<div style="text-align: center"><i> Swapping a longterm RP between Mystine and my self from swapped text documents to the forums for ease of continuation.  Mostly so we'll see it more often and remember it's dear to us and continue it!  If anyone actually reads this wall of text -  I'll be amazed.<br/>
This isn't edited, it's just rp, with the records posted in Spoiler tags for our own records and to easily access things that happened if need be.  This -isn't- a 'Story' - This is and always has been RP...its just long- and may one day turn into a more traditional 'story' - so we keep good records.<br/>
<br/>
<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black'"><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="color: red">SPOILER WARNING : If you plan to watch or have started and not finished the  the reimagined BSG series, you might wanna pass on reading this- Spoilers up to  3.5. </span></span></span> </i>​</div>___________________________________________________________________________________________<br/><br/>The Cylons were created by man. They Evolved. They Rebelled.  Twelve modles look and feel human, there are seemingly endless copies.<br/><br/>This is the story of one particular modle 3.  Her  story has been, up until this point, untold.  While most threes were boxed and deactivated due to the  actions of  one model : D’Anna Biers.   It was assumed that all Threes were boxed successfully, but one slipped through the cracks and did not share in her sisters fate.  Morgan Ayres  was not boxed and deactivated, this is her story, her fate and destiny, revealed.<br/><br/>This is also the story of a human woman who dared to blur the lines between colonial and cylon.  A  colonial Raptor pilot convinced that the secret to peace in the conflict, was unification. Believing that the only answer to peace between creator and the created was to meld the two together. This is the story of one human who didn’t just blur the lines of man and machine, but was determined to cross it. This is the story of the first true hybrid.<br/><br/><br/>Part -1<br/><br/>Chapter 1-2<br/><div class="ToggleTriggerAnchor bbCodeSpoilerContainer">
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<div class="SpoilerTarget bbCodeSpoilerText">The Fall of the Scorpion Fleet  Shipyards.<br/>
Zero Hour-<br/>
<br/>
It happens in what seems less then a second. The skies alongside the Scorpia Ship yard are bombarded by an onslaught of Cylons.  Five Basestars, and a seemingly endless stream of Cylon raiders attack the until now- quiet space port.<br/>
White lights shoot from the front of the Basestars- barreling through the darkness of space at lighting speed and ripping through anything in their path. <br/>
One nuke takes out three Battlestars- thousands upon thousands of souls- gone in an instant. <br/>
The crew of the Pegasus reacts as they are bombarded with short range missiles, the alarms blare as the XO screams, “Launch alert vipers! Repeat! Launch all alert vipers!”  <br/>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br/>
&lt;Que Music: Heeding the Call - Bear McCreary<br/>
<br/>
Approximately a little over a year after the destruction of Cloud 9 over New Caprica.... New Caprica Space, Cylon Basestar - Day 700<br/>
<br/>
The red glow of the Basestars life-giving lights pulsed through the room that seemed to be itself inhaling and exhaling on its own. It was an empty room, one used as a nexus for the hybrid bathes to be hooked into. Right now in it was an empty pool of white opaque liquid. The hard black osidian-like edges at the top of the bath seemed to breath in that life that pulsed red through out the room, expanding then contracting.  Each notch along the edge of bath counted around the circumference totaled one hundred and sixty nine. The square root of thirteen. The heat of this place was lessened somewhat without the hybrid rooted to this nexus. It was empty. Not connected. Without meaning. Without consciousness.<br/>
<br/>
A foot passed along the side of the notches, then another... a woman’s pair of feet, the hue of her skin; sun-tinted, traveling up the length of her bare calve. As those feet travelled, shreds of clothing dropped here.... then later there. Finally those feet approached the end of the bath. At the entrance to the bath, final robe fell to the floor.<br/>
<br/>
The feet stepped into the bath, white milky substance forming a line around her ankles at the surface. The feet took a few more tentative steps into the pool, liquid line moving up to the back of her knees. The calves then turned around to face the front of the pool.<br/>
<br/>
Arms extended delicate hands reaching down to grab the notches numbering one hundred and sixty-nine. The square root of thirteen. Her toned arms held her torso up as she bent her knees. Her thighs half way covered in the off-white substance. The liquid line travelling up her pelvis. The liquid line travelled over her mound easily, up her stomach, filling her bellybutton in an instant. This woman’s sides and ribs were being flooded with the same substance. Up, the liquid line went, over her sternum, between her cleavage and over the bottom curve of her breasts. At last her dark nipples disappeared below the surface, hidden by the pale obliqueness of the liquid. Her arms slipped in. Each part of her body except for her neck and head disappeared below the surface, now part of the pool, the ship, the network.<br/>
<br/>
The woman looked up, her grey-blue eyes in awe, her pupils wide. Her mouth agape in a silent call. Eyebrow ring still exposed. The scar of her left cheek still apparent, the tattoo below her left eye still above the surface. her short drak brown hair ends soaking and becoming points.  The pool became her skin, her skin became the pool.  And for the first time in her life, she felt connected... to everything. She felt... home.<br/>
<br/>
End of Line.<br/>
<br/>
&lt;End Music: Heeding the Call - Bear McCreary&gt;<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
&lt;Que Music: Apocalypse Part 1 - Bear McCreary&gt;<br/>
<br/>
“SON OF A BITCH!” Rush threw her helmet off her head as it went skittering along the rear part of the Raptor.<br/>
<br/>
“All network connections are down, no signals from the Fleetyard! No data relays from the Pegasus.... or any of the remaining ships!” Rush’s Raptor pilot, “Nails” knew her stuff but even in this situation, she was beginning to doubt her nerves in the face of this massive Cylon attack.<br/>
<br/>
“I can give you what our cat’s eye has locally, that’s it!” Nails pounded her cockpit dash in frustration.<br/>
<br/>
“It will do! Send it over!” Rush leaned forward at her control board, some of it now lighting up with data on enemy ship positions, viper positions and vectors, raider trajectories and vectors. “Just keep us out of harms way as we gather the data!”<br/>
<br/>
Rush looked at the data... and froze. A soft sheen of sweat covered her sun-tinted skin. Her grey-blue eyes just stared at the incoming data. Limited and incomplete but worst of all, non-visual. Just math.... just numbers. She heard the screams of viper pilots in head and over the wireless, calls for orders, coordination, anything to keep them alive. Everything went silent... she didn’t know what to do or say, tell which vipers to go where, what points to defend, what avenues of escape to prepare. Nothing came to her as she felt the panic build in the pit of her stomach.<br/>
<br/>
“Rush! Tell them something!... Rush! Are you okay?!.... Rush?!” Nails voice was barely a whisper. Everything around her was exploding in slow motion. The whine of Cylon raiders passing by. Then she heard it.... heard her. It was “Havoc” on the comms. She heard her voice and her heart fluttered for an instant, her breathing calmed and she knew she had to do something. She took one last look at the data and closed her eyes. Imagined the data in her head, forming the ships, fighters and Cylons all in her headspace, registering positions, vectors and velocities all at once. Her eyes fluttered open momentarily as she skimmed the updated data on her control board and then closed her eyes again. And it came to her.... She came to her...<br/>
<br/>
“Havoc, their goal is to knock out the FTLs. Take wings 3 and 6 and feint those raiders away from sectors 12 through 15... approach from the sides, you make a juicy target from them to change course to and chase down. Then order what’s left of wings 4 and 8 to approach on the vertical access and do the same. Buy us time!”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
The wing to Havocs viper is scrapping against the side of the Pegasus as she turns in hard- pulling her throttle upwards and making a beeline for the ships FTLs. “Roger that-  Where the fraks Pegasus actual?!” She grits her teeth and glares down the length of the ship, endlessly assaulted by bursts of short range missiles the CAG ducks between the on coming assault as best she can.<br/>
<br/>
She bares down on the controls of her viper , leaning in to the short jerky turns as she speeds towards the ships hull. She looks behind her, noticing she is alone - “Pegasus I’ve lost birds 3 and 6, we’re getting frakking annihilated out here...”.   A burst of adrenaline courses through her veins as she thinks of the heavy repercussions of failing this particular mission. <br/>
<br/>
No FTLs meant no jump. Not jumping meant absolute complete and utter oblivion for  her self, her pilots and the rest of the crew. She grumbles to her self, not aware her com-link is open, “Nothing like a bit of frakking pressure...”  She jerks her viper to the left swiftly - avoiding a pair of cylon raiders headed directly at her. She pulls up on her thrusters, and turns her viper upside down, speeding headlong into her assailants- She mutters something that's almost certainly comprised of zero words- and speeds headlong in to the first Raider.  Her finger solidly on her trigger for her kenetic blasters- she fires as rapidly as she can at the raider she is rapidly approaching. <br/>
<br/>
The pilot is engaged in a rousing game of ‘who moves first’ (do they have chickens in bsg?)- and doesn’t intend on losing. Her ship is barreling closer and closer to the assaulting raider, but before the nose of her bird makes contact, she pulls back on her controls, flipping the bird right side up- shooting it several times over, all in the exact same spot- as she maneuvers.   Her wing clips the debris and sends her spinning out of control. As she spins she lines up her shot to assault the second raider, with out so much as blinking an eye, she fires a missile directly at the ship and sets it to explode. <br/>
<br/>
There is a sinking feeling in the CAGS stomach as she heads back to the FTL- her heart racing as she deals with the possibility of having to stand guard of the ships FTL by her self. “Rush! “ she yelps over the wireless, “Got an ETA on the FTL?” She bobs back and forth, avoiding the raiders fire - as a second wave comes at her.  <br/>
<br/>
<br/>
As Havoc picks off wave after wave of Cylon raider- she can’t help but worry.  Something was wrong- more wrong then one could ever imagine during an all out cylon attack. Havoc was no frakking martyr, but she’d be dammed if any of her pilots needlessly died...especially Rush.  “Rush...Get the frak back to Pegasus. All alert vipers return to Pegasus NOW!” she howls, as wave after wave of raider continues to come at the ships FTL.<br/>
<br/>
______________________________________________________________________<br/>
<br/>
Tauron- 6 years BCH<br/>
<br/>
The streets of the Minos are  empty at 5am.  The distant sound of people talking, exhaust  fumes, and  the sweltering heat of  the planet assaults  Morgan Ayres’s , who's bus was supposed to arrive 30 minutes ago. Its not long before the towering blond woman becomes uneasy at the sheer emptiness of the of the streets. The impracticality that she is the only individual catching a transport at this time of the morning..seemed unlikely.<br/>
<br/>
The young woman cranes her neck from side to side, her cool blue eyes narrowing as she stares down an empty street- cupping her hand over her eyes to shield them from caustic overhead neon lighting.   Nothing. She slides her hand back on the protective railing between her and the street and  she sighs, shaking her head as she returns to her prone position -looking straight ahead.<br/>
Cue this!<br/>
She immediately jumps, taken aback at the transport that has seemingly appeared out of thin air.  She narrows her eyes, trying to hold back surprise.<br/>
<br/>
The driver of the transport: A  middle aged man with a receding hairline, bushy eyebrows and  a  compressed scowl , cracks his lips and groans sardonically, “ Not to rush you or anything, but you are keeping an entire bus waiting..”   He stares at the young woman, sizing her up as she kneels to grasp her lone bag.<br/>
<br/>
She hefts it up with her heavily tattooed arms,  and  hops over the guard rail, and up the stairs of the bus.<br/>
The driver glares at her. She stares at him blankly. A deep sensation of De ja’ vu comes over her.<br/>
“Have we met?”<br/>
<br/>
“Only in your dreams sweetheart..” His eyes narrow, as a sly grin crosses his lips. He turns and starts to drive  as Morgan deposits a few coins into the meter and looks around the nearly empty bus.<br/>
<br/>
A smiling blond woman with expressive eyes and thick dark hair,with platinum highlights stares at her. She is the only patron riding this particular route.  As Morgan is about to sit - the stranger speaks up. “I don’t bite..” she purrs between pursed lips which curl in to an almost catlike grin.<br/>
“Thats’ too bad.” Morgan smiles back. Never one to turn down a chance to flirt , she lifts her bags once more and heads towards  the empty seat. She smiles silently as she sits, giving the woman a smoldering look. She reaches a hand out in greeting, “Morgan Ayres.” she smiles.<br/>
<br/>
“I know.” she chimes<br/>
<br/>
Morgan tilts her head, questioning silently.<br/>
<br/>
“S’on your bag.” The stranger taps the over-sized bag placed atop Morgans lap,before pointing to her self , “Gina Invaire.”<br/>
<br/>
Morgan narrows her eyes, “Uh huh.”  She stares forward looking around the bus, a sly grin across her lips.<br/>
<br/>
“So where are you headed to this morning?” Gina asks.<br/>
<br/>
Morgan digs in to her tank top, pulling out a pair of colonial fleet tags. “Just enlisted.Reporting for basic.”<br/>
<br/>
“That’s quite a commitment..” Gina notes.<br/>
<br/>
The tattooed woman shrugs, crossing her arms,”Don’t have much else.”<br/>
<br/>
“Nothing?” Gina asks, her fingers trailing up the blonds arm. “Surly a big strong girl like you can get work on Tauron?”<br/>
<br/>
Morgan narrows her eyes at the awkward question, “Nothing legal.”<br/>
<br/>
The look on the tattooed womans face speaks more then her words ever could- Its made clear Gina shouldn’t press the issue. But Gina opens her mouth to speak anyway, looking directly at the woman next to her.  Just as words were about to pour out of  her lips- she stops. Straightens up, and closes her mouth, turning to stare out the window..<br/>
<br/>
Morgan quirks a brow, mumbling under her breath “Well my legendary charm seems to be in working order..”<br/>
<br/>
They ride in silence from then on , Morgan stares out the window silently, contemplating this overwhelming feeling that she has been here -on this bus- with these people-before.  <br/>
<br/>
“End of the line.” The driver barks , jarring her from her musings.  With out a word Morgan stands and nods at Gina. And heads off the bus and into the busy spaceport.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
 The driver watches as Morgan disappears into the crowd. He crosses his arms. “ Well.that was unexpected.” he turns to Gina- his mirthful look grows in to one of disappointment  “Shes doing an awful lot of breathing for someone you were supposed to kill.... I thought we agreed bringing our sister home would be the only fitting end to this failed experiment...”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
“This is gods will Cavil..” Gina responds as she watches the bustling people. “Shes chosen her path.It diverges from the path we set her on...ergo- this is clearly gods will..and it must come to fruition.”<br/>
<br/>
Cavil scoffs “Gods will..”  He opens his mouth again, as if hes going to argue- but after a moment his brow softens, and he relents with a sigh, “She always has had a penchant for surprise...a fundamental flaw in the model if you ask me. But just the same, another Three in the fleet could come in handy...”<br/>
<br/>
______________________________________________________________________________<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
As Havoc is ordering the return back to Pegasus, Admiral Cains voice comes over the wireless. “Pegasus Actual...All vipers return to Pegasus- STAT.” <br/>
<br/>
Havoc turns, blasting a raider into millions of pieces as she races towards the hangerbay- she watches over the entire battlefield, as amidst the destruction she spots a lone Raptor- with six raiders closing in on them- Havocs mind becomes blank at the possibility that Rush is piloting that very Raptor. Her blood runs cold as she pushes her bird as fast as it can go towards the lone Raptor.<br/>
<br/>
Rush heard the call before she could even get an answer from Pegasus actual on the ETD of the FTL Jump. She knew the time for strategy and tactics was over. Nails was good, but not “Rush” good. She jumped out of her seat at the Control board, leaving behind the now defunct “Rush Unit”, a masterpiece work of holo-optics tied into every network data stream for precise and real time assessment and manipulation of battlefield data.<br/>
<br/>
Jumping into the pilots seat, she immediately noticed the six raiders closing in on her tail. Out of the corner of her eye, she also spied a Viper Mark 7 not landing on the Pegasus but coming her direction... she grimaced, “Havoc...” knowing who and what she was up to and annoyed that her thighs were not getting wet “just” from sweat...  Time to make these raiders easy pickings for her.<br/>
<br/>
Without warning Nails, Rush threw the raptor into a vertical axis tail spin, the inertia dampeners not able to fully compensate for her radical high-G maneuvers,  letting her perpetual momentum in space keeping the Raptor moving towards the Pegasus’ landing bays but now the nose of the Raptor twirled and faced the collating force of raiders chasing her. She then punched her engines to full power throwing both her and nails back into the seats by what felt like a large hammer, shoving the Raptor right back into the raiders “faces”. The movement from pursuit to evasion was too soon for the raiders to cope with. They tried to fire at her during the opportunity but her angle to them kept changing too fast and their rain of death missed the Raptor all around. She went right through the middle of them which, because of their intent, caused the Raiders to splay out like flower petals pushing themselves in vertical positions trying to reposition themselves behind the Raptor... showing their enormous top sides right to Havoc’s target sights.<br/>
<br/>
Her light blue eyes didn’t even register a moment of panic. She didn’t radio to Havoc to destroy them. She just knew her well enough what she would do given this opportunity. Nails was holding on for dear life. Rush was grinning yet again as she reversed the maneuver and pushed the Raptor home. <br/>
<br/>
Morgans eyes narrow and her brow furrows as she races towards the Raptor.  She sees the chance the pilot- likely Rush- had created for her. “So frakking thoughtful..” she grins, as she starts to lay in to the six raiders.  One explodes, causing  a second to weave and collide with a third.  The remaining three are taken out with pinpoint accuracy. Systematically exploding one after another. They’re almost an entire click from the hanger bay when the wireless goes live with the Admirals voice, “Jumping to blind local in 5...” <br/>
<br/>
Havocs eyes go wide as she hears the countdown- she starts to swear as she hits the overdrive on her thrusters. It occurs to her that a Viper is far far faster then a Raptor -and the thought of Rush being left behind breaks her heart. With a scathing , determined look, she pushes the throttle on her bird all the way down, and speeds directly in to raptor-<br/>
“4..” <br/>
Her Viper makes contact, slowing her initial decent - her viper hums and rocks as the two ships make contact. <br/>
“3...” <br/>
Havoc can see the entrance to the Pegasus flight deck as the two birds race towards the entrance.<br/>
“2..”<br/>
The pair of ships speed in to the hanger bay, Havocs viper dragging against the floor of the ship as she tries to lay off her thrusters and slow their propulsion. <br/>
“1..”<br/>
<br/>
The Pegasus blind jumps to an unknown location, as Havoc and Rush’s respective vehicles flew into the landing bay. Rush hit her thrusters and righted her ship, de-entangling from Havoc’s viper as it flew too low and slid across the hanger bay, Rush cringing at the mess. No time to curse though as her own raptor spun in a flat spin up high, too close to the ceiling of the bay itself. She jerked her hands along multiple simultaneous axises as individual thrusters fired all over the Raptor, finally slowing the spin down enough for her to get control of it, lowering the craft and settling it down calmly on the deck. She immediately got out of her Raptor, leaving Nails behind to chase after the sliding Viper and her best friend in this world, Morgan Ayres.<br/>
<br/>
Approximately three months before the Cylon genocide of the 12 colonies... onboard the Battlestar: Pegasus<br/>
<br/>
Pegasus Mess.... beginning of third shift<br/>
<br/>
Captain Rushell Santi sat back in her chair near the table tapping at her tablet. Well, if anyone would call what she was doing “sitting back”. Her legs hung over one of the arms of the chair she was in at the knee, her thighs perpendicular to the way her thighs were suppose to be in the chair, her back rested, half on the corner of the back rest, the other half leaning against the other arm of the chair, her head up high and craned down to keep her attention on the tablet, her hand pecking away at the keys. She looked intent but smiled every so often, reaching up with her “pecking” hand and rubbing her temple near her subtle tattoo.<br/>
<br/>
“Gods, Rushell do you ever stop working on something and relax?!” Nails, her Raptor Pilot complained.<br/>
<br/>
Rushell kept tapping away at her tablet simultaneously mouthing silently the words Nails had just spoken to in mock expression as Nails threw her sweaty tank top on her head. Rushell grabbed it off her short brown hair and threw it to the ground.<br/>
<br/>
“Ewwwww! Stinky!” Rushell laughed out loud. “I’m almost done with this algorithm, I swear.” <br/>
<br/>
A loud slamming noise is heard just outside the mess hall, followed by an exceptionally irate voice, “The frak you mean its going to be two frakking days before I can get my bird in the air again?”  Morgan Ayres screams at the short statute man who walks next to her. She stops, dramatically turning, and glaring down at the middle aged gentleman waiting for some sort of justification. <br/>
<br/>
“Havoc, er..Major..“ he starts, his tone apologetic as he rubs the back of his neck, “You completely blew out the left engine. Not to mention destroyed the respiratory system - and managed to dislodge not one, but both fuel lines. I don’t have the man power to get you back in the air for at least two days.” <br/>
<br/>
The tall , coarsely built blond flares her nostrils in agitation. “One day or I find my self a new frakking engineering chief- “ as the chief opens his mouth to rebuke the statement, Morgan raises a hand silencing him. “This conversations over. Get the frak out of here, you’ve got work to do.”<br/>
<br/>
Havoc turns with out warning and storms through the mess hall- she snags a mug off the counter and moves towards Rushells resting place.   As she storms through the mess, countless crew members, pilots and deck hands alike, all move out of the hot tempered womans way.  She sinks in to a seat next to Rushell , and offers a slight sheepish grin. “Hows my favorite bookworm?” She teases reaching down to her boot, and pulling out a small flask of ambrosia. She pours the content in to her mug and raises a brow at Rush. <br/>
<br/>
“Apparently, better than you, αδελφή”, she grinned at the Major. “Did it ever occur to you that you wouldn’t need to worry about a repair schedule if you kept your viper from running into things?” She kept tapping away at her tablet, running a few fingers through her sandy brown hair on occasion and biting her nails every so often in thought. She leaned back and stretched, her body even more contorted over the odd shape of the chair. Honestly, it was her odd way of sitting on it that had to be blamed and not the chair itself. But that didn’t stop her from stretching which also tended to highlight her shape as she expanded her lungs. Her long sun-tinted arms exposed by her dual tank top held the tablet at arms length as she tried to take a slightly different perspective on the numbers and what they were telling her. <br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Havoc stares for a moment at at Rushell’s lean form as she contorts awkwardly. She finds her lower lip sneaking its way between her teeth - “Well...Maybe ..” she thinks for a moment, her mind clearly someplace else. “Its occurred to me..and maybe I don’t give a frak. I get paid to get the job done. Not to do it in the cleanest most efficient manner.” she smirks taking a sip from her mug, “Besides he loves it. Gives him something to do rather then frakking with my nav system settings.”  <br/>
<br/>
She leans over the table, her modest cleavage spilling out over her own military issued tanks, as her long tattooed arms grip the edge of the table. “So um...what ya’ workin’ on?” She waggles her brow suggestively, “You writing smut again?”  She laughs , adopting a narrative style to her voice “And then she unlaced her bodice- exposing her  milky white...” she giggles and waggles her brow- fully aware Rush was up to no such thing. <br/>
<br/>
The truth was - much like the perpetual 10 year old boy- Havoc couldn’t help but tease Rush once and a while...whether she understood the heavy implications of such actions was unknown.<br/>
“Really good smut!” She leans forward and shows Morgan the tablet, “I think I can get the Rush unit to calculate known and assumed trajectories based on current course and speed taking into account planetary gravity wells or otherwise!” Rushell’s feet rubbed the top of each foot in turn excitedly. She stops for a moment when she realizes she doesn’t have Morgan’s attention.<br/>
<br/>
“Come on, sing it just once with me, it will make you feel better, you know?” She grins, “Just like back home...”<br/>
<br/>
Rushell counts to three silently and then,<br/>
<br/>
“Ooohmmmm” waits for Morgan to jump in with her.<br/>
<br/>
“Ooohmmmm” she tries again.<br/>
<br/>
Morgan looks confused for a second.  “ You need to get laid Santi. “ she giggles. Morgan might pretend she didn’t care much for Rush’s antics. The random singing/musical outbursts, the sheer intensity of her book-wormieness. But the fact of the matter was- as cold and calculating as the cocky tattooed blond came across on the outside- inwardly, she couldn't help but laugh.<br/>
<br/>
She quirks a brow as she tilts her head upwards, letting out a deep- offkey mimic of Rushells chant. “OOoooOOOOOoooooOOOmmmmmmmmmmmmm” <br/>
She smirks, “My rendition was better.”  Shes still leaning across the table, staring directly at the other woman.  She swallows hard, not quite sure what to make of the strange-floppy-feeling she had in the pit of her stomach.  She looks around slightly uncomfortable, watching as crew members float past her - giving her as wide a birth as possible.  She sighs, :”You’d think I ate their mothers or something..” She sighs finishing her Ambrosia.  She looks back to Rushell still smiling broadly from her previous humming excursion, and swallows hard. “Ugh.” she mutters. “Not feeling too good.” she frowns.<br/>
<br/>
Rushell rolls her eyes at the teasing with her “rendition”, as she herself sighs a bit.<br/>
<br/>
“You know they all know you are just a big pussy cat. They just want to make you feel self-conscious.” She smiles softly tapping back on her tablet. “Also, when you snort down Ambrosia like that it goes straight after your liver... someday, you are going to not be able to pee.”<br/>
<br/>
“It goes like this...” She begins without lifting her eyes off the tablet.<br/>
<br/>
“oṃ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ<br/>
<br/>
Tat savitur vareṇyaṃ<br/>
Bhargo devasya dhīmahi<br/>
dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt”<br/>
<br/>
She holds the notes of the ancient tune perfectly, projecting at all the right spots but holding the grace of the original meaning.<br/>
<br/>
“You creep me out when you do that, Rush.” Nails says from across the room. Rush just shrugged and grinned. <br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
“Come on, Morgan. I will go help you puke in the head.” She gets up from the table and grabs Morgan by the arm  to walk her out of the mess.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Havoc tries not to smile as Rush effortlessly sings the song of their mutual homeland.  Before she knows it she’s being lifted from her seat via her arm. “I’m not drunk yet bookworm..” she mumbles, starting to slur. “As fr’ the peeing bit , I’ll burn that bridge when I get to it...Be easier to pilot a  viper for 6 hours if i don’t have ta’ use the head.”<br/>
She lets her self be lead out of the mess hall, countless crew members smirking in to their plates.  She groans and reminds her self to give the older woman hell once they’re alone for embarrassing her. <br/>
Once they’re safely out of eye sight of most the crew , Havoc casually jerks her arm back, and straightens her tanks. Her strong tattooed arms stretching as she turns around - and starts walking backwards. “So where we going fr’ real? “ she stops dead in her tracks- realizing they’re still en route towards the head -she puts on a serious face, “You don’t need me to like...do something embarrassing for you in a bathroom setting do you?” She shakes her head, “I mean you know I’d do anything for you but this is testing that theory Rush.”<br/>
<br/>
Rushell put her thumb and forefinger to the bridge of her nose, smiling and shaking her head in disbelief.<br/>
<br/>
“Oh, you found me out, αδελφή. What... am... I... going... to .. do...now” She deadpans as she continues to walk down the hall walking past  her drunk and backward walking friend, knowing this is going to end well.<br/>
<br/>
“Come on, Ayres, where do you want to go then?” She resigns herself to what was to come.<br/>
<br/>
And there it was... She almost broke her stride but thought better of it. Around the corner came the Admiral. Her face went solemn immediately as she said, “Admiral”, she halted and snapped to attention with a salute to match.<br/>
<br/>
“Carry on, Captain..” returning the salute but Cain was already looking and walking past the ECO straight at the back of one Major Ayres, Commander Air Group of the Battlestar Pegasus, who had her finger up in the air readying her retort to her friend.<br/>
<br/>
‘Frak.’. Havoc thinks standing to a half assed salute. “Major.” Admiral Cain coos. “I hear you’ve been giving Cheif Iamas a  rather...difficult time.”  <br/>
<br/>
Morgan winces, and clears her throat,thinking to her self what a gutless bastard the chief was to go over her head  “Sir the amount of time needed for routine maintenance is unacceptable.”<br/>
<br/>
Admiral Cain raises her brow a sly smile almost creeping across her lips , “Uh huh...Perhaps you wouldn’t require so much ‘routine maintenance’ if you learned to avoid taking your target practice in the middle of an asteroid field? “<br/>
<br/>
She had her there. “Sir. I’ll consider it sir.” Morgan clears her throat swallowing down a smile. “To be fair  sir those frakkers come out of no where.. Sir”<br/>
<br/>
“I bet they do Major.” She nods knowingly, “Carry on.”  With that the normally stalwart Admiral continues on her way. <br/>
<br/>
“That was fun.” Morgan mumbles to her self, turning to Rushell, “I ..er..I don’t know. This ships getting bloody boring..” She sighs tapping her chin. “Er...I could lay yr’ ass out for a few rounds in the ring?” She offers grinning.<br/>
<br/>
Rushell scoffs, “You can try...” She puts her hands out giving that sign like ‘Come at me, Bro!’<br/>
<br/>
Then she turns and bolts around the corner laughing her ass off her boots clopping down the hallway running down to the gym.<br/>
<br/>
Morgan takes chase after Rush. Her flight suit still weighing her down as it flops around at her waist, while she makes giant strides. “Not so fast bookworm..” she shouts down the hallway pushing people out of her way as she chases after her friend.<br/>
<br/>
She chases Rush around the corner of the hallway, hopping over stray crates and military personnel. As soon as Havoc is in ‘pouncing’ distance - she strikes. Flying through the air - aimed directly at the other woman, she collides with the womans torso , tackling her to the ground.<br/>
<br/>
Deep fits of giggles escape the normally stoic CAG, as she pushes Rushell to the floor. She pins the other womans’arms down atop her head (or tries to)- and laughs deeply as they struggle for dominance. <br/>
<br/>
Just as shes nearly won the struggle,-her body pressed flat against the other womans- she catches a glimpse of her friends smiling eyes- and is overcome by the fluttery feeling in her stomach once more. She stops her assault on the other woman, her expression softening as she regains control of her breathing. <br/>
She raises her brows as she looks in to Rushell’s eyes, wanting to say something she can’t quite put her finger on. She continues to stare- as she screams inwardly ‘getupgetupgetupgetup’.<br/>
<br/>
Rushell felt the heaviness of her friend on top of her. Her breasts crushing her smaller ones. Each others breath passing over their necks as they recover from the exertion. Legs intertwined. Up close like this, Rushell tends to feel a bit self-conscious, not about their lady parts that are smashed together but about the long gash of a scar on her right cheek that she can see Morgan glance at occasionally above her. Her light blue eyes twinkle a bit at the situation but considering this is busy hallway of a busy deck, grabbing Morgan’s ass at this point probably wouldn’t be advisable. Santi decides to break the ice.<br/>
<br/>
“Well, Major you seem to have me at a disadvantage. What are your orders?” She smirks at her friend. She lifts her neck up her mouth open fairly wide on a collision course with Morgan’s lips. She senses Morgan back her head up just a bit and when she does, Rushell closes her mouth in a bite and laughs manically. <br/>
<br/>
Morgan almost loses her self in the other womans gaze. She isn’t staring at the small imperfection on the Rushells face, but instead the simple elegant and almost overwhelming beauty of her dearest and oldest friend. She swallows awkwardly, almost leaning in when Rushell does- instead backing off just enough to be cautious. Above all- Morgan never-ever wanted to lose her friend by complicating things with a physical aspect to their relationship- however- the way her stomach set to burn, flip and ache all at once while Rush moved in towards her- did start to concern  the CAG. <br/>
<br/>
“You’re such an ass Rush. “ she mumbles pushing her self up as she shakes her head, “You could’a frakkin taken my nose..I need that for..things.” she isnt sure what but the point is Rush’s trick was down right mean. She reaches a hand out to help the other woman up, trying to forget how perfectly ‘right’ it felt to be pressed up against the other woman like that- if even for only a moment. “C’mon....I’ll kick yr ass a few times then off to bed for you old’ timer.” she deliberately used the phrase to goad her friend in to actually putting up a bit of a fight.<br/>
<br/>
“Oh you young whipper-snappers, I ought teach you a lesson!” She goes jogging to the gym with her friend still continuing the old-man mantra.<br/>
<br/>
“Back in the day we had to land our Vipers up hill! Both ways! and without fuel! No draedis! and no landing lights! We landed on planks of wood attached to ore processing ships!” She prattled on incessantly.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
“Don’t for get that you were Thankful for it..right?” the younger woman rolls her eyes. Her thick, deep voice almost purring the words.  She moves to the wall, and pulls two sparring mats from their resting place.  Putting them both on the floor, she proceeds to move to the boxing ring.  She grabs two rolls of tape, one for her self , and then throws the second to Rush. “Blah blah frakkin’ blah blah..put up or shut up bookie.” she teases. <br/>
<br/>
As she wraps her fingers- her mind starts to assault her. What the frakking hell just happened back in the hallway? And why was it STILL bugging her. “Right..” she hums, standing after her fingers are taped. She pulls her flight suit down, and tosses it aside. A tight fitting pair of boxers hugs her hips and exceptionally toned thighs.  Her entire body is nearly covered with tattoos- her chest/arms/shoulders and neck, covered with random religious imagery.  <br/>
She starts to stretch, pulling on the tense muscles of her all-too cramped legs, Once throughly stretched , she stands and  knocks her fists together lightly. <br/>
<br/>
She looks at her hastily tapped fingers - compared to Rush - who was in the process of meticulously taping hers- “Ain’t got all day here...” She grins cockily.<br/>
<br/>
“The young people, always impatient..” she finishes wrapping her knuckles, then proceeds to remove one of her tank tops and drops in the corner. Turning to the corner she unbuckles her belt and unzips her pants and lets them drop to the corner as well, Rush thinking, ‘well, she asked for it’. “Problem” was, she wasn’t wearing “boxers” like Morgan was. Her own lithe but toned legs where covered with simply a sports pant, form fitting, deathly tight and stopping just below her mound. Before turning around she stretched her neck from side to side, the sounds of popping occuring both times. She turned around with her mouthguard in place and her hands gloved, shit eating grin locked in place. She approached Morgan and started to foot dance around her, carefully planning her attack, examining all angles of the target, looking for weaknesses. <br/>
<br/>
She feinted a punch just to test the waters a bit and she snorted a laugh when Morgan deftly moved away from it. This was going to be fun.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Morgan cracks her neck from side to side, mimicking Rush’s movements. Her neck however- makes no popping noise. She smacks her fists together , and maneuvers her mouth guard around a bit, before nodding at her friend. A broad, cocky smile crosses her face- not quite ‘shit eating’ but - pretty damn close.  She waves her hand in a mocking motion as she circles her friend.  Easily dodging the feigned punches as they moved.  <br/>
<br/>
Morgan wastes no time, taking a quick step forward she twists her hips and  sends her hand sailing at top speed - The CAG pulls no punches- not even with her most trusted friend.  As her right fist goes sailing at Rush’s midsection-the punch connects, just under Rushell’s ribs, Morgan follows up with her left fist, sending it directly at Rushells chin. The other pilot steps back, pulling away in time as Morgan steps forward again, unrelenting and having no consideration for fatigue. <br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Rush huffs with a smile like “shit, okay, it’s on now” and steps in with a quick counter-attack one-two punching to her sides, pounding away waiting for her to lower her arms just enough.... there!<br/>
<br/>
Rush leans in with a incredibly dumb but very calculated right wide hook, her gloved fist making contact with Morgan’s cheek and sending her face twisting to the left, her mouthguard flying out of her mouth, then knowing both Morgan and herself were off-balance, she took a few defensive steps back readying herself for the coming retaliation.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
She pushes her own mouthguard out of her mouth far enough to speak clearly, as she says in Tauron,<br/>
<br/>
“You think the Ha'la'tha taught me nothing, adhelfi?” Her feet do some amount of dance shuffling around Morgan as she circles around her waiting for the next strike. <br/>
<br/>
Morgan rubs her jaw,”Ow...” she mumbles, cracking her neck as she stands upwards.Morgan had been in countless fights- she could take a punch. However it never ceased to amaze her how much power the older woman had in her. Still rubbing her jaw she retorts in their native language, “You mean other then being a pain in the ass?”  She smiles waggling her eyes. She smacks her fists together once again. With out warning the CAG takes one, then two steps forward, following the movements with two short, yet powerful jabs to Rushells midsection, connecting respectively to the pilots Kidney and her ribs. She grins as her friend recoils back a good five feet or so. <br/>
Smiling- her mouth guard now long gone, she speaks up again in Tauron, “ They sure as frak didn’t teach you to take a punch precious...” <br/>
<br/>
Her words seem harsh, but the gleam in her eyes dictate beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is nothing but the utter-most respect for the other woman. <br/>
<br/>
Before Rushell can react, Morgan goes racing towards the woman, intent on tackling her again.<br/>
<br/>
Rushell’s face instantly takes on the look of, “Come on, really?” as she quickly side-steps Morgan’s rush but leaving her foot out at the right place which tripped up Morgan just slightly in her charge. Rush resisted following it up with a push to the ground but her face was definitely more serious as Morgan recovered and turned around to face her.<br/>
<br/>
“They taught me enough...” her gloved hand wiped the sweat off her right scar idly as she waited for Morgan’s next (impulsive?) move.<br/>
<br/>
Someone entered the ring room behind Morgan, hearing the telltale signs of the door latching open and slamming closed. Morgan couldn’t believe it, but Rush was busy smiling through her mouthguard and raising her hand up in acknowledgement of whoever just entered. Morgan thought, “now or never.” <br/>
<br/>
 As Morgan runs headlong in to the wall behind Rushell, shes almost knocked out from her own idiotic and reckless maneuver. “Obviously..” she starts as she continues to look away from the entrance.  She hadn’t heard the door open as she was too busy shaking her head vigorously to end the ringing in her ears.  She starts mouthing back to rush - this time she chooses to do so in common tongue. “You’re just lucky as frak-all I didn’t connect..coulda pushed yr’ ass right through the wall-” she grins cockily “Becuase girl you ain’t got skills like me..” She shakes her head hopping excitedly as she turns, cocking her fist to lay into Rushell as she spots the figure entering the sparring gym. She ‘casually’ clears her throat, quickly stopping her inbound fist, and converting it in to a sheepish wave.  She was the commanding officer here..but you’d never know it. She clears her throat again, “Lieutenant..” she nods respectfully, taking a moment to catch her breath.<br/>
<br/>
Rushell leans over the ropes completely ignoring Morgan in her enthusiasm at teasing Lt. Hoshi. Hoshi just getting off shift, had walked into the boxing room looking to get a work out in at the weights. He was a well fit man, dark short hair with a gracefully kind face. Not too “tough” but not effeminate either. She stretched her body over the ropes, her legs shoulder width apart and extending to get most of her torso hanging on the other side of the top rope. Not particularly sexy considering what she was wearing and what she could choose to do with it, but all the same, it wasn’t harmful on the eyes. He looked sideways at the two in the ring and grinned.<br/>
<br/>
“I love it when you two decide to beat each other up. You tend to wear the least amount of clothes when doing so, I assume to keep each others eyes off each others fists?”<br/>
<br/>
Rushell gaffed, “Hah! you assume we are not wearing these clothes all the time, Hoshi. I’d offer to show you my wardrobe but you would just turn me down.” Rush rolled her eyes.<br/>
<br/>
“Say, when are you going to get me connected to Pegasus Draedis?” Rushell followed up.<br/>
<br/>
“When are you going to take me out for a steak dinner?” Lt. Hoshi retorted.<br/>
<br/>
“Psssh, you know there are no cows on the Pegasus and if there were, you know where the steak would be going.” She pointed up, presumably at the Captain’s quarters.<br/>
<br/>
“Scorpia is not that far off you know. We could get in your raptor and you could jump me there...” He wore nothing but chagrin.<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah, yeah, but I would probably break your little bones, Hoshi.” She teased.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Morgan would do anything for Rush. Even turn a blind eye to a jump back to Scorpia. She covers her ears and mumbles, “I didn’t hear this..”  She starts to hum loudly over their discussion.”Why the frak do you have your little favors for dreadis talks when I’m in the damn room.” <br/>
<br/>
She hops down from the ring ,  jumping off the mats and walks over to her locker. She plops unceremoniously on to the bench, and starts to gnaw at her glove to remove it. As she does so,she mumbles, a hint of jealously plaguing her voice , “Why don’t you two just go frak and get it over with.” She furrows her brow as she tosses her glove against the locker . It makes a startlingly loud clanging noise, and is immediately followed by the second glove being flung. She starts to unwrap her hands as she storms off to the showers.  <br/>
<br/>
Rushell rolls her eyes and looks at Hoshi like “as if...” a knowing look passed to Hoshi and one returned. Little did Morgan know that Hoshi didn’t even like women, let alone Rushell liking men. <br/>
<br/>
Hoshi just stands dumbfounded.  “I...er...come at a bad time?”<br/>
<br/>
Rushell shakes her head, “No, no... pussy cat just needs a petting is all” She giggles madly and hops out of the ring to sit next to Morgan. Her thoughts trail around in her head, maybe she pushed the wrong buttons there, but she did wonder how long it was going to take Morgan to figure out that she didn’t like “men”... she didn’t even like “women”... She liked “Morgan”. But she was still stinging a little bit from the encounter/reminder with Cain in the hallway. Every time she sees her, not only for personal family reasons but for that ‘other’ reason, she feels a tinge of jealousy and she wishes that she didn’t have feelings at all.<br/>
<br/>
Yeah, she decided she was too rough on her and instead of outright saying “sorry”, she just gave her attention to Morgan, looking into her eyes saying silently, “Hey, I’m here.”<br/>
<br/>
Morgan ,ever the petulant child, was unsure WHY the sudden change of Rushs attention from her-to Hoshi, bothered her. She continues to frantically unwrap her taped hands, grumbling and mumbling the entire time. She had the authority to go OFF on Hoshi..but he didn’t deserve it.  However he DID interrupt her precious time with Rushell. Time the two..didn’t spend fighting about the old ways or...something else frivolous and stupid. <br/>
There is a perpetual scowl on her face - she doesn't even look over to Rushell. She just continues to unwrap her hands and retorts finally in their native language , “My pussy-cats petted plenty.” . She was oblivious to the fact the statement would hurt the feelings of her friend- her clueless nature with all things emotional   getting harder and harder to deal with. She grabs from her locker a pair of her military issued pants, and pulls them up buttoning them quickly. “Got a meeting with Cain.” she slams the door to her locker and  turns to look Rush in the eye. “Hope we can pick this up soon.” She turns to storm off- unsure her self why shes so agitated. <br/>
<br/>
Rushell leans back against the lockers as Morgan rushes off and sighs breathing in slowly and them letting a frustrated long breath out through her nose, tearing off her gloves, She closes her eyes and gets lost in her memories.<br/>
<br/>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br/>
<br/>
10 Years earlier - On Tauron<br/>
<br/>
“Congratulations αδελφή!” Rhouth(Ῥούθ) grinned but grimaced at the same time. She was her first “made” women in her family. Most of the women in Rhouth’s family chose not to be fully committed to “the life.” But Rhouth from a little child was different. She wanted to be a part of everything and everyone. She reached out, beyond the normal means of tradition. And worked very hard to get herself accepted into the Ha'la'tha, especially as a woman, especially at this young age. Well, at least she made it this far.<br/>
<br/>
She was being christened as a made “woman” into the Ha'la'tha circles, specifically into her Santi circle. Of course, this entails the branding of her with the Tauron symbols of the earth. “Dust to dust, we shall return”. Rhouth laid flat front first against the back of a barber’s chair, both her shirt and her pants were pulled down. Her left shoulder blade was exposed as was her left butt cheek. As the tatoo artists prepare to mark her, her family and associates, all of have seen her grow up under the watchful wing of the Ha'la'tha are there to give her support. <br/>
<br/>
As they put hot needle to skin, Rhouth noticed that she didn’t feel much pain at all. Definitely numb and a bit of a pinch, but nothing like she expected. Certainly nothing that her fellow made-men made it out to be. Strange... she hadn’t drank that much in preparation for this. She wanted to feel the pain, but it was just not there. <br/>
<br/>
She decided that she would worry about the non-pain later, tonight, she was going to celebrate. Tonight, she was connected to her family, forever. She loved her family and felt great desire to protect and cherish them. She would now finally get that chance to show how deeply she felt for her loved ones.<br/>
<br/>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br/>
<br/>
10 years later in the Boxing Ring of the Pegasus<br/>
<br/>
She notices Hoshi giving her “that look”.<br/>
<br/>
“So about the Dradis link to the unit...” She throws the gloves down to the floor knowing her pestering would not be deigned with a response. And there it was again, screaming in her head, “I wish I didn’t have these feelings...”<br/>
<br/>
&lt;end scene&gt;<br/>
<br/>
</div>
</div><br/>Chapter 3<br/><div class="ToggleTriggerAnchor bbCodeSpoilerContainer">
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<div class="SpoilerTarget bbCodeSpoilerText">Battlestar Pegasus : Pilots Ready Room.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
It had been five days since Morgan and Rushell had last talked, aside from the casual head nod in the hallway. And it had been that long since Morgan slept.  Not for lack of trying. The CAG had a lot on her mind due to work and the like, but it seemed that there was something else on her keeping her awake.<br/>
<br/>
She’d spent her time with the Admiral, thoroughly apologizing for the incident regarding Chief Iamas, and refused to let her self linger on any notion of her friend. Truth be told- she missed Rushell. Simply being in her friends prescience made her feel a sort of serenity she rarley found- The only time that came close  was that  split second of euphoria  after orgasam. That glorious hazy moment when nothing in the world existed but the slowly fading trickles of pleasure - as the high wares off. Satisfaction.Completion. Serenity. All rolled in to one.  That was how Morgan felt with in Rush’s company. <br/>
<br/>
Havoc yawns as she flicks through slides, tactfully avoiding Rush’s gaze as she plays ‘resident hardass’ to her pilots. “THIS boys and girls , is a PROPER formation.” she smacks the monitor with a pointing tool . “Notice how the wings are all perpendicular to each other- NOT frakking bashing in to each other.” She clicks to the next slide, “THIS is the INCORRECT formation.” she points to the slide illustrating her point, “Any one too shit all STUPID to figure out how to frakking fly in a straight line and NOT bump one another wings...is going to get their ass bounced back to basic flight.” <br/>
<br/>
A nugget in the front row starts to giggle. A young boy of about 20, with crimson red hair and freckles, “This funny Firecrotch?” She sneers, taking a step towards the boy.<br/>
<br/>
“No...Ma’am...” he swallows- suddenly nothing is funny as he realizes he’s just been given a callsign.<br/>
<br/>
“Great. Team 1 you’re going up with Firecrotch here..” she beams, “Don’t frak up nugget.” <br/>
<br/>
She moves back to her podium, glancing at Rushell for a moment, swallowing hard, “CAP group 1 and 5 move out. 2 and 3 we’ll see you at start of second shift, 4 and 6 you got graveyard. Dismissed.” She orders. <br/>
<br/>
“Rush..need a word with you.” She barks as the rest of the pilots file out.<br/>
<br/>
The Captain ECO, ever focused and in control of herself did eye the CAG respectful as she spoke, occasionally tapping notes into her tablet when appropriate, but ever the resolute strategist, she did want to pick up on the daily assignments and new personalities in the various seats of the vipers that could affect her battle-planning... if ever a battle were to come that is.<br/>
<br/>
The five days were tough. Usually, she is use to having Morgan to bounce some ideas off, though most of the time, she would dismissively make jokes about them, unbeknown to Morgan, those “jokes” did enlighten Rushell to look at the problems in a different angle, sometimes solving those problems in the process. But that really wasn’t it, or all.<br/>
<br/>
She missed Morgan’s company. She “knew” why she had kept her distance the last few days, the little “tiff” they had at the boxing ring, compiled with Rushell’s tease play with Hoshi. But she didn’t think it would last this long or felt it was necessary to avoid her at all. Rushell was an adult after all, any possible injury or insult would have been long forgotten and forgiven by now. Question was... was Morgan?<br/>
<br/>
She was simultaneously relieved, curious, apprehensive and a bit tepidly cautious in her response to when Morga... the CAG called her to the side. She stood up with her tablet and walked over the podium, waiting for most of the Wing to leave before nodding,<br/>
<br/>
“Major..” Santi waited for her to speak respectfully.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Morgan swallows hard, apologizing was never...ever easy for her. Good thing was- as CAG she never HAD to apologize -however , rank meant absolutely nothing when Rushell was involved. “Santi..” she starts- formal as ever, not even bothering to look her friend in the eye “You’re benched for three days...” She  states plane as day. <br/>
She looks up, knowing she is going to be met with a look of utter disdain - maybe even hate. Her voice softens and she speaks quietly in Tauron, “Took some doing... but yr’ raptor should be hooked up to Pegasus’s dreadis with in a few days. Owe that bastard Hoshi like....six bottles of Ambrosia, and don’t even get me started on how I managed to sweet talk Cain into it..”  <br/>
<br/>
She smiles warmly, this was as close to an ‘I’m sorry I acted like a horses ass’ as Rush was likley to get. “But frak...what can I say..its worth owing a few favors ,  to put a smile on that cranky face of yours.” <br/>
<br/>
She mumbles, “Dismissed Santi...” She kept things formal...she liked formal. She didn’t want to press her luck...<br/>
<br/>
Santi stood passively from the very start, not even flinching when the CAG dropped the bomb about her being grounded for three days. Her eyebrow only almost imperceptibly raised slightly at that moment. Then when Morgan spoke in Tauron and ended with “to put a smile on that cranky face of yours.” Santi held her gaze, shifted a bit in her spot, her lips and cheek muscles twisted about, the look on her face saying, “not going to smile, not going to smile, not going to smile, damn it! smiled..” as she couldn’t help a very subtle and minor smirk.<br/>
<br/>
“Major... three days... of algorithm calibration testing...” She nodded in understanding, “It due for that anyway.” She pivoted on her heel and turned to leave the briefing room.<br/>
<br/>
Morgan yelled after the pilot, “YOU’RE WELCOME..” She smirked and went back to her paperwork,<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Battlestar Pegasus : Officers Quarters<br/>
2 ½ months BCH<br/>
<br/>
It had been a week since Morgan had arranged for Rushells Rapto to have full Draedis capabilities installed. The CAG and her friend still were on tense terms. Nothing further fueling the flames ,but at the same time..nothing being said to help quench them.<br/>
<br/>
Needless to say Havoc was stressed out of her mind. She enjoyed having her friend around to pal around with and just bounce ideas off of. This mutual avoidance was starting to wear thin on the CAG. <br/>
<br/>
Morgan had just returned from a double shift of running CAP- Seems her newest nugget lovingly referred to as ‘Firecrotch’ hadn’t been as he was cracked up to be.  She had bounced his ass back to basic flight- and was now picking up double the CAP shifts for it. <br/>
16 hours in a viper took its toll. Not only was her body weakened, but every muscle in her body screamed in agony.<br/>
<br/>
She looked around the small Officers quarters- the room shared by only herself, Hoshi, and Rushell. She checked the schedule.  Hoshi was on third shift ...She knew Rush was on Third as well.  That meant..she had time to ‘herself.’.  It had been a long long time since Morgan had ‘alone’ time- and she intended not to squander it. She could have drug her sorry ass up 3 decks to Cains quarters..but that seemed like far too much effort.  <br/>
Instead she settled into her rack, and started to let her mind wander.  Images of flooding her mind as she unzips her flight pants and slides her hand down the length of her stomach. She exhales silently as her fingers start to glide over her soft skin, her movements slow and deliberate at first, turn quick and frantic with in a matter of seconds. She starts to mumble incoherently, “Frak..Rush...” She whispers quietly through pursed lips, not even registering that she mumbled her friends name. <br/>
<br/>
The oversized door to the officers quarters starts to slide open, she bolts up quickly,smacking her head against the top of her rack, “FRAK!” she shouts before flopping back down to the bed-holding her head in her hand. “Ouch..”<br/>
<br/>
Rushell stepped through the door... way early from the end of her shift... in full dress blues no less. She had her tablet in her hand tapping away at the interface, she looked up at Morgan half unzipped, her hand rubbing her sore head as she smirked at her.<br/>
<br/>
“Deck 24, there is a set of showers down there for some reason, near the engine block. Must be for the rad-suit crews when the clean up the reactors. Anyway, there is no one usually there.”<br/>
<br/>
She then sits down at the bench in front of her locker, unbutton her stuffy collared top and continues to tap as her hand absently fiddles with her locker door, her eyes never leaving the tablet. <br/>
<br/>
“Uh huh..” Morgan sighs, covering her eyes with her hand. “What does these set of showers have to do with me..”  She watches as Rushell starts to disrobe, her hand slowly starting to snake its way down her stomach. She prays the light is dark enough..and her friend is distracted enough to go about her discussion. <br/>
Morgan isn’t sure...why shes doing this- but she does know its happening regardless. Her right hand snakes back in to her unzipped pants, her teeth baring down on her bottom lip. She speaks in a quiet voice, trying to maintain a solid-steady and even tone. “Where did you find these showers..” she asks more questions hoping to keep her friend talking long enough to ‘finish’ .  SHe rolls over to her side, her fingers sliding against newly slick flesh. She sighs a big, gasping and inhaling sharply. Clearing her throat immediately after.<br/>
<br/>
Even Morgan knew this was ‘wrong.’ But she was exhausted....and..Rush’s voice helped her relax..<br/>
<br/>
“Oh, sorry, i wasn’t clear. That’s the best place to go to finish doing what you are attempting to do right now without interruption.” She removes her jacket and throws it in the locker as she continues to tap away at her tablet, “I should know, I use it all the time.” <br/>
<br/>
She stands up looking away from her tablet for the first time since she entered the room and starts getting out of her dress blues fully. Still wearing her double tank and shorts though underneath.<br/>
<br/>
“I would go show you but I think you might finish before we got there or something.” She deadpans.<br/>
<br/>
She was going to add a ‘where is Cain by the way?’ but she knew better to re-open old wounds. She knew it wasn’t Morgan’s wound anyway, it was her own she was trying to avoid. She had her reasons for disliking Cain from the start. The fact that Morgan decided to share her bed with Cain only added to that dislike. However, she could at least be thankful that Cain hadn’t decided to share Morgan’s “bunk” yet... that would really annoy her.<br/>
<br/>
Morgan hadn’t stopped her movements, the slow build an calming tone of her friends voice confused her in a way she wasn’t prone to thinking about in this state of undress. “Ain’t nothing I haven’t seen you do before..” She laughs, flopping over on her rack facing the other way, “Too tired to get up....Walk me down there...i’ll take care of both of us, and then carry me back up here..an we’ll call it a night.” she yawns sleepily. <br/>
<br/>
She may have been confused as to why she was thinking of Rush during such acts..but she did know her exhaustion had to be playing a major part in it...she didn’t ..like Rush did she?<br/>
<br/>
Her face went blank , her expression cold, and her heart nearly sank in to her stomach. “Motherfraker...” she swears. <br/>
<br/>
She opens her eyes to view Rushell, half undressed, talking down to her for her frivolous actions. It set a fire blazing between her thighs.  “ FRAK..what deck is it? 23? Sure gotta go.” she zips her pants up and hastily leaves the room.<br/>
<br/>
Rushell giggled deeply and shook her head, “I am sooooo mean.”<br/>
<br/>
Little did Morgan know there were no showers on Deck 23... Just a delousing room that lacked any real showerhead. But Rushell couldn’t resist the image in her mind of Morgan running around the engineering decks looking for a place to fingerfrak herself and getting noticed by all the knuckledraggers, tired, horny and desperate. Should teach Morgan to masturbate with images of herself in her mind without taking her out to dinner first, even.<br/>
<br/>
15 minutes later.....<br/>
<br/>
Morgan comes stomping back into the officers quarters. She is caked from head to toe in delousing powder. There...are no words for her seething rage.<br/>
None. Welllll a few.<br/>
She steps up to Rush, casually reclining as she types away at her data pad,  with out warning Havoc barks. "Move. Over."<br/>
Rush stares at her blankly...not moving. <br/>
"THIS..."she runs the back of her hand down her midsection,displaying herself. "This is YOUR frakking brainchild..." she roars, her voice loud enough to intimidate anyone OTHER then Rushell."I'm frakking exhausted. Horny. And covered in this shit. Im too frakking tired to run to the real showers..so YOUR going to have to accommodate me-as this lousing shit isn't getting NEAR my rack."<br/>
She grits her teeth. " Now move the frak over or I'll just find a comfortable spot on top of you.”<br/>
<br/>
Rushell doesn't budge. She only challenges with a shit eating grin.<br/>
<br/>
"Fine." Morgan puts one powder covered foot on Rushells rack, followed by the next.She climbs up over her friend and plops down atop of her...sharing her vast wealth of powder with her friend. She sighs and closes her eyes. Trying to work out in her mind why her heart skips a beat every-time she is THIS close to her friend. She is tempted to roll off and head to sleep...but she get greedy...wanting to stay as close as possible...for as long as she can. <br/>
<br/>
“Uh, Major...” Rush looks down on Morgan who’s powdered covered body spreads her white markings all over Rushell’s bunk and body. Since her subtle call out illicited no response from the Major, she decides to roll off her bunk while simultaneously ensuring that Morgan stays in her bunk.<br/>
<br/>
“You stay in there and sleep, I’m going to take a shower... or something.” She sighs at herself looking at the mess her hands patting the whiteness off of her but just really spreading it about more.<br/>
<br/>
“Once you wake up, let’s go get something to eat. We need to talk.” She announces in all seriousness, really talking to the wall behind Morgan as Morgan is clearly knocked out, or silently fingering herself, she is not quite sure which.<br/>
<br/>
Santi walks off to the showers after grabbing her towel from the locker.<br/>
<br/>
Morgan reaches her hand out despite being asleep, mumbling incoherently - more like grunting, “MehhH!” - She reaches for Rushells hand to pull her back to the rack- but she is already gone.<br/>
<br/>
The CAG drifts back in to even deeper slumber.<br/>
<br/>
She wakes up four hours later, smacking her head against the top of bunk once more. She sighs and looks around. This..isn’t her..bunk. Her eyes snap open as she looks around. She sees pictures of random Hal’la’tha members, tattooed and smiling arm -in arm with much younger Rushell.  Morgan blinks, raising a hand and suddenly remembering what happened a few hours ago.  “Frak.” she sighs, slowly rolling out of Rushells rack.  She stoped for a second..debating changing the sheets - but opted out of it- the entire POINT of sleeping in the pilots rack was to make HER clean the frakking mess she ..made ….her..make. <br/>
<br/>
She looks to her rack, where Rush is curled up sleeping. She smiles for a moment then clears her throat, shaking her head and dusting the thought from her mind. <br/>
<br/>
The CAG grabs her towel from her respective locker, and heads to the officers shower. She disrobes and stands under the cool spray of water.  She rinses most the powder off, and lets her forehead rest against the cool metal plating.  She wonders to her self, what the frak is going on. She’d been friends with Rushell for years now.  But something was starting to ..change. She spend some nights with the admiral, a woman she admired well enough- and with whom the sex was always immensely satisfying. But when not discussing work, or frakking the two had nothing to talk about.  Not that Cain was much of a talker anyhow-....nor was Morgan for that matter.  <br/>
<br/>
As things stood, when she wasn’t working...frak even when she was- Morgans thoughts were on Rushell. All the random bits of facts she longed to tell her...all the stories filled with no substance at all. These past few weeks had been tense. And she was starting to understand why. <br/>
Rush was the only one who could ever tame the savage ‘Havoc’ beast- When Morgan had shitty days- Rush always knew what to say, with out being coddling or pandering.  She shared the unwavering respect and high regard that she had for the Admiral..but Rush and her interactions were NOTHING like hers with the Admiral...maybe..they should be?<br/>
<br/>
The thought made Morgan lift her head up. “OGODS” she swears as the realization hits her like a ton of bricks. “I frakking..i....wait. what..” she shakes her head as she remembers whos name she was mumbling as Rush walked in the room last night....”Frakme..” she utters as she casually starts to bang her head against the wall, water from the shower still cascading over her. <br/>
<br/>
After a few minutes she rights her self and finishes cleaning the delousing powder. She ties a towel around her hips- and trounces off topless through the hallways- (nothing people haven't seen before!) She hopes to  quickly change in to her dress blues and escape to her office to do paperwork- hopefully avoiding having to have any awkward discussion with Rushell..who she was convinced...didn’t feel the same way as she did...Whatever the frak it was she was feeling for her friend..<br/>
<br/>
This plan would have worked perfectly...had Morgan not tripped over the metal bench, and slammed her shin in to the center table. “Ow ow ow ow ow “ she hops around -trying to be quiet.<br/>
<br/>
Rushell peeled one eye open at the slam and the subsequent repeated “ows” that came from Morgan. She remained still and unmoving except for that one eye that tracked Morgan’s clumsyness amused.<br/>
<br/>
“So are you ready for some dinner?” She blurted out, still not moving but observing only.<br/>
<br/>
Morgan starts to blush, “Um actually just uh..got ..called to um. Do something ..flight.schedules...Firecrotch..I ..” she stammers, “Maybe later?” She lies. Simply feeling she’ll break down and do something she’ll regret later if she concedes, having never heard the previous request as she was fast asleep.<br/>
<br/>
“Yes, well ‘Firecrotch’ is what actually got you into trouble with me in the first place.” Her face fully animated now, she smirks and winks at Morgan with what she thought was a cute innuendo, her hand in the shape of a gun as she mocks pulling the trigger at Morgan and blows at the tip of the barrel/finger.<br/>
<br/>
She sat up in her bunk, single top and shorts exposed as her sleeping attire. “huh... well, your loss, I suppose.” She stood up and started to get the rest of her work uniform on. “Though you still have a few minutes to change your mind.” She was brushing her hair in the mirror but turned to wink at Morgan still laying in the bunk her tiny blue double lined tattoo prominently on display, her grin sheepish.<br/>
<br/>
Morgan grins, Rush was just so damned adorable some times. She shakes her head, forcing such thoughts from her mind as she debates what to do. <br/>
<br/>
Morgan is torn. “I....er.” she swallows hard. Unsure of what to do. “I um.”  She shifts her weight from one foot to the next stepping anxiously from side to side. “Ok..” she nods.  “Lemmie get dressed..” she looks down to her bare tattooed chest. “I don’t think the crew would enjoy the show...or maybe they would.”  She smiles as she swallows hard.<br/>
<br/>
“Well, either way someone is bound to throw you in the brig again for disorderly conduct.” She smirked and threw Morgan her spare tank.<br/>
<br/>
“Come on, I will totally get you that steak I promised Hoshi.” She winked with a grin trying to break the tension with her.<br/>
<br/>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br/>
<br/>
Rushell, Morgan and the ships cook all stand around the chef’s prep table, all three of them, their heads down looking at whatever is in front of their torsos. Rushell licks her lips.<br/>
<br/>
“Do it!” Rush announces. The chef retorted, “What about Hoshi?”<br/>
<br/>
“A girls gotta eat, Chef.” Rushell turns with Morgan to walk back out to the mess.<br/>
<br/>
The chef nods and begins to trim the fat off the steak. Rushell and Morgan make their way back out to the mess hall and take their seats across from each other.<br/>
<br/>
“So,” Rush’s eyes look up in thought and then back to Morgan, “The damn thing works, Morgan. Works like a frakkin’ charm!” her hand slams down on the table jostling plates and drinks of others further down the row.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Morgan stares at her friend. Eyeing  her  as  she excitedly slams her hands down on the table. She quirks her brow for just a moment. She only assume that Rushell is speaking about the draedis system installed in her - (and ONLY her) Raptor. “Yah? She smirks, “Well I hope it frakking worked,  took a lot of string pulling to manage that I’ll have you know.”<br/>
<br/>
She winces as she remember some of the particular ‘favors’ she had to preform. “Hoshi can be a total vindictive ass sometimes. I hadda apologize- in writing - to Iamas I’ll have you know. and” She raises her voice , “AND! I had to hand scrub the Admirals room from top to bottom.  Fraking maid or something..” she grins sheepishly. “<br/>
<br/>
Morgan didn’t even really LIKE steak, truth be told. But the gesture was sweet,and honestly....how could she not take anything offered in friendship from someone smiling that big? She grins at Rushell as she beams back at her.  “But in all seriousness hit the table again..I don’t think the nugget at the end got your point..” <br/>
<br/>
“Okay, look. All the sources of data with the algorithms in play.... I can virtualize the entire battlefield.” She holds up her hands as if she is holding a planet above her head.<br/>
<br/>
“I can manipulate the visuals along any of the axises, zoom in and zoom out, highlight, project...” she is staring at ceiling above Morgan’s head.<br/>
<br/>
“And the best part is, it uses a unique holographic technology. Rather than fight for space inside a Raptor to display all the data or have the pilot distracted by the spinning lights, I use augmented reality, basically projecting the virtualized battlefield in my head instead of out on the command console.<br/>
<br/>
“And I have only you to thank for it...” She beams at Morgan and slams her hand on the table again. “You have no idea what you started with this thing!”<br/>
<br/>
Morgan beams, “Apparently not.” She waggles her fingers about , “But i mean..with all that..good stuff you do...with things and visualizing I ..er..I’m sure that’ll come in handy - I mean how can it not?!” she excitedly trys to match Rushells energy even when she has no idea what the frak her friend is talking about. <br/>
<br/>
She just smiles and nods and lets her mind race. “So um...anything else..new?” She clears her throat, “Your beds going to be awful fun to clean I’d wager. Super fun-times-party of you..” she stammers more awkwardly then before. “I..um” She clears her throat and beams, “No thanks needed tho Rush. Really. “ The Cag smiles a deep, genuine grin.<br/>
<br/>
Rushell smirks at the CAG, putting her hands down calmly this time and cocks her head to one side.<br/>
<br/>
“Well, there are other things to talk about... like I owe you an explanation or two.” a beat passes.<br/>
<br/>
“You do know that Hoshi doesn’t like... women, right?” She lowers her tone of voice<br/>
<br/>
Havoc tilts her head. “You don’t owe me a thing. Explanation or otherwise.” she insists. “What you do is your business.” <br/>
<br/>
“But no.” she quiets her self. “I um...I was unaware of that. Good to know ..i guess.”  NOW its good to know... She swears to her self. <br/>
<br/>
“I ..” She clears her throat. “Sorry to make any assumptions.”<br/>
<br/>
Rushell rolled her tongue into her cheek and looked away then back to Morgan,<br/>
<br/>
“Well, the reason why I mentioned it was because you seemed to care about that before is all...” She smirked. “I just wanted you to know where Hoshi stands.” <br/>
<br/>
“I figured we are friends, at least, so maybe you would want to know where I stand too?” She questioned Morgan with her head leaned to one side.<br/>
<br/>
“Stand in regards to what?” She narrows her eyes, truly oblivious. “Hoshis a good guy...Could do worse then him I suppose. I mean..I’m not your mother. I’m not here to protect you in any capacity other then a professional one.” she shakes her head, “You don’t owe me any explanation about anything. Sorry if I made you feel differently.”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Rushell starts to yawn half-way through Morgan’s speech as she tried to listen but did a good job of following none the less, nodding occasionally.<br/>
<br/>
“I think you said that I don’t owe you an explanation twice now, at least.  But you didn’t make me feel differently about anything actually. What I wanted you to know is...” She leaned in close and whispered to Morgan.<br/>
<br/>
“I am not interested in Hoshi either...” She nods sagely to her friend.<br/>
<br/>
The steaks finally arrive fresh, with cooked vegetables and mashed potatoes.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Havoc swallows, suddenly the steak seamed even less apealing then it did before. However she graciously accepts her plate and starts to pick at the vegitables. “So..um.” she coughs a bit and scrunches her face - about to ask a question she genuinely didn’t want the answer to.”Whos the lucky son-of a bitch?” She cracks her neck, “Its obvious you uh..do have someone on your mind...er’ else you’d just have said ‘Hoshis cool but that boy likes the ass..’ “<br/>
<br/>
Rush cuts into her steak carving a nice hunk of meat separate from the loin, waving her fork as if dismissing words from the air, while she focuses on her food, “Remove the Son-of a part” she says very non-chalantly and takes the chunk in her mouth, savoring the fresh flavor of the meat.<br/>
<br/>
Morgan scratches her chin as she thinks - the realization dawning on her..well..sort of. “Wait..so a girl?! You like some girl!?” she shakes her head slightly in disbelief. “OGods ….” She almost chokes on the vegetables shes gnawing on. “Its not frakking Cain is it?!” She blinks, that HAD to be the reason. “I’m sorry Rush! I uh..I didn’t know you liked er’ all that well ...I mean shes the only..u.h...well shes the only lady on Pegasus who uh..is prone to that...” she cuts a piece of steak and plops it in to her mouth , chomping away as she thinks of other women. “Yeah.Cain an ...me...” she swallows........still not putting two and two together- and feeling sick to her stomach for it. There was no way- No WAY on any of the gods colonies that Rush was talking about her..<br/>
<br/>
Rushell rubbed her nose with her thumb and forefinger as Morgan prattled on. “No, not Cain...” She almost dropped her fork down.<br/>
<br/>
“Wait a second, you know all of the women on this ship sexual orientation?”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
“Well apparently not since you’ve found someone I’m unaware of..I mean try as I might ..i guess I’m just not every-ones type.” Her heart sinks as she mouths the words, the statement far truer then she lets on. “So who is she?”  She takes another bite of her vegetables and tries to push down the sick feeling in her stomach as she knows she has to ‘feign’ happiness for her friend.<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah, unaware is the key word right there.” Rush mumbles as she takes another chunk of her steak in her mouth. Then she lights up almost comically and smiles.<br/>
<br/>
“Can you believe it? It’s the CAG!” she puts her hand down on the table, not quite as hard as before but hard enough.<br/>
<br/>
Morgan blinks. The CAG? She thinks...letting that..entire situation sink in. She ...wasn’t .stupid, but thick..and a bit slow..well..<br/>
<br/>
“Thats not funny Rush.” she narrows her eyes. Refusing to believe her friend is being honest with her. “Look I’m sorry I .um..Last night with the name. I ..” she shakes her head roughly. “Thats just ...I’m sorry for the frakking lousing powder but jokes over...”  She grumbles, throughly oblivious.<br/>
<br/>
“No..” she chews on her steak a bit more, “You’re right, it’s not funny at all.” She continues to stare at Morgan, completely deadpan as she chews her steak and looks directly into her eyes in all seriousness.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Morgan thinks for a second. The possiblity of Rush being ..on the level with her was ...slim at best. And if there was one thing Rushell loved , it was to cut Havoc down to size. But this ..even for them felt..excessive. She swallows hard and places her hand on the table. She looks to Rushell, casually chewing away , the bored look on her face almost akin to that she reserves for Havocs morning ready room meetings. <br/>
<br/>
“You better not be frakking with me..” She warns. Such the charmer.  <br/>
<br/>
Despite things like tact and ..well..perception.  Morgans heart starts to pound within her chest, a steady drumming beat pounding over , and over.<br/>
<br/>
“I never frak on the first date...” Rushell warns as she finishes chewing her steak, continuing to hold the gaze of Morgan and while not looking, stabbing he fork into the vegetables. <br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Morgan narrows her eyes at the realization. Her pulse quickening even more as she starts to flat out panic. <br/>
She’d flown back birds with one engine. Birds completely and totally likely to explode at any second. And she never. Ever . Once . Panicked.  But at this very moment...she’d take any of those dinged up vipers and fly them from Caprica to Tauron - no rest stops- Just to be out of this painfully awkward situation she had dug her self in.  <br/>
She whispers and hisses as she leans towards her smirking friend. “This is a DATE? You could have ….like...warned me..”  <br/>
<br/>
She looks to her own attire- Rushells tank top...and a pair of faded military pants..ok well it wasn't that much different then most her fist date-attire -BUT still. “You could have you know..said something...”  she looks around blushing madly.<br/>
Shes too mad at this moment to pay attention to the rising feeling of overwhelming anxiety in the pit of her stomach. “I ...When did this happen!?!” she hisses again under her voice.<br/>
<br/>
Rushell took a look at her plate and thought about it for a second<br/>
<br/>
“Well, first if you really want, the next time could be our first date.” She chewed and smirked, her mouth mostly full of meat.<br/>
<br/>
“And all this happened about 20 minutes ago now I guess.” She waved her fork around the room.<br/>
<br/>
“I didn’t think you drank first thing when you wake up. If you want, I can remind you how we got here, too” Rush’s tongue in cheek preventing her from laughing.<br/>
<br/>
Havoc didn’t drink this early in the morning. Perhaps it was high time she started however, as it would make conversations like this much less complex.  She opens her mouth as if to speak...but then closes it abruptly.  She tries again, this time raising a finger to illustrate her point- her mouth slowly opening, but again snaps shut.  She was sincerely rendered speechless. <br/>
<br/>
Morgan debates for a moment, the very real prospect of simply running away from this entire awkward situation. It wasn’t as if didn’t feel in precisely the same manner.  But emotions of this nature were something new for the CAG. Having feelings only got people killed when you’ve got an entire ships worth of vipers at your command. Hesitating due to fear, or any other emotion, got people killed...This while not seemingly as dire perhaps was just as frightening a prospect.<br/>
<br/>
She just stares at Rushell as she chews away. She blinks every so often, but thats about it.<br/>
<br/>
Rush finished chewing and swallows her hunk of meat slowly watching Morgan freeze.<br/>
<br/>
“Maybe next time..” she puts the fork down and winks at Morgan with a hard smile and stands up to go.<br/>
<br/>
Morgan looks as if shes in a dazed. Massive blunt trauma to the head (of which shes had plenty) - didn’t render her as totally stupefied as this entire ordeal did. She watches almost as if from an  overhead view- This is not her life: this is some trashy vid. She watches as Rush stands,  the slow- disheartening words finally process at a shockingly slow speed. <br/>
<br/>
As Rushell walks away, Havoc quietly mumbles, “Wait..”  She pushes her self up from the table,  stepping up on to the long table, she pushes her self off, and makes long strides over to where her friend is now exiting the mess-with the entirely wrong idea. <br/>
<br/>
Swallowing hard, Morgan knows she has to do something..<br/>
<br/>
After what seems like years inside her mind, s<br/>
he throws caution to the wind, caring very little for the repercussions of ..slightly ..rash actions she was debating. The entire mess...comprised of plenty of her pilots..she’d never live this down.<br/>
<br/>
With out warning Havoc reaches out, pulling Rush towards her . Within seconds her thin, long fingers are entangled in her friends hair, and before she knows it, her lips are pressed firmly against the other womans.  The kiss is fairly chaste..but  Morgan figures..shes’ already embarrassed her self this much..may as well go all out.  She instinctively tilts Rushs’ head back a bit, deepening their kiss; her tongue silently begging access to the other pilots mouth.<br/>
<br/>
Rushell tilted her head at her “friend” and smirked,<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
“Well, it’s either speechless or full-on lip locking is it? Not that I minded that so much.” She grinned sheepishly. Rush put her hand on Morgan’s tall shoulders.<br/>
<br/>
“When you are ready to talk about this, let me know.” And she walked out of the mess while a little voice rang in her head again, ‘I wish I didn’t have these feelings...’<br/>
<br/>
Morgan swallows, nodding silently as Rushell leaves the room. She knew she had taken a gamble. She lost.  Now someone was going to have to pay for it.  It sure as frak wasn’t going to be her. <br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</div>
</div><br/>Chapter 4<br/><div class="ToggleTriggerAnchor bbCodeSpoilerContainer">
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<div class="SpoilerTarget bbCodeSpoilerText">`Battlestar Pegasus : Hanger Bay.<br/>
1 ½ months BCH<br/>
<br/>
Its been a month since the ordeal in the mess hall. Morgan had felt like a fool. She gambled , and lost.  Sure she could have  done the ‘adult’ thing and discussed her feelings with Rushell, but that would simply be too easy.<br/>
<br/>
The morning after had been hell. Morgan had gone from a creature of respect, fear and the epitome of ferocious spirit, to the laughing stock of Pegasus.  She couldn’t walk down a hall way with out a snide look, a smirking grin. Whispers and mock kissing noises were her constant companion. <br/>
<br/>
Not that she blamed her pilots for giving her shit, she could dish it out, she sure as frak could take it. However, it was one thing to take a good beating regarding ones professional performance, their own shortcomings and the like, but to mock her over ….this. Seemed cruel.  Even to her.  <br/>
<br/>
The pair hadn’t talked much, casually staying friendly, Morgan harbored no real ill will. She just figured Rushell had perhaps thought better  of her ‘interests’. In Morgans mind, if Rush had felt the same..she would have kissed her back, mentioned the situation again, anything.   But all Morgan could do was assume. <br/>
<br/>
Needless to say- The CAG was stressed. If Morgan was a total pain in the ass before, there were no words for her demands of perfection now.  She set all her viper jocks to working double shifts- CAPS for the first shift- every day- and Squad drills on second shift. <br/>
If she couldn’t control the situation with Rushell - whatever that situation WAS - she would at least be in control of her Pilots.<br/>
<br/>
She stands above the hangerbay, overseeing her domain, scribbling on a clipboard from the scaffolding.  She spots Rushell inspecting her Raptor, and swallows hard, immediately scanning the room for ANY scape goat.  Poor Firecrotch... “FIRECROTCH!” she yells using the young pilots caustic call sign to address him, “The FRAK you doing not in a bird?” <br/>
<br/>
She  hops down the railing and goes to blow off some steam.<br/>
<br/>
Rushell’s fingers slid over the Raptor, her tips feeling every crevice and bolt on the skin. Most of the modifications to her Raptor were in on the interior but there were still some differences on the outside. She heard the CAG’s call out to Firecrotch and rolled her eyes a bit in her flight suit. But she smiled. She couldn’t help but smile knowing what was coming. She kept a side-eye glance at Firecrotch and the approaching CAG as she continued her inspection of her Raptor. Luckily, “Nails” was already in side doing final prep.<br/>
<br/>
Firecrotch mumbles quietly, almost incoherent. “Er..um....getting ..some rack time?”<br/>
<br/>
Havoc grabs the boy by the ear, and pulls him to the white board.  She points to the nuggets name. “Whats this here son?My eyes are starting to go and I can’t frakking read..” <br/>
<br/>
Firecrotch looks at the sign. Then  to Morgan.  Glancing over to Rush, silently his eyes beg, ‘Help..’.  “  he pipes up ,”Um...My name Major.” <br/>
<br/>
“And WHAT shifts are you working today nugget?”<br/>
<br/>
Firecrotch adjusts, “First..and third.” <br/>
<br/>
Morgan pulls her watch out, and points to it, “Looks like Third shift to me Nugget...What the frak are you doing heading back to your rack a half hour early?” <br/>
<br/>
The boy looks to anyone for help, his eyes landing again on Rush.<br/>
<br/>
Rush takes a deep breath and sighs deeply. She took a few tentative steps toward the flight board, knowing what was coming, what she was getting herself into. She felt that perhaps just random interest might get her inserted into the situation to help.<br/>
<br/>
She walked up to the flightboard and took a look at the schedule.<br/>
<br/>
“Firecrotch, are you saying that you are putting you or others lives in danger by continuing your shift?”<br/>
<br/>
Morgan glares at Rush, then back to the nugget.  <br/>
<br/>
Firecrotch swallows, “Ye..yes ma’am. Sick. er..um...Yakked twice in the pit of the bird.” He explains. <br/>
<br/>
Havoc suddenly feels bad, looking over her shoulder she sees the flight crew look in to the viper with disgust. <br/>
She furrows her brow, “Go clean it then hit yr’ rack Nugget. I don’t wanna see you’re ass here tomorrow  -Under-frakking stood?” Havoc barks.<br/>
He nods and heads to his viper while Morgan turns to eye a rather pleased Rush. “So...Now I’ve got two Viper shifts open tomorrow thanks to your loving heart..” she starts, the entire flight deck watching the two out of the corner of their eyes.<br/>
<br/>
Whispers of , “Maybe the Major will lay one on er’ again..” start to eminate.<br/>
<br/>
Havoc grits her teeth. “Looks like Yr’ Flying CAP tomorrow with me princess..hope you remember how to pilot a frakkin real machine.”<br/>
<br/>
“Understood, Major” Rush nods to the CAG and represses her smile. Her short hair slightly moist from the exertion of the previous shift.<br/>
<br/>
“If there isn’t anything else, Major, with your permission I do have my current assignment waiting to get off the deck.”<br/>
<br/>
Rush eyes stare intently into the CAGs. <br/>
<br/>
Havocs lost for a moment in the light blue pools of Rushells eyes. A dopey grin starts to overwhelm her normally stern and stalwart features.<br/>
Shes lost..drowning.  Trying desperately to cling to ANY form of control. <br/>
She almost speaks- but doesn’t, returning to staring.<br/>
<br/>
Firecrotch makes his way past the two, laughing, “Ya gonna kiss ‘er or belt er Major?”  <br/>
<br/>
Havoc glares at the young pilot as her bolts out of the hanger.<br/>
<br/>
Morgans lost from her daze, and mumbles, “Be here early. Make sure you haven’t frakkin forgotten how to fly a damn viper.”<br/>
<br/>
“I haven’t. Make sure you haven’t forgotten how to land one...” She about faced and paced herself to her Raptor.<br/>
<br/>
“Ready to go Nails? Let’s get the bird into the air and those unit systems up and running. Time to throw up the data net.”<br/>
<br/>
Rush climbed into the Raptor and took the control center seat. She put on her specially modified help with the holographic goggles built-in. Nails was doing her best in getting the engines winding up in time as the side door to the Raptor began to lower. Rush took one last look at the CAG near the flight board to see if she was even still there.<br/>
<br/>
“I’ll...FRAKKIN...land you!” As soon as she said it , her palm was over her face. <br/>
<br/>
She walks back up the stairs to her perch, and mumbles as she fumbles over the paperwork.<br/>
Swearing under her breath as she does. <br/>
<br/>
<br/>
_______________________________________________<br/>
<br/>
Rush arrived on time. Not early. On time. <br/>
<br/>
There wasn’t much discussion as the two suited up, and prepared for a long 10 hour shift.<br/>
<br/>
Midway through the day, Havoc started to pick off random space debris. Soon a contest was started over their wireless , to see whom was the best shot at max range.<br/>
Havoc sure she would win- (as she always does) - Missed her last shot completely . Much to Rush’s and the entire Pegasus crews delight. <br/>
<br/>
Morgan was quickly becoming a laughing stock, not only did she have....something gnawing at her brain in regards to her friend, but now the woman seemed to be prone to pass her up professionally.<br/>
Rushell lands perfectly as always,while Havoc returns to Pegasus with a totally demolished Nav system, and a smoldering left engine.<br/>
<br/>
As the two ‘land’, Admiral Cain is making a routine inspection.  <br/>
Morgan begins to get anxious, knowing one slip up, and she’s lost the lucrative CAG title to her best friend of 6 years. <br/>
<br/>
As she slides down the rails to the stairs of her viper, she mouths to Rushell, ‘Not one Frakking word..’<br/>
<br/>
Rush took her steady steps down the ladder to her cockpit, after getting back on the deck started immediately on her post-flight inspection of her Viper. She noticed Cain approaching but decided to continue business as usual. She saw what Morgan mouthed to her after she took off her helmet while she was still in the cockpit and nodded in agreement to her. <br/>
<br/>
After completing her visual inspection of her Viper, she walked over to the CAG’s damaged Viper. She performed a simliar visual inspection on the CAG’s Viper and then walked over to Havoc.<br/>
<br/>
“You know, I can’t believe that those knuckle-draggers left debris in the patrol zone. Who would have thought that a oxygen scrubber would be just floating out there, waiting for your Viper to smash into it.” She runs her hands over Morgan’s destroyed engine.<br/>
<br/>
“It’s a shame really.” Rush was determined to always watch over Morgan’s best interests.<br/>
<br/>
The Admiral stands between the pair.  <br/>
Morgan quickly turning to attention, before Cain nods her dismissal. “Oxygen Scrubber eh?” She quirks a brow, “I trust it you’ll be handling the discussion with Chief Iamas?” <br/>
<br/>
Havoc nods, “Yes Ma’am.  I’ll wait for his shift to start to make sure the matter is addressed.”<br/>
<br/>
“See that you do Major. Would hate to have you give needless work to our pit crews...due to your negligence. “<br/>
<br/>
“Of course Sir.” <br/>
<br/>
Cain nods at Rushell, as she spins on her heel and takes off. She stops and bellows over her shoulder , “And Major...the next time you run in to a ‘scrubber’ you may wish to assure Captain Santi is on shift with you. I doubt the rest of your crew would make up a story  for you in such a manner.”  The Admiral reads right through the clever lie.  <br/>
<br/>
Morgan nods, “Sir.” <br/>
<br/>
When Cain is out of eyesight, Morgan raises her brows sheepishly and grins at Rush. “Thankyou.” she coos. Her voice goes quiet, “She’s been on my ass since I turned her down...” She rubs her neck, “Its been a hell of a rough month.”<br/>
<br/>
“You can say that... “ She blinks a bit as she cracks her neck. “You turned her down? Why?” she whispers to Morgan.<br/>
<br/>
Cain was not one to pursue, and she certainly didn’t like blows to her ego. Rush couldn’t figure out why Morgan would take the chance of that backfiring unless....<br/>
<br/>
“Do we finally have something to talk about?”<br/>
<br/>
Morgan starts to unzip the top of her flight suit, grabbing the clipboard off the side of her docking bay and takes a step towards Rush. “Cain’s not my type.” She admits letting just the faintest hint of a grin play across the corners of her lips.<br/>
<br/>
 Slightly confused Havoc shakes her head, “I...I thought you , um. “ she looks around for prying eyes. “I thought you might have thought better of that whole..situation.”<br/>
<br/>
Rush finishes her physical inspection and unzips her jacket and opens it up, moist from the last patrol.<br/>
<br/>
“We never had that discussion so I never had  the chance to think better of anything.”<br/>
<br/>
Rush’s eyebrow raised in all seriousness as she glances side-long at Havoc.<br/>
<br/>
“Whats there to discuss!? You made it real clear Santi. You frak with my head, tell me you want me, I pull up the nerve to plant one on you- in font of the whole mess no less- and you just walk away.”<br/>
Havoc shakes her head, hurt clearly evident despite how hard she tries to hide it. “ Now, do I look like I’m in the frakking business of looking like a godsdamned fool?” <br/>
<br/>
She holds up her fingers, “Don’t answer that last part...”<br/>
<br/>
“I wanted to talk about it, not make out in the mess. You gut reacted because you can’t deal with your feelings on this. While I’m not any better, at least I’m not random.” She grimaces as she made her speech. “Considering your CAG and I’m Raptor one, we have some considerations to make before we start to swap saliva, right?”<br/>
<br/>
She throws up her hands in the air, exhausted as she walks to the storage areas, “You know, what do I know? I only frakkin’ work here!” It pretty much echoes down the entire flight deck. <br/>
<br/>
Havoc chases her, not really caring who hears them. “You know Santi, “ she uses her friends last name to keep things informal as possible. “ Maybe this isn’t about our frakking job descriptions, cause the way i’ve been flying since that entire frakking shit storm is going to get my ass demoted past frakkin Firecrotch ANY day now.” <br/>
She raises her arms in exasperation as well, as they walk down the hall and in to the showers. “You know as well as i do this isn’t fraking about the job, it isn’t about how you frakkin feel, its about you being too shit- terrified to let go and feel SOMETHING thats NOT calculated to be within a 80% or better success rate. Sometimes lifes about taking a fraking chance. Going with your gut. And hoping you don’t look like a fraking idiot after all the pieces are picked up.”<br/>
<br/>
She is with in inches of Rushell now, pinning her back against the door to the communal pilots shower. “You approach love like you’re a frakking cylon.” The CAG stares down the other woman, mimicking a cylons voice, with haunting accuracy“By ..your...command...”<br/>
<br/>
“Maybe, just maybe, the toasters had it right...” She rips off her flight suit, tanks and shorts, frustrated to all hell as she rushes into the showers and slams on the hot water and begins to soak under the shower head, her eyes close as she leans against the wall, thinking....<br/>
<br/>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br/>
<br/>
Nine years before, on Tauron<br/>
<br/>
Rhouth jumped from the back of the covered truck and landed in the dirt. They finally made it to the rendezvous but by the gods, the trip was dead awful. Hot, sweaty and dirty, Rhouth adjusting her tank-top, trying to get the material not to stick to her skin. It was days like this that she appreciated her decision to cut her hair so short... besides, it made her “fit in” with the other family members in this part of the business.<br/>
<br/>
The sun beat down on her skin as she waited for the other truck to arrive. She had with her quite a few of her circle. This was going to be a very large scale deal. The implications of it likely to propel her families circle much closer to the Guatrau than ever before. After 40 years the problem of the Heraclitus had never really gone away. They still repressed the Ha’la’tha on a day to day basis. The families still tried to throw off the yoke of these corrupt police state but progress was slow.<br/>
<br/>
Finally, by Diana, they were coming. The other truck pulled up and stopped about 20 feet from her truck, kicking up dust and dirt in her and her crews face.<br/>
The head of this particular crew got out. The man was already covered in many of the same tattoos that her family had chosen but had a few more that she didn’t recognize, most likely being specific to his circle. He walked up to her, with a look of cold hard determination and bit out in Tauronese,<br/>
<br/>
“It is good to see you Adelphi, I heard a lot about you.”<br/>
<br/>
“And you as well Adelphos, your circle speaks well of you. Sorry for the pour conditions but its best to keep the Heraclitus out of our hair.”<br/>
<br/>
“I agree, lets do this then...” <br/>
<br/>
The both moved to their respective backs of their trucks and dislodged the carrying cases.<br/>
<br/>
Rhouth spoke first.<br/>
<br/>
“All of the weapons you ordered, per your specifications as desired.”<br/>
<br/>
“All of the records you requested, catalogued per your preference as desired.”<br/>
<br/>
“Do we need to inspect?” Rhouth raised an eyebrow.<br/>
<br/>
“No, I think we know where to find each other if something is amiss, right?”<br/>
<br/>
“Right.”<br/>
<br/>
They traded keys to the trucks. Simplicity and quickness in these dealings were always best.<br/>
<br/>
“Is there anything else?” Rhouth asked before getting back to the other’s truck.<br/>
<br/>
“Actually there is... You need to know something. Basil Kotas plans on selling out to the Heraclitus to keep his family safe from their enforcers. Unfortunately, Basil is the one in the circle who knows about the Kormos cell... and I know you know the Kormos very well.” He nodded in understanding and knowing.<br/>
<br/>
Rhouth’s mouth went agape for a moment, in shock but quickly recovered, her blood turning ice cold and her light blue eyes sharpening down to points. The Kormos family helped the Santi family get to where they were within the circles. They have been supportive of the older generation Santis for decades. They were the closest thing that the Santi’s had to an extended family as it could be. <br/>
<br/>
“Thank you brother for letting me know this. We should be on our way.”<br/>
<br/>
“We should.” the brother said before turning and leaving.<br/>
<br/>
yaOn the way back to the city, while in her truck, Rhouth’s knuckles were white as she gripped the steering wheel, thinking of what she was going to do to Basil to stop him.<br/>
<br/>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br/>
<br/>
9 years later, back in the Pegasus communal showers. <br/>
<br/>
Morgan disrobes and follows Rushell in to the showers. “HEY!” She shouts , her face turning red with brimming anger. She stomps over to the shower head, turning the dial to freezing cold and hisses, “ You wanted to talk. And you walk away. Lets FRAKKING talk.” <br/>
<br/>
Its clear Morgans frustration is getting the better of her . She glances at her self in a mirror, clothed in her shorts and dual tanks, she sighs. Her voice softening. “You wanna talk let me know Rush.” <br/>
<br/>
She slowly walks off, gathering some soap and a towel. She disrobes and slides her head against the shower wall.<br/>
<br/>
Rushell opens her eyes, the cold water bouncing off her skin like she had just been waxed. Not for a moment did Rush shiver or feel the pain of the cold water making her bones hurt or her muscles cramp. She noted the temperature difference, but didn’t ‘feel’ it.<br/>
<br/>
She walked out of the shower, her short brown hair matted against her skull, soaked and dripping, she grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her waist walking up to Morgan.<br/>
<br/>
“It’s probably best to ‘talk’ without the risk of concussion or pneumonia...”<br/>
<br/>
She walked out of the shower to dry off and gets dressed.<br/>
<br/>
No matter how angry Morgan became at the situation, she couldn’t bring her self to be ‘angry’ at Rushell. “ Ok.” Came her quiet response. Much like a child being reprimanded for talking out of turn, the brazen and wild pilot simply agrees. She blushes. “Sorry.” She wasn’t sure why she was acting like this...what drove her to lash out the moment she felt rejected or cast aside. <br/>
<br/>
Truth was she’d harbored feelings for Rushell for years. What thoes feelings were however, were hard to explain. Morgan didn’t put too much thought in them, as she was staunchly against wishing for what one ‘couldn't have’ And to Morgan, Rush fit in that catagory. There was no way in all the gods power, someone as smart, sophisticated and caring as Rush would EVER want her.<br/>
<br/>
When  Rush  admitted her attraction in the mess, Morgan sincerely couldn’t believe it. And every action since, had been nothing but proof in her mind, she didn’t deserve Rush any how. <br/>
<br/>
Morgan stays in the shower for a few extra moments  before heading to the officers bunk where she, Hoshi, and Rush slept.<br/>
<br/>
Hoshi was on his shift. Meaning Rush and Morgan would have time alone...if Rushell was up still. Morgan creaks the door open and looks around the dark room. She steps in and makes her way to her bunk , whispering quietly , “Rushell..you awake?”<br/>
<br/>
“Always.” Rush responded and almost instantly turned off her tablet’s backlight. Now it was all dark and Morgan couldn’t see a thing.<br/>
<br/>
Morgan takes a step forward, thwapping her shin against the metal bench again. “Frakinnn...” she swears . “Um..” she stands in the dark, in the silent room. All she hears is the ambient hum of Pegasus, and the sound of her own heart pounding in her chest. “You wanted to talk?” she starts.. Unsure of ..what Rush wanted to talk about precisely. <br/>
<br/>
“Wait... you mean you didn’t have a topic to start us off?” The room was completely dark. She couldn’t see Morgan. She couldn’t even see herself. That made this all very exciting to her. Just listening to the sounds of, well, of everything was entirely more interesting than using her eyes to sense anything. She could hear her own breath. She thought she could hear Morgans.<br/>
<br/>
“I thought you wanted to talk, you seemed to make that pretty clear in the shower.”<br/>
<br/>
Morgan is frustrated. “I try to talk..you say ‘lets talk’ I don’t know what the frak you want to hear from me? Some unending declaration of love and devotion? You told me you wanted me...I kissed you ..you acted like i had the plague.  I felt kissing you was a pretty frakking good declaration of feelings....apparently you disagree. So how about we cut to the chase. What do you want to know Rushell? I’m frakking terrible at this and you know it..but i’m kinda layin’ it on the line here..” The last part is quiet...almost inaudible. <br/>
She stares out in the pitch black room, feeling around for Rush’s rack..her rack..anyplace to sit.<br/>
<br/>
Silence...<br/>
<br/>
“I told you that I was interested in you. Yes. I want you. Yes. But instead of telling me how you feel, you rush up to kiss me and then break away. I admit, it was a good kiss, but like I said... ‘I don’t frak on the first date’. I had no idea what you may feel about me. Whether it was an impossibility or not. I don’t know whether you are still involved with ‘someone’ or how you feel about her or me or whether you can even handle us knowing that we serve on the same ship. I don’t know if you can be with me knowing that I was your Adelphi before. I don’t know if I was dreaming that kiss and then the subsequent nightmare of your reaction thereafter<br/>
Morgan could hear the slight chinking of metal dog tags sliding across the standard issue chain.<br/>
“So, I think we have a lot to talk about, no?.... or would you rather just kiss?”<br/>
<br/>
Morgan stands dumbfounded. “Ok..maybe I didn’t think of all of thoes things as...maybe its not important. “ She clears her throat and moves towards the clinking sound. Her voice is soft, sincere , and soothing- a rare thing to find Morgan out of her ‘commander’ mode. <br/>
“Truth is I’ve no idea how I feel about you. I don’t know what to call it. If there is a name for it.  I think of you first thing when I roll out of my rack. Everytime I see you ..I want to be close to you.  Every time you laugh my frakking stomach flips and makes me feel more frakking terrified then when i’ve blown out both damn engines and am trying to make it back home.” <br/>
<br/>
Morgan reaches out, feeling for a wall..anything. “I’ve felt this way for years. I think if I ignore it..and drown my self in work and women it will go away. “ She shakes her head, and Rushell can hear her tags clank back and forth- she’s getting closer.<br/>
“The more i ignore it..the worse it gets. The more I frakking think of you..and kissing you and having you tell me what a frakking blowhard I am.” she sniffs, “I don’t KNOW what that is Rush.”  <br/>
<br/>
She shakes her head and continues, a single tear rolling down her cheek. “I’ve never felt that with Cain..frak I..hardly think of Cain. Cain just happens. I...She was there. I respect her. We work well together. She offered. I took her up on it. Thought maybe it would make things clearer with..what it is i feel for you. But it didn’t . It only made me think of you more. Picture your head on her frakking shoulders.  I turned her down the night you told me. And I’ve not had a good nights sleep since then.”<br/>
<br/>
“She’s been riding my ass. I’m frakking up at work...I can’t frakking thing straight becuase all i think of is how i’ve blown it. I don’t care that we work together, I don’t care what you and I were and have been. But I don’t want to a future without you.” She takes another step forward, her feet clanging against the edge of ..someones rack. “I’ve no idea what the holy frak all this adds up to. But I sure haven’t felt it before..and I’ve got no idea what the frak to do about it.” <br/>
<br/>
She stands in silence for a moment, her voice quaking slightly as she admits,  “I’m terrified.”<br/>
<br/>
The clinking of the dog tags stops...<br/>
<br/>
“You have no reason to be afraid.<br/>
<br/>
“What it is is ‘us’. Us coming together, perhaps as a duo... as a couple... as one maybe.<br/>
<br/>
“You picture my head on Cain’s shoulders? That’s some pretty sick shit, Morgan.” While still completely dark, Morgan could hear Rush smirking.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Morgan swallows. She can’t even believe what she’s just said. She wipes her eyes with her hands, clearing her throat she insists , “Um...Yes?” her voice is still quiet, as she leans against whatever shes standing next to. She feels out in front of her , her hand coming in contact with a warm, smooth bare skinned mass. “I...er..Its frakked up I know. I..um.” She stammers.<br/>
<br/>
Morgan never stammers ever. “Um..sorry?” she has no idea what the ‘right’ answer is.<br/>
<br/>
Rush smiled wide and repressed a laugh, “You don’t have to apologize, you’re cute.”<br/>
<br/>
Then a loud creek came from the front of the bulkhead as light poured into the room as Lt. Hoshi stepped in, simultaneously Morgan saw her hand on Rushell’s bare stomach.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Morgan blinks as shes assaulted by the lights. She focuses her eyes to see her hand..resting on Rushells much darker skin. She yelps, pulling the hand away, then turning quickly to look behind her she narrows her eyes and glares.  She takes a step in front of Rushells totally nude form,and crosses her arms staring at Hoshi. “You’ve got really frakking amazing timing.”<br/>
<br/>
She turns to a very nude Rushell and furrows her brow. “Great talk. More later. So fun.” <br/>
<br/>
She stumbles towards her bunk, smashing her shin in to the same bench once again, this time not even wincing as she climbs in to her rack and stares at the ceiling, feeling quite the fool.<br/>
<br/>
Hoshi is confused. “Sorry Ladies...”He narrows his eyes, “Actually Morgan..um. Cain sent me here to get you..she wanted to speak to you.”<br/>
<br/>
Morgan gets up, sighing. “Frakkin firing squad can’t be far behind...” <br/>
She stumbles to her locker, dressing in her formal blues, she makes her way out of the room.<br/>
<br/>
Hoshi is changing when he looks at a nude Rushell. “So..” he starts, “Um....What was that about?”<br/>
<br/>
“It was about....a steak dinner.” She smirks and huffs a laugh at Hoshi. She looks down at her naked form and then looks back up to Hoshi, “Still does nothing for you?”<br/>
<br/>
Hoshi rolls his eyes.</div>
</div><br/>Chapter 5<br/><div class="ToggleTriggerAnchor bbCodeSpoilerContainer">
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<div class="SpoilerTarget bbCodeSpoilerText">Battlestar Pegasus-<br/>
1 ½ months BCH<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Morgan was exhausted.  It had taken the better part of three hours to placate Admiral Cain.<br/>
Again with grumblings of discontentment from Chief Iamas. Morgan had to assure the Admiral that any steps able to be taken in keeping Vipers operational would be necessary as much as possible in the coming weeks.  A 3 months Shore leave was scheduled for Pegasus and her crew- and the Admiral demanded her ship be in top shape when they arrived at the Scorpia Ship yards.<br/>
<br/>
As she leaves the Admirals quarters, a familiar looking woman heads towards the Admirals chambers.  Morgan tilts her head. This thin woman, maybe in her mid 30’s with her hair pulled back, and a pair of glasses riding low on her nose raises a brow at Morgan as she walks past.<br/>
<br/>
The CAG stops...having the strangest feeling. “Do I know you?” she asks.<br/>
<br/>
The dirty blond stares at Morgan. “I don’t think so...” <br/>
<br/>
Morgan dismisses the strange feeling. “Sorry to bother then...” <br/>
<br/>
<br/>
The stranger smiles , staring at Morgan for a moment. <br/>
<br/>
<br/>
The CAG turns and heads towards the Officers quarters.<br/>
The lights are dark again by the time she gets back. She stumbles over the bench..like always. <br/>
Morgan makes her way to her rack, the thoughts of the day weighing heavily on her. <br/>
She  doesn't’ bother disrobing, only unbuttons the front of her dress blues. <br/>
She slowly falls asleep, knowing Rush is likely awake.<br/>
<br/>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br/>
Morgan wakes engulfed in water, encased within a tube. Her heart race quickens, as she hears hears voices..<br/>
“What do you mean you can’t deviate from the designated programming?” A male voice grumbles.<br/>
<br/>
“I mean aside from hiding what she really is...there is very little we can change here.” A female voice answers.<br/>
<br/>
“The entire POINT of this experiment Six is to create one of our own to assimilate one of THEM.”<br/>
<br/>
“How does that differ from the 8’s we’ve sent out?”<br/>
<br/>
“The 8’s have a purpose. They don’t need any programing other then the standard sleeper program. This 3...She is my opus..” The male voice becomes proud now, “To prove once and for-all, this idle concept humans have of nature vs. nurture is pointless. Its all connected-They are by nature violent. Evil. And because of that the world they have constructed will corrupt.  This 3 will be a clean slate. Remove all standard emotional programming- leave her blank...let her be ‘raised’ in their world...and watch her turn to violence, hatred. Corrupted by  a world of the corrupt.-Let her prove beyond a shadow of a doubt, humanity is a plague and worth exterminating.“ <br/>
<br/>
“Cavil...she’ll still have free will...”<br/>
<br/>
“Free will is an Illusion. Now find a way to change the programming Six, or who knows whats going to happen to yours when next you download. She gets sent out without the standard ‘emotional’ programming or else.”<br/>
<br/>
Morgans head rolls around,  pounding on the glass..she doesn’t know who these people are , or what they’re talking about. ...but she has had enough.<br/>
She opens her mouth to scream- not a single word comes from her lips- she simply swallows a devastating amount of the liquid. She feels as if shes drowning, the lights grow dimmer and dimmer... <br/>
<br/>
Darkness fades to black.<br/>
<br/>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br/>
<br/>
Morgan is thrashing around on her rack within the Pegasus officers quarters, muttering something incoherent. She breaks out in a cold sweat, seemingly trying to wake up...but simply can’t.<br/>
<br/>
“Hey...”<br/>
<br/>
“HEY!”<br/>
<br/>
“Wake Up!” Rushell shakes Morgan’s shoulder to break her reverie.<br/>
<br/>
Morgans eyes shoot open. She looks around the room, pushing and propelling her self back on the bed-away from the hand touching her. She tries to adjust her eyes. “The...” she whispers looking around the room . Its silent..dark and almost empty. “Was ...were you and Hoshi talking?”<br/>
<br/>
“Nahuh... not at all, I was sleeping until you started mumbling.” Rushell was was sitting on the bench next to Morgan’s bunk.<br/>
“Bad dream?”<br/>
<br/>
Morgan furrows her brow and looks around- darkness. The dream starts to come back to her. “Um.Yeah. Something like that.” she shivers, the feint sound of flesh on flesh is heard as she starts to rub her upper arms- fighting away the lingering chill. <br/>
<br/>
“Sorry um..Sorry to wake you.” She brushes the cold sweat from her forehead.<br/>
<br/>
Rushell’s brow furrowed, pursing her lips in concern,<br/>
<br/>
“You don’t look well, Adelphi” She took her hand placed it on Morgan’s forehead gauging her temperature. “maybe you should see the doc.”<br/>
<br/>
The contact from her friends hand did little to ease the frazzled CAGS nerves.  “Nah. I’m a resilient frakker.” She insists,trying not to let a slight blush creep to her cheeks as she cranes her head further in to Rushells hand.  She reaches a hand out her self, searching for a knee to pat. She brushes against something soft and round. ‘Oh frak me..’ she thinks .”Sorry! Um..Maybe the Doc is the thing for me...” she relents.<br/>
<br/>
Rushell smirks at her, “I thought we were still getting to that...” She snickers in the dark<br/>
<br/>
“You know, might as well since I’m up, I thought our conversation got cut off short last time we were ‘talking’, you know?” Rushell took the CAG’s hand and held it to her knee as Morgan originally intended. <br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Morgan panics.  She’d been with plenty of women.  More than she’d like to admit most times- (except of course when inebriated in the mess with her pilots)- but this was ...different. The simple act of her hand laying against her best friend of six years ..bare knee, in a slightly more then ‘friendly’ way -set her heart racing.  “I think I did most my talking before we were interrupted..” she whispers .  “Um...I kinda feel..insipid for having rambled about like that. You could take pity on me and smother me with a pillow...” <br/>
<br/>
She thinks for a moment. “Or whatever it was my hand brushed against ..” <br/>
<br/>
Even when terrified, Morgan was still an insatiable flirt.<br/>
<br/>
Rushell smirked and shook her head.<br/>
<br/>
“If you could stop thinking about boobs for a second, I could have sworn you had questions for me.” Rush raised her eyebrow and leaned forward, unknowingly perhaps, but still leaning forward and exposing more of her cleavage to Morgan. Morgan thinking, ‘thank the gods, its still dark in here.’<br/>
<br/>
It is unclear if Morgan is being difficult.  Or if she’s just frustrated. Either way, the words come out exceptionally wrong.  Her tone is quiet, there is no mistaking what she says for being induced by anger, and it doesn’t have a hint of hostility.<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah...One.”<br/>
She clears her throat, “Why’ve you been such a frakking bitch to me since the mess hall? I tell you this isn’t easy for me..and its almost like you enjoy watching me frakking squirm.”<br/>
<br/>
“I haven’t been a bitch to you. Just letting you cool your heels until you figure yourself out. Because, Adelphi, you definitely needed to figure yourself out. You couldn’t even talk to me about how you felt. You had to kiss me to prove something. I mean that’s great and all, like I said but I really wanted to talk to you about it all.<br/>
<br/>
“I don’t enjoy watching your squirm at all. In fact, if you stop squirming then maybe we could get past that and actually talk through this.”<br/>
<br/>
She leaned back on the bench and sighed, “You don’t have to be neurotic about this with me. I understand what you are going through, I think...” She pondered, “I’m just use to being me and know why I feel the way I feel.”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Morgans jaw drops, “PROVE SOMETHING?!” She clasps her fingers over her lips and lowers her voice, switching to their native tongue. “You think the mess hall was to PROVE something to you?”  She shakes her head soundly,”You’re not some conquest...if I was out to prove...whatever it is you think i’m out to prove, wouldn’t i keep about with Cain? Doing whatever the frak I damn well pleased?”   The stubborn CAG , squints her eyes in the darkness. <br/>
<br/>
“Maybe this isn’t the best idea we’ve ever had.”  She idly lets her thumb dance over Rushells knee, mumbling now she finishes, “Too different...I’m not being neurotic. But I don’t think you understand what I’m going through...If you did you would have ..you know..responded to what I said to you pre-Hoshie and before I got my frakking ass chewed out by Cain. But instead you want me to ask questions when i’ve done that. We just were interrupted. The questions still stand, and maybe i feel to frakking stupid to have to go in to all that again.”<br/>
She regrets it as soon as shes done talking, opening her mouth to take it back...<br/>
<br/>
Rushell keeps her seat and doesn’t move, still leaning back on the table.<br/>
<br/>
“I didn’t say prove something to me... Perhaps to yourself. I don’t know.”  She sighs.<br/>
<br/>
“Honestly, do you expect me to understand what are you talking about? ‘Reponded to what I said to you pre-Hoshi... ‘ You know, I’m older, you have to make things simple for my wittle brain. I’m not going to sit here and play twenty questions with you. ‘Oh, let me guess what Morgan’s thinking!’ Frak that! You have a question for me? Ask it! Now’s your chance. You talked a lot about how you feel, I explained my intentions here with you. I like you, maybe more. but it’s quickly going south if you expect a mind reader. So, I restate it again. What do you want to know?”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
“The last thing I expect out of you is a mind reader.”  Morgan removes her hand.<br/>
<br/>
“You’re an obsessive nerd , who can’t fly a frakkin viper to save er’ life, and- AND-latley you’ve frakken lived to torture me. “  She snarls and starts to speak through her teeth, “So don’t play the ‘I like you game’  with me. I tried to talk to you about how I felt. The you know....the response of someone whos’ head wasn’t lodged up er’ ass three feet would be to reciprocate such a frakking UN-ASKABLE question. What am i supposed to say Rush? “ <br/>
<br/>
Her voice turns coy and insecure as she mockingly continues, “ Teee heee do you like me? Teee hee Should we go out?!”  Her voice goes back to its normal tone, “OH..wait. We’re on a frakking Battlestar...” <br/>
<br/>
She feels like an ass as she pushes away, clearly hurt by Rushells rough attitude.  <br/>
The CAG could dish it out in the Viper pits as well as in her personal life...however she was substantially better at taking aggression back in the pits then she was in her day to day. <br/>
<br/>
“I..” she starts before shaking her head. “ If you wanted to talk about it Rush..you’d offer information. Not have to have a frakkin Court Marshall style interrogation.”<br/>
<br/>
Rushell rolls her eyes through-out the mocking questions that Morgan posed and then just closed her eyes, breathed slowly while she let her finish. Then she opened her eyes, alive with fury.<br/>
<br/>
“Frakkin’ waste of my time.” She got up to walk out of the bunk room.<br/>
<br/>
“If you are convinced that I live to torture you, that I am playing a game when I tell you that I like you and that you consider asking me questions that you are interested in as an interrogation, then I recommend you turn the page back a little and figure out who I am and who you are.” <br/>
<br/>
“Sure its not easy to ask the tough questions but if you are not willing to play then there is no reward.”<br/>
<br/>
“Let me ‘offer some information’. I want you... now. I want to start this, today. and I love you with my heart and soul, for a very long time now. But if you can’t fathom anymore questions from that and expect me to jump your bones because you can easily kiss me in a mess hall, you have a lot to figure out.”<br/>
<br/>
She turned and took a few steps to the door, “Think about it...” she states ,closing the door behind her.<br/>
<br/>
Morgan looks out into the darkness.  She blinks once, then again.  Does she follow Rush? Does she give her friend time to cool off?<br/>
<br/>
“Will you two FRAK already and get it over with?!” Hoshi groans from his rack. <br/>
<br/>
“HOSHI!” she yells.<br/>
<br/>
“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?” the poor communications officer is exhausted, and just when he thinks he can finally get some sleep....<br/>
<br/>
“I know ...you’re like.....in to ..the dude an shit’ but ….Um..” Tact...tact everywhere in every word Morgan speaks. “Do I go after her?”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Hoshi rolls over the side of his rack and clicks the light on . He gives Morgan a look, “First..What the frak do I care? Second..you still owe me another three bottles of Ambrosia.  And Third...if I just pissed off my best friend of six years  SO BAD - that she confessed she frakking was in love with me....Uh..yah dumb ass. The frak are you doing here?” <br/>
<br/>
Morgan agreed...it was ...stupid. “Right. Thanks. I owe you one.”<br/>
<br/>
Still clad in her unbuttoned dress blues, she rushes to the door. <br/>
<br/>
“Make that five bottles of Ambrosia..” Hoshi groans as he rolls over..finally. Peace and quiet.<br/>
<br/>
_________________________________________________________________<br/>
<br/>
After  30 minutes of searching , Morgan finds Rushell stashed away on the starboard observation deck.  The smaller woman stands with her hands behind her back, staring out the large bay window to watch the third shift CAP practice rotations. <br/>
<br/>
Morgan  sheepishly walks towards Rushell. “Hi.”  She whispers.  She holds out a small piece of paper, scribbled on it  “I owe you- One set of fancy-ass flowers in a month and a half. “<br/>
<br/>
She grins sheepishly and furrows her brow. “I’m about as good as apologizing as I am at um...asking questions.” She clears her throat. “I’m sorry for frustrating you.I’m sorry for being a frakking ass. I’m sorry for being me most the bloody time. “ she takes a step forward, “I’m not..um..I don’t want to get in your pants...” she stops to smirk, ever the perv, “Though if i was invited..I would be stupid to say no.”  She bites her bottom lip and slowly lets her hand trail up the side of Rush’s bare arm. “ I could give a frak about ...frakking.” she says...ever the poet. “I just ..kinda want you..in a more.then...yr’ my friend. way...” she stammers.<br/>
<br/>
Rush couldn’t help but smile at the absurdity of it. the note, the apologies, the class. She laughed and turned around and leaned back against the banister, the stars behind her now. She takes a deep breath and just looks at her friend.<br/>
<br/>
“I’m sorry for blowing up at ya. and losing my patience.” She reaches out her hand to take Morgan’s.<br/>
<br/>
“I’m very taxing...” Morgan smiles, her heart starting to race the second Rushells hand grasps on to hers.  She tries to calm down..play it cool! “Um..The..the kiss...” she furrows her brow, looking up over Rushells left shoudler watching the shoddy formation of the vipers practice...shes sure its Firecrotch whos’ lagging behind. She tries to focus on anything other then what shes saying, anything to take that edge of ‘vulnerable’ away. “I didn’t do it ..’cause I wanted to frak you.” she whispers now, “I did it because I think about it all the damn time.And in my ..fraked up world view...since i’m horrible at words, I thought maybe ..um..proving I was willing to get mocked viciously for the rest of my natural life ..by people...by my frakkin’ pilots.” she shakes her head, “I just had some frakked up notion that it would show you how important you are to me...”<br/>
<br/>
Rushell leans forward and ran her fingertips through the back of Morgan’s hair, her hands tilting her head slightly, she tilts her own and softly presses her lips against Morgan’s. Pecking at first but then gently but surely kissing her intently, letting her own tongue wet her lips as it escapes past her own teeth. She runs her other hands fingertips down the side of her cheek softly as she finishes the kiss and pulls back.<br/>
<br/>
“Don’t blame me for avoiding questions or not sharing information.” She grins mischievously as she takes Morgan in her arms turns Morgan around and wraps her arms around her, pressing herself against Morgan’s back.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
The kiss had Morgans mind racing.  Her heart started to pound so loudly she could hear the blood coursing through her body - ringing in her ears. Just when things couldn’t shock her more..the smaller woman turns Morgans giant 6 foot plus, frame around, and wraps her deceptively strong arms around her. The CAG fights the urge to wiggle. To feel ‘strange.’. Not so much the size difference..as it is the emotions that come with it.<br/>
<br/>
In all her life Morgan had very few people to ‘look out’ for her. Rushell was the ever constant watch guard of the younger pilot.  It only felt strange for a moment. Before long Morgans eyes start to lull shut, the utter contentment , and peace of being so very close to this woman- almost lulling her to sleep.<br/>
<br/>
She tightly grasps Rushells arms, a little shocked by her own actions as she requests in an equally shocking manner, “Come sleep with me?” <br/>
<br/>
She blurts quickly after, turning to face Rush “Not...not..sex..Um..” she blushes feeling stupid now. “We have first shift. Thats only 3 hours of rack time...” she grins, “I’m a total frakking sap if I want to spend it like this aren't I ?” <br/>
<br/>
Rushell stares into Morgan’s eyes, half-dreamy, half-tired, all bright and shiny, much like the stars behind her.<br/>
<br/>
“Let go be saps for once.” She beams back at her.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</div>
</div><br/>Chapter 6<br/><div class="ToggleTriggerAnchor bbCodeSpoilerContainer">
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<div class="SpoilerTarget bbCodeSpoilerText">Battlestar Pegasus<br/>
1 month BCH<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
The pair fell asleep the moment they both curled up on to Morgans rack.<br/>
The CAGs face buried deep within  the crook of Rushells neck, her arms wrapped around the other woman tightly. The pair had been woken up the following morning by a very loud “DAWWWWWWW” from their roommate in the officers quarters. They both refused to comment.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
 Two weeks had passed since then.<br/>
Things were..well. For Morgan they were strange.   She’d managed to learn to say ‘sorry’ - however that didn’t help her much as far as being a conversationalist regarding their budding mutual feelings. Morgan simply couldn’t ask. For anything.  So needless to say they’ve not talked about much.<br/>
<br/>
A woman so used to orders, being ordered, giving them and the like, had a very rough time with the concept of ‘asking’.  Especially regarding hows someone ‘felt’.  It was in her job description that in a time of war- (like that would EVER happen) - She’d have the authority to send men to their deaths for the ‘greater good’.  One had to learn to look at these people as soldiers, not ‘friends’. <br/>
<br/>
Rushell was more then a friend. Frak. One of her only friends. So it was obviously very difficult for the CAG to manage her feelings for her , almost as hard as it was to ask the woman a bloody question.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
But today...today was the CAGs first day off in what seemed like forever. <br/>
She was going to make the best of it- All she had to do was her ready room assignments - and poof. Total freedom. And she’d make the most of it. <br/>
<br/>
She was convinced she would ask so many of the right questions- that there would be no way<br/>
Rush would ever question her feelings for her again. Maybe. Hopefully? Frak. Even Morgan knew that wasn’t going to happen and she’d likely say more wrong then right..but maybe- maybe...she’d get another kiss.<br/>
<br/>
The kiss....Oh such a kiss the likes of which the CAG had never seen. Her head swam and suddenly all the bad poetry she mocked as a youth, and the equally trite songs- all started to make sense. Morgan was pretty sure what it meant, how ever this was a situation unlike any other. This was the first time in the CAGs life she was unwilling to simply toss the dice. She wanted to be damn sure before she said or ..acted on something quite so..large. <br/>
<br/>
She was afraid. For the first time in her life - that fear grew by the day- there was no way to ‘rationalize’ out of something as totally and utterly irrational.<br/>
<br/>
So Morgan stands at her podium.  Spacing out a bit, as she over-thinks everything. All of her pilots staring at her.  She blinks and realizes shes being ‘strange’. “ Right..” she starts clearing her throat. “Its my frakkin day off so lets make this quick.”<br/>
<br/>
She scramble to her paper, reading off. “Tintin, yr’ riding for me today.” she starts, “You’re on CAP team 1. Team 2’s as scheduled. Three the same.  No extra shifts. Call it a good will gesture.” she flips the page over for Raptor assignments. <br/>
<br/>
“Nails is out?” she looks around the room....no sign of Nails.  “Frak my life...” she was about to give Rushell the day off as well..but nowww. “Fine. I’m on Raptor 1 ...Raptor team 2-5 are all as scheduled.” <br/>
She crumples the paper and tosses it. At least  the heavy burden of responsibility came with the ability to abuse it to your own...whims. <br/>
<br/>
Captain Santi raises her hand up to ask a question.<br/>
<br/>
Morgan fights rolling her eyes a bit, -hand raising..really?- “Captain?”<br/>
<br/>
“Major, I had a thought......” Her mouth opens but then closes and then opens again her brow furrowing and her lips frowning as her eyes wander. “...and then it escaped me! Nevermind!” She lowers her hand and head into her arms and buried them. <br/>
<br/>
The Raptor 1 Captain had been having a hard time concentrating of late. The rush unit had been working fine, that wasn’t the problem. There was very little fine tuning that needed to be done now. But even since Rush and Morgan had their first kiss, she had totally been distracted. The numbers in her head coalesced much more easily now, with little effort. She felt connected even more that she was connected in some way to Morgan. But she wanted that connection to be stronger now and not being able to program an algorithm to get Morgan in bed with her was becoming a limitation. She struggled to think straight, thinking more about the two of them than how to improve response times to her system. <br/>
<br/>
Either way she just completely flubbed whatever it was... whatever it was that she was going to say or ask. The normally unflappable Santi... was flapped. This was going to take some getting use to. Frak the pilots reactions to it. She needed to understand it better first. <br/>
<br/>
The Captain thought about it in detail. Maybe her head would clear when she had more of a chance to spend time with Morgan. As it were, her loins were in a constant state of arousal that was annoying the hell out of her. So maybe a “release” was what was needed to get back on track. She at least put her hopes in that.<br/>
After that moment of thought, she raises her head and smiles at everyone watching her, waving at them like she was in a parade. She straightens her flight suit and waits to be dismissed.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Morgans brow arches at Rushells ...peculiar behavior. “Well...Santis  senior moment aside, any one got anything else ?” She waits for a moment, winking at Rushell playfully, hoping her pilots didn’t take note. <br/>
<br/>
When no one speaks, she shuffles her papers. “Alright then. Any questions that occur come to me via Raptor 1. Other then that- dismissed.” She  holds a hand up for a moment, “Captain Santi...a word before we head out?” <br/>
<br/>
There are a few snickers, a outright ‘oooooo’ and a few wry smiles from her pilots as she steps away from the podium and heads towards her ..whatever Rush was.<br/>
<br/>
When the room is empty, Morgan reaches a hand out, cupping the pilots chin and smiling. “You alright?” The amount of tenderness and concern something very new to the large , tattooed CAG. “Bumbling and stammering is usually my thing.” she smiles sweetly.<br/>
<br/>
Her eyes went wide in mock surprise, expelling, “I know!!” Rushell fanned herself with her tablet in sarcasm. “What’s gotten in to me, I just don’t know.” She giggled. Actually, giggled. Morgan might have just realized that it was the first time she heard Rush giggle.<br/>
<br/>
“I’m fine.. really, just a bit scatterbrained at the moment. Forgive me?” She shrugged but quickly changed subject.<br/>
<br/>
“We are up next on the rotation, right? Better start the prep, Major!” Rushell nodded with authority.<br/>
<br/>
 Morgan lets the situation slide...sort of. She reaches a hand out, grasping Rush’s wrist, “Hey..” she shakes her head, “I can pull you off rotation if you’re not feeling well?  Just make  Raptor 3 run a double...”  She offers  with a sheepish grin. “This isn’t..like you. Don’t want you to like....crash yr’ frakkin bird when I’m in it...Kinda got this girl I’m seein..would like to stay alive for a bit.”<br/>
<br/>
Rush’s eyebrows furrow a bit in confusion then realization, “Oh no, no. It’s not like that, i will be fine. Trust me.” She waved the concern off. “Don’t worry, I won’t crash.. besides I got you to fly my bird for me today. So the chances of us crashing where its not my fault have gone up by two hundred percent!” She grinned mischeviously.<br/>
<br/>
“Har har har..how does one frakking woman become so very funny? Honestly?”  Morgan takes a look around the room, and leans down to plant a soft kiss on Rushells forehead. “Meet you out there in 10. Cain needs to chew my ass out about something..thought I'd have all day to get bitched at..but now that I’m running a shift...”  she rolls her eyes and heads out the door.<br/>
<br/>
Rushell finished inspect of her craft and was suited up and ready to start the pre-flight checklist. She sat in the ECO Command chair in the center of Raptor 1 and completed the system diagnostics of the “Rush Unit”. <br/>
<br/>
“Pre-flight checklist would be good to go over with the pilot...” she sang the phrase to herself as she tapped her fingers nervously over the console. <br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Morgan returns an hour later.  Fuming. “Lets go..” she grumbles as she gets in to the pillots seat. “Havoc requesting lift off via Raptor 1- Alpha- 2549 , Permission  for take off?” <br/>
<br/>
Morgan says nothing to Rush. Doesn’t even really look in her direction. She simply mumbles under her voice as “Sorry..that took..longer then i’d hoped.” <br/>
<br/>
The Wireless chimes, “Raptor 1-Alpha-2549 you are cleared for CAP status patrol.” <br/>
<br/>
Morgan remains silent as she pulls the Raptor out in to space. Finding their assigned anchor point and grumbling, “Raptor watch is so bloody boring..I don’t know how you handle it.”<br/>
<br/>
Rush mimicing a strange movie she saw once mumbles under her breath, “So much for a little training cruise...”<br/>
<br/>
She then turns on the switch for the Rush unit and let the holographic field enter her minds eye.<br/>
<br/>
“I suppose you will sign off on the no-preflight checklist launch we just did. You know how the chief is...”<br/>
<br/>
Rush flicks on her wireless, “CAP Raptors 2 and 4, push to vector 270 karam 045 and stay at a distance of 20 clicks from the Pegasus on your route.” flicking it off.<br/>
<br/>
“So what happened?”<br/>
<br/>
Morgan lies. “Nothing. Just...Iamas. Again. I’ll sign the checklist. Of course. No reason for you to get dragged in to shit because I’m frakking irate.”<br/>
<br/>
The CAG crosses her arms, clearly SOMETHING happened. She tries to push it aside. Its not something she does ...well. She forces a smile. “Sorry to ruin your pre-flight anal retentive time.” This time the smiles genuine.<br/>
<br/>
“Hah! Don’t knock till you try it.” She would have winked at Morgan but the holovisors over her eyes that projected the images directly into her visual cortex where blocking the way.<br/>
<br/>
“You know, I could remind you that we are... girlfriends now, and that means your frakking irate shit gets dragged over to me regardless. So, might as well just tell me.”<br/>
<br/>
She spun herself in the chair, her hands making gestures as the altered her perspective of the meta-physical images in her mind.<br/>
<br/>
Morgan smirks, “I didn’t know that was what we were calling this..” She sincerely..didn’t. “Girlfriends!” she laughs, “It sounds so....teen-aged.”  Truth be told, Morgan had never had a ‘girlfriend’ before.  The word always conjured images of late night slumber parties and doing one anothers hair.<br/>
<br/>
Havoc stands, leaning against her chair with her arms crossed. “Cain’s Cain.  Theres not much more to be said. She chews my ass out for every frakking thing these days, pretty sure she’s losing her frakking mind.”  <br/>
<br/>
She muses under her breath, “Bitch needs to get laid...”  <br/>
“Hm..well maybe she is..so that's not it. I dunno. Just...can’t do any frakkin thing right these days.”<br/>
<br/>
“Well, what would you like to call this?” She grinned under her helmet, unable to see Morgan’s reaction but she sensed it none the less.<br/>
<br/>
“Bunk Buddies? clam smackers?” she made the hand gesture of a “pa dish!” like rim shot.<br/>
<br/>
In any case, she felt it was best to just leave behind any problems Morgan had with Cain. Trying to change the subject,<br/>
<br/>
“You know, when we are on our longest leg of our patrol you should throw the auto-pilot on and come see this. Just a little lesson in human behavior.”<br/>
<br/>
Havoc raises an eyebrow, “Did you really just frakkin call me your ‘clam smacker’?”  She blinks. “I don’t know that it needs a name.  ER..no. It...Girlfriends fine. Its just...its strange.” she raises her hands, “Not in a bad way!” she clarifies. <br/>
<br/>
Havoc stands, “We’ve been on Auto-Pilot for like....5 minutes.” She grins as she walks towards Rush. “What lesson in human behavior can yr’ little machine-ie thing possible teach?” <br/>
<br/>
Morgan runs her hand, casually along Rushells back, leaning over her shoulder. Waiting to be ‘taught’ a lesson.  The proximity is...almost too much. The small Raptor...no one would have to know....Morgans mind starts racing as she swallows the thought down.<br/>
<br/>
Rush turns off her hologoggles that she is wearing and flips a switch on the command console. Instantly a holographic display of the space around the Pegasus in on display as well as marks and symbols of various craft flying around it.<br/>
<br/>
“See now, watch the Viper CAP. Right now, we gave them a very large and wide arc to follow on the patrol. You know, enough room so that they could take various positions and views around the escort fleet.”<br/>
<br/>
She zooms in on the 3-D road that the Viper was allowed to fly in, now following behind the Viper closely.<br/>
<br/>
“But see, human nature, give them a huge choice and 96 laps out of 100, those Vipers fly as close as they can to the escort destroyers... here and here”<br/>
<br/>
She points to the passing Viper patrols, comparing the area of allowed patrol area to the repeated paths of the Vipers...<br/>
<br/>
“Now you know why they do that? Why they fly so close to the Escort destroyers?”<br/>
<br/>
“Because Viper jocks are lazy frakkers?” She smirks, honestly having no idea, “The path of least resistance is the best? I dunno..” she shrugs. <br/>
<br/>
Havoc had been watching Rushells lips for 90% of that statement. Just watching the womans lips ..form word after word. She tilts her head biting her lower lip, “Tell me more...” She asks just above a whisper.<br/>
<br/>
“Because Viper Jocks are human... They enjoy speed. Why the hell would a pilot be a pilot other than that? It’s not the 8 hours of holding your piss in, that’s for sure. And what better way to enjoy speed than to speed on by an escort destroy at top speed, getting that thrill to keep you awake during a boring patrol.”<br/>
<br/>
She raised her fingers up almost like a teacher in a college lecture.<br/>
<br/>
“Now, just have the escort destroyers move away, to these points in the fleet formation.” She switched on her wireless, “Destroyer Olympia and Stonehenge move to positions beta-delta 2 of standard fleet formation.”<br/>
<br/>
The destroyers repositioned themselves in the fleet.<br/>
<br/>
“Now they are much further way from the Pegasus so now watch the Vipers. See? “ She pointed to the Vipers as they flew by the destroyers that were much further away from the Pegasus.<br/>
<br/>
“They are human, right? Doing the same thing. Now, let me turn this on.” She flipped a switch on the command console.<br/>
“That dark circle around the Viper is their Dradis effectiveness. See how it distorts on the left side when they do their fly-bys of the destroyers? Making a blind spot for a maybe a second or two. Well, that blindspot is much larger and longer when the destroyers are closer to the Pegasus.”<br/>
<br/>
Rush let the display show how the Vipers still followed human nature but were now more effective in their flight path.<br/>
<br/>
“Just human nature. You need to know how to think like a human so you can make the best of it.”<br/>
<br/>
Rush smiled up to Havoc with a big grin on her face at the end of her “lesson”.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Morgan had listened ...with mostly rapt attention. Her  eyes glued to Rushells lips through her helmet. “Uh huh..” she mumbles, feeling that pang of desire start to course through her body. <br/>
<br/>
She wanted to kiss the Raptor pilot....badly. Her techno-babble gobbilie gook was interesting as just about any lecture she ever heard...and the fact it came from her girlfriend made it even more intriguing to be sure. However, it did nothing to dampen the unparalleled  desire she had swelling up in her for the other woman. <br/>
<br/>
“Rushie...” she cooed making the pet name up on the spot, “Gods, I want to kiss you on the mouth to stop you from saying such insightful things...” She mumbles under her breath, as her hands find their way around the slightly smaller woman, holding her tightly from behind her chair. “You bring up all these points and measures and make me have to frakking work on my day off. Especially when it  would be way more fun to learn other ….bits about human nature.” <br/>
<br/>
Rush laughed her ass off turning in her chair to face Havoc who had her arm wrapped around her. <br/>
<br/>
“And just how you propose that’s going to happen.” She stopped laughing and her face drew serious...<br/>
<br/>
“Oh wait, you are not joking...” Rush visibly swallowed hard under her helmet.<br/>
<br/>
 Morgan swallows a bit, she shakes her head. She isn’t joking.  She leans back, trying to put a bit of distance between the pair.  “I..um..”she clears her throat, “So...tell me more..about how stupid and flawed we all are...” she tries desperately to change the subject.<br/>
<br/>
“Don’t get me wrong... I want to.. really I do.” she then mumbles, “You have know idea...” but then blinks and returns her gaze at Morgan. “But I mean, what I want to do to you.... would take longer than the patrol.. “ She spins in her chair and takes a deep breath while not looking at Morgan, trying to calm herself. <br/>
“So please know, this is not a rejection. But it’s probably best to table it for now... I don’t want any ‘accidents’ to occur.” She continues to tap at the command console, trying to steady herself and restrain her yearnings under the pressure that she was in.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
 Morgan blinks, “What...accidents? We’re sorta in the middle of nowhere..for another 7 and a half hours.”  She swallows hard, her heart starting to pound again at the mere thought of such long term...’adventures’.  <br/>
<br/>
“I..Maybe you’re right. “ she relents, leaning against the Dreadis console. “How um..how long SHOULD..we ..Should we um talk about this? I..” she stammers off again, blushing now, “This is sorta..new.”<br/>
<br/>
“Yeah, this is new for me too.” She flicked a few switches as she talked but kept looking back at Morgan. “I dunno, Morgan, I think we need to find ourselves a nice off-duty hidey hole for a while, don’t you think?” <br/>
<br/>
She thought about it for a moment, this was turning out to be harder than she originally thought. She reached out her gloved hand to hold hers and smiled, “I just think I want to do this right when the time and opportunity comes. In a Raptor, while it definitely has a kink to it, I don’t know, I’m just thinking that this will be our first for us so....”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Morgan groans, “I’m not sure ‘Hidey holes’ exist on Pegasus when yr’ the frakking CAG.” The statement wasn’t over the top. Morgan was a sought after woman, her time was precious.  Today for example..would have of course been perfect- HAD Nails not been out..sick. “Maybe we should wait?” She starts, hating her self as she even suggests such a thing, “Shore leave in a month...Maybe we should wait till’ then.  Head to Tauron...three months of endless orgasms...” she waggles her brow to show shes..sorta teasing. <br/>
<br/>
“I will see your Tauron, raise you a Caprica and 4 months of orgasms, and we have a deal” She laughed at herself as she smiled wide at Morgan. Rushell removes her helmet and puts it down. She stands up and leans into Morgan, placing a soft but warm and loving kiss on her lips. Nothing more but certainly nothing less. She pulls back and smiles warmly at her, returning to her seat to continue the patrol.<br/>
<br/>
“Caprica? Really?” she muses aloud trying to place her mind anywhere that isn’t that throbbing dull heat starting to build between her thighs. “ Didn’t peg you for the ‘romantic getaway to fabulous Caprica!’ sort! “<br/>
<br/>
Morgan shifts her weight from foot to foot, looking for something- anything- to keep her mind occupied. “So..the frak all do you do out here for your entire shift?” She swallows hard, finally laying it on the line, “After um..that kiss I’m REALLY not sure if I can keep my hands to myself alone..with you, for another..6 hours.”  <br/>
<br/>
Morgans heart had been racing since she found their anchor point . It elevated as Rushell rambled on about human nature, and was now threatening to burst out of her chest. Her cheeks turn flush as she stares up at the Raptor’s roof. “AHhhh This is SO fun!” she lies.<br/>
<br/>
“Well, Nails and I usually just shoot the shit. She, for one, isn’t content to let the auto-pilot do all the flying. But at the same time, she never had the motivation to do anything else besides fly.” Rush winked at Morgan.<br/>
<br/>
“And what do you know, I am perfectly romantic!” She raised her nose in the air snobbily, “ And I just don’t want to go back to Tauron for a while.” She brooded.<br/>
<br/>
Havoc looks at Rushell. “Really? Why not?” She was a bit shocked that her girlfriend was not interested in returning home. She is slightly concerned. <br/>
<br/>
“As for the Romantic bit..you can tell me all about that too...” she bites her lower lip playfully, “Now...I’m sure you’re not in MY league of ..IOUS and...rambling..” she stammers off once again.<br/>
<br/>
“I just don’t want to go back. Took me years to get off that rock. Want to see another place other than the dirt fields of home.” She seems to brush it off rather quickly.<br/>
<br/>
“And I don’t know, I am think I am pretty romantic. At least in my thoughts.. “ She snickers. “You know, I like candle light. Walks on the beach.. Not frakking on the first date.” She winks at Morgan with that last part.<br/>
<br/>
Morgan notices Rushells reluctance, but figures perhaps pushing things was better left for another time. She instead goes for the second topic.  “Hm...candle light..beaches...and no frakking?” she laughs, “Welll....how DO you say goodnight then?” she teases. “You should totally tell me these romantic thoughts. They are vital to my job performance.” she smiles cockily, leaning down to kiss Rush on the top of her head. “To be fair..no one ASKED you to frak me at all...let alone the first date.” she winks playfully.  “Maybe I don’t even like sex hm?” <br/>
<br/>
She gives Morgan a wry smile, “You know, that would actually explain a lot” She grins wide expecting a swinging punch to come flying at her face at any moment.<br/>
<br/>
“Anyway, I like to be treated like a lady. I would also love to wear something very sexy for you on our first date. And to go somewhere, would be really nice, yes.” She ponders seriously for a moment, leans back in her chair and her eyes wander. <br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Morgans eyes never leave Rushells lips, once again caught up every single word Rus had to say.  “Uh huh..” she answers-not really listening. “ You..don’t say..” she isn’t  being rude so much as she is simply entranced.  She sneaks a peak at the clock. JOY! Only another 5 hours and 58 minutes to go!  She sighs, biting her lower lip. She has to ask. “What do you even own thats sexy Santi?” she smirks a bit.<br/>
<br/>
Truth was, every second this conversation went on, Morgan was finding it harder, and harder to behave her self. Frak discussing waiting...<br/>
<br/>
 “Pffft!”, She rolls her eyes, “Like I’m going to tell you. What’s the point of telling you when you can just date me and find out?” <br/>
<br/>
She sighs, “Besides, patience builds character.” she then mumbles “and migraines.”<br/>
<br/>
“And requires excessively long....cold..showers.” Morgan tries to pry her eyes from Rushells lips, and fails. “However, I highly doubt..o..89% of people in our current situation have to deal with the ridiculous nature of seeing one another bare-assed nude like...3 times a day. Or more..” she chuckles a bit, “Frak you like being naked a whooolllle lot.”  She raises a brow, “You could um..” she shakes her head looking at her watch...5 hours 56 minutes....<br/>
<br/>
“Well, you were the same uniforms that I do, you know how bad they look, I mean, don’t you want to be naked too?” She teased with a sly grin. She turned back to the command console and put her helmet back on, her goggles flicking back on to life as the holo-field reprojected into her mind.<br/>
<br/>
“Yes. Yes I would like to be naked.” <br/>
<br/>
“Come on, lets finish this patrol and get some rack time in before we... I don’t know, talk ourselves out of our flight suits.”<br/>
<br/>
 “You can’t go offering me nakedness then go back to business as usual. Its already bad enough I have to ogle you from across the room and pretend I’m not looking.” Morgan admits , sighing as she stares at the clock. “Fine. No...Raptor sex.” She sighs relenting. “I demand mutual rack time...That can be nude though right?! Nevermind!” She narrows her eyes and nods her head furiously, “I Demand!”<br/>
<br/>
She grins impishly, “Request? Beg....Plead?”<br/>
<br/>
She holds up a finger, “Implore!”<br/>
<br/>
Rush raises a finger as she spins in her chair, “I concede to naked rack time then!” with a slight smirk on her face.<br/>
<br/>
The rest of the patrol flight was left in an eerie silence with both the pilot and ECO of Raptor 1 simply thinking of each other naked in a dark cold officers bunk room.<br/>
“45 minutes...then ..”nap” time!” Morgan proclaims happily, shifting about in her seat. “Longest shift..ever.” she grumbles as she turns off the auto pilot preparing to return. <br/>
<br/>
Just then, seemingly out of nowhere, there is a near ear piercing screeching noise. Following it comes a white hot flash of light, followed by a wireless squawk, a frantic pilot starts to ramble, “Olympia -Pegasus, Olympia-Pegasus- We nicked a fuel tank on foreign debris, Emergency protocol Alpha-920 engaged, requesting Raptor assisted crew pick up for evac-procedures, do you copy?” <br/>
<br/>
Havoc rolls her eyes,”Of course..” she mumbles. It wasn’t that she ..was unwilling to do her job- assisting in the evacuation of the Destroyer Olympia, but her mind was otherwise occupied.  She listens to the wireless as Hoshis voice confirms , “Roger that Olympia, Raptor Team 1 you are on emergency evac- proceed to conduct procedure - Raptor teams 3 and 4 are enrount.” <br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Morgan grabs the wirless headset, “Roger that Pegasus, Raptor 1 is away ETA four minutes.” <br/>
<br/>
“Frak me..” the CAG starts to mumble feeling rather sorry for her self.  As they approach the Destroyer, Morgan gets a good look at the fuel tank...”That doesn’t look like any abrasion to the hull I’ve ever seen..” <br/>
And Havoc had seen plenty. <br/>
<br/>
She turns her head calling over her shoulder, “Rush, you pick up anything on Draedis?!”<br/>
<br/>
Rush is already logged into the Rush Unit, “Not picking up any contacts other than the CAP and the fleet... unless...” She spins her perspective around a few times.<br/>
<br/>
“Damn it! Three Renegade Firecats! They look augmented for combat! CAP! Prepare to receive new vectors and predictive escape routes via the network!” Rush spins in her chair quickly letting her hands dance in the air as she manipulates the data and sends the right information to the right people at the right time.<br/>
<br/>
“Major, I’ve armed the missiles and my suggested attack vector is on your hud now. Go!” She continued to manipulate the air with her fingers as she worked the data in her mind.<br/>
<br/>
Havoc starts calling out orders over the wireless, cursing under her breath that shes stuck in a Raptor when something like this happens. “15 frakking minutes left...really?” she grumbles as pushes downward on the thrusters and heads after the slowest Firecat. <br/>
<br/>
Dodging and weaving and bouncing around stray debris from the blast, Havoc tries her best to stay on the renegade pilots tail. Sure...a Raptor was built for recon, transport and other tactical uses - none of which being combat- However put a viper jock behind the stick and ...well.<br/>
<br/>
As Havoc speeds ahead she hears a loud grating noise-she checks her screen for a damage report...Well- The underbelly of this thing couldn’t be THAT important right?<br/>
<br/>
Just as shes looking down, a piece of stray metal smashes in to their wing, causing the Raptor to spin out of control for a moment, Morgan pulls back on the stick trying to slow the spin, but instead using the inertia to  help fling them ahead- slamming on the boosters just as the bird was spinning clockwise towards the target.<br/>
<br/>
They race forward, as Havoc opens fire.  Shes close enough to see the tail of the ship- emblazoned with Sagitaron  religious markings. <br/>
<br/>
She narrows her eyes, Havoc loathed religious nut-jobs- And people from Sagitaron were known easily as the most stubborn in their religion- often refusing medical care for simple ailments due to it breaking ‘the gods will’.<br/>
<br/>
Havoc takes aim and fires. She misses. She lines up another shot- this time it lands. The blaster fire starts to come faster now- before long the first Firebird is nothing more then debris.  “Rush got coordinates for the other two?”<br/>
<br/>
Rush instinctualy turns to Morgan to speak though she couldn’t see her, “Vipers 2 and 4 are in pursuit. On your hud now.”<br/>
<br/>
Rush lived for this. These moments were her moments when she could be at her best. Drawing the big picture and connecting everyone she knew to a specific goal. She felt at home like this and always wished they could somehow remain forever.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Havoc checks her HUD display, her CAP team would make short work of the remaining threat. She clicks the wireless on, “Havoc on board Raptor 2543- We’ve confirmed Olympia is actually under attack- suspects baring Sagittaron insignia. Three hostiles, down to two, request orders from Pegasus actual regarding evac procedures with active threats being handled by CAP team 1. “ <br/>
<br/>
Morgan waits for the Admiral to respond. Nearly a two minutes of radio silence are cut by Cains harsh voice, “Major must I detail everything for you? Never mind as to why you’re aboard a Raptor and neglecting your actual job . Three Raptors are incoming to Olympia. You and Captain Santi are to ensure the evac goes out with out a hitch. If you think you can handle that.” <br/>
<br/>
<br/>
The Admirals voice drips with disdain. “Aye Sir.  Havoc out.”  Morgan keeps her voice cool until the signals cut, she then removes her head set and throws it- hard against the Raptor wall. There was riding ones ass...and then there was this. Even at her most cruel Morgan never ...well rarely ever embarrassed a pilot over the wireless.<br/>
<br/>
“Now you know why I don’t necessarily admire this woman, right?” Rush blurts out too quickly to stop herself from being extra careful with Morgan’s feelings.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
“Guess that rack-times gonna have to wait, sweetpea.” ….sweetpea? Where the frak did that come from.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
_____<br/>
 2 hours later- <br/>
Pegasus Officer quarters.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Morgan was tired. The evac effort went as smoothly as it could. Any other day, she wouldn’t mind the excitement. She would be able to take Cains shit with a grain of salt. And would even be excited to having had shot something without totally dismantling her ship. But as evacuations tended to be - a lengthy process of ‘keep calm and carry on’ had to be enforced. And if nothing else- it was exhausting.<br/>
<br/>
Morgan starts to peel off the flight suit the moment they enter the their quarters.Shes slightly surprised she hasn’t been summoned by the Admiral for a more through ass-chewing. She steps out of her suit and tosses it in the laundry bin. Standing in her tanks and military issued pants she gives her self a quick sniff. She ...should take a shower. <br/>
<br/>
She turns to Rushell as she enters the room.”So...on a scale of one to excessivly gross..i’m at about a ...7.” she grumbles. “You wanna come with? Or should..I just de-stank my self and pounce you after?” <br/>
<br/>
“I’m good for a good de-stanking... let me get my towel and stuff...” Rush shuffles over to her locker, pulls off the flightsuit and grabs her shorts, a fresh tank and a towel. She reaches her hand up in a fist and points with it in a 45 degree angle to the door, saying weakly, “charge!”<br/>
<br/>
Morgan grins, wanting to make a stray comment about ‘Why take a shower now when I’ll just stink-a-fy you later’ However...even the cocky pilot didn’t feel the need to press her luck that hard.<br/>
<br/>
They enter the shower, Morgan disrobes and picks the shower-head in the most remote corner of the communal shower. Of course it was empty besides the two of them. She tries not to pay Rush any attention at all as she starts to feverishly lather herself up.  On course for the worlds shortest shower...ever.  <br/>
<br/>
She looks over her shoulder spotting Rushells nude form. She’d seen Rush naked more times then she could count..but now it was different. Before the only reasons not to look was to let on she had feelings for her friend- now ...there were about thirty reasons not to look on. Jumping Rush and having copious amounts of wet sudsy shower sex was the most prevalent...<br/>
<br/>
To Rushell, a shower was a shower. It was purely a utilitarian function. Get in, do your business and get out. Much like the cans. However, all that “changed” whe she confronted her own feelings for Morgan. She “looked” for the first time, she just looked. Admiring her shape and curves. Morgan was always a well built woman but now, she was able to enjoy the finer points of the Major’s physique. She didn’t know if Morgan noticed her looking but Rushell didn’t hide it. She was 32 years old, and had already been through hell and back not only in her own life but in her eyes, for Morgan as well. Like hell she was just going to pretend to not appreciate her beauty and not find her attractive.<br/>
<br/>
She scrubs herself but keeps her eyes on Morgan, lathering up, washing it off, rinsing her hair finally, turning off the water and reaching for her towel.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Morgan continues to watch with rapt interest. Unlike Rushell, she saw the communal shower as a prime spot for debauchery. She admired Rushells body like the finest art the pilot had ever come in contact with. Simply watching from afar, almost afraid to look to long for fear of losing her grasp on the agreement. <br/>
<br/>
One month. It couldn’t be THAT hard right?<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Morgan turns the shower off, wraps two towels around her body, fore thought and bringing clothing never a real concern when her mind was on far more carnal affairs. She is at her locker dressing when Rush enters their quarters. “Your bunk or mine?” She could make a joke..but is sincerely to exhausted. “If ..um..you...are still feeling up to that.” <br/>
<br/>
She didn’t want to admit how intensely she had enjoyed the last time they shared a rack..<br/>
<br/>
“Wouldn’t it be cool to mash two bunks together?” She giggles a bit, and rubs the towel over her short hair, “Of course, make a path!” She yells out as she goes diving into the bunk that Morgan was sitting in. <br/>
<br/>
Morgan laughs as Rushell pounces atop the bed. “I’m not sure what a fan Hoshi would be of that idea..”  She bites her lip a bit, eyeing the Raptor pilot.<br/>
Before even she knows what shes doing, shes pushed Rush back on the small, hard bed with her. “Oh my..” she muses feigning dread,  “Seems we’ve fallen over.”  She deadpans. “Don’t worry I’ll fix it.” <br/>
<br/>
And with that, Morgan pins Rushells wrists down to the bed, maneuvering her own tattooed frame atop the older woman. Her knees spread as she mounts the other womans hips. Both fully clothed- surely a bit of good natured rough housing was totally innocent.  <br/>
<br/>
Morgan beams and lowers her head, asserting a playful dominance as she grins even wider. “There.. crisis adverted. “ she insists. “What crisis I’ve no idea but I assure you - This is the only way to avert it.” She actually giggles.  She becomes lost in the deep pools of Rushells eyes- but only for a moment, leaving her self prone to be attacked or usurped.<br/>
<br/>
Rushell pushes her fists forward overpowering Morgan in a moment. “There...” she smirks wryly, “Now crisis averted.”<br/>
<br/>
She pulls the blankets forward and slides under them, keeping the side of the blanket pulled back and patting for Morgan to crawl inside.<br/>
<br/>
The CAG grumbles,as she slides under the covers, “I liked my crisis.”   <br/>
<br/>
She pulls the covers over them both, and debates giving Rushell a deeply saddened apout. She sighs, relenting. She could totally be an adult about this. Adults...sleep next to women they were profoundly attracted to..and -other- muddy emotions that Morgan was still managing to keep her self up with way into the late hours of the night. <br/>
<br/>
Morgan reaches her arms out, draping her long , muscled and tattooed right arm over Rushell. A half -assed notion of ‘protecting’ the other woman flashes in her mind...she crunches her nose up at her ‘alpha male’ train of thought.   She doesn’t waste too much time thinking on it however..as Rushells neck is as warm and as inviting as her embrace. She relaxes a bit, much of the awkwardness of sleeping next to someone for the first few times having not applied to them, she nuzzles her  face into the older womans neck, and breathes her scent in deeply. Soap mixed with that unmistakable scent of her oldest friend is calming as she slowly starts to drift asleep. Mumbling a few stray words that would surly embarrass her if she ever learned about them. <br/>
<br/>
Rushell smiles at the mumbling, drawing her fingers through Morgan’s hair adoringly, looking down at her tattoos, at her and thinking about what she would do to protect and care for this one... Adelphi.<br/>
<br/>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br/>
<br/>
9 Years ago on Tauron...<br/>
<br/>
Balis Kotas shifted in his spot in the alley way waiting for the Heraclitus agents that were due to arrive at any moment. He hated this. He hated the waiting. And of all things to be giving up another circle to protect his own. It made him sick to his stomach. But he was determined now, his hand sweating around his briefcase handle, he was going to protect his own family. His own dust must be first for his soul to feel Tauron. So if he had to make a a deal with the bastard Heraclitus, so be it. Just as the sweat from the heat of the day was building up on his collar, the two Heraclitus agents finally arrived.<br/>
<br/>
His stomach twisted further when he saw them come in their gestapo-reminiscent uniforms. He regretted leaving his gun at home this time. He knew that any weapon carried would have been enough cause for these two to take him in. So he only carried a concealed knife, just in case.<br/>
<br/>
Rhuoth saw the two uniformed fascists approach from the back alley and stepped right up to Balis. They were carrying their military issue side arms. Side arms that have been used to end the lives of so many of the Ha’la’tha in her own life time along, they represented so much loss and death. She watched them carefully behind the wall, peering over the corner, waiting for the right moment. And she had a plan.<br/>
<br/>
“Do you have the package?” One of the Heraclitus agents questioned, and at that moment, Balis reached out his clutched hand out to pass the briefcase to the other one, not even saying a word. That was enough. She had a plan.<br/>
<br/>
Faster than Basil could even react to, Rhuoth turned the corner, her pistol raised at just the right level. The only thing Basil could get out in time was a “Buh...” before a spray of arterial blood, bits of flesh, pieces of skull and bits of brain matter sprayed across his face at the same time that he heard the loud bang! of the pistol. Before all pieces of flesh, bone and grey matter had fallen down to the ground and the head with a gaping hole in the forehead even began to fall to the ground with the body, there was a second bang! and another spray of black-red blood, brain matter and bits of flesh and skull, all over his face and body. Both bodies landed in a clump in front of him.<br/>
<br/>
Rhuoth lowered her weapon. A simple gun shot was not what she had planned for Basil. No, he was part of the circle, part of the Ha’la’tha, and so he deserved better. She took two steps towards him before needing to duck to the side.<br/>
<br/>
Basil finally reacted, immediately unsheathing his hidden blade and slashing out. Rhuoth didn’t react fast enough. The blade rent her flesh open over her right cheek. The cut was deep enough that muscle tissue was severed and flaps of her skin covering her cheek were loosely hanging. Immediately a great amount of blood rushed out her face as her eyes went wide with should have been pain. But she didn't’ feel the pain. Instead, all she felt was fury.<br/>
<br/>
In one move, she floored Basil, tackling him to the ground and the knife going flying from his hand away under the garbage bin. She spread her hips and straddled his, pinning him. Her right fist climbed up behind her head, fully cocked, and then slammed down on his chin, then back up again, and down again, slamming once more, back up again, and back down, breaking jaw bone, up again and down again, his own blood now mixing in with what was left of the Heraclitus faces on his skin, up again. She then brought her left hand up and alternated between sides, her breath ragged, whimpers of hate and anger escaping her lips, grunts of violent retribution crashing down from left then right, left then right, left then right, again and again until there was nothing really recognizable about Basil face. Her own blood flowing from her face and dripping down to mix with his and the Heraclitus remains. Left and right, she sobbed, left and right, bones were crushed in her own hands, left and right, she muttered, “never!” Left and right, “break!” left and right, “the circle!”... She finally fell forward on her busted and bruised hands, her blood pouring down on to his hair. “For the Kormos...” she breathed out ragged. She moaned in anger and exhaustion. <br/>
<br/>
Without paying heed to her own wound, she dragged the broken and bloodied body of Basil to her truck, briefcase and all, where she quickly patched some gauze over her rather large gash in the her cheek, just to keep the wound closed. She dumped Basil’s still breathing body at the nearest Kotas safe house, just outside of it and sped off. Message delivered.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Morgan wakes as she is forcefully pushed off Rushell’s body.  She opens her eyes with a start, looking around the room quickly to assure herself that there is no immediate danger. She then gets her barrings about her and notices Rush’s frantic movements.  She sits up, listening for a moment, as Rushell starts to mumble and breaks in to a cold sweat.  <br/>
<br/>
“Frak..” she utters quietly, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She places a hand on Rushells shoulder, “Rushie...wake up..”. She intends to shake the woman awake, but before she can so much as move her arm, she has a fist flying at her face.  It makes contact , directly with Morgans left eye. “Frak!” she yelps and moves back again. She watches Rushs movements, the sporadic breath of the other woman combine with her movements makes it very clear Rush isn’t just ‘dreaming.’ . <br/>
<br/>
Morgan kneels over Rush, much like she did before they fell asleep, this time she speaks louder, gently tapping her fingers against the womans’ cheek.  As soon her fingers make contact with the older woman's cheek, she feels Rushs hands lock around her throat, overpowering her and pushing her to the mattress below...<br/>
<br/>
“Don’t Break!” Rush screaming in Tauron, her eyes wide with rage. Not anger, but pure rage ready to explode out of her. There was a glint of recognition, a slight one and Rush realizes who is in her grip. She gasps and takes a large intake of breath, almost hyperventilating. She jumps out of the bunk, staggering, almost falling over landing on her knees, her palms on the floor, her chest heaving. She dry-heaves a few times, her hand coming up to cradle her scar on her right cheek. “I’m sorry... “ She murmurs and runs off to the john.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
The CAG gasps for air as Rushells shockingly strong hands finally relenquish their control. Morgan watches in terror as the woman she cares so deeply for , bolts out of the room.  She sits up, still breathing frantically,confused as all hell as to what had just transpired. She quakes a bit..in fear of what the frak to do now. <br/>
<br/>
She wants to go after the other woman...assure herself that Rush was ..alright as she could be after such an obviously traumatic dream. The other ..more sensible part..knows perhaps giving the woman space is best. She mulls it over, her gut flipping and flopping each time she thinks shes come up with the answer.  She grumbles as she stands , “Frakking loveshits a pain in the frakking ass..”. And heads out the door towards the head- where she assumes her girlfriend is. <br/>
<br/>
Morgan hears the sounds of retching coming from one of the bathroom stalls.  She sighs, grabbing a towel , and while running it underwater , gets a glimpse of her eye.  Well...Morgan always did like being knocked around a bit. Of course ..not exactly like this. She smirks at her own foolish thoughts and knocks on the stall before opening it anyhow.<br/>
<br/>
“So...you got a nice right hook Rushie..” she coos, not mocking the woman, but clearly unwilling to let her feel badly about what just happened. “Change yr’ frakkin call sign to slugger..by the gods..” she laughs looking in to the mirror one more time, this time noticing the dark red fingerprint sized bruises forming on her throat.  She swallows, wishing she had grabbed another towel to wrap around her throat as a festive scarf.  <br/>
<br/>
She kneels behind Rushell, placing her fingertips atop her back, a featherlight touch that couldn’t be misconstrued as anything other then affectionate. “You ok?” she furrows her brow.<br/>
<br/>
Rushell breathes rapidly and deeply, “Yeah... yeah, okay... I could use a toothbrush but...” She takes a few deep breathes and tries to catch her breath, steadying herself with her hands against the sides of the stall. “Shit...” She sits on her ass and back ups away from the stall, she  buries her head between her legs as her arms wrap around her thighs, slowly calming down, rocking back and forth.<br/>
<br/>
“Bad dream...” She mumbles... “I’m really sorry...”<br/>
<br/>
Rushell shakes her head from inside her thighs and lifted out to breath...<br/>
<br/>
She speaks in Tauronese, “Just some shit from my past...”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Morgan narrows her eyes, sitting next to Rushell in the stall. Her hand reaches out, and rests on the other womans knee. “ You should talk with me sometimes..”  she starts, “I know it’s hard to believe but I’m a better confidant then you think , my Agapêton”  She intentionally changes her verbage.  For years, Rushell referred to Morgan as her  Adelphi  - the Tauron term for ‘brother/comrade in arms.’  Morgan tactfully avoids the term, instead opting for the verbage that infered a far deeper level of ardor. To say “my  Agapêton .” loosly translated to ‘My beloved.” . The closest Morgan would come to admitting the true depth of her feelings.  She feels vulnerable even speaking such a term out loud...but given the circumstance, she hopes it is recieved in the right light.<br/>
<br/>
Rushell extends her hand to take Morgan’s in hers holding Morgan’s hand against her shoulder, “I know you are, Morgan.” Rushell speaks Caprican standard wanting to forgot Tauron for a while. “It’s over and done with now, no reason to dig up the dead. It won’t affect us except for the occasional nightmare.” <br/>
<br/>
She looks at Morgan and extends the same hand to caress her face, “I’m sorry I hit you...”<br/>
<br/>
Rushell grins a bit sheepishly, “Let me..... go brush my teeth?”<br/>
<br/>
"That's a good idea.." Morgan muses, "Vomit and sweat isn't your scent. More of a Ambrosia and Vomit kinda girl my self.." she grins desperately trying to ignore the ache in her eye.<br/>
<br/>
She helps Rush to her feet, placing a chaste kiss on her still clammy forehead. "You wash up...I'll be in our..erm..my rack." She stops, “Unless you need a hand?”<br/>
<br/>
She smiles as she holds on to Morgan close and hugs her genuinely glad she was there. “I will be fine. I will catch up.” She motions to the officers barracks and Morgan makes her way back to them. <br/>
<br/>
Rush takes the time to brush thoroughly and gargle. But even though she gets the bitter taste out of her mouth, nothing really gets the bitter memory out of her mind. She stops brushing her teeth mid-stream and just looks at herself in the mirror, turning her face to observe her right cheek and the scare that is still visible behind her hair. Her fingertip draws a line through it as if she was checking to see if it was still there. At the same time, because she is just in her tank, she is reminded that her Ha’tha’la tatooes are now removed from her body, her arms being bare. And only the mark left on her is the ones left outside the circle.<br/>
<br/>
She takes one final look at herself, her eyes grow dark and she leaves the head.<br/>
<br/>
Once she heads back to the barracks, she climbs into the bunk next to Morgan and holds on to her close. She quickly and quietly closes her eyes, swiftly falling asleep silently in Morgan’s arms.<br/>
<br/>
Morgan knew now wasn’t the time to ask questions. She’d have to answer about 500 questions in the morning as to the nature of her black eye. So..questions were sort of overwhelming the CAG at the moment.<br/>
<br/>
Most pressing, of course - was WHAT had upset Rushell so vastly that she attacked her. Morgan knew the attack wasn’t intentional, Rushell would sooner slice her own throat then ever once intentionally harm the CAG. She’d proven it time and time again- and because of the simple truth, Rushell was the only person Morgan ever felt she could trust with her life. <br/>
<br/>
The trust, exhaustion, and severity of the situation did send Morgans mind reeling-As she lay awake all night, holding onto the other woman protectively, she couldn't help but wonder: what the frak happened to Rushell back on Tauron?<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</div>
</div><br/>Chapter 7<br/><div class="ToggleTriggerAnchor bbCodeSpoilerContainer">
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<div class="SpoilerTarget bbCodeSpoilerText">Battlestar Pegasus: Scorpia Shipyard<br/>
5 hours BCH<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
“Holy frak am I ready for shore leave..” Morgan groans as she adjusts her back. Her last shift in a viper for 90 days. It was a sweet moment.  She loved flying...but no more stinky cockpit, no filling in shifts for lazy frakers. No more sleepless  nights filling out flight logs, or damage reports. The CAG would be free to cease being the CAG, and just Morgan Ayres for 90 glorious frakking days.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
In ten hours, she and Rushell would be catching a transport to Caprica. Checking in to an exceptionally lavish hotel...and frakking each others brains out. Morgan grins at the idea. First time sex...with Rushell. Something she’d been thinking a lot about in the past month. It was hard for the pilot to keep her hands to her self when Rush said something particularly adorable, or dressed her down in front of her own pilots..as she was prone to do. But that was part of Rushells charm. Her unwavering nature, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was not interested in any-ones agenda- but her own. And finally..finally- they’d be able to share something together Morgan had been waiting seemingly forever on.<br/>
<br/>
Morgan kicks the officers quarters open, bounds in to the room, and hops over the table in the center of the room (actually making it for once) .She literally pounces atop Rushell, pushing her back on to Morgans rack (their mutual sleeping place of the last month) and giggles a wide smile on her face. “Oh Rushie...” she coos deeply, her thick, unwaveringly voice already dripping with intent. “The horrible horrible things I’m going to do to you..” <br/>
<br/>
<br/>
The Officers quarters had served them well thus far- The pair had managed to keep their relationship more or less a secret. Sure people talked. But that was just talk. The officers quarters ensued the pair the luxury of sleeping next to one another, while not having an entire room of viper jocks to mock and torment them. Hoshi was the only soul aboard Pegasus who knew...and he was too busy ‘dawing’ at them every morning to give them much flack or tell anyone.<br/>
<br/>
Thats not to say the officers quarters didnt see a bit of action. Some nights the couples resolve to wait was strong. A single loving -but chaste kiss, and then it was off to bed.  Other nights involved much more breathless gasping, fully clothed grinding, grabby hands leading upwards under tight military issued clothing, and tiny whimpers of  desire. <br/>
<br/>
Morgan of course liked those nights best. So as she pins Rushell down to their rack, she grins and waggels her hips . “Its not too late Rushie..delectable frantic battlestar sex is still with in your reach...you need but only ask. “ she giggles again, her heart soaring with happiness at the prospect that they had made it this far together- with out the sexual tension killing one..or both of them. “Who needs a fancy Caprican hotel when you have me.” she lets her eyebrows arch upwards cockily.<br/>
<br/>
“Battlestar sex? Does that mean that we will use the FTL drives to power our toys?” She smiles sardonically. Rushell taps her finger against Morgan’s nose.<br/>
<br/>
“My, you are eager aren’t you?”  She grins wide as she just enjoys Morgan’s proximity to her heart. Rushell had been feeling uneasy over the past few hours. No particular reason but she felt something was “off” in her. She felt anxious and no amount of algorithm calculation or sensory system programming could shake that anxiousness. She really felt the coming PTO would do her good. She was hoping that’s really what she needed. Until then, Morgan’s child-like and blissful distraction was keeping her from feeling that anxiousness, albeit momentarily and she appreciated that. <br/>
<br/>
“ Why wouldn’t I be eager?! I’ve been counting down the moments till you and i get to be alone to ..erm ..talk- for a frakking month.  A month Rushell!” She suddenly goes very..very quiet. Letting the other woman sit up to her full height. “Um- Rushie..you didn’t change your mind did you?” She sensed Rushells anxiety, they two had been close for years and lately, nearly inseparable the past month.  But for all her bravado, Morgan was still exceptionally insecure regarding her and Rushells ‘relationship’.  She understood sex/intimacy wasn’t necessary to have a meaningful relationship- however...it was a part she hadn't experienced with Rushell, putting it off until they could be ‘alone.’ and now..well. Now she was unsure Rush wanted any of that business at all. <br/>
<br/>
Rushell bellowed loudly, “No, no... not at all... just...” Her eyes shifted away from Morgan for a bit. “I can’t place it. Just don’t feel so hot right now.” Her eyes went back to Morgan and brightened.<br/>
<br/>
“But as soon as we get out of her, I’m thinking that’s going to change.” She winks and raises her head up and kisses Morgan deeply and passionately. <br/>
<br/>
Morgans a little shocked by the passion behind the kiss, melting in to Rushells lips immediately , climbing back over the other pilot. She breaks the kiss just slightly, giving Rushell a lopsided grin, before cupping the other woman's chin, and pressing her lips to hers once more.  This time the kiss is gentle at first, slowly building as Morgans tongue slides over her lower lip,and begs entrance to Rushell's mouth. She pries her lips away, slowly, almost lookng as if breaking the contact is painful.  She smiles in an almost childlike manner, totally innocent, and completely serious all at the same time, “I’ll make you feel better soon. Promise.”<br/>
<br/>
Rushell grins wide, “Now that I’m looking forward to.” Her fingertips caresses Morgan’s arms softly. “So you just got off shift?”<br/>
<br/>
She was content to just enjoy Morgan’s closeness to her for the rest of day but she did have some errands to run. Last minute things to tie up before their trip. However, at the same time, she was having difficulty trying to figure out how motivate herself out of her bunk and out of Morgan’s embrace. She feeling like she could stay like this forever. She also feeling like this was one of the few moments in her life where her emotions she was feeling were welcome to her.<br/>
<br/>
“Mhmm” Morgan mumbles against the soft flesh of Rushells neck, kissing up along her throat and under her chin, nipping the extremely sensitive flesh playfully. “No more viper cock-pits for three months..ugh...I don’t know what to do with my self..I could be a squealing mess of orgasmic bliss if you just chanted ‘no more flight suits for 3 months’ a few more times..” She laughs, letting her body go slack a bit, resting atop of Rush’s smaller frame. The CAG nuzzles the other womans neck. “Can’t we just stay like this? I'm ready to sleep for a few eons..”<br/>
<br/>
Of course Mogran realized how stupid that was....but it didn’t mean she wanted it any less.  She had learned to keep her libido in check lately, and along with-it , she had managed to learn that sometimes sex just wasn’t in the cards. No matter how badly she wanted it. <br/>
<br/>
“I’m sure you got shit to do..I should probably get up..” Morgan explains smiling, while not moving an inch.<br/>
<br/>
Rushell’s hands grips Morgan’s arms and held her in place, “Probably, should... but not.” She beamed mischievously. <br/>
<br/>
“I say we do get some of that cat nap now before our long trip ahead of us.” She buried her face in her hair, inhaling Morgan’s sent as she closed her eyes in bliss.<br/>
<br/>
Morgan grumbles and presses her lips against the small of Rushells neck, "I'll give you catnap.." she started protest against the nap-actually believing for a moment she'd be able to convince Rushell to indulge her. <br/>
Morgan, however fell asleep atop Rushell, the pair in a rather rediculous position. Rush splayed against the bed, with a curled up CAG atop her.<br/>
Morgan worried before drifting off- maybe the she wouldn't be able to please her friend of so many years. The CAG prided her self on being proficient in the sack, but that was always with meaningless flings who..well...she didn't really care if they puffed up their chest and faked it. With Rush however...she didn't know.<br/>
<br/>
After several moments of doubt, the CAG managed to pull a wry grin to her lips and find comfort in the fact whatever adventure the following night would bring, they'd face it all together.<br/>
<br/>
_______________________________________________________________<br/>
<br/>
Rushell couldn’t sleep very well. After a few hours of trying to feel comfortable to Morgan’s arms for the night, she gives up. The numbers and calculations, the data and algorithms starts to flow again... there’s work to be done. Besides, she would be back before Morgan woke up.<br/>
<br/>
She sneaksout of bed and dresses quietly. She grabs her tablet and rushs out to the flight deck for an extracurricular flight, on her way down tapping out and transmitting her flight plan to the deck boss, hoping that he would authorize it without bothering the Admiral. <br/>
<br/>
By the time she got down to her Raptor, she checks her tablet again... Flight plan approved. She does love the speed of this new network on the Pegasus. Time to bring it offline though, very soon.<br/>
<br/>
She climbs aboard her Raptor after performing her visual inspection and starts the flight sequence. She puts on her “Rush Unit” helmet on and seals it but kept the unit off until she gets the Raptor locked up in it’s patrol. From her tablet she uploads her latest calculations and algorithms into the Rush Units database and proceeded to launch out of the landing bay.<br/>
<br/>
Now that the Raptor was in its final patrol position she switchs over to the command console. <br/>
<br/>
She radios Hoshi. “Pegasus, this is Raptor 1. I’m ready to test out the isolated sensors on the Raptor. Time to bring the network down, over.”<br/>
<br/>
She punchs in a few more last minute calculations hoping the database would be able to cope with the lack of eyes and ears for the Rush unit, compensating with it’s own sensor system.<br/>
<br/>
“Raptor 1 isolated sensor test run alpha is cleared to go. Radio silence will be maintained until Pegasus systems are back on line. “ Hoshi grins and mocks his roommate over the wireless, “Try not to break anything Rush.”<br/>
<br/>
______________________________<br/>
<br/>
Morgan hears the loud BOOM first. Followed by a gut wrenching sound of metal scrapping against metal, and alarms blaring. “The frak...” she grumbles shooting up in she looks around the empty bed.   She panics.<br/>
<br/>
Another loud explosion is heard.   Over the alarms Hoshis voice blares over the wireless, “The Shipyard is being ambushed,  stand by for orders.” <br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Frak. Morgan panics and starts looking around frantically. Rush is gone....<br/>
“Nonononononono what ever the fuck one of you bastard gods are pulling the strings on this shit don’t you frakking dare do this to me..”   She swears/prays/begs as she bolts  as fast as shes ever run in her life down the corridor of Pegasus. Long legs pumping as hard and fast as they will go-Morgan rounds the corner, doesn’t bother to zip up her flight suit or put a helmet on as she hops in the first viper poised at a chute and barks into her headset. “This is Havoc..launch me NOW.” <br/>
<br/>
There isn’t a response, “FRAKKING NOW.”  she roars as the bird turns on and starts to rocket down the chute.  Her fear sat in her gut like a ton of bricks,  Rush..had to be out there. She just knew it . Once in the air Morgan instantly starts to duck and weave between blaster fire  - <br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Raiders are all the CAG sees, she starts to lay into them as her heart races, ships friendly and hostile start exploding  all around her.  Her heart sinks- If Rushell was out here..she likely wasn’t breathing. <br/>
<br/>
<br/>
That is when Havoc heard her voice calling out to all available Viper squadrons to take specific vectors to defend the Pegasus.  <br/>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br/>
In what seems like hours later , Havoc and Rush plow into the Pegasus landing bay.  Morgans viper nearly catching aflame as Rushell gracefully lands amidst the chaos. <br/>
<br/>
The CAG lands her bird,and quickly hops down the ladder, her fingers trembling as she looks around the Hanger bay.  No one says a word as the ship seems to bow- and flex, jumping away to an unknown, and hopefully safe location. <br/>
<br/>
Once the buzzing ‘fuzzy’ feeling stops, Morgan looks around the still silent,and stunned Hangerbay, searching for Rushell.  She spots the slightly smaller woman,and bolts towards her. <br/>
<br/>
Shes trembling, filled with fear, and high from the adrenaline.  She doesn’t want to think about how many of her pilots just died. How every person on that space station likely perished. She can’t think about all the people meeting their end this very second. All she can think about is Rush. And how frakking thankful she is the Raptor pilots alive.  “I...” she starts trailing off, looking around again at the stunned silent crew. Throwing caution to the wind, Morgan rushes to Rushell, scooping the older woman up in her arms, “I thought i frakking lost you..” she holds back tears.  Never a cryer...shes tempted at this very moment. <br/>
<br/>
Rushell’s eyes are wide, she walked steady, like a zombie of sorts, her body still in shock, almost non-reactive to the horrible moment but filled with a torrent of emotions, namely relief on the top of the list as she wraps her arms around her Adelphi and lets out a sigh, her own tears welling up inside her.<br/>
<br/>
“You made it... how... why is this happening?”<br/>
<br/>
She held her arm as she pulls her away to the flight deck knowing that, they needed to be in debrief soon. She couldn’t believe what had happened. Why would the Cylons come back to destroy us? Didn’t they know that they were already well on their way becoming so much more than the Colonials would ever be? Why come back here, to the past for them of all things? How did they even get past the colonial defenses and stop our ships in our tracks? Too many questions but none more important to her than the final one: How in the hell was she able to save Morgan’s life out there? <br/>
<br/>
She didn’t care. She was glad she was with her. And now was the time to get some of those answers.<br/>
_________________________________________________________-<br/>
<br/>
Admiral Cain is never a ‘happy’ looking woman. At this moment however, she looks as if she could rip a hole through space and time , if for no other reason then to sock the unsuspecting bastard who set this in motion- square in the face.<br/>
<br/>
Pegasus’s ‘incoming visitor’ hanger feels empty.  Compared to how the ship normally felt. This...was different.   Maybe..300 crew members stood at attention. All with concerned looks on their faces.<br/>
<br/>
“I don’t need to tell you all what has just happened..you witnessed it.”  She starts, her voice cool and calm. “The Cylons have set out to start a war. The Colonies..are gone.” She swallows hard holding a piece of paper in to the air as she walks past her flight crew.”Nuked. As in..if you had family , you no longer do.” She raises her voice, “We are ALONE. We are DOWN...but we are most certainly not out. “ <br/>
<br/>
The Admiral looks to her crew.”I don’t know how many we-personally- lost today. The tallys are still coming in, but last I saw we had 547 souls unaccounted for. 547 of your crew. Your friends. Your brothers in arms. Gone. Your families. Your children. Gone. “ Cains voice now rises in anger. “I don’t believe any of you would just stand by and watch this happen. Not now. The Cylons want a frakking war...and we will give them a frakking war.” She is yelling loud now, projecting her words “We’ve lost a hell of a lot of our crew. But today we’ve gained two members of the Pegasus team... “ She stops her pacing and looks down to her crew. “Survival  and Revenge are your newest companions.  Get to know them well. If thoes frakking toasters want a war we will frakking give it to them.” She screams tossing the colonial transmission paperwork in to the pit of pilots. <br/>
<br/>
“Get your beauty rest now boys and girls. Grieve now.  We go hunting come morning.” <br/>
<br/>
“Frak her!” Rushell throws her flight suit into her locker, pieces of it, belts, collars, sleeves. all of it being shoved in in anger. “Who does she think she is?! Like you can turn grief on and off like a water faucet!, The frak is her problem anyways!”<br/>
<br/>
She picks up her tablet and starts running the numbers in the casualty reports, she keeps tapping away, as if trying to stop the numbers from increasing but it’s too dire... too complete. Her tears start to well up as she rocks back and forth in shock a bit. The she straightens up and holds herself steady, her eyes retain their moisture and she puts away the tablet calmly and begins to strip off her tops for a shower.<br/>
Morgans..upset. But not in the same manner. Apparently shes dead inside. This angers her, enrages her even, but it doesn’t make her weep like it did Rushell. Her family was long gone, the only ones she really had were on the ship. 500plus of her crew gone. That frakking pissed her off, but the colonies... she wasn’t sure how to feel about it all. She chalked it up to shock, that the enormity of the situation would hit her in the morning. Right now. She was just too damned exhausted, scared and overwhelmed to think much of it.  <br/>
<br/>
She rubs her forehead, pinching the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. “Rushie..She’s just trying to give people hope in something.”   It wasn’t that Morgan was prone to be Cains whipping girl anymore.  However, in this position, she was more grateful to the admiral then angry. “ We owe her our lives.”  She reaches out and tugs on Rushells wrist. The hilarious irony  of the situation being the resident hothead Morgan is cool and collected,while her counterpart rambles on an angry mess. “Don’t be frakking pissed at her..SHE didn’t do this..” Morgan coos calming, trying to tug the  half nude woman into a hug.<br/>
<br/>
Rushell turns to Morgan and her arms wrap around her and hold on to Morgan tightly but she is stiff and rather cold, not really moving from her spot, sighing deeply she closes her eyes as she continues to grit her teeth in rage.<br/>
<br/>
She whispers into Morgan’s ear, “I’m so sorry... I’m so sorry.” She rocks Morgan back and forth in her arms. Her eyes dry yet.<br/>
<br/>
The second Morgans pulled into the tight embrace, she feels different.  Not for Rushell,or them as a pair..but something is irrevocably changed. A feeling of dread starts to burn in the pit of her stomach. She hears the older womans soft whisper, and her heart breaks.  There was sadness- overwhelmingly so for the world..for the lives lost. But it wasn’t until Morgan hears the soft apologetic words that she realizes what Rushell is apologizing for.<br/>
<br/>
Their lives had with out any warning, and in no uncertain terms, had changed. The world was gone.  A few hours ago they planned to be on Caprica alone. Together. That , however, would never - ever happen.  Caprica was gone. Destroyed. And with it the lives of millions of people,but it isn’t the lives lost that tears Morgans heart out and tramples on it. Its the unspoken fact that they would never -ever- get a chance.  There is no time for love in war. There is death. And more death.  And yet when that was through, more death still. One of them would undoubtedly die sooner rather then later,and they would never- ever- get to know the pleasure of what it was like to be a ‘normal’ couple.  They waited. They foolishly believed they had forever. And they simply didn’t. <br/>
<br/>
Morgan pulls back the slightest bit, her body starting to tremble and quake at the enormity of the situation. All of it , slowly, slowly closing in on her. Her mind starts to race with possible scenarios of escape, but there was no escape any longer.  Death, fear, fighting, and hardship were their lives now. The chance for ‘them’-gone. <br/>
<br/>
Morgans not sure which makes her feel worse as she stands there, shaking and wordless.   The fact that the world had just ended , or the fact that their world just ended, she was hopelessly in love,and would never. Ever. Have a chance to have a ‘normal’ life with the woman she cared so deeply for.<br/>
<br/>
Rushell reaches back and throws on her clean top, and grabs Morgan and pulls her out of the locker room. Wordlessly, soundlessly, she holds her arm and drags her all the way back to the officer’s quarters. Everyone is still milling about after debriefing. The hallways are still empty outside of the damage control crews still running around trying to put out fires and repair the damage.<br/>
<br/>
Rushell throws open the door, closed the hatch, found her fire axe and secured the hatch from being open. Not wasting anytime, her hands fly over Morgan’s body, unbutton, unzipping and peeling off shirts, pants and whatever else stands in their way as she drags her to her bunk and slides in, pulling Morgan in with her. Her breath full of frantic kisses against her skin and her heart pounding away in her chest, her skin tingles with the need to feel something good in this one moment. To have this one moment before the darkness returns.  <br/>
<br/>
The CAG gets caught up in the moment, the aggression of Rushell makes quick work of her resolve. She tugs at Rushells shirt, pulling it up so the military tanks get caught on the other woman's head--holding the shirt over the woman's eyes . She pulls her lips away ,a cat like grin curling over her lips . “Rushie..” she coos between breaths, dipping her head back in just the slightest bit. “Are you sure?” . <br/>
<br/>
It isn’t that Morgan doesn’t want to, shes tense..heart broken, and desperate for this affirmation of affection- however....with the enormity of the days events, it would be easy for one to get carried away.  After weeks of begging, pleading, and overtly flirting for this -its in the palm of her hands..and she tenses.  This was it. This wasn’t Cain, this wasn’t some random girl down on Tauron..frak. Tauron didn’t exist  anymore. This was Rushell, the beautiful creature she’d long  called her best friend- she couldn’t frak this one up.  She also wouldn’t turn the woman down.  She just needed to be sure. <br/>
<br/>
She leans in, kissing the other pilot deeply, her tongue dancing over her lips and claiming the others mouth. The kiss silences Morgans questions.  She pulls the obstructive shirt all the way off, tossing it to the side . Her hands drag up to the other womans neck, tilting Rushells head back before letting her tongue slide over he sweat stained skin.  As she lets her lips meander down Rusheslls neck, nipping , biting and suckling at the flesh as their nude bodies press together,  she can’t help but think: She’d devour every inch of this woman- every single inch.. She’d make her scream her name. She’d show this one she was loved - because who the frak knew if they’d have another chance.<br/>
<br/>
Rushell closes the curtain around her bunk, enveloping Mogran and herself inside. Hands travel along skin. Flesh slides against flesh. Warm breath is shared within the confined space. Flesh is plied, kneaded by need and desire. Skin shares wetness from sweat and other forms of arousal. Lips push against the soft muscle under the skin, finding purchase on the other, pulling and tugging at each other. Clothing is discarded and exchanged for flesh pressed once covered skin. Intertwining limbs are tangled among each other as they create an interlock between the two bodies.<br/>
<br/>
The scent of despair, worry, sadness and desire churn with their smell of arousal. Moans and whimpers speak their language of need and unrequited love. The taste of rage, anger and loss curl around their tongues as they explore each crevice and valley of their molded bodies against each other, seemingly traveling klicks before finishing. The sounds of their bodies sliding and slithering against each other echo loudly in the empty room as if an explosion of passion went off, the sounds pounding in their ears, just below the pounding of their hearts that need to burst out of their chests.<br/>
<br/>
Passion and need overrides sanity now, as their bodies thrusting against each other. Fingers entering and leaving, entering again. Fleshy depths being filled and emptied in rhythm with their bodily rutting. The wetness of their ecstasy poured out of them and made their bodies slide that much more easier against each other, faster now and more together and one than ever. With each slide, rut, and thrust is now accompanied by a grunt, a moan and a scream as the bubbling, fever-filled, eruption comes that much closer. <br/>
<br/>
Morgan’s mind races, devoured by touch, scent, need.  Two vipers in the night, racing towards the other, but just keep missing the next by the scantest amount.  She isn’t sure  why, or how things have ended up like this,  but she knows that this is it. Its not a dream anymore . Sex with Rushell is happening - this very moment, the CAG has three fingers buried deep inside. Thrusting.  Probing.  Its not soft, tender and affectionate how she’d dreamed and imagined it to be. It wasn’t even rushed and frantic. It was tinged with sadness , despair and a confirmation that they were still alive.  <br/>
<br/>
All Morgan had wanted was that one perfect moment. To throw the woman she loved down on an elaborate over stuffed bed in the most expensive hotel on Caprica, and to devour her whole. Instead they were in her rack, with a chair against the door, and Caprica didn’t exist.  They could have done this weeks ago..months ago. Years ago. This is not special. There is nothing but raw , pent up emotion.  The CAG almost starts to cry. Almost.  Its clear Rushell needed this...and there was time to talk about ‘feelings’ later, hopefully at least. <br/>
<br/>
The CAG has Rushell on her stomach now, pinned down to the bed, with a well placed hand between her shoulders. She bites against the pilots neck, up against her jaw -their lips smash together, as three of Morgans fingers thrust in deep, and without warning.  The CAG kneels behind Rushell, her fingers not moving yet, but her hips start to slowly sway.  The fingers match her hips movements, removing the hand from the pilots back, and bringing it to clasp tightly around Rush’s hips. Inside her love is warm, wet ,and endlessly tight, Morgan can’t help but moan. Gods how’ shes dreamed of this. Never..like this. But still.  She presses her breasts against Rushells back, both their bodies adhering to each other instantly from the sweat. Her lips are next to Rush’s ear, but she doesn’t say a word.  Her long tattooed arm comes to rest next to Rush’s hip, before crossing against her chest protectively, resting her hand on the woman's opposite shoulder. The pilot wears the tattooed woman's arm like  a sash now, Morgans other hand still behind the older woman, thrusting her fingers in deeper. She pulls the fingers out a bit, and Morgan slams her hips hard against her hand, thrusting the fingers in deep. <br/>
<br/>
She revels in each tiny gasp Rush lets out, devouring it, and swallowing the moan of pleasure whole, letting each gasp rest in the pit of her stomach - it does nothing to calm the butterflies. Holding the other woman to her as if she’ll float away, desperate , needy rolls of the CAGs hips drive her long, skilled fingers into the other womans wetness.  Morgans face goes flush, the proximity of Rushell is too much for her to bare...she tries to shut down her mind and just feel, but with every buck of her hips , there is another breathless moan from the unmistakable voice, reminding her ‘this is real.’ . <br/>
<br/>
Of course its real, in Morgans dreams Rush was never this tight..or moaned this hungrily. She never dug her nails in to the CAGs forearms, and never rocked her hips back hard against her hand.  This was far deeper then she’d ever..ever imagined. She was in trouble. “Frak..” she whispers into Rushells lips , with drawing her fingers out, and using her impressive strength to pull Rushell into her lap.  <br/>
<br/>
She is not done, she’s not even started. <br/>
<br/>
She sits the older woman up, and their legs instinctively move out of the way. Troublesome things they were, they  tactfully moved aside to let their centers line up with the other. Morgans arms wrap around Rushells body, protectively, and lovingly pulling the older woman to her. Morgan wasn’t sure WHY she felt the need to be ‘protective’..but she almost felt as if she should be apologizing for all that just happened.   As shes prone to open her mouth, she feels Rush adjust her hips and then feels nothing but the other woman's exquisite wetness against her own heated, wet flesh.  She can’t help but let out a slight growl of approval. This...she didn’t even have words or thoughts for.<br/>
<br/>
As the pair breathless, and thoughtlessly let their hips grind together, their arms find their way around each other, and wrap and tangle into a heap of limbs. Fingers entwine with fingers as hips rock and lips make contact.  Morgans face starts to turn flush..the thought of this  alone..is almost too much. The feeling of this womans wetness between her thighs, pressing into her own was driving her wild.  Their hips made perfect time with each other -despite their awkward albeit loving position.  The kisses deepen as Morgan feels a dull heat start to rise ...a burning ember in the very pit of her stomach, that threatens to ignite any second.  She opens her mouth to talk once more, words she wants to say..to hear her self say, but can’t breath deeply enough to form them.  She resigns silently , ‘frak it’ - but never ever stops her hips grinding movements, and deepens each kiss further and further.<br/>
The room is pitch black...except for the feint red glow of Morgans spine. <br/>
Wetness, lips, flesh... they all seemed to slip and come together. Bodies, tongues were becoming one as they mixed and folded. Fingers interlockand limbs intertwine preventing escape as the cascading force of desire, lust and need was coming to a crescendo. The only words that could escape her lips make their exit.<br/>
<br/>
“I’m so hot, Morgan.”<br/>
<br/>
Then it hits her. Her muscles tense and freeze, she shakes violently and convulses, her stomach muscles contracting to so much, her ribs become visible against her skin from the force of her clenching, her wetness exploding from the inside, she throws her body back and due to her tall length, smacks the top of her head against the bulkhead... it hurts! but it’s meaningless as the pleasure coursing through her body, her arteries and veins is so completely overwhelming and mind blowing that all she can do is moan and groan into each successive wave of orgasm that hits her, her hips keep grinding away at Morgan’s, unrelenting. Never ending.<br/>
<br/>
Just as the CAG was intent on commenting about just how ‘hot’ Rushell was she feels the womans body tesnse- which causes her own hips to buck and rock. As Rushells body tenses and clenches, she too starts to teeter close to the edge .  When the pilot comes to her knees, Morgan wraps an oversized protective arm around the lithe woman A meaningful, if not unneeded motion of protecting the older woman.  “I’ve got you...” Morgan utters almost silently, her free hand snaking between their two bodies as Rushell presses her back against Morgans breast.   With three quick flicks of her wrist, Morgan too  is soaring out amoung stars. <br/>
<br/>
Her mind wild and reeling, and suddenly they’re not in their Rack.  In Morgans mind they’re alone, in a overly elaborate room, fine glass-wear on the tables and exquisite linens, the finest accommodations she’s ever witnessed.  As her body starts to shake and tremble as the feeling burning in the pit of her stomach plummets down and explodes from her center, she and Rushell are not on Pegasus. They’re in the room they should have been in for this moment- having the ‘first’ sexual encounter that was not tinged with sadness and despair. <br/>
It finally becomes too much for the CAG.  Deep gut wrenching sobs accommodate her climax, as she clings to Rushell for dear life. In seemingly a blink of an eye, they’re back on Pegasus. The drab silver of the officers quarters and starchy sheets. But Rushell is still  there, as Morgan clings to her tightly,the only thing she ever -has- been able to cling to,  as gut wrenching sobs wreck her body.<br/>
<br/>
Rushell breathes come in and out of her roughly and suddenly as she still quivers and shakes from the rocking that her climax was giving her, eliminating the entire universe around her, all except for Morgan who is clinging to her like a marsupial. She holds on tight and lets the moments or minutes pass to bring herself down, her own tears streaming down her face but being the strong now, she isn’t sobbing with Morgan. Instead, she cradles the CAG, rocking her back and forth, acknowledging and feeling complete understanding of what they both have just lost. Everything but each other. </div>
</div><br/><br/><br/>------------------------------<br/>Part 2<br/><br/>Flash forward<br/><div class="ToggleTriggerAnchor bbCodeSpoilerContainer">
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<div class="SpoilerTarget bbCodeSpoilerText">Battlestar Galactica : Evolution <br/>
					   Chapter 2<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
752 days since the Cylon Holocaust.<br/>
New Caprica resurrection ship. <br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Morgans been sitting in this cell for days. She’s nervous, and has no idea what is going on.  She paces the small cell. The Cylons told her She and Rushell would be kept safe. Promised her. She still wasn’t sure about all this. She remembered what a Resurrection ship was, remembered the details of rebirth, and was loathe to experience it again.<br/>
<br/>
She’d not seen Rushell or any one for days, the only company she has are two centurion guards.  She paces the room, restless.  She tries to sit in one of the metal chairs-but is too antsy. She can’t rest with Rushell alone, by  her self and with ‘the enemy’. Sure the ‘enemy’ was-her- people...but she’d never, ever hurt Rushell. She wasn’t sure for the rest of the frakking toasters.  Rushell has been her world since the attack...if she was really honest with her self, her Adelphi was her world long before -her- people decided to nuke all of her lovers race.   <br/>
<br/>
She woke up in the resurrection goo a few days ago, saw Rushell talking to a Six and then was pulled off to a holding cell. Her beaten and broken body gone, it took a few days to get used to the new one.<br/>
<br/>
“Sorry to keep you waiting...ah...Morgan ..is it? “ Brother Cavil enters the room through the single door, dismisses the centurion guards and motions to the chair at the end of the table. “Morgan is the ridiculous moniker you’ve insisted on keeping isn’t it?” Cavils well aware. He gave her that name to start with.  He takes a seat, “Sit. “ <br/>
<br/>
Morgan is hesitant to sit, but pulls the chair out-before she can even sit shes’ asking the one question that's been on her mind for days. “Wheres Rushell?” <br/>
<br/>
“Well Hello to you too.” Cavil grumbles, his wrinkled face contorting as he places his elbows on the table. “You’re as persistent as the rest of your frakking line, I’ll give you that. “<br/>
<br/>
Morgan doesn’t flinch. “Where. Is. Rushell.” Its not a question this time so much as a threat. <br/>
<br/>
“Wheres Rushell, wheres Rushell..That's all you’ve said since you downloaded. Is there frakking problem in your programming?!” <br/>
<br/>
Morgan stays silent. <br/>
<br/>
“Good. Now.” Cavil starts as he drums his fingers against the metal table. “We promised you two safe haven ...and you’ll get it. Your..friend is in another holding cell. Undergoing some interesting tests. She’s fine. And hasn’t shut up about you the entire time, truly, you two are frakking revolting.” He grimaces. “ We’ve held up out part of the bargain.  You escaped Pegasus , we ‘captured’ your woman..you’re both safe. And now my dear its time to pay the piper.” <br/>
<br/>
Morgan narrows her eyes. She has no idea what that phrase means. “What?”<br/>
<br/>
Cavil glares, “Time to repay the favor.”<br/>
<br/>
Morgan says nothing, silently listening. <br/>
<br/>
“Now. Do you understand the difference in gender and Cylon physiology ? “ <br/>
<br/>
Morgan shakes her head. “How the frak would I know?.” <br/>
<br/>
“Well you should learn about your people... Its fascinating stuff really. Are you aware that gender..holds no real meaning for us?Its true. All of us produce reproductive fluid.  The Leobans, Simons, Dorel and my self have the means of depositing that fluid. You threes, sixes and eights do not. But..you hold the material inside of you.” <br/>
<br/>
Morgan glares and shakes her head, “This is a fascinating little science lesson but what the frak does this have to do with Rushell?” <br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Cavil eyes the Three up and down. Staring deeply into her, raising one brow as he leans in,“Everything.”.<br/>
<br/>
Morgan is dumbfounded. “Care you explain?”<br/>
<br/>
“We can not reproduce among our own species.  We’ve tried experiments on Caprica, trying to impregnate human women..none of them worked. “<br/>
<br/>
Morgan grows angry, “IF you fucking so much as TOUCHED Rushell...”She stands glaring at her older ‘sibling.’ <br/>
<br/>
“Calm the frak down and take a seat....” He glares and remains silent until Morgan is sitting once more. “I wouldn’t dream to touch your little....pet.” Her hisses.  “Even if I did it wouldn’t work. “ He narrows his eyes and crosses his arms, “Does she love you?” <br/>
<br/>
Morgan can’t answer that. “She just shot me in the gut...and you’ve not let me talk to her. How the frak should i know.”<br/>
<br/>
Cavil asks again. “Does. She. Love. You?”<br/>
<br/>
Morgan narrows her eyes and looks down, suddenly not feeling quite so brave as the events of the past weeks come back to her. “I hope so.”<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
 “Well that makes two of us..”  Cavil stands from his position, “Come with me...we’ve gotta do a ...fitting.” he starts .<br/>
<br/>
“A fitting? For what? When can I see Rushell?” <br/>
<br/>
“Rushells safe....don’t worry your pretty little head. You’re coming with me, to get fitted for a device to deposit your genetic material.” <br/>
<br/>
Morgan just shakes her head , “What?” <br/>
<br/>
“You heard me. “  Cavil doesn’t turn his head to look at Morgan as he opens the door and waves the CAG forward. “After you.”<br/>
<br/>
“What are you frakking getting at?” <br/>
<br/>
Cavil shakes his head, “I always felt you threes were rather simple..” he sighs, “We’ need to procreate.  The sixes have got it in her head that to do so we must have a cylon and human that share that...pitiful ‘love’ emotion. As...you know god is ..just that. Love.  If I listen to the sixes and your sister Threes, they’ll tell me ‘gods’ whats missing from the farm.  SO. “ he stops putting a hand out and stopping Morgans movements, “Do you love her?”<br/>
<br/>
The words echo through out the room as it fades to black.<br/>
__________________________________________________________________________<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
Rushell stares at the metal surface of the floor. Her hands coated in Morga... frak.. a skin-jobs blood. The red of the cylon blood looks just like her own, and blends almost perfectly into the red suede cushions of the couch that was in her “cell”, surrounded by bars on all sides and capped by a metal shod on top and bottom.  She stars at the floor and at her hands. Some time ago... not quite remembering how long now, but some time ago she had shot that impostor... some Cylon who was masquerading as her friend and now lover, Morgan.<br/>
<br/>
Rushell feels just empty... empty and alone. In some alien ship, crewed by alien beings bent on exterminating her race. Bent on betraying everything she loves and holds dear in her life.<br/>
<br/>
Rushell stares at the floor and the blood on her hands and just waits. Waits for them to come and end it all for her. Or worse...<br/>
<br/>
There is a knock at the door, it opens to two centurions ...and then....Morgan?<br/>
A woman who looks -exactly- like Morgan, except she hasn’t a single tattoo,and has long flowing blond hair in place of the short cropped tresses of the former CAG. <br/>
<br/>
She walks up to Rushell silently circling the woman not once...no twice..but three times. She quirks a brow and speaks with a  strange accent. It sounds like Caprican, but more drawn out. <br/>
<br/>
“I don’t see what all the fuss is about..” she leers peering at Rushell. “Of all the humans in the fleet...she picks -you-.”   The blond looks at Rushells hands, caked in blood. She stops, pausing and tilting her head to the side “How does it feel to have kill the woman who loved you? I don’t know  why she was shocked. “  The woman leans against the wall and raises a brow. “It’s human nature to kill what it loves..isn’t it? “ <br/>
<br/>
Her words are -dripping- with ire. Hate.  She needs to get to the base of this. If this human didn’t  love the one calling her self ‘Morgan’ she wasn’t worth keeping around.  D’Anna was sent to find out.  Pit her against another Three  the Sixes and Fours agreed. See how she acts. <br/>
</div>
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