the current reality. The Raptor touched down gently onto the steel deck. Red lights blinked around the landing deck as the pad slowly descended with the Raptor into the ship.

( Death Ship )

The suite of Councilman Quintus Sertorius on Shangri-la was one of the few Kobol-class luxury apartment suites that were privately owned. Virgon Star Lines had offered private suites for sale to offset the cost over-runs that the company incurred during construction of the resort liner. He and his wife had purchased their suite for their family shortly after it had been made available, a couple of years before the Shangri-la’s maiden voyage at the bargain price of 16 million cubits. Ownership of the suite for the life of the ship included all the amenities and extras.

The Sertorius family were members of Aerilon’s land owner aristocracy. Their wealth had lain in the vast land holdings in the Eastern Continent. Quintus Sertorius, a gentleman in his late sixties, had been a contributor to and political supporter of Benjamin Simmons when he had held the office of Governor. They had even contributed to the younger Robert Simmons’s candidacy for governor in the most recent election cycle on Aerilon in the hope that the Progressive Party would once again take government and reverse Federalist policies that had weaken the colony’s sovereignty.

The first few months after the attack had been hard on the Councilman and his wife, and like everyone else, they too had lost those closest to them. Their daughter was to have joined them for a short vacation. She had sent her luggage and personal items on to the Shangri-la’s next port of call and her room was now a reminder that if only the attack had occurred a few days later, their daughter might have been with them today. The room had been left unused until they invited Benjamin Simmons’ youngest daughter, Jilleen, to stay with them when ever she was aboard the Shangri-la for liberty.

Jilleen Simmons closed the door behind her after she had stepped into the four room suite. At the entryway on a decorative marble topped hall table was a note from Mrs Sertorius that let Jilleen know the couple had gone for a stroll in the park and were going to have dinner with some of their friends. She was invited to join them for dinner if she wished.

Mr and Mrs Sertorius had been so kind to her during the years since the exodus, and were almost like an uncle and aunt. While she very much appreciated the invitation Jilleen had other plans for the night. Instead she would go to her room to rest a bit and then get ready to go out again for the post-game party.

( Note in envelope, addressed to Bethany Jereldsen )

Dani slowly lumbered her way to Major Simmons' office the morning after her trip to Shangri-La, folder in hand with her report on the interview on Derrick Princeton's talk wireless show. The young woman had written it up earlier in the morning after letting the small staff in the Air Liaison office that she would be going on maternity leave after all. Trying to work full time in her condition was becoming too much of a drain and she had to do what was right for herself, her babies, and the fleet in general.

She was half-dreading talking with Jill about the interview, it hadn't gone well to put it mildly and Dani was still upset about it. Even if she had come up with a way to possibly turn things around to the military's advantage she never should have let the interview get out of control in the first place. Dani should have known better than to trust a politician and it wasn't a mistake she would make again.

The grounded pilot was also annoyed at her appearance. Her one good uniform tunic that came close to a proper fit was now on its way to the laundry after she'd spilled her drink all over it at breakfast. She'd tried in vain to squeeze into one of her older tunics, but the material had refused to stretch over her stomach enough for her to get the buttons into their holes and Dani had been forced to leave it hanging open. At least the altered tank and t-shirts were still clean underneath, so she didn't look a complete mess.
( Reports )

 It had been nearly 48 hours since the last engagement with the Cylons, and the crew aboard the Avalon had been very busy in its wake. Jilleen had been busy seeing that the Destroyer Brownlee got what it needed to bring it back to combat readiness, and had spent some time there. It had been a mess aboard that ship, it had suffered some significant damage, but nothing that was not fixable. It was the lives lost that were not replaceable.
( A moment of rest )

( Disappointment )

( Raising Hell )

( Meet up in Multi-Purpose Room 3. )

( Admiral Sinclair gets updated by Simmons on the state of the fleet. )

On her days off, Jilleen often would escape to the triple-domed resort liner Shangri-la and spend her leave with those not directly associated with the military. It was not because she did not enjoy the company of her ship mates, it had always been her thing. Long before the war when she received her commission into the Colonial Forces, she had the financial means beyond her pay rate to live off post and afford an apartment in the more fashionable districts of a city.

( Privileged )