Author's Note

This story fits into the timeline of my "Battlestar Hermes" story but also includes elements of the "Battlestar Victorious" series. All Victorious related material is used with permission from Wes Imlay and this story can also be considered in the same timeline as that series.

The Cerberus was unlike any other Battlestar in the Colonial Fleet. It was one of the original twelve Columbia-class Battlestars built during the Cylon War and saw action during that bitter conflict. It survived the war and continued to serve in the Colonial Fleet for another thirty years after which it was decided to withdraw the vessel. It was taken to Sagittaron where it was to be kept on the Active Reserve list for another two years before it was to be broken up for scrap.

A change in military thinking saved it from this fate. Thirteen years before The Fall of the Colonies the first proposal was made to the lawmakers on Libran to fund a ship operated by both the military and the various civilian law enforcement agencies throughout the Twelve Worlds. The ship would act as an independent mobile police force and would be equipped with state-of-the-art forensic laboratory equipment for investigations in the field. Its primary duties would be to curtail the efforts of smuggling and pirate rings throughout the system but it would also be on hand to assist aid agencies in time of major emergencies such as the Aquarian Tsunami. To keep the military happy the ship would become part of the main Colonial Fleet in times of war.

In the interests of keeping development costs down it was decided to convert an existing design to serve this purpose. The Cerberus was chosen for this task and it immediately went into the shipyards at Scorpia for a rebuild the likes of which had never before been attempted. To help make room for the additional laboratories and medical facilities the FTL system was upgraded to allow it to make an FTL jump without the need to retract the Flight Pods. This freed up the chasm in the hull where normally these pods would retract into and allowed them to be 'filled out' therefore dramatically increasing internal volume.

The work took four years to complete and heralded a new age in the Colonial Fleet. The 'new' Cerberus had a crew of three thousand but only half of that were military personnel and were generally concentrated around operating the ship itself. The air wing consisted of the standard Raptors and initially Viper MkVIs but these soon gave way to the newer Viper MkVIIs. Whenever there was a major incident in the Colonies it was often the Cerberus that was the first to respond bringing with it the vast array of sophisticated equipment it possessed. The project was an overwhelming success.

Three years before The Fall

Colonel Artimus Bowman stood in the CIC of the Cerberus as he oversaw the standing down of First Watch and the arrival of Mid Watch. Having been the ship's XO for almost a year now he had begun to feel like a housewife making sure that everything was in order for when Commander Hawker arrived. It was an unfamiliar routine that Artimus Bowman nevertheless settled into quite well. He had spent much of his career on Battlestars and they were indeed a second home to him now. The order and formality of life aboard ship eased the transition he had made from CAG aboard the Valkyrie to a Raptor Instructor on Caprica before finally returning to space aboard the Cerberus.

The changeover was soon completed and the only person who remained in the traditional style CIC from the earlier watch was Bowman himself. Bowman spent much of his time in the CIC since Commander Hawker was always consumed with his own duties which, as Commander of the Cerberus, often meant he was a mix of a military leader, politician and police officer. Nearly every command given to the CIC was given by Bowman who in many ways had become a de facto Commander in his own right.

The handset on the operations desk in the middle of the room suddenly beeped to life. Bowman picked it up and held it his right ear before speaking into the mouthpiece, "Combat, XO."

"Colonel Bowman," said the voice of Commander Hawker. "Would you join me in my quarters please?"

"Yes sir. On my way." Bowman heard Hawker hang up his end of the line and so he placed the handset back down onto the Operations Desk. "Lieutenant Felton, please take the con!"

"Aye sir! I have the con!" replied Felton, a young man in his mid twenties from Aerilon. With his command acknowledged Bowman left the CIC in the young man's hands.

Commander Hawker's Quarters

Commander Phillip Hawker sat behind his desk reading over the letter he had opened that morning for what felt like the third time. Hawker was quite a mature looking man in his late forties and whose most active days were slowly creeping behind him. He had become a master at juggling the bureaucratic machine that came with a job such as his but it had taken its toll on his physique and these days he was beginning to feel his body complaining more than it used to.

There was a distinctive knocking on his hatch. Hawker put down the letter and called out, "Come in!"

The round handle spun through almost a full turn and the door slowly squeaked open. Artimus Bowman walked in quite casually before closing the door behind him and walking upto the Commander. Although on occasion the two of them had differed in opinion on certain things they had developed a good relationship over the past eleven months that was fostering into a friendship.

"Ah, Artimus," said Hawker at the sight of his XO. "Take a seat. How's things in the asylum?" That was their little joke to describe the CIC.

"Not bad," Artimus replied as he took a seat and watched Hawker reach into a drawer for his pack of cigarettes. "The only thing worth mentioning from the morning's dispatches is a container ship out of Gemenon losing main power and having to be towed back but other than that it's all quiet out there."

Hawker lit a cigarette and breathed in the addictive fragrance before exhaling away from Bowman. "I would offer you one," he said to his XO, "but I know you don't really care for them. That's what I like about you Artimus; no vices."

Artimus grinned before replying, "I have vices sir just like the next guy. The difference is I keep mine locked away."

"I'd be interested to see what those are," said Hawker with a sly grin. "Now me on the other hand, I have more vices than I care to admit but my biggest is cigarettes. There's nothing like a good smoke to help kick start a day or relieve the stress at the end of it. I had quit for four years but then I started this job and I just had to have one again." The two of them laughed as they shared in the private joke. "Tell me Artimus, have you seen any good films lately?"

"Sir?" asked a puzzled Artimus Bowman.

"Did you see that film they made a few years ago about Operation: Raptor Talon?"

"I did," sighed Bowman. "And as usual it was full of crap. As if Colonial Officers would behave that way especially in a time of war."

"It won a whole host of awards," added Hawker. "Well anyway, they've been filming a follow-up movie recently aboard the Battlestar Athena. Unfortunately their time aboard Athena has expired due to work being carried out on the old girl so Picon Fleet Headquarters, in all its wisdom, have decided to allow them to film aboard Cerberus."

"You're not serious?" said Bowman who was looking less than impressed.

"Oh I am very serious," said Hawker smiling in such a way as to hint that he had more good news for the Colonel. "And you are going to act as our liaison. In a nutshell you're going to babysit them for me while they're aboard."

"Me?"

"Yes, it seems you come highly recommended by some senior brass," said Hawker who was positively beaming at the sight of Bowman's dismay over his latest assignment.

"Senior brass?" repeated Bowman before he was suddenly struck down by an epiphany. "Tolan!"

"Yep," said Hawker whose amused smile had now seemed to grow to stretch from ear to ear. "It's great having friends in high places isn't it? There's also going to be a few publicity stunts the brass have planned in order to promote our work so we should get some sorely needed recognition out of it."

"What do you mean 'stunts?" asked Bowman.

"Oh you know the usual thing, perhaps a Raptor ride for the stars of the film. Maybe a few photographs of you with Neveah Ratlif."

As Artimus Bowman sat there listening with dread as his CO went over some of the more finer points of his latest assignment one image was burned onto his mind; Scott Tolan laughing obnoxiously at the prospect of him having to babysit a bunch of actors and filmcrew for two weeks.

Connections to the underworld or not I will kill him for this.

Artimus Bowman's Quarters
Three Days Later

From the moment the announcement had been made to the ship's crew that the Cerberus was to play host to a movie crew filming what was being tipped to be the next big blockbuster rumours began to make the rounds aboard the ship. Some heard that they were going to have Cerberus crewmembers as extras. Others heard that they were going to be fitting pyrotechnics to the ship's hull to simulate explosions. Some rumours were true but most were wildly exaggerated. Both way the filmcrew hadn't even arrived yet and already they were proving to be a disruptive influence.

Bowman shut his hatch behind him and began unbuttoning the jacket of his duty uniform as he started the process of unwinding after the completion of another day. While he was always glad to leave the burden of being the XO outside his quarters for a few hours he nevertheless found this part of the day the loneliest. While he loved his work he did regret that he wasn't able to go home to his wife at the end of each day like a regular nine to five job. Earlier in his career it wasn't so much of a problem to him since he was single and free but now he was pushing passed thirty five and had married Brooke Garner over a year earlier. He was now ready to settle down and start a family but found his career to be a troublesome factor to that goal. Maybe a few more years and I can pull a cushy deskjob on Caprica? He didn't relish the idea of flying a desk but it would be a good life to have as his time in the service begins to wind down.

Feeling just a little blue he decided to exercise the privileges that come with being the XO of a Battlestar. He walked over to the intercom handset hanging from the wall adjacent to the hatch and pressed the button marked '1'. This immediately connected him with Petty Officer Chad Teuton who was manning the communications station in the CIC.

"Communications," replied the Petty Officer's voice.

"It's the XO, could you patch me into the civilian comm lines. You know the number by now."

"Yes sir," replied Petty Officer Teuton whose voice hinted at a smile. "Contacting your wife's number for you."

"Thank you," replied Bowman. The line clicked silent and remained so for several seconds before a dial tone could be heard. For the rest of the crew aboard Cerberus and indeed most Battlestars if they wanted to phone home then they had to use one of the ship's public call stations located near the enlisted mess hall. Being the XO meant that Bowman had the right to use his own intercom set to talk in private although if Commander Hawker or the CIC needed to get hold of him it would cut the call off.

"Hello," said the voice of Brooke Bowman from the other end of the line.

"Hey baby," sighed Artimus as he slumped up against the wall. "You ok?"

"Yea I'm good. I just got in from work. Are you ok? You sound tired?"

"I am. This ship is tearing itself apart with rumours regarding this movie crew we got coming."

"Oh that's right!" she said. "The new Neveah Ratliff movie."

"That's the one," he replied. "They aren't going to start filming until the day after tomorrow but the stars and the director are coming in the morning for some publicity stuff."

"Sounds exciting," chuckled Brooke knowing full well how much her husband hated such jobs. "Hey do you think you could get Neveah's autograph for Lacey. You know it's her birthday soon and we could put it in her card." Lacey Tolan was Artimus's honorary niece and was something he had inherited from his friendship with Scott Tolan. Artimus was extremely protective over her while Brooke was a little more laid back and willing to let her make her own mistakes. They both cared for her very much.

"I'll see what I can do," said Artimus.

"Good," said Brooke who then chuckled as a thought popped into her head. "It's funny; most men would be falling over themselves at the prospect of being Neveah Ratliff's personal chaperone. Not you though huh?"

"I'm married to you, remember?" he said matter-of-factly.

"Yea but aren't you even the least bit excited about meeting one of the most beautiful women in the Twelve Colonies?" asked Brooke quoting what many magazines had labeled Neveah in recent years.

"You know what I think about people like that. They are all the same. They got their noses so far up their own sixes that you could roll them across the floor. I'm sure she is just the same."

"Well," she said feeling put in her place. "I guess I won't have to worry about her getting her hands on you while she's aboard."

"Nope," he said. "And even if she tried I'm sure Barry would be straight on the line to tell you about it."

Barry Garner was the Chief Engineer of the Cerberus. He was also Brooke's older brother. Barry was opposed to Artimus and Brooke's relationship from the very start and never gave the two of them a chance. His biggest concern was the ten year age gap between the two of them although Brooke suspected it had more to do with the fact that Barry refused to accept that his little sister had grown up and no longer needed him now she had Artimus. Barry had been the Chief Engineer of the Cerberus for over two years now and Artimus Bowman's assignment as XO caused some old hostility to resurface. Fortunately it wasn't too much of a problem since Barry seldom left the engine room.

"Has he been giving you grief again?" she asked.

"No," he replied although even if he and Barry had been having words again he wouldn't have said anything in order not to upset her. "We still stay out of each other's way. Anyway I only have to put up with him for another month and then he's off to Pegasus."

"That's good," she said. "Listen, I'm going to put some dinner on. It's been a long day. Talk later?"

"I probably should get some sleep. I have a feeling I'm going to need my strength."

"Ok," she said laughing. "I'll talk to you tomorrow. I love you."

"Love you too," and with that he placed the handset back on its perch.

Battlestar Cerberus
Starboard Hangar Deck
Nine hours later

The Hangar Deck was more alive than usual as the Raptor from the Battlestar Athena was towed off the line having just landed. Everywhere there was a jubilant atmosphere and as Artimus stood there in his Dress Uniform waiting for the Raptor to stop he couldn't help but feel like he was the only adult at a rather energetic children's party.

The Raptor came to a stop and the hatch opened. A man appeared at the door wearing a leather waistcoat over a white t-shirt and stood in the hatchway examining the Hangar Deck. Artimus knew from the file he had been handed by Hawker that this was the director, Marcus Goldstein. After looking around for a few seconds he clambered down the Raptor's wing and jumped off.

"Hello," said Artimus offering his right hand. "My name is Colonel Artimus Bowman." It took a few seconds before Goldstein noticed the Colonel and accepted his gesture but his eyes continued to examine his surroundings. "Welcome aboard the Cerberus."

"This isn't right," said Goldstein.

"Excuse me sir?" asked Bowman retracting his hand.

"No, no this isn't right," repeated Goldstein who started to walk around the Raptor to get a better look at the overall Hangar Deck. "This is different to the Athena."

"Uh, yes sir," said Bowman not sure how to respond. "The Cerberus has been heavily rebuilt from her original design specifications. I don't know if you're aware but Cerberus is not just a Battlestar, it's a-"

"Something's going to have to be done about this if this deck is to match the scenes we have already shot. This is going to take an awful lot of work on our part," continued Goldstein who began to wander off much to Bowman's aggravation.

"Excuse me sir!" he barked at the director who seemed to be snapped into line by the sudden volume of the Colonel's otherwise subdued tone. "You are on a working Hangar Deck which is officially one of the most dangerous places you could ever be. I will thank you to not wander off by yourself."

Goldstein clearly didn't like being told what to do but nevertheless he complied with the Colonel's demands and returned to his side. Bowman turned back to the Raptor to greet the next person to step out. To his surprise it was a young Lieutenant with short cut dark hair and a cleanly shaven face which looked slightly daunted. As soon as the Lieutenant saw the Colonel he snapped to attention and saluted. Bowman returned the gesture.

"Welcome aboard the Cerberus Lieutenant...?"

"Uh, Dayton sir," stuttered the young man. "Lieutenant Michael Dayton. I'm the technical advisor."

Lieutenant Dayton stepped down from the Raptor in a rather wobbly fashion. Bowman shook the young man's hand and introduced himself before whispering to him, "So who did you piss off to get dumped with this assignment?" The two of them shared an amused smile before the Lieutenant stood to one side to allow the next person to step down from the Raptor. He was a short man in his early thirties who wore a teal coloured suit. Immediately behind him was another man who was adjusting a camera ready to take some pictures.

"Colonel Bowman," announced Artimus who was quickly getting fed up of welcoming the group.

"Oh uh, Aaron Doral," replied the man in the suit. "I'm with public relations. If I may say it's a pleasure to be here Colonel."

"Well thank you," said Artimus. "And welcome aboard the Cerberus Mr Doral."

"Oh please, call me Aaron. Uh would you mind if we got a few shots of you greeting the stars of the movie as they depart?"

"I'd be delighted," lied Artimus blatantly. As he waited for the leading man of the movie, Argus Johansson, to come down and shake his hand while they were photographed Artimus couldn't help but think that there was something a bit odd about Doral. He couldn't put his finger on it exactly but for some reason he had alarm bells ringing in his mind as he posed for a photograph with Johansson. Artimus put it down to the fact that occasionally there are people you just don't warm too and he suspected that Aaron Doral was going to be one of those people.

Johansson put on a polite smile but hardly said a word to Artimus as the two of them were photographed. Once the photographer was done he nodded to Doral who said, "Ok, now if you we could have a picture of you welcoming Miss Ratliff."

"Sure," said Artimus as Johansson walked away to stand next to the director. Artimus turned to look back up at the open hatch as Neveah Ratliff began to step down. Her every move was watched closely by almost everyone in the immediate vicinity. Neveah seemed oblivious to the attention she was receiving from all around her. Artimus figured that she was probably used to having everyone's attention in the same way that he was used to breathing air. As he watched her step down onto the deck he summed her up for the first time. She was indeed an attractive woman and he noticed that she possessed very piercing eyes that hinted at a bit of mystery. Given all the hype that surrounded her however he failed to see just what was so special about her.

"Welcome aboard Cerberus," he said for what felt like the one hundredth time that day.

"Thank you," she said shaking his hand before leaning up and air kissing him on either cheek. To his surprise she then clutched hold of his right arm and held it while the photographer rather excitedly snapped away. Artimus felt extremely tense and uncomfortable and the few seconds that it lasted seemed to drag terribly.

Once the photographer was finished Artimus turned to address the whole group. "Now if you'll follow me please, we have arranged quarters for you and your belongings. Once you're settled there will be a tour of the main sections of the ship. This way please."

Artimus lead the small group across the Hangar Deck and into the vast array of corridors that made up the inside of the Battlestar Cerberus. As they stepped through the hatch and off the deck Artimus thought that the deck gang couldn't have been more distracted if a nuke had just gone hot. With that in mind he feared just how much more of a disruption having Neveah Ratliff and Goldstein's people was going to cause?

Battlestar Cerberus
Combat Information Centre

After leaving the group to settle into their quarters Artimus went to CIC to check in with Hawker. As he stepped into the command centre he found to his surprise that it was a hive of activity. He recognized the room when it was like this. Something was up and the Cerberus, with its unique qualities, was needed.

"What's going on sir?" asked Artimus as he walked upto Hawker who was stood by the Operations Desk looking over a star chart that displayed the three main shipping lanes leading to Leonis.

"The Leonis Traffic Control Grid has just gone down. Fire at a power station in the capitol city has plunged half the colony into darkness and back ups can only do so much. All traffic in the area has been brought to a stop and we got ships effectively stranded. We've been ordered to jump to Leonis and help coordinate things there in order to get the ships moving again while work is underway to restore power."

"My Gods!" gasped Artimus. "How many ships are we talking about?"

"Uncertain at the moment but we got our work cut out for us. BSG-58 and DG-17 are already enroute for SAR duties as are several Faststars to patrol Leonisian space and make sure that smugglers don't take advantage of the situation. Our mission is to effectively replace the entire TC Grid!"

"Right well I'll get in touch with our assets in the area and get a-" Bowman was suddenly cut off by Hawker who held up his hand to stop the Colonel from speaking any further.

"That won't be necessary," said Hawker. "Your job remains the same. Take care of our guests and make sure they stay out of our way."

"What?" asked an incredulous Artimus who could feel his emotions bubbling to the surface in a distinctly red colour. "Sir with all due respect you need me on this one."

"Artimus," started Hawker as he pulled his eyes away from the chart to look at his XO. "This is not a reflection on your abilities. Of course I want you on this but jokes aside for minute I need someone who can keep our guests in line particularly now. Our orders regarding this movie remain the same so unless their filming interferes with our own operations there's no real way I can say no. That's my last word on it Colonel."

"Understood sir," said Artimus. "Well then I guess I have a tour to give."

Artimus turned away from his CO as Petty Officer Teuton walked up to Hawker with a message from the Battlestar Hermes regarding the disposition of civilian vessels in their region. As he left the CIC Artimus couldn't help but feel like he was somehow out of the loop. It left a bitter taste in the Colonel's mouth.

Two Hours Later

Artimus was as civil and accommodating as he could bear to be to the group of visitors. The tour lasted just over an hour and a half and covered most of the major sections of the ship including the engine room though thankfully Barry Garner was nowhere to be seen and Artimus wasn't interested in finding out where he was. The group of visitors rarely said anything during the tour probably due to the fact they had received a similar tour of the Athena and were only on this one as a way of being polite as well as scout out possible locations to film certain scenes. Goldstein did make a point however of seeking several dozen assurances from Artimus that the transport shuttles he was expecting with the props and other actors aboard would be able to meet them at Leonis.

Once the tour was completed they returned to the bunk room that was being used as their quarters. Ten bunks were arranged along the wall in a 'U' shape just as they were throughout the rest of the ship for the officers and crew. There were no VIP quarters aboard the Cerberus. Only Neveah didn't seem bothered by this arrangement likening it to camping with friends. The others however seemed less than happy but they would have to make do and Colonel Artimus Bowman didn't seem in the mood to accept any complaints from them.

"Well then," said Artimus once everyone was inside. "That concludes the tour. There is nothing further on the schedule for today so I will join you tomorrow in the pilot's briefing room to discuss the finer details about the filming schedule. You are all free to use the enlisted crewmember's gym or visit the mess hall anytime you like however I would ask you not to wander around the ship unescorted. There are many potential dangers aboard Cerberus. Paperwork following accidents is a real nightmare." Artimus's joke failed to get a responce due to his own lack of interest in amusing them. In fact the joke almost presented itself as a threat. "Well then, good night."

"Colonel!"

His attempt to escape was thwarted by the sound Neveah's voice.

"Yes Miss Ratliff?" asked Artimus.

"During the tour we visited the ship's library. I forgot a book when I was packing. An important one actually," she explained somewhat sheepishly.

"Well if you go back to the library on D-deck I'm sure they will help you out if they can," said Artimus.

"Would you mind taking me there please?" she asked in a way that almost feared what his answer would be. "Every deck looks the same to me."

"Sure," he said hiding his frustration that he was not allowed to escape just yet. "Follow me."

"Thanks," she said and the two of them stepped out and began to make their way back through the ship towards the library. Once they were out of earshot of the others she asked him, "I can see you're not too pleased about having us onboard?"

"No, it's nothing like that Miss Ratlif," said Artimus slightly taken aback by her directness. Neveah smirked momentarily knowing that he was lying which thus made the atmosphere a little uncomfortable between the two of them as they continued their way through the ship. For Artimus it was unbearable and he searched for a topic of conversation until he found the most obvious one.

"So what is the film about?" he asked. "I hear it's a follow-up to Raptor Talon?"

"That's what everyone thinks," said Neveah smiling which implied that she had heard that many times before. "That's actually a rumour that was started by one of the tabloids and we just haven't been able to shake it. It's actually an all new story based on the Battlestar Achilles."

"Achilles!" said Artimus in surprise.

"Yes," she replied. "Do you know the story of what happened?"

"I sure do," explained Artimus. "She was boarded by the Cylons during the war and in order to prevent her from being completely taken over the Commander ordered a blind jump away. Nobody knows what happened after that. It was never seen again."

"Yep," she confirmed. "That's the one."

"So the film is about the last day of the Achilles?" asked Bowman speculatively.

"The first half is," she answered somewhat cryptically. "The movie goes on to speculate as to what happened after the Achilles jumped away."

"Oh? Care to fill me in?"

"It's an industry secret but I will tell you out of courtesy to you for having us onboard if you promise not to tell anyone else?" she said playfully. Artimus wasn't sure if he cared or not but he nevertheless decided to play along and so he agreed. "After the Achilles jumps away the battle aboard the ship rages on. The Cylons capture most of the ship and only a handful of crewmembers are holding out on the lower decks." She stopped for a moment as they passed two crewmembers walking towards them. Once they were gone she continued, "Later, one of the Cylons begins to act strangely during a battle. My character and it get trapped on a causeway and she expects it to kill her but it doesn't." She stopped at that point as if afraid to continue. The fact she had stopped caught his attention and he encouraged her to continue. "Now this is going to sound a little out there but hear me out. The Cylon has fallen in love with her."

He knew it was rude but he couldn't help but start to laugh as they made their way down to D-deck.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry it's just...a Cylon can't fall in love. I think it's a bit silly."

"We knew there would be people like you when we wrote the first draft," she explained before she added, "This is my first time writing a screenplay. I'm credited as a producer"

Artimus began to feel a little worse about laughing at the concept even though he still felt it was quite a ludicrous idea.

"Again I'm sorry," he said. "It's just Cylons are machines. Advanced machines, yes, but machines nonetheless. They don't experience emotions like love or even hate. They just are what they are."

"I take it you haven't heard of the theory of Animorphosis?"

"Can't say I have," he said politely.

"It's a concept that has its roots in Gemonese mythology. Basically it refers to imitation objects that are so realistic that they have a soul."

"So you're saying that the Cylons," he started before pausing while he made sure he understood her correctly. "Have a soul?"

"We built them to look humanoid, you can't make them anymore imitation than that. Except of course for going fully human."

"Now there's a frightening idea," interjected Artimus.

They could have left the conversation there but Neveah felt compelled to continue it and justify her case. "This book I'm getting is called The Enemy. Have you heard of it?" Artimus shook his head. "It's a psychological evaluation of Cylon behavior before and after they rose up against us. You should read it yourself sometime. It notes some fascinating observations of Cylons behaving in a strange manner. It's the main inspiration for the movie. After you read it you might not be so dismissive of the plot."

"Maybe I'll do just that," he said to her as they finally arrived at the library. "Here you go. I'll stay here and take you back when you've found what you're looking for."

"Thank you," she said and with that she entered the library while Artimus waited outside. She wasn't in for very long before she returned. As luck would have it the Cerberus's library did indeed have a copy of The Enemy and Neveah held onto it tightly as they made their way back through the ship to the quarters she was sharing with the rest of her group. They continued their discussion on the Cylon psyche for the duration of the journey and while Artimus was mildly interested it didn't go any further than that and Neveah knew it. When they finally reached her quarters she turned to Artimus and said, "Tell you what Colonel, why don't you borrow this book tonight? Have a look through it and see if it changes your mind. Go ahead! I've read it plenty of times I just wanted to have it for reference."

"Ok," he said as he took the book. "I will. Good night Miss Ratliff."

"Good night Colonel," she replied and with that the two of them parted company.

In a confined part of the ship lay a small picture of Neveah Ratliff that had been crudely cut out of a magazine and placed on the wall being held on by dab of paper glue. In the picture she had her trademark smile that had made her famous and with her eyes staring straight at the camera when the photo was taken it gave the appearance that she was looking directly at whoever looked at the image.

Fingers began to caress the image with a delicate touch. The index finger ran across the top of Neveah's forehead as if to brush away strands of hair from her eyes. The index finger then ran down the left side of her face and caressed her cheek in a tender yet unsettling way. The man's breathing became heavy almost as if he had to somehow force himself to take every breath. His index finger was now running across her lips and the very sight of this act seemed to charge his body with erotic electricity.

He leaned forward and began to place his lips on the picture. He couldn't press them hard enough against it in order to satisfy his need to be near her even if it was only an image. His faux-kiss quickly deteriorated into an obsessive attack on the picture. He wasn't getting the release he desired from it and this frustrated him even further. Soon he realized that he had ripped the paper into two pieces as a result of his urges that he had become a slave to. Throwing his face into his hands he quietly sobbed as he realized that he was slowly losing control of himself.

Artimus Bowman's Quarters

Artimus Bowman had deposited the book down onto the table in his quarters knowing full well he had no intention of reading it. He removed his duty jacket and lay on his bed in just his trousers and grey tank top staring up at the ceiling before closing his eyes and trying to fall asleep. It wasn't working and he knew exactly why. He looked over at the book as it sat there silently daring him to walk over and read it. Several times he tried to dismiss the book but each time his thoughts wandered back to it and so after about half an hour he gave in and started to read it on his bed if only to get him off to sleep.

Day 3432 of the Cylon War

Tauron

A most peculiar observation of independent Cylon behavior was made by a Marine Reconnaissance team on this day during fighting on Tauron's northern plains. The Marines were scouting for weakness in the Cylon lines in anticipation of a massed attack when they themselves came under attack. An air strike by Vipers from the Battlestar Columbia saved the small unit from almost certain annihilation. During their subsequent withdrawal the Marines observed a Centurion apparently effecting repairs to a fallen comrade. This is by no means an unusual aspect of Cylon behavior since this feature was included in the original programming by Daniel Graystone. The Marines were about to destroy the Centurion with a sniper rifle shot when they noticed that the Centurion wasn't actually repairing its fallen comrade but was actually in fact ripping it apart and damaging the fallen Centurion as much as it could. The Marines observed this act of 'Cybernetic mutilation' for several minutes before finally destroying the Centurion. Inspection of the Centurion showed that until it was destroyed by the bullet from the Sniper rifle it was undamaged and therefore, theoretically, fully operational. This does of course leave open the possibility of a computer virus but it should be noted that attempts to use computer viruses against the Cylons by Colonial Forces were almost always defeated by Cylon firewalls and this makes that particular theory unlikely.

Artimus looked up from the page after finishing reading this particular entry.

"So," he uttered to himself. "Cylons committed atrocities even on themselves. If you call it an atrocity. I guess they really are more human than I gave them credit for."