{"id":687,"date":"2015-08-30T12:25:31","date_gmt":"2015-08-30T12:25:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=687"},"modified":"2015-08-31T12:40:09","modified_gmt":"2015-08-31T12:40:09","slug":"voyage-to-earth-crystal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=687","title":{"rendered":"Voyage to Earth – Crystal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Voyage to Earth<\/span><\/h2>\n

by AJ Marks<\/span><\/p>\n

Crystal<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason raced back to his viper, aware of what was going on behind him. If they had caught Apollo, they might come after him as well. His first thought, he needed to get help, and in order to do that, he had to get back to the fleet. Once there they could come back and rescue Apollo.<\/p>\n

He looked around upon reaching his viper, glad he did not see anyone following him. They either did not know about him, or considered him no threat, whatever that threat might be. He had no idea why they had captured Apollo, and as he went thought the takeoff procedure the question entered his mind.<\/p>\n

Quickly powering up the engines, he launched off the planet\u2019s surface. Now on the way back, he wondered about the conversation he overheard. Something about a dead emperor, but what that might have to do with the captain, Jason did not know.<\/p>\n

He hit his turbos and hoped they made it back in time.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Tigh stood off to the side of the bridge, going over some reports on the condition of the fleet. The Agamemnon still had a full load of fuel and ammo, and he tried to think of way to conserve that fuel for their trip to Earth. He hoped he would see that planet one day.<\/p>\n

\u201cCommander,\u201d the flight officer said. Tigh looked over at the tone the man had used instantly aware something had happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d Tigh asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got an incoming viper from the patrol,\u201d the officer replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly one?\u201d Tigh asked, clarifying the situation, before looking down at the scanners for himself. He saw one viper flying back to the fleet. That meant it was either Apollo or Jason, and what the situation was, he had no idea. It could be trouble, or good news. He would have to wait and see.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are your orders?\u201d the officer replied.<\/p>\n

Tigh thought about it for a few seconds before coming to a conclusion. It would actually be a good exercise for the crew. \u201cSound yellow alert, and have the pilot brought to my office when he lands, along with Starbuck and Boomer,\u201d Tigh said, knowing that the alert would get the crew moving, and the practice would do good in case the real thing happened later on.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes sir,\u201d the officer said, as the crew went to work. Tigh wondered what the patrol had encountered. Several scenarios ran though his mind and he had a wide variety of answers. He would know the truth when the pilot arrived in his office.<\/p>\n

Tigh made his way to his office, his mind racing with several different explanations, all bad. He really wished he was not the person in charge right now, but could rely on Adama. However, he was still resting, and this was his battlestar.<\/p>\n

He looked up watching both Starbuck and Boomer walk into the office. They appeared concerned, knowing that when one was summoned to the commander\u2019s office unannounced it never meant good things.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d Starbuck asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have one viper returning from the patrol Apollo was on. We don\u2019t know who, or what happened yet, but I want to be prepared for anything,\u201d Tigh said to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cGreat,\u201d Starbuck said, slouching down in a chair. \u201cCould be anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Boomer said nothing, but sat down as well. The hangar reported the viper had landed and the pilot was on his way up to his office. The fact the hangar crew gave no name meant nothing. With so many new faces, it was hard to keep up and the new people might not know the older warriors.<\/p>\n

The door chimed indicating the pilot had arrived. Tigh granted permission and they watched Jason walk into the room. Now they would find out what happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cHave a seat,\u201d Tigh said, watching as Jason walked over and sat down. \u201cNow, what happened? I assume something happened with only one of you returning. Last you reported you were heading down to inspect the planet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell commander, Captain Apollo ordered me to check out the deposit of charcoal close to where we landed. He went over to check out the nearby town, something about trading,\u201d Jason said. \u201cHe never said how long he might take, and after I finished my scans, he had not returned, and waited a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI take it he didn\u2019t return, you follow him then?\u201d Starbuck asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes. I headed towards the town, I kept to the shadows, as night was falling. It took me a little bit to find him, there was a mob in the center of town. I saw that he was trying to make his way back to the ship without being spotted. They spotted him and quickly cornered him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou left him capture by a mob?\u201d Starbuck said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe ordered me to leave,\u201d Jason said. \u201cThough I did overhear some say he should be dead, and they didn\u2019t understand how he could have returned from the dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReturned from the dead,\u201d Boomer said. \u201cSomehow I don\u2019t like the sound of this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe must have known Jason would need help in rescuing him,\u201d Tigh said. \u201cStarbuck, gather a team and head on out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen I\u2019ll take Jason, Boomer, and a few others,\u201d Starbuck said.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet your equipment together and head to the shuttles,\u201d Tigh said.<\/p>\n

He watched them walk out. He leaned back in the chair wondering what might happen next.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Apollo began to question the sanity of his captors. They called him the \u2018emperor\u2019 for some strange reason. He also detected a sense of fear coming from the people. So far he had not been mistreated, aside from being half-dragged into the cell he now occupied.<\/p>\n

Any attempt he made to explain what was going on had fallen on deaf ears. They did not listen to him at all. He spent some time wondering who this \u2018emperor\u2019 was, and if he even wanted to be associated with him. He heard a few whispers from the guards about an execution in the morning.<\/p>\n

Apollo hoped Jason had gotten out and back to the fleet for help. He did not want anyone else to get hurt, but also knew he might have to fight to get back to the fleet. If he could reach his viper, he could use it to leave the planet.<\/p>\n

They had taken his weapon and communicator when they captured him, and looked at it uneasily. He had told Jason to go for help, but had no idea how long it might take for him to head back to the fleet, tell the commander, gather a team and head back, let along act for a rescue.<\/p>\n

Voices outside the room caught his attention, and he looked out to see what might be going on. He spotted a bald, medium-sized man walked up to the door, and entered the room. They glanced at each other for several seconds.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there\u2019s been a case of mistaken identity,\u201d Apollo stated, hoping to reason with the man.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t think so emperor,\u201d the man replied back, sneering the last word. \u201cI can recognize you anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUm, listen, I\u2019m positive we\u2019ve never seen each other before,\u201d Apollo said, knowing if they had he would recognized a Colonial warrior uniform.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course you\u2019d say that, lying like everything else you\u2019ve done before,\u201d the man said to him. \u201cNow that the power is reversed, you are under my mercy, how does it feel.\u201d They stared at each other for a few more seconds.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know this emperor, I\u2019m Captain Apollo of the battlestar Galactica,\u201d Apollo said, hoping to say something that might trigger a discussion with reason in it.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour lies are getting worse,\u201d the man said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter, we have a trial set up for you, I think you\u2019ll enjoy it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The way the man smiled made Apollo know that it would be anything but fair.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat will it take to convince you I\u2019m not the emperor?\u201d Apollo asked, looking for something he could use.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing, you are the emperor, better pray to your gods,\u2019 the man said, with a chuckle as he turned away and left the room.<\/p>\n

Apollo paced around the room, hoping Jason would return quickly with help. Perhaps if they brought a couple of vipers, or shuttle down in the center of the city it might convince them.<\/p>\n

He looked over as the door opened revealing a woman with red hair who came into the room. Apollo watched as she cautiously approached, her green eyes looking right into his own for a long time before she finally spoke.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho are you?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cCaptain Apollo of the battlestar Galactica,\u201d he replied once more.<\/p>\n

Her continued stare made him uncomfortable. She tilted her head to the side before continuing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is a battlestar galactica,\u201d she asked, stumbling around the words.<\/p>\n

\u201cA spaceship,\u201d Apollo said, wondering if they even knew what that was.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what is that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAh,\u201d he said, taking a moment to think about how they might understand what he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a large sailing ship that flies beyond the clouds.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds romantic,\u201d she said, and he watched as her eyes seemed to glaze over as if trying to imagine it. She stayed like that for a few seconds before she looked back at him again. \u201cYou don\u2019t belong here Captain Apollo. I\u2019ll try and help you, but they don\u2019t care for me much.\u201d<\/p>\n

Apollo watched as she left again, and he wondered exactly what she meant. He had a strange feeling she and this emperor were close. He only wished the others were as nice and understanding, he might have been able to explain a bit more. Instead, he had to wait and see what might happen next.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the planet,\u201d Jason said. The shuttle descended through the clouds as they locked onto the viper. They landed as close as possible to the viper to give them a reference point to head to the town.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoesn\u2019t look like much,\u201d Boomer said, looking down at the town.<\/p>\n

\u201cMight be a good thing, make it easier,\u201d Cassiopeia said, sitting in the back of the shuttle. She came along as their medtech in case someone got injured, and she had experience in such missions.<\/p>\n

The shuttle finally found a clear spot close to the town and landed with no problems. Starbuck and Boomer quickly exited making sure no one surprised them. Though who that might be they had no idea.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich way?\u201d Boomer asked, as they gathered up a bit of gear and got their bearings.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis way,\u201d Jason said, pointing in a direction towards the town.<\/p>\n

The group slowly made their way towards the town, the growing sunlight indicated morning was coming. They made their way to the town\u2019s edge, looking around at the inactivity of the town.<\/p>\n

\u201cHold up, they were not too accommodating to Apollo for some reason,\u201d Jason said. \u201cBy wearing the same uniforms they might attack us on sight as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen we need a plan,\u201d Cassiopeia said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd quickly,\u201d Boomer replied. They glanced around a bit at each other, each one trying to think of something that might help.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, if it\u2019s our clothing, we need some new clothes,\u201d Cassiopeia said logically. Yelling close by made them look over. A small red-headed woman was arguing with a taller bald man.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know that isn\u2019t him,\u201d the red-head said, yelling at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I say he is,\u201d the man yelled back at her. \u201cThis discussion has been made already.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat man isn\u2019t him, he\u2019s not from here, we both know that. You know I would recognized him right away,\u201d the woman said, not backing down from the man.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, you listen,\u201d he said, roughly grabbing her, and the group had to stop themselves from jumping into the situation as the man continued. \u201cWho cares if is he or isn\u2019t, this I our opportunity for revenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBy doing that you\u2019re no better than he was,\u201d the woman said, even as the man stormed off.<\/p>\n

Starbuck looked over at Boomer as they silently communicated their intentions. Waiting until the woman passed nearby they grabbed her, much to Cassiopeia\u2019s surprise. She struggled more than what they expected.<\/p>\n

\u201cShh, we\u2019re not going to hurt you,\u201d Starbuck said, looking around then back at her. \u201cWe only want some information, nothing else.\u201d<\/p>\n

The woman looked at him, then at his clothing. Boomer was able to release her and she looked at each of them taking in not their faces, but outfits. They waited to see what she might say, hoping she could help them.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you from this battle-star galac ticka?\u201d she asked, stumbling around the words.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve talked with our friend?\u201d Starbuck asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cCaptain Apollo, yes,\u201d she replied back to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re his friends,\u201d Starbuck said, seeing a glimmer of hope in someone who might help them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to talk, follow me,\u201d she said, leading them to a small cottage at the edge of the town. It was run-down, in need of repairs, but inside, it was clean, well maintained despite very little inside.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know where our friend is?\u201d Starbuck asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I know where Captain is, they think he\u2019s the emperor,\u201d the woman said.<\/p>\n

\u201cCaptain?\u201d Jason asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Captain Apollo, Captain is his first name, is it not?\u201d she asked logically.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh, no, captain is a rank we use in our military, his name is Apollo,\u201d Starbuck replied, explaining it a bit. \u201cWe all have one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh,\u201d she said, a look of sadness coming over her.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou all right,\u201d Cassiopeia asked, reaching out touching her arm.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, sorry, just reminded of someone I loved,\u201d she said, snapping back to the group in front of her.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe looked like Apollo?\u201d Jason said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, he had a vision, it went against what others liked, and they turned against him, killing him,\u201d she said to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you help us?\u201d Starbuck asked.<\/p>\n

They watched as she looked at them for several seconds before finally replying. \u201cFor a price, yes,\u201d she said, her green eyes looking back at them with intensity few had seen.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what is this price?\u201d Starbuck asked, wondering if they could even meet it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll tell you after we rescue them,\u201d she said. \u201cWhat are your names?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJason,\u201d Jason said, accepting the change in conversation. They each introduced themselves before the woman said more.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should probably hurry, Ryan will want to execute your friend as soon as possible. Any trial will be only for show,\u201d she said to them.<\/p>\n

She stood, and headed to the door leaving them in the dark about her name. She seemed to usher them out of the small house and back towards the town. On the walk to the town she updated them on the fact that the townsfolk wanted revenge for what the emperor had done, despite the fact even he did not know what might happen.<\/p>\n

Starbuck learned that the local officials would not be easy to talk to. Their minds were already made up. The previous emperor never was tried for what they considered crimes against them, so, according to the woman, Apollo was a perfect cover. It also would hide problems with the current leadership.<\/p>\n

Reaching the town they noticed the gathering crowd. Starbuck and Boomer knew it would not be easy now. They saw Apollo standing on the platform, along with several guards, and he seemed fine at the moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoomer, Jason, set for stun only,\u201d Starbuck said, not liking the way things were going so far. He saw no way to get Apollo out of here diplomatically if the woman was to believed.<\/p>\n

\u201cRyan!\u201d the woman said, speaking up. The crowd reacted as they looked at her, along with the others with her. They parted slightly and Starbuck had the distinct impression she was not welcome among them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, this is not a surprise,\u201d a man said, and Starbuck assumed him to be Ryan. \u201cI see the emperor\u2019s whore has come to save her piece of trash emperor.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe isn\u2019t the emperor,\u201d the woman said calmly.<\/p>\n

\u201cSure he is, we\u2019ve all seen him, he is the emperor. He always said he\u2019d return, even you said so,\u201d he said, causing her to flinch.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you do this then you are no better than he was,\u201d the woman said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve all agreed he is, and your words are expected from his whore,\u201d Ryan replied back to her. \u201cHe killed people, and he didn\u2019t care how or why it happened, each time telling us it was for our future, ha!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd killing an innocent man is different how?\u201d the woman asked, not backing down, despite the crowd on Ryan\u2019s side. The group got nervous at the rising hostility.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoesn\u2019t matter, we\u2019ve found him guilty, he will be executed,\u201d Ryan said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think so,\u201d Starbuck said, drawing his weapon. The conversation so far had been between the woman and Ryan, but now with Starbuck stepping forward it changed slightly. Now, as Boomer and Jason stepped forward, the focus shifted.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see you\u2019ve brought some friends, foolish. How much did it cost you, your body, soul?\u201d Ryan asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to use force to free my friend, so don\u2019t make us,\u201d Starbuck stated, his blaster now aimed at the group. Adrenaline pumped though his system at the approaching conflict.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, don\u2019t kill anyone,\u201d the woman said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHa, five against all of us, you are badly outnumbered. Even if you processed the skill of the emperor, we could overwhelm you, and you would still die,\u201d Ryan said.<\/p>\n

\u201cStarbuck!\u201d Apollo said.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry buddy, it\u2019s on stun,\u201d Starbuck said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou sure?\u201d Apollo said, causing Starbuck to look down.<\/p>\n

\u201cYep,\u201d Starbuck replied back.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeize them,\u201d Ryan said.<\/p>\n

Starbuck waited a moment watching as several large men stepped forward causing them to back up a bit. Starbuck really wished the men had stopped, but fired to protect him. Jason and Boomer fired as well and several men fell down. Screams erupted from the crowd as civilians panicked. The group remained calm watching the people rush to get away in fear.<\/p>\n

A few more soldiers moved forward and they fired again, stunning them. After a few more even the soldiers backed off, fearfully looking at the group then back at Ryan before abandoning the attempt to take the group.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s get Apollo and get out of here,\u201d Starbuck said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll get him,\u201d Cassiopeia said, rushing forward as the trio covered her. Cassiopeia reached Apollo quickly untying the bonds. A couple of men tried to stop them but Jason and Boomer took them out.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, you won\u2019t get away with this!\u201d Ryan yelled at the group.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are worse people than me, especially the metallic men called Cylons, they will manipulate you and kill you,\u201d Apollo said back, causing the group to frown slightly before understanding the idea.<\/p>\n

The group quickly retreated, firing off a few more shots before rushing back towards the ships. Jason took off towards the viper as the others headed towards the shuttle.<\/p>\n

\u201cLooks like we\u2019re not going to be able to keep our promise,\u201d Starbuck said to the red-haired woman.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou never heard my request,\u201d the woman said. \u201cTake me with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

That stunned the group. It was not what they expected to hear from her. Apollo was the first to regain his senses to answer the question.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, we\u2019re not coming back here, and, well, our life isn\u2019t so good,\u201d Apollo replied to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I stay here, I am dead,\u201d she told them. \u201cPlease take me with you. They\u2019ve been looking for a way to kill me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Starbuck looked over at Apollo for a few seconds, before finally shrugging his shoulders.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have much time,\u201d Boomer said, from inside the shuttle, going thought the checklist. \u201cBesides, we\u2019ve picked up people before.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s got a point,\u201d Starbuck said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, but don\u2019t say we didn\u2019t warn you,\u201d Apollo said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIts life, and I knew you\u2019d take me,\u201d she said. \u201cI want to see these strange things for myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Starbuck looked over at the others unsure what she meant by that. They climbed on board even as Boomer notified them that Jason had taken off already. They sat down as the shuttle lifted off.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad to be out of there,\u201d Apollo stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s was a strange encounter, that\u2019s for sure,\u201d Starbuck said.<\/p>\n

Cassiopeia looked over at the red-head before speaking up. \u201cWhat is your name?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCrystal.\u201d<\/p>\n

End Crystal<\/p>\n

Continued in Unveiling<\/a><\/p>\n

Comment below or send to AJMarks01@aol.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Voyage to Earth by AJ Marks Crystal Jason raced back to his viper, aware of what was going on behind him. If they had caught Apollo, they might come after him as well. His first thought, he needed to get help, and in order to do that, he had to get back to the fleet. […]
Continue reading…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,9],"tags":[3,14,11,10,15,12],"class_list":["post-687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-battlestar-galactica","category-fanfiction","tag-aj-marks","tag-battlestar","tag-battlestar-galactica","tag-fanfiction","tag-galactica","tag-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/687","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=687"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/687\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":693,"href":"https:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/687\/revisions\/693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}