A RUMOR OF PEACE

          Roark sat, his body never once relaxing, his cool gaze resting on the man before them.  He glanced briefly over at Harry, who gave him a very slight nod. then they both turned their attention to Ardyn, watching as, FINALLY, he began to go through the files spread out before him.

          He was a tall man, Roark thought, standing six-one, remembering how he had towered over him.  His body had a nice build to it, with muscles showing in several places, telling him he worked out regularly in the base gym.  He still walked with a bit of a limp, due to a serious leg and hip injury that he had sustained in a crash landing aboard the Galactica after a Cylon attack.  

          An injury that had required him to retire from active combat duty.  He had taken the post as Garrison Commander on Aquaria shortly after.  His hair was an auburn color, cut very short to his head.  His face had almost an oval look to it, tanned by hours in the Aquarian sun.  His eyes were hazel, his jaw clean-shaven, and a nose that looked like it had been broken.

          'Was it possible?' he asked himself.  'Could Ardyn Grenville, his grandfather's former Strike Commander, best friends with both his uncles, Apollo and Zac, as well as more than a few of the Durin brothers and cousins, be one of their leaks?  Could he be the main leak that they would be looking for?  Could he really have betrayed the Warriors Code they all took upon graduation from the Academy?  Could he have betrayed his duty to the uniform he wore, an killed a fellow officer, a good friend?

          He didn't want to believe that he could, or even WOULD do all of those and more besides, but after all the happenings on Virgon, he knew it was a very real possibility.  He knew--  : Rory, : came softly.  : stop it. :

          : Was I thinking too loud? :

          : Let's put it this way, if Ardyn was a telepath, he would now know that we suspect him of being our spy.  Stop worrying yourself, brother.  Control your thoughts.  We will in good time find whatever proof we need, WHEN we need to. :

          : Then I guess it's a VERY good thing he is not a telepath, because if he had been, you BOTH would have given us away,: came caustically from Severus.  : What in the name of Kobol is the matter with the two of you? :

          : Good question, : came the answer as they both gave slight shrugs, their attention returning to Ardyn.  As if he sensed their gazes, Ardyn lifted his head from the papers lying before him, his gaze meeting Roark's.

          The door chimed, then slid open.  Twin midnight heads turned as the man moved into the office, crossing immediately to the desk.  He was, Roark thought as he watched him, knowing that Harry and Severus were doing the same.  They would give him their impressions later once they were alone but for now...This man was perhaps five-ten, or five-eleven, dressed in the same uniform that Ardyn was, his body thicker, heavier set than any of theirs were, but he also had a fair amount of muscle.  He estimated him to be in his early to mid-thirties, his eyes a dark brown.

          He glance at them as he reached the desk, and Roark saw surprise flash in his eyes when he saw the black and scarlet on what he obviously thought looked to be kids.  "They're staying then?" came his growled question.

          "Yes.  Orders from those in command in the C.C.I.U. on Caprica."

          "They're out of their minds.  What are they going to be able to do that we and Kale haven't been able too?"

          A shrug.  "I guess we'll find out.  Lt. Tristyn Callen, meet Lt. Hadrian and Roark Peverell Potter, Colonial Counter-Intelligence.  The third is Lt. Colonel Severus Prince Snape.  Lt. Roark has been given the command of this case with Hadrian working as his second.  Roark, Hadrian, and Severus meet Lt. Tristyn Callen.  He was Kale's third."

          They rose to their feet as one, turning to face him.  "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lt. Tristyn," Roark said as he extended his hand.  "I hope we can work well together."

          Tristyn looked at him, at the extended hand, then into his eyes.  He knew what Tristyn saw, knew he recognized the challenge he saw even as he himself saw the hard, uncompromising look in those dark brown eyes.  Tristyn took his hand, shook briefly, then withdrew, passing him the file he had brought with him, catching sight of the fury that flashed through emerald eyes.

          "We'll see," came his rough tone.  "Though how one as young as you can have the experience needed for this job, I will never know."

          "Ask Captain Ardyn for the files we brought with us, and you will see EXACTLY why we have the experience necessary, Lieutenant," came coolly.

          "Is this all you have?"  Harry asked as he began to look through the file he had taken from him

          "It is," came his answer, saw Harry look at him in some disbelief.  "After you've read through the file, we can get the team together to discuss the case.  Captain Fili and Lt. Kili are out looking for a witness to several drug-related assassinations, and Lt. Logan is following up on a lead.  They should be back in a couple of centars."

          Without another word, or without giving either of them to speak to him, he turned and walked quickly out of the office.  They watched him go, then looked at each other, before turning back to Ardyn.  From his satisfied expression, he had been well aware that Tristyn would act like that toward them, which made them unreasonably furious.

          Well, it wasn't anything new to them.  From the moment that Roark had entered the Academy at fourteen, then reported to Virgon for his first tour of duty at sixteen, he had been receiving this kind of treatment from nearly everyone he came in contact with.

          Except, that is, for a select few who had taken him at face value.  His yahren mates at the Academy for one, Colonel Bertrum on Virgon...the second team.  Harry knew that the only way such treatment would stop was for his brother to prove he was capable of doing his job, despite his age.

          Gods, how he wished he didn't have to.  He didn't deserve this treatment, and it made him furious every time their fellow officers treated him like a child playing a game of being a Colonial Warrior.

          "Where is our office, Captain?" came the frozen question.

          Ardyn turned his head to look at them, whatever pleasure he had felt from Tristyn's treatment of them melting away under Hadrian Peverell Potter's look of fury, belaying the icy tone.

          "Roark--" he began, feeling the air around him fairly crackle with electrical energy,  only to be interrupted.

          "Don't worry about it, Captain," Roark said, his voice as icy cold as he turned toward the door, not even looking at him. "It isn't anything that has not happened before, and, I'm quite sure, it will be happening again.  I'll deal with it as I have always dealt with it.  Office?"

          "Down the hall, across from the office Logan, Fili, and Kili are currently sharing.  First, though, I'll take the three of you to the apartments you have been assigned to so that you can freshen up.  The sooner we get the three of you settled, the sooner we can get back.  I've got a lot of work to do before I can head home tonight."

          "As do we, Captain," he was told.  "As so we."