The Administrative Stuff
If you wish to skip the dry stuff, just note the "Setting" part and feel free to get to the story itself.
Disclaimer: Given that the purpose of copyright is to protect "intellectual property" and that the copyright holders of the "intellectual property" known as the 1978 series Battlestar Galactica (and associated characters) forfeited their copyright protection when they allowed the Sci-Fi Channel and Ron Moore to "re-imagine" the series in a form that has nothing in common with the 1978 series (other than a few names), any sensible judge and jury would award them about $1.50 in damages for this piece of fanfiction.
Rating: This would have a rating of "T" for most parts of the U.S. that I have lived in. If you should live in an area that has banned The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show from prime time TV then consider this as having a rating of "M" for sexual innuendo, a little violence, and implied consensual sex between adults.
Note: After having had enough of Ron Moore's desecration, I got into an "I can't stand this any longer, I want Starbuck and friends back" mode. Since Moore was being lauded for bad writing that never reached any conclusions and involved a bunch of hand-waving, I felt I was perfectly justified in sliding over the one or two points that had me stymied in finishing this story.
This was originally submitted to the Battlestar Galactica Fanfic list operated by Sanna Guerin and Erin Gieg and who I can not thank enough for maintaining a place on the Internet dedicated to allowing the characters of Battlestar Galactica a home, particularly these last few years. I also thank all the authors and readers over there for tolerating my silliness.
I hope I fixed all the typos. No matter how many times I proofread this, I find another one.
This is not meant to be a "re-imagined" version of Battlestar Galactica. It is not meant to be an Alternate Universe story either, but feel free to consider it as such.
Setting: There are actually two related stories going on here. The Past – set just before the first episode of the series (with one scene during the episode "Lost Planet of the Gods") and The Present - set just after the last episode of the series. It goes back and forth.
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Irreconcilable Differences
Chapter 1
"Whoever wrote this episode should die!" - Gwen DeMarco (Galaxy Quest)
The Present – The Galactica
Omega leaned back in his chair on the Galactica's bridge. Closing his eyes he listened to the sounds around him, the steady rumble of the engines, the muted electronic chatter of the consoles, the light tapping of the operators' fingers upon the controls. Listening to the ship was as instructive to him as reading the visual displays upon the screens particularly during the deep night shift when the crew's activities were subdued.
It was the quiet that allowed him to hear a tiny sound, nothing more than a sharp intake of breath.
He opened his eyes and looked in the direction of the sound. The glow of her screen lit Athena's face exposing her startled expression. Omega watched as Athena bit her lower lip as she listened intently to the channel she was monitoring.
Not for the first time he wished he could do something to help her. She had taken the destruction of the colonies far worse than most. In better circumstances, she would have been furloughed or at least have been reassigned to a grand position for a time. The best they could do now was to let her perform her duties on quieter shifts. There was no guarantee that it would remain quiet but at least the busier activities of training missions, fleet inspections, and inter-ship travel was minimized.
Omega tapped the controls of his station to give him the output on Athena's console on one of his own screens. There was a docking request from an approaching shuttle. Nothing out of the ordinary until he noted its point of origin had been the Prison Barge. With a casual flick of his hand, Omega switched the channel of his headset to the Galactica's traffic control.
" – repeating, medical team to Alpha docking bay. Medical emergency. Patient has sustained internal injuries – "
He glanced at Athena who was sitting bolt upright, clearly worried. She turned toward Omega, freezing for a moment when she realized he had been watching her.
"Go, I'll cover for you," Omega said quietly.
"Thank you," she whispered and slipped out.
In another part of the battlestar, Cassiopeia, still half-asleep, also hurried to the Life Station. Doctor Salik had woken her, cursing the med-techs on duty who had refused to assist him and apologizing to Cassie for having to summon her. As she turned a corner, she nearly collided with Athena.
"I'm sorry," Cassie said automatically. She saw the look on Athena's face and reached out. "Are you all right?"
"Don't let him die, please," Athena said.
"Who?" Cassie asked watching Athena who shook her head and dashed back down the hallway from where she had come. "What? Athena?" Cassie started to follow and then remembered her own destination. Whatever it had been, it would have to wait. When Cassie reached the Life Station, Salik was waiting for her.
"I need you to assist me in surgery," he said grimly. "I don't care who the patient is and hope you don't either."
"No, of course not," Cassie managed a smile.
"Someone on the Prison Barge decided to take matters into their own hands," Salik growled as he and Cassie walked into the operating room. Cassie hesitated for just an instant when she saw their patient, the most despised man in the fleet, Baltar.
It instantly explained some things but not Athena's plea.
The next morning by the ship's time, Cassie tracked down Starbuck in the Officers' Club. Naturally he was at a table with the company of Apollo and Boomer.
"…he had it coming to him," Apollo was saying as Cassie stepped up to Starbuck. "It's surprising someone hadn't done it sooner."
"Starbuck, I need to speak to you," Cassie leaned over and whispered to him.
"Why not join us?" Starbuck said.
"Alone." Cassie briefly glanced at the others who were now curious as to Cassie's presence.
"Ah, well, duty beckons, gentlemen," Starbuck said lightly. He stood and followed Cassie to a corner of the room. "Am I…er…going to like this conversation?
"I don't know. You knew Athena before the destruction of the colonies."
"Oh, I knew it. I'm not going to like this conversation." Starbuck moaned. "I really don't want to discuss what happened between me and Athena."
"I don't want to discuss what happened between you and Athena. I want to discuss what happened between Athena and…someone else."
"Frak, that's an even worse topic," Starbuck squirmed under Cassie's scrutiny.
"You know something, don't you?"
"Why ask me? Why don't you ask her?"
"Because she looked terrible as it was. Please, Starbuck," Cassie said.
"When was this?" Starbuck asked. His anxious look told Cassie that Starbuck still cared for Athena even if their relationship hadn't worked out as had been expected.
"Last night."
"What happened last night? I mean, besides the obvious."
"Athena asked me to save his life. Everyone else in this fleet would have been happy to let him die, if not begging me to hasten the process. She didn't. Why?"
"Oh, frak." Starbuck ran his hand through his hair. "It must have been more serious than I thought."
"What was?" Cassie asked, more to confirm what she suspected than anything else.
"Her and him." Starbuck smiled nervously. "Athena and Baltar. Kind of creepy sounding, isn't it?"
"Perhaps now," Cassie admitted, then looked at him in surprise. "Wait, the famous Starbuck charm didn't work?"
"Not so loud, Cassie." Starbuck nervously looked around at the others in room. "I have a reputation to maintain."
"You lost Athena to him?" Cassie couldn't resist the opportunity to tease Starbuck.
"I wouldn't say 'lost'." Starbuck winced. "For Sagan's sake, he was a Councilor on the High Quorum, considered one of the most powerful men in the Colonies. How could I compete with that?"
"That's never stopped you before."
"He also had this niece…"
"Oh, I understand the problem now," Cassie said, smiling.
"Cassie, there was also the problem of Athena's father."
"Commander Adama? I thought you and he got along."
"That's the problem," Starbuck said, fidgeting slightly. "I've always thought of him more as family and Athena more as a sister. Somehow, thinking of her as something else didn't seem right."
"Especially if it hadn't worked out."
"Exactly." Starbuck nodded, relieved on that point. "I…er…I'm sorry if this makes you feel comfortable."
"That's all right," Cassie said, winking. "As a socialator, I've seen quite a bit. I can handle it."
"Yeah, but can I?"
"So what did happen between Athena and Baltar?"
The Past – The Galactica
That yahren it had been Caprica's turn to accommodate the Council of Twelve's meeting, and along with the Councilors themselves, came their staffs and entourages, and those wishing to take advantage of such a gathering. With the news reporters and very influential persons present, the ritual gathering of the Council developed something of a social season among the rich and powerful that extended beyond individual Colonies. The Presidium in the center of Caprica City became the place for individuals to be seen and to insinuate themselves into the upper echelons of Colonial society.
As the Council representative for Caprica, Adama was expected to act as host. Fortunately for Adama, this task was largely taken over by his wife, Ila, who was much more at ease with such social fripperies, and Colonel Tigh took over much of the day-to-day routine of commanding the battlestar.
Ila had convinced her husband that Athena should have the opportunity to experience such an event first-hand. What better way could there be to allow Athena to observe and to learn of something other than a military environment?
Just before the Council was to meet, Adama had summoned his daughter to his quarters aboard the Galactica.
"Your mother thinks this would be an unrivalled opportunity for you," Adama told Athena.
"To do what? I would be of more use here." Inwardly, Athena felt that she wouldn't fit in with the high and mighty. She would be more comfortable on the battlestar which she thought of as a second home, she had been there for so long.
"She wants you to be able to appreciate those aspects of Colonial society that we in the military strive to preserve."
"That sounds like something the fleet commanders tell the civilians," Athena said, smiling. Even for her father, it sounded more like the expected response than a real reason.
"It does," Adama conceded, "but your mother insists there is truth in it and that you have led too sheltered a life."
"I don't feel like I've missed anything."
"She thought you might say that. She's of the opinion that you wouldn't be able to realize if you had missed anything until you've had the opportunity to know what that was," he said with a hint of laughter in his deep voice.
"I'd be totally at a loss. I wouldn't know how to act. What would I do?" Athena felt a growing sense of unease. She knew that despite any objections she might make, her mother had convinced her father and that as far as they were concerned the matter was settled.
"Your mother can help you with the social aspects. As for what you would do, the visiting Councilors are typically assigned a liaison to assist them in coordinating their activities with their personal staffs and the Caprican government and the hosting Councilor, in this case, myself."
"I would be on your staff?"
"Not exactly. You would be temporarily assigned to his staff and he would provide you with specific instructions."
"He?" Athena asked. It appeared Adama had already determined which Councilor she would be assigned to.
"The Sagitaran Councilor." A strange look of exasperation came over Adama's face. "If there is anyone I would like to keep track of, it's him."
"You want me to spy on a Councilor?" Athena was surprised by the implication.
"Not spy. Merely keep him to the Council's schedule. Or any schedule. He wasn't very organized at last yahren's meeting." Her father's scowl of disapproval reminded her of the look he had used to keep her and her brothers in line when she was growing up. "It would also be better if you did not mention to him that you are my daughter."
"Why not?" Athena asked, confused, not sure why it would matter.
"I want him to treat you fairly. Without any preconceived notions due to past dealings with me," Adama said trying to keep a neutral tone. He did not add that Ila had forbidden him to place Athena on his own staff.
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A few days later, Athena had shuttled to Caprica City, and home, with her father. After Adama had acquainted her with the Council of Twelve's accommodations and operations at the Presidium while on Caprica and Ila had familiarized her with the social aspects, Athena eventually found herself standing before the door of the office suite that had been assigned to Sagitaran Councilor.
With a curious mixture of expectation and reluctance, Athena tapped on a door which had been emblazoned with the silver and black emblem of the Archer of Sagitara.
"Come in", a man's voice called. She opened the door and looked into an outer office. Behind a large silver-trimmed black desk sat a rather heavily built, middle-aged man who was studying several hard-copy documents and tapping a stylus absentmindedly against the desktop. She took a few steps toward him and hesitated not sure if she would be interrupting his reading. He looked up and when he saw her, he smiled, his entire expression brightening even to a sparkle in the darkest eyes Athena had ever seen.
"May I help you?" he asked in a lilting baritone, tossing the documents and stylus onto the desktop and standing. His hair was also nearly black only relieved by white at his temples, and he was wearing a nondescript gray and black outfit.
"I've been assigned to be the Sagitaran's Councilor's liaison this session."
"You have?" His dark brows rose and he smile widened.
"Yes," she answered uneasily, feeling a stranger.
"And how did I merit such good fortune?"
"I don't know…oh…." She paused as she realized who she must be speaking to. "You must be Councilor Baltar."
"Yes, I know who I am, but whom do I have the pleasure to welcome?" He stepped from behind the desk to join her.
"Athena. I'm a lieutenant with the Caprican Fleet,"
"Well, Lieutenant Athena, that would explain the uniform." He gestured to her blue uniform and then gave her a mischievous grin. "And, I must say, you make it look stunning. You wouldn't even need a sidearm to bring down any man you chose."
"Are you always like this?" Athena was astonished by his audacity. He was more brazen then even Starbuck.
"When I decide to be," he lowered his voice as if not wanting to be overheard. "As a politician it sometimes becomes my job to cajole and flatter until I get my way."
"At least you're honest about it."
"Ahh…that hurt," he grimaced, but it was plainly in jest.
"Surely as a politician you've been called worse." Athena's retorted lightly, feeling more relaxed now that the worst was over.
"True." He nodded. "Would you like to hear what I've been called? We could make it your first job assignment to show me where to get something decent to eat," he suggested.
"I suppose I have to start somewhere." She smiled and took the arm he offered her as they left his office.