PEACE BETRAYED--ANNIHILATION

          Roark entered the Life Center aboard the Galactica a few centars later, seeing Sebastien, Robin, Severus, and the rest of the medical staff making very slow progress through the large amount of wounded that had been sent to the Galactica, and he knew Roark's Life Center aboard the Solaria was as busy.

          As he began to weave his way through the room, many looked over at him, giving him smiles, obviously wanting to speak to him, but he merely gave those people nods, continuing on his way to the closed-off section in the very back.

          Suddenly, a scream rang out.

          It was a scream of pure terror. 

          From someone very young.

          Roark stopped moving forward, turning to find where the scream had come from.  It was a child, a little girl with long blond ringlets, tangled, dirty, bloodied, looking to be no more than seven or eight yahrens.

          She screamed again, fighting against the hold of the two med techs, yelling over and over again for her mommy and daddy.  Unable to help himself, Roark found himself moving to where the child was, another tech attempting to fix her broken arm.

          Reaching out as soon as he reached the bed, he lay his hand on the wrist of one of the women, drawing her frowning attention.

          "Let her go," he said softly.

          She noticed the pins on his scarlet jacket.  "I can't do that, Captain.  She has several injuries--"

          "I'm well aware of that as I can feel the pain she is in.  Something to ease that would not be amiss.  She is also terrified.  She also does not understand WHY she is being held like this.  Now, please...let her go.  I'll quiet her so you can work."

          Once the tech let the little girl go, Roark moved into her place, reaching up to brush a few strands of hair back out of her eyes.  "Hello there, sweetheart," he said in a quiet tone.  "My name is Rory.  Can you tell me what yours is?"

          She went still, her head turning.  "Tat..." she began with a sob, tear-bright, sky-blue eyes looking up at him.  "Tatiana.  You..." she sniffled, "you have pretty eyes."

          "Thank you, Tatiana," he said, hearing a soft chuckle sound, and looked up to see Robin, who had obviously also heard the girls scream.  "How old are you, Tatiana?" he asked, reaching out to touch the other tech's hand without even looking at her as Robin approached the bed.

          "I'm almost nine yahren," she sniffled again,  "I want my Mommy and Daddy," she whimpered then.  "We got separated.  There were just so many people, all of them pushing and shoving.  I could hear them screaming for me, but this warrior picked me up and took me to a shuttle.  I tried to tell him my Mommy and Daddy were calling for me, but he wouldn't listen.  Said he was under orders to make sure all children were put into a shuttle and sent up to the Galactica."

          Robin frowned as Roark murmured, "I see.  I don't suppose you happened to notice his rank?"

          She shook her head.  "But his pins were different from yours."

          "I can see if I can find your parents for you."

          She was much calmer now, allowing the med tech to heal her arm.  "You will?  Really?" a look of hope in her eyes, with a small amount of doubt.  "Are you really a warrior?  Your uniform is different."

          "That's because I'm a Counter-Intelligence Officer." He stepped back, bowing to her deeply.  "Captain Roark Christopher Durin Peverell Potter-Lestrange, at your service, my Lady."

          She giggled.  "Wow.  That's an awful lot of names."

          "Is it?  You really think so?" she nodded with a grin.  "Well then, I'll just have to shorten it, won't I?  How about Roark Lestrange?  That would certainly make my husband happy.  Now, how about your parent's names?  So I can find them easier?"

          "Well," she looked thoughtful.  "Daddy would call Mommy, Katie, and Mommy would call daddy Tony.  Our last name is Rosier.  I have an uncle too, but we haven't seen him in a long time.  Then there's my grandfather.  He's the President of the Colonies."

          "Okay.  Let me go check on my husband and family, then I will see what I can do.  You have to promise me something though."

          "What?"

          "Let the med staff help you, and you get some sleep."

          She smiled and nodded.  "I will.  Promise."

          He bent, pressing a kiss to her fevered brow.  "You rest, now, Tatiana," he murmured brushing hair back from her forehead in a light caress.  Her blue eyes slid closed, and from one micron to the next, she was asleep.

          "Thank you, Rory," Robin said.  "That was very nicely handled.  You will make a good father when you and Dolph decide to start having children."  He turned to the tech beside him, issuing a set of orders.  "Come on, let's head to the back ward where the family is."

          "Rosier," he murmured.  "The uncle she mentioned.  He's Adar's youngest.  His name is Evan.  His name came up on Aquaria."

         "In a good or bad way?" Robin asked as they began to move toward the curtained area.

          "Not sure.  I'll look into it as I'm looking for her parents."

          "Just be sure you get some sleep sometime."

          "I'll try, Robin.  Promise."