Part 1 Battlestar Galactica: Back To The Colonies: Of Droughts And Grudges

Chapter 7

VII

August 2043

Lieutenant Tia Morilio had just landed her Raptor back at Offutt. She had been sent to Richmond to bring an American Air Force General to see the Base's commander. She didn't get those assignments often but did enjoy spending a day in that beautiful city.

She went back to the officer's area and took a shower then went to her quarters and changed. It was about 3 pm when she left her quarters. She had the next three days off so she left the base and drove her SUV to Omaha. She had been to the city on numerous occasions, mostly with her fellow jocks who had days off. They would go into town and blow off steam and have a good time.

Fantasma parked her car in a multi-level garage on South 8th street and then walked East to Kenefick Park. She enjoyed relaxing here on days like today. For once the heat wasn't stifling, even though the drought still had not let go it's grip on the region. She went to a park bench near the Lauritzen Gardens and sat down, closing her eyes for a few minutes. It was the middle of a Wednesday afternoon so not many people were around. She enjoyed the quiet for about a half hour, then got up and walked away.

She went back to her car, started it, and began to drive. Within the hour, she was in Loveland, New Caprica at the junction of Interstates 29 and 680. There was a truck stop there that served great food and also had a full-service shop for both cars and 18-Wheelers. There was an Express Oil Change at the truck stop and she asked to have her oil changed while she ate lunch. There were three garages for the oil changes and she didn't have to wait.

She had a tasty fish sandwich and a root beer, along with some curly fries. Not exactly a healthy meal but she would allow herself a treat once in awhile. After about thirty minutes she was finished, paid for the oil change and drove off. Within another hour she was in Sioux City where she ate dinner and stopped after dark to visit some friends for a short time. Then she left Sioux City and headed back to Offutt.

No one had seen her at the park in Omaha reach below the bench and pick up an envelope that was taped to the underside; no one had seen her read the instructions on the letter in the garage; no one had noticed that when she arrived she had dropped her SUV off in the far left garage but had exited in an identical SUV from the center garage, or that her license plate had been moved to the vehicle she was now driving.

No one at Offutt knew that her later father didn't just "die" on Galactica all those years ago, but he had been executed for taking part in the mutiny against Admiral Adama; no one knew that her mother Carmen had never taken the last name of her father; no one knew his name, or how he had died; and no one on Offutt knew of her blinding hatred of the people who had sent her father to his death.

And no one had known that that vehicle was full of weapons, plastic explosives, and ammo.

She had just made her first dead-drop and delivery for The Cain Mutiny.

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September 2043

Justin Bond was sitting in his study at his residence in Virginia, going over the pile of information that he needed to study in preparation to become Governor of the first UED Fleet to head back to The Colonies in about sixteen months. The office was a mini-presidency for what would be for a "society" of about 30,000 that would be on the forty-four ships to sail. The law was a mixture of Colonial, New Caprican, UED and even some semblance of the American Constitution. And surprisingly, it all meshed together quite well. But studying all this, he knew why he never wanted to be a lawyer.

He not only had to study a lot but one part of his life didn't change-talking to people. He had to find time to go to Russia, China, Japan and a host of other nations as a pre-voyage Goodwill Ambassador. He would much rather have all of them come to the U.N but that wasn't going to happen. He was going to make sure to pencil in a month or so of R&R right before the fleet left.