This was the "official" Prologue to the story to help set the time and the tone. Between this and the previous piece, I had settled on a proper name for the fic, "Homeworld Bound". I had also set down when I wanted this fic to take place. The Prolouge below is the result of an alternate result to the nBSG episode "Lay Down Your Burdens", where there was no misjump on the way to Caprica. This meant that Roslyn won the election instead of Baltar. This leads Baltar to talk Gina out of detonating the nuclear weapon aboard the Cloud Nine. On the Homeworld side fo things, I set it 18-24 (later established 22) months after the end of the HW:C campaign. This was to give the Somtaaw time to settle into their new role as a minor Warrior Kiith.

Cloud Nine, Colonial Exodus Fleet

Day of the Election

Gina stared down at the nuclear weapon, stolen by her Gaius because she asked for it. She wanted to start the countdown, to end it all, but in her hurting mind, there were two objections. The first one was practical. Even sitting here, she wouldn't die. The nuclear weapon would go off, and the next thing she knew, she would be awaking at the Ressurection Hub, her brothers and sisters there to greet her cheerfully.

What was the use in dieing when one couldn't die?

And there was the more important question. "What would he think of me?"

"Think of what?"

Gina spun around, her heart racing at the thought that she was discovered. That the Colonial Marines were waiting for her, to arrest her and return her to that hell that Cain put her through.

But it was Gaius who stood there, looking disheveled and tired. He smiled when their eyes met, and Gina knew she couldn't detonate the bomb. Not when it would hurt him. "Nothing. No, nothing. So, Mr President, what can I do for you?" With a mental start, she realized that she was crying, and moved to wipe away the tears. "I voted for you, you know."

"I'm not president, Gina." Batar moved into the room, closing the door behind him. "Roslin won, though not by much." He looked her up and down, noting the lack of clothes. "Are you cold?" he asked as he removed his jacket, stepping in close to the Cylon, and draping it over her shoulders.

Gina shivered at the touch and when she looked at Baltar to thank him for his kindness, she saw in his eyes a manifest sadness. "Gaius?" she asked as she pulled the jacket closer. "What do you see in me? In us?"

Baltar, for his part, knew full well what the question meant, and his muse appeared, an idealized Six with pure platinum hair and curve hugging red dress. "Yes Gaius. What do you see? Do you see a toy to be used? A machine that is broken?" She sneered, an expression that marred her face. "Well?"

But Gaius shook his head. "I don't know what I see, Gina. I know who you are. What you are. Where you are from. But I don't know where you..., where we are going. You, me, all of us, Cylon and Human... I just don't know." The emotional impact of his loss was starting to catch up to him. He tried so hard to win, to remove that Schoolteacher from power, only to fail.

On instinct, he stepped closer to Gina, only to find that she did not recoil from his presence. Instead she wrapped her arms around him, drawing him close. "Can we go together?" Only later would neither of them admit that they asked that question.

Presidental Office, Colonial One

Same Day

Laura Roslin relaxed in her chair. Her chair. She smiled under closed eyes. The election results were close, some last minute maneuvering by Zarek had gotten Baltar closer in the polls; the second debate was far better for him than the first, that was for sure.

First came the concession call from Gaius, then he had vanished. She didn't need to know where he went. Didn't want to know either. His business was his own. Then came the congradulations from Admiral Adama and Major Lee. She had taken them with a certain gratefulness. Then came the reporters. All the frakking reporters. At least Biers had enough sense not to ask too many improper questions, although she really wanted to punch that woman out for implying that she and Bill had an affair.

Now she was relaxing, trying to take a nap before the next order of business. Laura wanted to loose track of the time and was pleasently surprised when she did, only to be brought back to reality by her Tory's presence. Her aide waited for the president to finish fumbling her glasses back into place upon her face before clearing her throat. "Madame President, he's here."

Smiling, Laura thanked her, asking her to show her guest in. Seconds later, Tom Zarek strode in, hands in his pockets. The two of them looked eachother in the face, trying to guage the other. "Roslin. Well done." Zarek broke the silence first. "Now, what can I do for you?"

The smile never left her face, although the reason for it changed from simple political necessity to honest amusement. "So, I hear that you are retaining your seat on the Quorum." Best to start with an easy question. She had learned these lessons the hard way from all the press confrences she has held over the past year.

Zarek nodded. No sense in denying it; he was actually hoping to be Vice-President under Baltar, but still held his Quorum seat just in case. "True." He took the seat across the desk from the President. "Although I suppose that isn't why you called me here. You could have had one of your minions do that for you." He glanced at Tory, whose own reaction was one of impassivity in the face of the insult.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about whom the Quorum will be voting on for the position of Vice-President."

Zarek pondered that for a moment. "You want to know if we'll vote for Baltar again, after he's lost the election?"

Laura shook her head. "Oh, no. You and I both know that for all his talents, Gaius' lay not in Politics. You should know that more than anyone else, having run his campaign. Very well done, I must add."

Zarek's eyes narrowed. If she wasn't going to nominate Baltar, who else was there? She couldn't use either Adama – the laws of the Twelve Colonies prevented such a situation. And that left... "You wouldn't."

Her smile never left her face.

Damn that woman! Tom raged on the inside. He was an excellent choice, having served on the Quorum for the past few months, establishing ties with the other members. And running the bastard campaign... He really did that because he knew Gaius was easy to manipulate, he could be the real power with Gaius' face.

"So, does that mean that I will be close, or closer?"

"Your choice."

Admiral's Quarters, Battlestar Galactica

Same Day

"Come in Saul." Adama didn't look up from the paperwork in front of him as his XO closed the hatch behind him. "Have a seat."

Tigh took the offer. "Drink?" he asked, looking at the glasses in front of him and the bottle that indicated that Tyrol's still was unhindered.

The Admiral shook his head. "No. How's the wife?"

"A screetching harpy." Saul sighed. "I wouldn't have her any other way."

Adama hid his knowing smirk well. "Well, there was something I wanted to bring up with you and I just couldn't find a reason to put it off any longer. It's about the Pegasus."

Saul's eyes rose. "Problem with Lee?"

"No. Not really. But it a way, I suppose. He needs an XO."

The Colonel relexively reached for a drink, but stopped himself half-way. "You want to send me to keep an eye on Lee?"

Adama nodded. "I want someone I trust, someone experienced." He put down one piece of paper, apparently satisfied, and picked up another.

"Damn, Bill." Saul leaned back. "Isn't there anyone else who can do the job?"

Adama shook his head. "No. If I send you over, I'll promote and train someone over here."

"Who do you have in mind."

"I was thinking Agathon."

"... the FRAK? Bill! There are better qualified people. Gaeta for one. Hell, Dee is better qualified!" Saul stared at the Old Man, wondering what was going through his head.

"I can't trust either of them, Saul. You know why where Gaeta is concerned." Saul paused, recalling the attempt to fix the vote – not that it was needed in the end. "And Dee is sleeping with Lee."

Saul's jaw dropped. "Huh?" he finally managed to spit out. "Dee? But wasn't she seeing Bil... oh, frak." Now he saw why Adama had to pass the two of them over. "But Helo..? The toaster...!"

Adama put down the papers and sighed. "It's not like I have a lot of choice in the matter, Saul. Their baby is dead and she's barely eating. I can keep Karl here on the Galactica, in case Caprica-Sharon decides to start talking again. And I want to try and rebuild some trust there. With both of them."

Saul looked down. "Let me talk to my wife. Maybe she'll approve of a change of scenery."

Command Module, Somtaaw Explorer Class Kuun-Lan

21 Hiigaran months after the Destruction of the Naagarok

Bra Nabaal ka Somtaaw shuffled nervously as he took his place at the Tactical Control for the Kuun-Lan. He had applied to join the Kiith Somtaaw soon after their return from the Beast War, one of a great many who were eager to join the rising star of the small Kiith. He hadn't expected much, but by some miracle, he had found himself aboard the legendary ship itself.

Saajuk moved in mysterious ways, it seemed.

He walked around the central holographic display, currently showing a live image of everything within 300km. The Kuun-Lan was in the center, surrounded by two Deacons and a couple of Dervishes. The majority of strike-craft were docked, but 5 ACVs were currently escorting a quartet of Workers and a Processor who were themselves slowly reducing a resource-rich asteroid to its component elements.

But the majority of the military strength normally seen with the Kuun-Lan was elsewhere. The Daiamid had called up the ship and her fleet to reinforce a shared sector with the Taiidan Republic that was under unusual levels of Turanic piracy.

Out here, near the Great Wastelands, the Kuun-Lan had divided her force into three prongs – each led by either one of the Archangels, or the single Shaman, with the Kuun-Lan herself sitting in the rear to coordinate.

Of course, all of this didn't really pass through the mind of Bra. No, what occupied his mind right now was the presence of Teigor Somtaaw, the Fleet Command himself. The middle-aged Hiigaran was one of the ones who was awake during the Homeworld War, having served on a Resource Collector during the conflict. He didn't really cut an imposing figure sitting in his chair, but beneath his thin frame was the one who brought the Beast to heel, and shamed the Bentusi into helping the Kiith.

Some, both within the Kiith and without, felt that he should have used his power to remove the Kiith-sa from their positions for their errors in judgement that lead to the Beast War. Instead he had retained command of the Kuun-Lan and her forces, helping defend his people from the front-lines, not in some political position back on Hiigara.

And he was just sitting there, casually watching the young Bra as he made his rounds. Because of that, Bra made certain that everything was in order. The Intelligence Section was busy reading reports from the adjacent sectors about their current efforts. Science was playing a game while the computers crunched numbers concerning the latest tests to reverse engineer the black-box components of the Bentusi Acolyte fighters. Navigation, having nothing to do given that the Kuun-Lan wasn't moving, was playing against Science, loosing badly by the looks of things. Engineering reported that they were fiddling with the Siege Cannon, hoping to improve it so that containment so that the shot would not disperse with the impact the size of something the size of a fighter.

After admonishing the two gamers, Bra returned his attention to the holo-display. Quiet days in the past, but looking out, he couldn't help but wonder when that would end.