Chapter 2

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II


He wasn't the greatest chef in the Universe, but Justin Bond did enjoy making an occasional meal for he and Judith. He wasn't fancy about his cooking: a garden salad, two medium New York Cut strip steaks, asparagus with butter and baked potatoes.

He was just finishing up when his wife arrived back at their quarters on the DSE Martin Luther King, Jr. Judith took a sniff of the aroma's from the kitchen and smiled. "You are a connoisseur, Justin!" She came around the corner into the kitchen and kissed her husband.

"Only in my own mind, my dear", he chuckled, as he used a spatula to move around the asparagus in the olive oil and butter sauce. "How was the meeting onboard the Mandela?"

"It went as expected: a bunch of politicians discussing the election", she inspected the progress of the dinner, then continued. "May of 2054 may seem a long way off, but it'll be on us before you know it."

"You really enjoy being on the Election Committee, don't you?" He smiled up at her as he turned the steaks for the last time.

"Yeah, I do", she admitted. "When Kara first mentioned that I should get involved in the political process more, I was hesitant. My First Lady skills were a bit rusty, but I enjoy the banter and the sense of involving The Fleet in the process."

"Much easier to do when there are seventy-thousand people, instead of 340 million people", he said with a chuckle, but he stopped his chuckle short. "Well, about 295 million now", he corrected himself, remembering that the United States, like the rest of Earth, was still trying to recover the population from the war against The Cylons that had ended twenty-five years earlier.

A few minutes later, Justin had the meal on the plates, with a glass of Merlot for Judith and simply some water for himself. He had to admit, he had put together a pretty tasty looking dinner.

They began to eat, but as was always the case at the table, they continued to talk about events.

"You seem uneasy about giving the order to commence the operation on Caprica, Justin", his wife said directly. "That's not like you."

He smiled back at his bride. "Kara and Nick told me the same thing this morning after the meeting." He took a sip of water. "Yeah, I'm not thrilled with this, to be honest, but we all agreed that those nuts up there could become a real problem when trying to rebuild Caprica City, and it could really slow down our plans for The Colonies as a whole. Caprica is the linchpin to everything."

"What does Louis think?"

"I think he feels the same way we do, to be honest." He sliced off another piece of his steak. "He told us there was no need to start now, that they could handle it when they arrive."

"But you don't want to just leave it to them, do you?"

Justin Bond put down his fork and knife. "No, I don't", he said uncomfortably. "We found this mess, and we have the responsibility to try to clean it up. I'd have moved sooner, but the scouting of all the worlds had to come first." He wiped his mouth with his napkin. "Now? We have the forces to make it even, and when Louis and his fleet arrive, we should be able to finish things quickly, so they can begin their work, and we can begin the trip home."

"Then you have an election to get ready for, Governor", Judith said as she took a sip of her wine.

The room was silent for an extra beat or two. Judith looked up at her husband and instantly understood.

"You're not going to run again, are you?" There was genuine shock in her voice.

"No, Judy, I'm not", the words having a finality to them. "I'm almost eighty now, babe; I've been playing the political game for almost forty years now, and it's time to step aside."

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