THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS

Chapter 4: Mourning the Dead

"Apollo?" Cassiopeia, called out from her station near the rear of the shuttle, "Radiation levels are increasing. It won't be long until they reach unsafe levels."

"Plenty of time to finish our sweep." The brown-haired commander of Blue Squadron declared grimly from his position at the pilot's console. Gazing out the window, Apollo gasped in astonishment at the worm-hole's swirling patterns.

"Kind of takes your breath away, doesn't it?" Starbuck exclaimed through their radio connection, his voice also filled with awe as his eyes took in the spatial phenomenon from the vantage point of his Viper.

"Is it true what they say about these things?" Boomer's baritone voice rang out through the shuttle's speakers, "That they're doorways into other dimensions or universes."

"You think that's where Athena is?" Starbuck asked, "That she might be in another universe?"

"I'm not even thinking about that possibility right now." Apollo abruptly replied, "All I care about is finding my sister in this universe and bringing her home."

"That's something we all want, Apollo." A much more subdued Starbuck answered back, "At least our sensors haven't picked up any debris or anything like that—that's a good sign."

"Wait!" Boomer's voice, now taking on a more excited edge, called out, "I'm picking up something coming through."

"Athena?" Cassiopeia asked as her heart skipped a beat.

"No." Boomer answered in response, "It's too large to be a Viper."

"It's becoming visible." Starbuck interjected, "It's about the size of a scout ship or courier vessel."

"Maybe whoever lives on the other side sent a scout." Boomer speculated as his experienced eye took in the appearance of the alien craft, "Whoever owns it looks like they keep it in good condition."

"I'll say." Starbuck agreed as he took his viper in for a closer look. "Wonder if there's someone inside."

"Still no sight of Athena or her craft." Boomer declared and then exclaimed, "Oh no...the wormhole...it's closing!"

"Frak!" Apollo cried out as his eyes grew misty. Feeling Cassiopeia's hand on his shoulder, the young captain lowered his head, "Athena..."

"I'm sorry, Apollo..." Cassiopeia consoled as she squeezed the captain's shoulder.

"Apollo..." Boomer's somber voice then came through the speaker, "I'm sorry...if there's anything..."

His eyes falling once again to the radar screen, his face took on a hardened expression. "See if you can make contact with whoever might be in that ship."

"Right, Apollo." Starbuck confirmed as he transmitted a standard first contact message to the alien ship. "No response. Whoever's in there might be unconscious—or dead."

"All right." Apollo decided, "Starbuck...Boomer...We're going to take that ship under tow and bring it back to Galactica. Maybe whoever's in it might know how to reopen that wormhole so that we can get my sister back."

"Good thinking, Apollo." Starbuck, agreed as he and his fellow Viper pilot fired towing cables from their vipers, easily grappling the drifting courier ship. "We've got it."

"Great." Apollo responded. "Now let's get back to the Galactica and hopefully we'll begin to get some answers."

"Apollo to Galactica...Apollo to Galactica."

"This is Galactica." Rigel's voice came through the shuttle's speaker.

Pausing for a moment as he stifled a sob, Apollo reported, "We...we couldn't find Athena or her Viper. She's gone."

A dark pall seemed to fall over the Galactica's bridge as not a sound could be heard other than a muffled sob coming from Rigel. Commander Adama, barely holding back his tears, clenched the railing with his hands as his long-time friend, Colonel Tigh looked on sympathetically. Finally, Rigel spoke in a soft, mournful voice, "Understood, Apollo."

"A scout or courier ship of some sort exited the wormhole before it closed." Apollo further reported, his voice cracking on more than one occasion.

"Say again, Apollo." Adama, suddenly springing to life on hearing his son's news, requested.

"I say again." Apollo repeated, "A scout ship came out of the anomaly and we have taken it under tow and are returning to Galactica. I suggest that you set up quarantine facilities when we land."

"Confirmed, shuttlecraft." Adama acknowledged, "We'll have everything ready for you." Turning to his Executive Officer, the Commander requested, "Will you see to it, Colonel?"

"Of course, Commander." Tigh responded.

Adama, feeling the full effect of the years of toil and responsibility he had endured along with the recent loss of his daughter and the earlier death of his youngest son, Zak, murmured dejectedly as his shoulders drooped, "I'll be in my quarters. I have to see to the necessary preparations for Athena's memorial."

"It's not your fault, Commander." Colonel Tigh said as he placed a supportive hand on his friend's shoulder, squeezing it gently. "She was the only one capable of carrying out that mission and..." He added pointedly, "She succeeded. The data we got from her scans will allow our fleet safe passage through that space. Please...old friend...don't let her sacrifice be in vain."

"I won't, old friend." Adama replied, his face reflecting his great sadness, "But I still feel her loss..." Taking a deep breath and exhaling, the Commander ended their conversation, "Now, why don't you go and take care of the arrangements we talked about. Apollo and the others should be back soon with that ship."

"I'll get it taken care of right away, Commander." The Colonel responded, sadly watching as his disconsolate old friend walked off the bridge.

"Colonel?" Rigel's voice, barely above a whisper, immediately caught the Executive Officer's attention.

"Yes, Corporal?" The Colonel responded.

"Will the Commander be...will he be all right."

"Eventually." Tigh gravely nodded his head, "Eventually. For now though, Flight Corporal, you can help most by doing your job to the best of your ability." Raising his voice, the Colonel attempted to rally the rest of the dejected bridge crew, "That goes for everyone else here. The Commander needs us to be at the peak of our abilities now more than ever. I'm sure none of us will disappoint him." Turning to Omega, Colonel Tigh instructed, "You have the bridge while I'm away. See to it that everything is prepared for our departure."

Slowly regaining consciousness. Callista looked up to see two vipers and an unusually shaped shuttlecraft towing her ship. Looking out her window, the Eight gasped, "Holy Frak!" as she saw the huge ship they were approaching. Then upon reading the lettering painted on the side of the white vessel, the human-form Cylon shook her head muttering a soft "No!" as she read the name, Galactica. "Can't be..." She gasped as she began to feel dizzy. "Cavil would have a fit if he saw..." She muttered, a trace of her usual irreverence returning, as she passed out.

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As Apollo, Starbuck, Boomer, and Cassiopeia rushed to where the alien ship had been berthed, they were met by Colonel Tigh and Dr. Salik.

"Colonel...Doctor." Apollo greeted as the shuttlecraft crew approached.

Appraising the alien ship, Starbuck let out a low whistle, "I think I'm in love."

Dr. Salik then stepped up. "Apollo...Starbuck...Cassie...You're going to need to put on hazard suits before you join me inside that ship. I don't want to risk any possible chance of contamination—either way."

"Good point, Doctor." Colonel Tigh agreed.

"Right." Apollo readily assented.

"Boomer." Tigh ordered, "I want you to get with Jolly and coordinate security.

"Yes, Sir." The dark skinned pilot acknowledged, leaving rapidly to carry out his orders.

"Let's get going then." Starbuck urged, "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm dying to know what a ship from another universe looks like."

"How are the radiation levels Cassie?" Dr. Salik asked as he, along with the two Warriors and Cassiopeia approached what appeared to be the ship's airlock.

"Near normal." Cassiopeia replied. "Another centaur or so and we probably could have gone in without hazard suits.

"Better safe than sorry." Apollo, still grieving his sister's loss, grimly declared as they reached the airlock.

"Looks like a pretty standard airlock." Starbuck noted. "There are manual controls as well as automatic."

"Let's get it open." Apollo ordered. "Starbuck?"

"Sure thing." The roguish pilot affirmed as he grappled the airlock mechanism and, turning the wheel, was soon rewarded by a hissing sound as the door opened.

Entering the inner chamber, Starbuck quickly cycled the airlock to ensure that none of the Galactica's atmosphere could enter. Opening the inner door, Apollo requested, "Cassie? Can you get some readings?"

"Sure, Apollo." The medtech answered. "Oxygen-Nitrogen atmosphere very similar to Caprican standard. Radiation levels normal. No apparent presence of hazardous chemicals or agents in the atmosphere. While it's probably safe to remove our helmets, I'd keep them on for now. We don't want to potentially contaminate any crew."

"Good idea." Starbuck agreed as the group fanned out to search the vessel. Approaching the bow, Starbuck called out. "I think we found our crew."

"Human female by the looks of her." Apollo noted.

"Not bad looking either." Starbuck noted, receiving as his reward an elbow to the ribs by Cassiopeia.

"Oops. Sorry, Starbuck." Cassie semi-apologized with a slight grin, "Corridor's kinda crowded."

"Yeah...I noticed." Starbuck muttered as Apollo reacted with a brief snicker.

Approaching the unconscious redheaded woman slumped over the console, Cassiopeia quickly checked her vitals. "Pulse and heartbeat regular. No apparent injuries other than a slight bruise on her forehead."

"We should get her to the portable life station set up in the quarantine area." Dr. Salik ordered as he spoke into his comm unit. "Additional medtechs are on their way with a stretcher. I'd suggest you complete what you need to here as soon as possible. I want everyone to go through decontamination."

"Right Doctor." Apollo affirmed, ordering "Starbuck...see if you can access her computer and anything else that might be helpful."

"Sorry, Apollo." Starbuck shook his head. "It seems to be protected by an access code. We could hook up a decoder to try to crack it, but..."

"The owner might not appreciate it." Apollo finished. "Good point. No need to start our first extra-universal encounter on the wrong foot. We'll hold off for now. Hopefully, when...if...she recovers, she'll be cooperative. Until then...get Boomer and then I want you two to go over this ship and see what you can learn without causing any damage or hitting any alarms."

Hearing the medics entering the craft, the Captain ordered. "Let's go and let these people do their jobs." Lowering his head as he sighed, Apollo quietly concluded, "I have to see Father now anyway. We need to make preparations..."

"If there's anything I can do..."Starbuck commiserated.

"I'll let you know." Apollo replied, nodding his head in gratitude.

"I'm going to go with the medtechs and Dr. Salik, Apollo." Cassiopeia called out. "I'll let you know if anything happens."

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Walking into his father's darkened quarters, Apollo spied the white-haired Adama seated behind his desk, head lowered, hands on the desk. "Father? Father?"

"Huh..." The older man stirred, turning his head towards the door where his son stood. "Oh. Apollo." Adama said in a sad voice, "Come in. I was just..."

"Thinking about Athena?" The younger man interjected, completing his father's thought as he approached the older man, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "So was I. That's one of the reasons why I'm here. I want to help in..."

"Thank you, Son." Adama gently lowered his head as he took several objects out of his desk drawer and spread them out on the desk.

"Likenesses of Mom, Zak, Serena, and Athena." Apollo noted sorrowfully. "The ones of Mom, Zak, and Athena were the ones that you rescued from our old home on Caprica."

"And the one of Serena was when..."

"When she and I were sealed." Apollo nodded his head, "Yes, I have one too. But didn't you keep Athena's likeness on the wall?"

"Yes, but..." The old man heaved a sigh, "I decided to place it with the others after she...You and Boxey are all I have left now." Adama cried as he now, more than ever, looked every inch a tired, old man.

Still refusing to give up that slender ray of hope, Apollo pointed out, "You know, Father...there's still a chance that she might still be alive. After all, that other person came through and she's alive."

Shaking his head, Adama sighed, "I pray that that is so, but I fear that she is lost. Even assuming she and her craft were able to survive the transit through the anomaly, there's no guarantee that she would have come out in the same universe as the ship you found. She might just as well have come out in a universe hostile to life."

"So...you're saying we should just give up all hope?" Apollo exclaimed, "That's not like you Father. Not like you at all. This, coming from the man who singlehandedly rallied the survivors of the Cylon Holocaust, bringing the Fleet together to search for Earth. Don't tell me you're giving up!?"

"No son." Adama shook his head, "I'm not giving up, but I am being realistic. Your sister is gone now. We have to accept that."

"She's not, Father." Apollo declared as he gently squeezed his father's shoulder. "She's alive. I know she is—and we will find a way to get her back." The viper pilot solemnly vowed.

His lips turning up in a sad smile, Adama remarked, "One day, Son, you'll be fine Commander for this ship and the Fleet. But...we still must give Athena her proper due. We owe your sister and my daughter that honor. I was about to head down to her quarters to begin collecting her valuables so that they can be stored. Do you wish to join me?"

Nodding his head, Apollo agreed, "Yes, Father. But...I still think you're making a mistake. She's alive."

"I hope you're right, Son." The older man said as the pair left the Commander's quarters. "Now...what is the status of the woman that we retrieved from the anomaly and the craft she came in?"

"She's in quarantine now under Dr. Salik's care." Apollo replied, "...and I've got Starbuck and Boomer going over her ship."

"Good." Commander Adama responded. "Now, let us go down to your sister's quarters and take care of what we have to take care of." Shaking his head in sadness, the old man remarked, "If only Athena where here—the mere thought of talking to someone from another universe..."

"She would have been in ecstasy." The younger man smiled sadly.

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"I'm picking up a few minor anomalies in her blood work and cellular structure." Cassiopeia reported to Dr. Salik as she took readings from the patient lying in the portable lifestation that had been set up in the landing bay.

"That's not really surprising." Dr. Salik noted, "I'd be more surprised if there weren't some differences seeing as she comes from another universe. What sort of anomalies are we talking about?"

"A few genetic markers and some other interesting anomalies." Cassiopeia noted, showing them to the doctor.

"Hmmm... I haven't seen those before." Salik responded. "Other than that, she appears perfectly human. Let's go ahead and run some more tests though to be sure."

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"Well...this ship's definitely been well taken care of." Boomer remarked to his two fellow Colonial Warriors as the trio inspected the interior of the extra-universal space craft.

"Tell me about it." Starbuck replied shaking his head as he pointed to the pilot's station. "Take a look at that instrument panel. Clean and efficient."

"Fully stocked galley too." Boomer noted.

"Armory also." Starbuck exclaimed. "Looks like they use slugthrowers wherever she's from. No lasers."

"Primitive." Boomer commented, shaking his head.

"Maybe...Maybe not." Starbuck replied.

Boomer then posed the question, "I wonder why they didn't develop lasers?"

"Don't know." Starbuck replied. "Maybe they tried, but couldn't get it right and decided to just go with what worked."

"Yeah...but what about range?"

"In space, it doesn't matter." Starbuck explained. "A kinetic round will keep going until it hits something or something stops its motion. On ground, most fighting is within bullet range anyway."

"I don't know..." Boomer demurred, "I think I'll stick to my lasers."

"Same here." Starbuck grinned as he patted his holstered laser pistol.

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As they entered Athena's room, both men looked about in silence. After several moments of quiet contemplation, Adama silently nodded his head, signaling his son that it was time to begin the grim task of inventorying and gathering their loved one's belongings. Looking at a picture of Starbuck, Apollo, and Zak together, Apollo's lips turned up in a sad smile. "I remember when she took this likeness. It was just after Zak had graduated Warrior training. He'd received assignment to the Galactica and were all going out to celebrate."

"Yes." Adama also flashed a sad smile, "I remember. You and Zak came home inebriated from drinking too much ambrosa..."

"And Athena and Starbuck didn't come back at all for the entire weekend." Apollo laughed. "When we returned to the Galactica after our leave, I had fun doing the entire 'big brother' routine on both of them."

Opening her desk, Adama noticed a small cameo."Her mother gave her this for her coming of age day." Adama reminisced. "Ila's mother had given it to her on her coming of age day. It was a tradition in your mother's family that went back yahren. I was hoping that one day Athena would give it to a daughter of her and Starbuck's." Placing the cameo in his pocket, the old man sighed, "Maybe one day a daughter of yours or one of Boxey's will get to wear it."

The next item Apollo came across was a journal. "Father? I think this is her diary." Hesitating to open it, Apollo declared, "I kind of feel bad about reading this...like we're intruding."

"I understand, Son." Adama commiserated, "But she might have left additional messages or instructions here that she didn't put into her last testament. We need to be sure."

"All right, Father." Apollo opened the book and began to read. As he read his sister's personal thoughts, he sighed, "I had no idea she was so...unhappy...so...miserable. Father...this is...we were so wrong."

"What do you mean, Son?" Adama asked.

"Well, for starters, I don't think Starbuck really understands how much he hurt her. Here..." He said, pointing to a passage in the diary. "She wrote about Starbuck and her in the changing room during the attack on the Fleet and our home worlds. She was grieving over the loss of Zak and over the attack and Starbuck had bitten her head off earlier after he'd landed. He then came into the room to apologize and...well...you know Starbuck—Master of Tact. He wanted to...well...you know..."

Nodding his head, Adama motioned for his son to continue.

"Basically it says here that she called their relationship off because Starbuck was being a daggit at the time. She was scared and floundering and all Starbuck could think about was himself."

Sighing, Adama interjected, "I can't say as I blame her. You know I love Starbuck just as if he were a member of this family, but...like all of us...he has his faults."

"There's plenty more on Starbuck." Apollo remarked, shaking his head. "She really did love him." Reading further, Apollo sighed again, "And I don't think any of us realized or understood how much she resented our being so protective of her."

"Oh?"

"Yeah." Apollo nodded his head. "Father...she expresses a lot of anger here at how we kept her from flying and how she especially hated and resented being made a teacher in the primary school."

"I thought she enjoyed being with the children and she always looked like she was taking pleasure in teaching them." Adama exclaimed in shock, genuinely surprised at what his son was telling him.

"Here..." Apollo said as he handed the diary to his father, "Read for yourself."

Taking the diary in his hands, Adama read the entry that Apollo had pointed out to him:

Another day of the same routine: Primary School, then bridge watch, then the rejuvenation center for drinks with Deitra and Brie. Father and Brother have no idea how much I hate this. I can't stand going to that classroom every morning. It's not the children...I love them. Boxey's a charmer, bright and intelligent; and I like Kara—that little girl doesn't take any felgercarb from anyone. She wants to be a Viper pilot so bad. Too bad she'll never have the chance to reach her full potential here. If she's lucky, she'll end up like Deitra and Brie—a shuttle pilot who occasionally gets to fly the big boy's ships. Or... she'll end up like me...standing bridge watches and teaching primary school.

"I had no idea..." Adama shook his head.

"None of us did." Apollo declared as he took the diary and closing it, placed it in the box with the rest of his sister's possessions. "Or...maybe we did, but didn't want to believe it or accept it." Shaking his head, he asked, "Have you decided what you're going to say at her memorial?"

"I think so." Adama replied as he stood up. Placing an arm over his son's shoulders, the old man suggested, "We should go now. I think we've done all we can here for now. I also want to check with Dr. Salik regarding his patient and then I need to prepare for the ceremony."

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"If I hadn't seen these readings for myself..." Dr. Salik exclaimed as Cassiopeia handed him the results of the latest series of tests, "I wouldn't have believed them."

"Believed what, Doctor?"

Hearing the deep rich voice of his Commander, Dr. Salik rose out of his chair and turned about. "Commander. Please allow me to offer my condolences on your loss."

"Thank you, Doctor." Adama courteously replied, "But to get back to my original question, what sort of readings were you talking about? Do they involve the woman you recovered from that ship?"

"Yes, they do, Commander." The doctor confirmed as he handed the minicomp to the Commander. "As you can see, our guest is what can best be described as a perfect fusion of artificial intelligence and organic life."

"You mean to tell me..." An astonished Adama exclaimed, "That she's the other universe's version of Cylons? That she's an artificial intelligence?"

"I'm not sure if I would necessarily call her a Cylon." Dr. Salik demurred. "But yes, she possess both organic and synthetic traits. For instance, her brain is organic—just like yours and mine—only it has certain interesting...features."

"What sort of features?" A suddenly worried Adama inquired.

"Well...for one, she possesses silica pathways that transmit neural impulses. That allows her to interact with computers and she can probably upload and download data." Dr. Salik explained, "She's also somewhat stronger and faster than a normal human."

"How much stronger and faster?" Adama asked.

"Hmmm...not so much that a well trained Warrior couldn't defeat her, but that Warrior had better be well trained and in good shape." The doctor answered.

"We'll need to be careful with her." Adama decided, "When are you planning on lifting the quarantine?"

"I'm ready to lift it now." Dr. Salik replied. "There has been no traces of contamination of any sort. I'd like to move her into the life station if I can."

"Very well." Adama nodded his head, "But I want her in secure isolation and under constant guard until we are sure that she does not pose a threat. Also, she is to have no access to any computer or device that could be used to signal someone. If she is a Cylon—I don't want her informing this universe's Cylons about our presence here."

"Understood, Commander."

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As her eyes fluttered open, Callista slowly came into consciousness. "Doctor?" A female voice called out, 'The patient's awakening."

As her eyes regained their focus, the Eight recognized a female sitting next to her, with what looked like a tablet in her hands and a man wearing a smock approaching. "Who are you...where am I?" Callista asked.

"It's all right." Dr. Salik replied in a fatherly tone, "You're in the life station on board the Battlestar Galactica..."

Her eyes taking in her exotic surroundings, Callista answered back in a disbelieving voice, "I was on the Galactica not so long ago. This doesn't look like the Galactica I know. What's going on here/ Where am I really?"

"Don't you remember anything?" Dr. Salik asked. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"I was just coming back from a courier run." Callista explained, "I was delivering a message for a doctor working on the Cybele, a Gemonese freighter belonging to the Fleet. "I was on my way back to the Galactica..." Chuckling softly, Callista continued, "I had a dinner date later on with Galactica's LSO..."

"LSO?" Cassiopeia inquired.

"Yeah. Landing Signal Officer. He's in charge of takeoffs and landings." Callista explained.

"I see." Cassie replied, gesturing for the Eight to continue her narrative.

"Well..." Callista paused to take a breath, "Everything was going ok and I was planning on what to fix for dinner and what to wear—you know—all that good stuff." She chuckled as the nurse sitting next to her laughed. "Anyway, while I was in the middle of planning dessert, my ship's alarm sounded and that...whatever the hell it was...opened up and swallowed me up and then spat me out here. Wherever 'here' is."

Clearing his throat, Dr. Salik gestured subtly for the Warriors to be prepared, "There's something else I need to talk to you about, Callista." The Doctor began hesitatingly, "We ran some quite extensive tests on you and found some rather interesting...and I must admit troubling...results."

"What sort of results?" Callista asked, already anticipating the answer.

"We picked up on the silica neural pathways in your system." The doctor responded, "As well as a few other things."

"Oh frak!" Callista swore in a low voice. "Guess my little secret's out, isn't it? That's why Phobos and Deimos are standing over there with their hands on their pistols, right?"

Nodding his head, Dr. Salik agreed, flashing a crooked smile at his guest's wry sense of humor, "Yes. We found out that you're a combination of artificial intelligence and organic, only it's difficult to tell where the artificial ends and the organic begins. I was hoping you could tell us more."

Callista asked, "Before we continue, could I ask you for some water, please?"

Nodding his head, Cassiopeia took the hint and returned moments later with a glass of water. "Thank you." Callista responded. "Your medical scanners must be pretty advanced here to have picked up on what I am. Look, Doc, I'm not trying to dodge you or anything, but I have a feeling I'm going to have to tell the whole story again to the Commander of this ship, so, rather than have me repeat the same thing over and over again, maybe we could wait until he comes here or I'm brought to him? I'll be happy to try to answer all your questions then." Of course, I'm going to change names to protect the guilty—like, maybe, me. But...playing it relatively straight is probably the best way to go here if I don't want to take a walk out the airlock.

"All right." Dr. Salik reluctantly agreed, "Right now, the Commander is unavailable. He's presiding over Athena's memorial."

"Who?" Callista inquired.

"Athena." Dr. Salik replied, "She was the Commander's daughter. She was lost while taking scans of the wormhole you came out of."

"Oh." Callista responded in a low voice, "I just stepped in it, didn't I?

"Don't worry about it." Dr. Salik replied, "You couldn't have known."

"Uh, Doctor?" Cassiopeia interrupted, "I'd like to attend the ceremony if that would be all right with you."

"Of course, Cassie." The doctor agreed. "You can go now. I don't think our patient's going to cause any trouble." The doctor then turned to his patient, "Right."

"I'm not about to cause any problems." Callista promised, "I'm not going anywhere or doing anything. Besides, I got the Twins here to keep me company." She then raised her voice so that her guards could hear, "Right guys!"

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Captain Apollo, wearing his dress uniform, walked up to his father who was struggling with his robe. "Here, Father..." Apollo said as he took hold of his father's robe of office, "Let me help you with that."

"Thank you, Son." Adama responded as he carefully situated his robe and badges of office. "Is it time now?"

Nodding his head, the Commander's oldest son, answered back, "Yes. The assembly hall is filled to capacity, the Quorum of the Twelve are in attendance, and the ceremony will be broadcast throughout the Fleet.

Turning the monitor in the life station on, Dr. Salik sat down to watch the ceremony as his patient slept, watched by her two guards.

"Then let us say farewell to your sister...and my daughter." Adama said as his son guided him out the door into the hallway where Starbuck and Boomer, also in dress uniforms, stood politely waiting. The four men then marched quietly down the center carpet of the assembly hall towards where the Quorum were seated. Bowing respectfully, the four men then ascended the stage and took their seats, with the exception of Boomer who approached the podium in the center. Standing behind the podium, the Viper pilot spoke.

"We gather today to say farewell to one of our own." Boomer began, "A loved and cherished daughter, sister, friend, confidant, teacher, and comrade in arms. Her steadfastness and courage will always serve as beacons for us on our voyage through the stars. Wherever she is, I pray that the Lords of Kobol will intercede to grant her a safe journey. Now, Lieutenant Starbuck would like to say a few words.

Taking his place behind the podium, Starbuck shuffled his feet nervously. "You guys know I'm no good at this, but I do want to say a few things about Athena. She was...she was a wonderful person and human being who deserved far better from me than what she got. She gave so much of herself without complaint...without questioning. I just wish..." The normally suave Starbuck choked off a sob, "I just wish I could have been...I'm sorry..." Starbuck apologized, "I can't continue."

"Thank you, Starbuck." Apollo said as he clasped his friend on the shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze, "We all understand how you feel." The Captain looked down at the assembled Warriors, children, and friends of his lost sister, tears flowing freely from Cassiopeia, Brie, Rigel, and Deitra, as well as sighs and muffled sobs from Jolly and the other Warriors in attendance. Barely holding back his own tears, Apollo spoke, "My sister gave so much and wanted to give so much more. She was a teacher." Looking down at his adoptive son, Boxey, Apollo flashed a sad smile. "Not by choice or training, but she loved the children in her care and they loved her. She was an excellent bridge officer whose efforts on more than one occasion saved my life and the lives of everyone in this assembly. She was a scientist. And...she was a pilot and a Warrior. Last, but not least, she was my sister. May God and the Lords of Kobol watch over you, Athena."

As Apollo stepped away from the podium, the final speaker rose from his chair and made his way to the dais. Clearing his throat, Adama spoke in a clear, stentorian voice, "It is written in the Book of the Word that 'There is no greater love than this: that a person would lay down his life for the sake of his friends.' My daughter's love was boundless, for she gave her life for all of us. I grieve for her as only a father can mourn, but I know that she would want us to continue to live our lives. To love...dream...and yes, to live. As we journey through the starry wilderness in search of our safe haven, I pray that you, my daughter, have found your shelter in the arms of God alongside your mother and brother and the Lords of Kobol." Looking down at the assembly, the old man brushed back a tear, "Let us all rise together to remember our daughter, sister, friend, confidant, and comrade in silence and then depart knowing that she will always be with us in our hearts."

As the crowd slowly filed out of the assembly area, Adama turned towards his son, who was talking quietly with Starbuck and Boomer, "Apollo? Starbuck? Boomer? Pass this on to all patrols: They are to maintain a careful watch for another anomaly and if they find it they are to immediately contact Galactica and monitor it. I want to know if anything unusual is detected."

"Yes, Sir." Captain Apollo acknowledged, "Anything else?"

"Yes. I understand from Dr. Salik that his patient is now conscious and mobile?"

"That what I've gathered." Apollo concurred.

"Good. I want her brought to my quarters under close guard. And ask Dr. Salik and Cassiopeia to join us." The Commander requested.

"Do you want her restrained or shackled?" Apollo inquired.

"Has she proven violent or resistant?" Adama asked.

"No." The Captain shook his head. "Just the opposite, in fact. She's been very cooperative."

"Then I see no need to restrain her." Adama decided, "But maintain a heavy guard around her at all times and be alert."

"Understood, Father." Apollo acknowledged. Turning to Starbuck and Boomer, he commanded, "Ok, let's go. We've got work to do."

My thanks again to those who are reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing this story—I hope you are enjoying it and will continue to enjoy it. As you saw here, I decided to go ahead and have the BIG REVEAL regarding Callista earlier than in version 1.0 primarily because I think TOS Galactica's medical scanning equipment would have been so much more advanced than nBSG's—Salik's no dummy and he would have caught what Callista was once his medical tests got below the cellular to the molecular level. Now for some answers to comments:

Tweeky: Got you earlier, but yeah, Athena was overgeneralizing a bit and got a little messed up on her facts.

Centurion005: I'm keeping that close to the vest for now...

Devastator: Chapters will vary a bit in length. I try to hit a natural ending point—sometimes that end point winds up with a fairly brief chapter...sometimes a longer one. Also, I won't always be alternating from Athena to Callista. Sometimes Athena will have two or more chapters in a row, sometimes Callista will be the main focus for a few chapters. Depends on where the story and the characters take me.

Shamorasian Empire: You'll have to wait and see...

Well, that's all for now. To everyone: Have a happy and safe Holiday Season and please, PLEASE do not let the recent tragedy in Connecticut destroy this holiday season for you and your loved ones—do not give the sociopath who did this horrible thing that satisfaction! Enjoy the company of family, friends, and loved ones for that is what this season is truly about. Take Care 'til next time!