Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica is property of the SyFy channel.
A/N: I hope to help tide everyone over while they are waiting for Battlestar to return. Let's all hope season four gets a decent series ending—tv shows are known for terrible ones—especially since the writer's strike.
Even though this is not written in screenplay form, I tried to write it with a bit of a script feel, so that it may kind of be like reading an episode.
Many of my other Battlestar stories chronologically lead up to this one (see the ones labeled "Path to Phoenix"), but they don't have to be read first.
Enjoy and please R&R. Thanks.
If anyone out there has better suggestions for the CIC comm talk, I would appreciate your help.
Did Anders get an official call sign? I'm going to call him C-Buck for now from his Pyramid days—someone else has probably already thought of this one.
Battlestar Galactica: Phoenix
Episodic Fanfiction By Eugena
Rated: T
"Apollo cannot live without Starbuck—
Starbuck cannot live without Apollo—
They must be together."
SPACE
Lee never thought this day would come. He finally had what he wanted, but he knew all too well that she could easily be taken from him.
He wanted to follow her viper, follow her straight to Earth. He didn't care what sort of planet it was. He cared not if the thirteenth colony was there. As long as she was with him, they could be the only people on earth, and he could be happy.
The cylons would have rather liked this plan. That is, if one of them had been a cylon. What Lee had in mind was exactly the original plan for Sharon and Helo.
Around them, they took no notice of the rest of the world.
And so, they had no idea of the price to be paid.
oOo
CAPRICA SIX'S CELL
"Leoben! Leoben!" Caprica shouted in her cell and doubled over in pain. In her mind, she tried to connect with her sisters and give them one request: "Stop them! Stop them!"
BALTAR'S SANCTUARY (PLACE OF SAFETY)
Gaius Baltar was confused, yet relieved to be saved by these strange people that thought he was a healer. Guided by his ever-present Inner Six, he always felt at ease.
That is, until Inner Six stood in front of him today.
"You must stop them, Gaius."
"But you said . . . ?"
"Not these people, Gaius. What they are doing to Leoben . . ."
She had never said anything like this before.
". . . but there is nothing you can do, Gaius. Save the child. Save Kara Thrace."
"Kara Thrace is dead," he said.
The religious throng about him stopped their murmurings. Those who knew who Kara Thrace was knew this fact already.
"It is God's miracle that she lives, Gaius," Inner Six continued, "she brings destruction to us all, but her love cannot be sacrificed."
Inner Six kneeled before him, her eyes pleading. She took his hands in hers.
"You must protect her and Lee Adama. Their love cannot be destroyed."
Normally, Gaius would have felt jealous rage at Lee's name, but he had changed. Gaius loved Inner Six and loved Caprica. He had now been given a chance—by the Cylon God or the Lords of Kobol, he cared not whom—to have his love, and he felt obliged to protect Kara and Lee. Some god now finally brought them together, something Gaius ironically had in common with his former lawyer. Even without Inner Six's plea before him, he would have helped them.
"Is she a cylon?" he asked.
The followers before him correctly assumed he meant Kara. So would Inner Six, but this question implied a deeper meaning for her.
"No," Inner Six said, and her lips curled into a serene smile. "No. Leoben would have loved to have a child with her, and what a perfect hybrid it would have been. Yet Leoben learned the greatest love of all, and he let her go.
"Apollo cannot live without Starbuck.
"Starbuck cannot live without Apollo
"They must be together."
oOo
MAIN TITLES
. . . A Home Called Earth.
Battlestar Galactica: Phoenix
oOo
EPISODE ONE: RISING FROM THE ASHES
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA—CIC
Again, Admiral Bill Adama tried to contact his son. His message went through, but Lee never responded.
"Apollo—Lee—respond!"
Tory glanced at Tigh. Was Kara Thrace the fifth cylon? Was she their leader?
All CIC heard Lee's voice again: "Kara." Like a plea.
The Admiral spoke again into the comm., "Lee, come back home. Kara's dead, you know that. Forget the cylons. Come home. We can talk. I won't lose you, too."
Lee's voice seemed far away: "She's right here with me."
Adama gestured to Dee and she cut the outgoing transmission to Apollo. Now they would only receive transmissions from him. He didn't want Lee to hear. He turned to Gaeta: "Mr. Gaeta, any strange readings on his bird? Is there another beside him?"
"Nothing unusual," Gaeta replied, "but there is an unknown craft beside him."
"Cylon?"
"The readings are more like a viper—this has the signature of the viper Starbuck last flew."
Ander's voice shouted over the comm, "Galactica, C-Buck. Two Basestars just jumped away. There wasn't enough damage on them –."
Not to jump, Adama finised. Whatever Lee was seeing, it had to be a trap, a well-laid one.
The next voice in CIC was a medic's—Lt. Jameson.
"Admiral," she said, "the prisoner cylon is unconscious. Transferring to the medical boy now."
Sergeant Lawrence, the male marine in charge of guarding Caprica Six, added, "She shouted, 'Leoben! Leoben!' before she collapsed."
"Brief me on her condition later," Admiral Adama said, then cut that communications channel.
Adama looked wearily at Tigh.
"Do you believe in miracles?" Tigh asked him.
"It's a cylon trick," Adama said.
Adama turned to Dee. "Dualla, re-establish contact with Apollo."
She clicked a few buttons. "Ready, sir," she said.
"Apollo, this is Galactica-Actual. Whatever is beside you is a cylon trick. Two basestars just jumped away with barely any damage. They accomplished what they came to do. Now, shoot that thing down!"
"I can't." Lee's first words in several minutes.
"Repeat, Apollo."
"I can't do it. It's Kara. I can't do it, dad."
"Listen to me, son. Kara is dead. If that is her beside you, then you know what she is."
"I won't do it. Would you have me shoot down Athena as well? Cylon or not, I don't care. She's here. I can't and I won't let her go again."
"Dualla, open channel to all vipers."
Adama looked at the viper chart.
"Red squadron, this is Galactia-Actual. Target the bird next to Apollo and shoot it down."
"No!" Lee cried over the com. "It's Starbuck. She knows the way to Earth."
"Cut him off now," Adama growled at Dee.
Lee's cries ceased.
For once in a long time, Roslin, who had listened intently beside Adama, wished Elosha was still with her. Was this part of the prophecy?
oOo
MAIN CYLON BASESTAR—CONTROL ROOM
The old man hybrid, the first hybrid's voice echoed in Leoben's head: "This has happened before. This will happen again."
Though Kendra Shaw had destroyed him, Leoben had all his memories. Leoben was the first child, the first organic or humanoid cylon. He even knew of the hybrid's prophecy about Kara, the bringer of death. All of his line did, and none told the others.
Nor did they care if Kara would lead humanity to its destruction.
They did it all for love.
Cavil turned again to Leoben, removing his hands from the communication-to-ship hybrid goo. Again, the same question: "What have you done?"
This time, Leoben answered, "I have learned to love, Cavil. The one thing we all have wished to learn from humans."
Leoben caught Boomer's glance. He would not reveal her involvement.
"Love?" Cavil scoffed. "Love!"
Doral, a.k.a. Five, looked on, interested. Simon looked on as if observing an experiment. Two Sixes looked away, but they could see each other's tears.
"She was the only important human in the lot," Cavil said, "and you handed her right over. Dare I meantion that I still don't know how you got her and her viper on board and had the centurions not report it. And the hybrid—."
"You would not listen to the hybrid, brother. Even so, the hybrid would not have told you; she knew how important Kara was."
"And what was that destiny, brother?" Cavil spat in his face on the last word.
"All of this has happened before, and all of this will happen again."
Cavil sneered in his face. "Fool. All of you are such fools."
"You are the fool, younger brother. I am the eldest, and to me our hybrid father gave his prophecies. He heard the words of God and our hybrid here hears only pieces of them.
"I care not of Kara's destiny. I care that this time she is with the man she loves."
"You do have a heart, Leoben. One meant to be broken!" Cavil grabbed a piece of metal debris near him and stabbed Leoben through the heart.
Although Leoben could have dodged it or stopped Cavil's blow, he chose not to, knowing he had bought a far greater prize.
With a smile on his face, despite the pain, he said, "You sent me to God before, my love. Have mercy on me once more."
As he crumbled to the ground, Simon came to him, but it was too late.
"He was the eldest," Doral said.
"Not for much longer," Cavil replied. "I will get rid of them all."
oOo
NEXT TIME ON BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: PHOENIX
EPISODE TWO: THREE AGAINST TWO
MAIN CYLON BASESTAR: RESURRECTION ROOM #1
"D'Anna, D'Anna," the voice woke Three from her long slumber, a slumber from which she thought she would never return.
She opened her eyes to see Six. "Caprica?"
"No," Six told her, "but I have word from her, a plea!" Tears flowed down Six's face.
D'Anna reached up to touch them. "What blasphemy have we visited upon the Loving God?"
"Leoben," Six cried softly. "Leoben."
D'Anna tried to stand. Her eldest brother, the one who knew all the words of God was in danger. She did not yet have the strength to stand.
"Cavil murdered him in front of us all." The venom palpable in her voice, she continued, "He doesn't want to box him, D'Anna. He wants to exterminate him. Cavil is to eldest now."
Author's Notes
Original Names:
Lt. Jameson—Female medic
Sergeant Lawrence—Male marine who guarded Caprica Six at the time of her collapse
C-Buck—temporary call sign for Samuel Anders until he gets an official one
Cylon Numbering
The Seven
One—Leoben**
Two—Cavil**
Three—Three (D'Anna)
Four—Simon
Five—Doral
Six—Six (Caprica Six, Inner-Six, Gina)
Eight—Sharon Models (Boomer, Athena)
The Five
Seven—Samuel T. "C-Buck" Anders*
Nine—Tory*
Ten—Galen "Chief" Tyrol*
Eleven—Tigh*
Twelve—Leader (Currently Unknown)*
* Author's Original Numbering
** Author's Original Numbering—Reversed in the official series