AN: Continuing on with the events of the end of season 1 here; no quotes lifted this time (yay!) but several familiar ideas. I'd like to note that Crashdown is with Boomer here as opposed to Racetrack, because, well I didn't kill him off and he's still Boomer's ECO. Also, I *will* be replying to reviews eventually; I appreciate all of them a lot and want to take the time to respond. Thanks.


Chaper 7: Falling Down the Mountain

The Cylon Raider rose slowly from the flight deck and made its way out into space. Apollo had his eyes glued to it as Starbuck began her maiden flight in the captured fighter. She had thrown herself into the work since its capture, and together with the Chief had managed to rework its systems well enough to warrant a test flight. "This is Starbuck," she called over the com. "All systems are operational so far. Beginning test maneuvers."

The designated test maneuvers were relatively simple, so Apollo was not surprised when Kara immediately sped up and threw the Raider through a series of patterns only she could pull off. "Starbuck, Apollo. How are things handling?"

"Fine, sir," came her strained reply. On board Galactica it would sound like Kara was just absorbed in her task, but Lee knew the tone was reserved for him. "Galactica, Starbuck. I'm leveling out to begin weapons check. Stand by."

The Raider had been fully loaded with ammo when it was captured, so the Commander was hoping it might be of use as an infiltration ship if the need ever arose. An operational weapons system would make that more feasible. As he watched, the Raider's wingtip cannons opened up, firing off rounds into the black of space. Everything appeared operational to him. Starbuck reported as much to Galactica and they received the order to head back to the ship.

The Captain popped his canopy and climbed down the ladder Cally had rolled over to him. She gave him a smile that looked weak to Apollo's eyes and then fled with a hurried acknowledgment. He walked over to where Starbuck and Chief Tyrol were going through the Raider's post-flight checkup. Starbuck stiffened slightly when he approached. "Lieutenant, Chief. Anything out of the ordinary to report?"

"No, sir," Tyrol replied. "She handled just as we expected and everything seems to have held together so far. A few more tests and she should be fully capable."

"Thanks, Chief. Any problems handling the Raider, Lieutenant?"

Starbuck sneered openly. "Do I ever have a problem flying, sir? Everything checked out fine."

"Good," he nodded shortly. "I'll leave you to it. I have a meeting with the President on Colonial One, so you're in charge, Starbuck."


"Good evening, Madam President," Lee smiled politely at Laura Roslin. Since their shared escape from the Cylons the day of the attack on the Colonies, he'd been acting as military liaison between her and his father. Apollo liked the woman; thrust into an unimaginable situation the day the worlds ended she had kept the civilian fleet together almost single handedly as tensions between the military and the people had begun to rise. The fifty thousands souls aboard the civilian vessels had been chafing under Adama and the Galactica since the recent lull in Cylon attacks. The people were all too easily forgetting how much they owed to the Galactica and her crew, and the Commander was not taking the criticisms lightly. That was what brought Lee to Colonial One.

"Captain Apollo, it's good to see you," the President replied. "How are things with you?"

Lee smiled ruefully. Truthfully, he'd been all over the place since Kara-Lieutenant Thrace's- harsh words on Colonial Day. He'd known Starbuck was a big part of his life since the end of the worlds, but Lee was still feeling adrift with all the free time he now had for himself. Starbuck had taken to only speaking to him while on duty with the minimum amount of interaction possible. Off duty she was cold, glaring Lee's way when she would bother to look at him at all. The other pilots had noticed the hostility quicker than Lee expected; the very next day he entered the rec room only to have it go silent the moment he'd stepped through the hatch. Lee quickly turned around and left, and had not bothered going back.

Apollo knew full well that Starbuck had the better relationship with Galactica's other pilots. She'd been with many of them for close to two years, and had personally trained every nugget they'd taken on the past two months. Lee just hadn't expected them to so blatantly choose sides. Whatever they imagined to have happened between the CAG and Starbuck, they clearly blamed Apollo.

Lee had always been quick with his paperwork- X5 efficient brains came in handy for flight schedules, if nothing else- but now he had so much down time he'd been left floundering. He couldn't work out his frustrations during the day; any actual exertion would require more weight, power, or stamina than he'd be able to explain possessing. He'd eventually turned towards making supply runs between Galactica and the fleet. Ostensibly he was filling in for the shortage of pilots, but in reality he'd gotten the OK from the Commander to perform cursory inspections upon the other vessels for signs of low moral or anti-military sentiment.

"I've been better, to be honest," he admitted to Roslin. "Things are getting tough. People are starting to lose hope; the pilots are getting antsy…"

The President sighed. "Yes, I am aware of the fleet's emotional state. The Quorom has been all over me to give them something to improve morale, but I just don't know what to do."

"My father isn't sure what to do either. It's not as if we have an endless stream of recruits coming in to replace those on Galactica. We're it, and the crew is just realizing what that means."

Young Billy Keikeya entered the room. "Madam President, the Commander has just called to report in. It seems a Raptor crew stumbled upon a planet that appears habitable on their last scouting run. He's sending over the images they took right now."

Roslin seemed pleased with the news. "Thank you, Billy. Captain Apollo, do you want to stick around to see?"

Apollo did; he knew that it would be Boomer and Crashdown who'd just reported back and was anxious to see what they'd found. Perhaps this planet could give the fleet some much-needed supplies…

"Elosha is still here, right Billy?" He heard the President ask. "See if she wants to join us as well."

Lee knew of the Priestess from his recent visits with Roslin. The President had confided in him months ago of the terminal breast cancer currently afflicting her, and a short time ago had resorted to prayer as a measure of hope for recovery recently. He hadn't known, however, that Elosha had ingratiated herself so closely to the President that she would sit in on such classified matters. A moment later and the woman joined the three as Billy set out the pictures. Elosha had a pleasant face; despite the serious nature of being a Priestess of the Lords of Kobol her dark brown eyes held a twinkle that promised she was more than just a religious sock puppet. Lee respected her greatly, despite his atheism.

He turned his attention to the topographical photos. The planet was covered in plant life; it consisted of several large green continents surrounding deep blue oceans and blanketed by swaths of white clouds. Closer images revealed a variety of terrain; forests, flatlands, even several valleys and mountainous regions. Apollo turned his gaze towards another image. "Ruins," he called out, pointing to the image. "These are ruins. There used to be a civilization on this planet."

Roslin exclaimed. "What? Those aren't ruins; the city looks brand new. This planet is inhabited! Look, there are streets, and buildings." She pointed right to the ruins in front of them.

"Madam President… there are no intact buildings in that image," Billy told her in a confused tone.

"No, look, right here- there are five roads leading up to this large building; it actually looks a bit like the Opera House back on Caprica." She shook her head and frowned, seemingly unsure of herself.

Lee was trying to figure out how to respond diplomatically when Elosha inhaled sharply and grabbed her copy of the Ancient Scrolls and quickly flipped to a map inside. "Madam President," she called excitedly, pushing the book forward. "Is this what you saw?"

"Yes, that's it- is this Pythia?"

The Priestess nodded. "Madam President, this is a drawing of the City of the Gods on Kobol."

Roslin and Lee both gaped while Billy gasped aloud. "You mean," he said shakily. "this planet is Kobol?"

The President closed her eyes and breathed heavily. "Kobol. It must be. The Leobon told Lieutenant Thrace we would find it. It appears he was correct."

Apollo frowned at the mention of the manipulative Cylon. He knew the machine's cryptic meeting with Kara was contributing to her recent behavior. He was not thrilled the President seemed so willing to believe that this planet was the birthplace of humanity based partially on his words. He cleared his throat. "Madame President, I believe my father will want to explore this planet before any major operation occurs. Kobol or not, it will likely have some much needed supplies we can collect."

Roslin opened her mouth to reply when suddenly her eyes glazed over and she wobbled on her feet. Lee instantly reached out and guided her to her seat, ignoring Billy's attempts to take her from him. After a moment the President's eyes cleared, and she accepted the glass of water Elosha gave her. "Laura, what did you see?"

See? What? Apollo was confused as Roslin replied hesitantly. "I saw… an arrow. It, it opened up a tomb, down on the planet. We must find the arrow. I don't know why…"

For the second time Elosha flipped through her holy book. "This must refer to the Arrow of Apollo. The scrolls say that it can be used to open up the Tomb of Athena, and guide the way to Earth…"

Lee sat numbly as the woman celebrated. Again, he was worried he needed to be the voice of reason. "Madam President, are you sure you're all right? I don't quite understand what's happening right now."

The President sighed and looked at him. "Well Captain Apollo, I assume you are familiar with the Prophet Pythia?" Lee nodded. "She chronicled the Thirteenth Tribe's journey to Earth, and spoke of a "dying leader" who would guide humanity to their brothers. I recently have been having visions of religious significance; coiled snakes, the City of the Gods, the Arrow… Elosha and I believe that I am the dying leader the scrolls speak of. All of this has happened before and all will happen again."

The pilot opened his mouth intending to laugh incredulously, but the sound was lost before it could escape. "You… you're serious." He stopped and thought for a moment. Growing up he had pretty much been doomed to his atheism, between his Manticore training and father. He'd always respected the beliefs of the Colonies, even if he did not share them. This, though, was something entirely unexpected. The President was having visions. He wanted to immediately dismiss them, but knew Roslin had not been particularly religious a short time ago, so this had to be extremely persuasive for her to be so fervent.

He sighed heavily. "I'll admit… I'm skeptical, Madam President. But, I don't think you have lost your mind or anything. So I will reserve judgment for now."

Roslin smiled. "Thank you, Captain Apollo. It is a relief to know you are not rejecting this out of hand. I fear the Commander will be less reticent."

Lee laughed at the understatement. "I'll say. He won't be pleased at all. You should speak to him as soon as possible."

"Thank you for the advice, Captain. I will, in fact, accompany you back to Galactica, if you don't mind."


Kara stepped out of the head and made her way back to the pilot's bunk. Her Raider smelled like death inside, she needed to shower as soon as she completed work each day to be allowed back in the bunks. She opened up the hatch and was pleased to see the room was empty. Space on board a Battlestar was always limited, but the amount of time the crew had been stuck together made any moment alone a precious thing indeed. She dressed slowly, pulling on her duty uniform. Just as Starbuck was buttoning up the blue jacket the hatch opened and Apollo walked through. He stopped at the sight of her and determinedly avoided her gaze. Kara felt a twinge of regret, for a moment, and shoved it away to scowl at the man. She was not ready to make up and play nice. She didn't owe Lee anything. Starbuck left the room quickly.

The CAG's arrival forced her to leave sooner than she had needed to, so Kara found herself wandering over to the hallway the crew had devoted to photographs of the dead. Every time she came it stunned Kara to see how many people had been lost just within the Galactica's family. She refused to put up a picture of her brother. She only had one image left of Karl, and that stayed right in her locker next to the photo of she and Zak. And Lee. As Kara stood she heard footsteps approaching and turned to see Laura Roslin walking towards her.

"Lieutenant Thrace," the President nodded politely.

"Madam President." Kara had only encountered the woman one other time since her interrogation of Leobon. She still felt awkward around Roslin after the disapproval she'd shown of Kara's… techniques.

"I try and come here as often as possible when I visit Galactica," the President said softly as her eyes took in the photos of the dead. "I feel it is important to not forget the people who've been lost in this war. If we forget them, we will lose our souls."

"I agree. Lords know we've all given enough… I just hope the Commander is getting us close to Earth."

Roslin looked unhappy when Kara mentioned the Thirteenth Colony. "Lieutenant… you believe in the legend, then? And that Commander Adama can lead us to Earth?"

Starbuck nodded emphatically. "I do. I believe in the Old Man."

The President studied her for a moment. "Lieutenant, would you come with me for a moment? I'd like to discuss something with you."

Kara followed her to an empty conference room just off the hallway. "Madam President, what's going on?"

"You are religious, I believe, Lieutenant?" Kara replied that she was. "Do you believe in the scrolls of Pythia?" Roslin told her about her cancer and visions and she and Priestess Elosha's certainty that she was the dying leader foretold in the scriptures.

"But, how can that be? How can you be the dying leader? Have the Three been called? The scrolls say they are every bit as important to the journey to Earth." Starbuck was referring to vague references throughout Pythia of three beings who would come to the aid of the people after great trials and aid the dying leader in fulfilling her purpose.

Roslin sighed. "As far as I know they have not. And I have not received any visions as to their identities or whereabouts. That doesn't lessen my certainty as to my path, though."

Kara was inclined to agree. If what the woman was telling her was the truth she had to be the foretold leader. "All of this has happened before and all this will happen again," she whispered. "Why are you telling me this, Madam President?"

She watched as Roslin visibly braced herself. "Because Adama does not believe the scrolls will help us find Earth. And he does not know where it is."

"What? You're lying. Why would you say that, the Old Man would never-"

"Lieutenant, Adama wanted to give the people hope after the attacks. It was the correct decision at the time, I believe. But that time has passed. We must act and retrieve the Arrow from Caprica if we are to find Earth. I need your help Lieutenant Thrace."

"Me? Why? Adama will never let me go. And I can't, I can't believe he'd lie. He wouldn't. Not to me."

"Lieutenant Thrace report to the CIC. Repeat, Lieutenant Thrace report to CIC." Dualla's voice echoed through the ship.

Starbuck stood up quickly and whispered a hurried "I'm sorry" and fled the room.


Things were different between Helo and Sharon. He'd been quiet in the days since their… encounter and the reveal of his heritage. Karl didn't regret telling his companion; he was sure it had been the right thing to do. He just didn't know where to go next. He had little delusions that Sharon and he could have any kind of future together. The moment Galactica found out she and Boomer were Cylons they'd be executed, or, at best, thrown in the brig indefinitely. Helo didn't want that for Sharon. But could he just leave her on Caprica? Her superiors knew by now she'd failed her mission. Well, technically… she had accomplished half of it. Karl had fallen for her, hard. Gods, I have worse luck than Kara now, he mused.

Helo was pulled from his thoughts when he heard a soft retching. It was Sharon. "Hey, are you alright?" He moved over to where she was bent over a bush and put his hand on her back. This was the third time in the past week she'd gotten ill. "Sharon? You aren't getting radiation sickness, are you?"

The woman straightened up. Her face was pale and she looked a bit clammy. She grabbed a drink from her water and shook her head. "No, I'm fine, Helo, don't worry. Can we stop for a minute?"

"Yeah, of course. We're nearly to Delphi anyways, we can hold off a while longer." They sat in silence again.

After a moment Sharon began to laugh. "What's so funny?" Helo asked.

"We are. We had no problems talking when we were both just a couple of kids from Aerilon and Tauron, but now that we know the truth and in fact have even more in common than most we can't think of a single thing to say."

Helo smiled. "Ah, come on Sharon. If we're talking I can't sit and brood about our star-crossed love affair."

He'd been joking, but Sharon's face grew serious. "You do, don't you?" she asked, an intent expression on her face. "You love me."

Karl cringed. Sure he'd told her as much before, but that had been in a mostly past tense sense of the word and now he didn't know… He sighed heavily. He couldn't fool himself any more. He loved Sharon. Robot she may be, Helo loved her. He didn't want to lie and say she was wrong. But things would, once again, change once the words were said out loud. Don't run from this, Karl, he thought to himself. You've never been this honest with a person before. You know what that means.

Helo raised his eyes and met Sharon's head on. His hazel looked straight into her brown, and he replied steadily. "I do. Lords know I shouldn't, Sharon, but I do. I love you. I just don't know what that means."

The woman smiled shyly at his admission. Then her face turned serious again, and she opened her mouth to reply, before shutting it again. Helo thought he knew where this was going. "You don't need to say anything," he said hurriedly. "I don't know if you feel the same, and I don't need to hear it right now if you. I just… you asked, and I won't lie to you."

"That's not it, Helo. I know why I'm getting sick." She looked away. "It's been what, three weeks or so since we had sex?"

Karl didn't respond to her question. They both knew perfectly well how long it had been. Counting the days was one of the few consistent activities available to them on their trek. "Sharon, just tell me. You are sick, aren't you? I've been thinking you smelled differently, and I didn't want to-"

"Helo, I'm pregnant."


"Starbuck, thank you for getting here quickly," Bill greeted the pilot.

"Of course, sir," she responded. Bill noticed Kara seemed to be a bit harried. He hoped he hadn't woken her; she hadn't been sleeping much since the raid and her capture of the Raider.

He held off on asking and got right to the point. "Captain Adama tells me the Raider is all but operational pending a test of its FTL?"

"Yes, sir. The Cylons use a slightly different FTL, as you know, so the Raider is capable of making much longer jumps than any of our ships are. We'll need to do some calibrating to adjust it to some of our instruments."

Adama nodded; he'd read as much in Starbuck's report earlier. "I have a mission for you, Lieutenant. You may not have heard but a Cylon Basestar has just jumped into orbit over Kobol. Our scouting mission was forced to abort when it appeared in system. We want it gone, and we'd like to use the Raider to get close enough to accomplish that."

"Sir, are you asking me to fly into the Basestar and destroy the target from inside?"

"I am. Can you do it?"

"Yes sir. You can count on me."

Bill smiled. With the turmoil surrounding the President's newfound religious ambitions and his son's wavering between the two leaders, it was good to know where at least one of his crew still stood. "Apollo will fly escort while you test the Raider's FTL this afternoon, and if all goes well we'll launch for Kobol tomorrow at 0700. Dismissed, Starbuck."

"Sir?" Kara called before she'd left. "Permission to speak freely?"

Bill nodded, granting her request. "I was wondering when… when we'd find Earth."

Adama hesitated, unsure of what to say. Only Tigh, Lee and the President knew that Earth was a myth. He couldn't tell Kara. "It's hard to be certain," he lied smoothly. "We're getting closer."

Starbuck frowned and looked away. "But, you don't know for sure?"

"Kara, it's been a long time since the journey has been made. I can't give you a definite answer." Please drop it, Kara, he thought sadly.

Kara nodded her head and turned back towards him, face devoid of emotion. "I understand sir. Guess I'm just getting a bit impatient."

With that she took her leave and Bill began to wonder if something else had just transpired.


Lee wouldn't have thought it possible, but somehow Kara was managing to be even more distant than normally this afternoon. He'd met her before the test flight on her Raider's FTL and she'd been completely distracted. Starbuck hadn't even kept up the stony silence and curt answers she'd been treating him to since their fight. He couldn't imagine what might have gotten her upset now. He flicked on his com. "Alright Starbuck I'm all set here. You ready to jump?"

The plan was for Kara to perform a microjump in the Cylon craft, to a fixed point a lightsecond away. It was far enough away to determine the effectiveness of the FTL, but close enough that both Starbuck and the Raptor stationed at the jump spot could report back to Galactica. Starbuck responded to his query with a heavy sigh. As Apollo watched, she turned her Raider around until she was heading away from the jump point back towards the fleet.

"Starbuck, Galactica." Dee's voice came through the wireless. "The Commander has confirmed everything is go for the test but DRADIS has you returning towards base. Are you having mechanical problems?"

A beep from his console drew Apollo's gaze. "Frak," he swore aloud. "She's spinning up the FTL. Starbuck this is Apollo. Kara, what are you doing?"

Her voice finally responded. "I'm sorry Lee. I have to do this. Tell the Commander I have to do this for all of us. Starbuck out." As he watched the blue flash of a FTL jump lit up space, and when it cleared, Starbuck was gone.


Apollo climbed down the ladder from his Viper silently. He couldn't believe it. Kara had gone… where? He had no idea. Did she finally lose it, he wondered? He walked into the CIC in time to hear his father tell Colonel Tigh to gather up a team of marines to head to Colonial One. "Commander?" he called out cautiously. "Sir, what just happened?"

"Roslin," his father snarled. "She interfered with my command, encouraged Starbuck to mutiny. I am terminating her presidency."

Lee stared numbly. Kara and the President… Oh, frak. She's gone after the Arrow. "The Cylons will be crawling all over Caprica," he said quietly. "Roslin just sent her to die."

"Exactly. This can't be allowed. We're sending out Boomer and Crashdown with Lt. Gaeta's Cylon transponders to destroy the Basestar now that we don't have the Raider. Captain, you will accompany Colonel Tigh."

Lee nodded shortly, but was inwardly seething. How could the Commander just remove Roslin from office like this? She was the head of the civilian government, removing her would effectively amount to a military coup. It was completely against the Articles and everything Lee and Apollo and 318 had literally been created to uphold. Could he stand by and let this happen? He didn't know. He had a duty to follow the Commander as his superior officer. Normally the President of the Colonies was the leader of the military as well, but Roslin and Adama had agreed to give the Commander full control while she handled all civilian matters. But the President had violated that agreement. Adama was right to be furious with her.

That doesn't mean he can just throw her out of office, he realized. This is wrong. I have to defend the Articles- even against my father. Apollo entered the President's chamber with Tigh and the Marines; guns drawn. He knew what he had to do.

"President Roslin," he heard Tigh announce. "You are hereby under arrest and must surrender yourself to Commander Adama's authority."

"I can't do that, Colonel Tigh. I am the President, and I have a duty to my people."

It was time. Tigh began to yell, "You are no longer the-"

"Put down your weapons." Lee was calm. Focused. The gun pointed at his XO's head did not waver. "Colonel Tigh, order your men to stand down."

"I do not take orders from you, Captain," Tigh hissed. "This is mutiny."

"'This', is what's right. 'This' is me defending the Articles, Colonel. My father has lost sight of that. Now, Stand. Down."

"Captain," Roslin's voice spoke out in the silence. Lee's gaze flickered to her and then focused back on Tigh as the man shifted away from the gun. "Apollo. I appreciate what you are doing, but we must be the ones to stand down. I will not have this end in bloodshed."

She was right. Gods damn it, she was right. Frakked up again, 318. A dagger of heat shot through him with the realization. Lee lowered his gun and allowed the Marines to restrain him. He looked straight into Colonel Tigh's smug gaze. "Captain, I relieve you of your duty. You are under arrest pending charges of treason and mutiny." Tigh paused. "Your Old Man's gonna eat you alive, Apollo."

"I made my choice, Colonel. I stand by it. Do not try to shame me."

Lee and the President were escorted to the waiting Raptor and they departed back to Galactica. Outwardly, Lee presented a stoic front. Inside he was a mass of confusion and frustration. He didn't regret his actions. He knew they were right. Why couldn't his father see that? Lee could legally be executed for his mutiny today. If he had acted out while on Manticore's watch he'd have been in Psy Ops already with the scientists attempting to isolate his "deficiency" before he became nothing more than spare parts.

The Raptor landed on Galactica just behind the one Boomer and Crashdown had returned in. They debarked and Roslin was led to the brig. Lee was to report to the Commander himself in the CIC. Guess he wants a show, Lee thought bitterly. 318 held his head high as he was marched down Galactica's hallways. He'd been stripped of his duty jacket and was currently only in his tanks; his fully emerged barcode shown clearly at his nape. It was obvious what he had done, and the looks of disgust on the deck hands and crewmembers faces he passed would have filled an Ordinary man with shame. 318 was not Ordinary. He buried the emotions before they could rear their heads and sway his resolve. He needed it, and his Manticore trained control to make it through this confrontation intact.


Frak frak frak frak frak frak frak. The expletive was the only word Starbuck could think of as her Raider hurled through Caprica's poisoned atmosphere. She'd done it. She'd really done it. She'd betrayed the Old Man. She'd left Lee. For what? A frakking Arrow that might lead them to Earth? And she went by herself? Gods I wish Lee was with me right now. My frak-up tally is getting ridiculous, she thought. The Raider screamed as it flew through the air and Kara pulled in for a quick landing just outside the museum in Delphi. Her arrival would doubtless bring down the Cylons, but she really didn't care. She'd be in and out, and, well, if not… Gods have pity on any Cylon that came between X5-462 and her mission.

Starbuck entered the museum and immediately headed towards the Arrow. It was one of the few artifacts the people of the Colonies had been able to verify had made the voyage with them from Kobol, and so had a place of honor within the museum. Kara grabbed the arrow and placed it in the sheath on her back She felt the disturbance behind her and calmly turned around. Standing ten feet away was a woman; a beautiful woman with platinum blonde hair and a cruel look in her eyes. A Cylon. "You didn't think we were going to let you take the Arrow with you, did you Lieutenant?" The machine asked in a slick sounding voice. "Now I'm going to have to do something drastic."

Kara grinned in anticipation. She was pleased to see a flicker of doubt cross the Cylon's face as the feral look settled in 462's eyes. "We'll just have to see about that now, won't we?" she purred, beckoning Blondie forward.

The machine moved swiftly towards Kara and snapped out with a fist. Starbuck dodged it easily and snaked out a palm to deliver a slap to her opponents face. The Cylon's eyes filled with rage at the mocking fire she saw in Starbuck's face. The robot tried to hit her again. Kara took it easily on her cheek, and quickly spun around launching a brutal kick to the Cylon's ribs. Her look of excitement only grew when she heard the crack. Pain distorted the machine's face and Starbuck used the distraction to her advantage, doling out punches and elbows to her opponent's face, core, and legs. The Cylon stepped back to get distance and begin a counter-attack. Kara thwarted her instantly; blurring forward and grabbing Blondie in a bear hug. "Can you fly?" she asked softly. Starbuck ran full tilt towards the large hole in the floor and dropped off into nothing as the Cylon shrieked.


"I'm telling you, Sharon, I heard something in there. Super- ears, remember? We need to check it out." Helo and Sharon had finally made it to Delphi. They were slowly making their way towards the small air base. Karl didn't know if it would be intact, but if that plan failed, Sharon had sworn to steal him a Raider if needed to get him- them- off the planet. He'd known admitting he loved Sharon would change things again, but he'd never expected her to be pregnant. Pregnant! He had no idea how that was possible. He accepted that Sharon was a person, and was alive, albeit in a different way than humanity was. But he'd somehow impregnated her. He'd walked in with eyes open and fulfilled her mission. If she wanted, Sharon could kill Helo and report to her old masters with no recompense. According to Sharon, though, the Cylons would take their child and she was not going to let that happen. Helo had no choice but to bring her with him.

The pair was standing outside the old museum in the city. Helo was sure he'd heard the sounds of a fight coming from inside. Flesh smacking flesh; either the Cylons were turning on each other- he glanced towards Sharon- or there was at least one human inside possibly struggling for their life. He had to investigate. Helo walked into the museum just in time to see his sister tackle a number Six and hurtle out into nothing…

… and land fifteen feet below on the ground. The Cylon's body was dead, clearly, but Karl only had eyes for his sister. He walked towards the edge of the walkway and dropped easily to the lower level. It was her. My gods, it's Kara, he thought in wonder. Her head had snapped up at the sound of footsteps. Kara was completely frozen as he walked towards his sister and came to a stop right in front of her. Finally, she shook her head and snapped back into focus. "Karl?" she whispered in disbelief.

Karl was sure his grin could light up a black hole. "Kara," he said reverently. "You are the last person I ever expected to see here, little sister."

The woman made a choked sound and crashed into Helo's open embrace.

"I missed you."


Adama looked up as Tigh and a pair of marines escorted his son into the CIC. Lee looked completely blank; any emotion hidden behind the mask Bill hated so much. His wrists were shackled in front of him, and for a moment Bill felt relief Lee had allowed Tigh to take him into custody. Adama was not looking forward to this confrontation, so he delayed it by deliberately turning his back towards the Raptor pilots who'd just reported back from their completed mission.

Lt. Alex "Crashdown" Quartararo was positively beaming, the Commander saw; pleased with his contribution to destroying the Basestar orbiting Kobol. Adama reached out and shook his hand. "Congratulations Lieutenant. Your actions were courageous and gave us a great victory today." Adama turned towards Lt. Sharon Valerii. Boomer's face was contorted into a mask so lifeless she put Lee to shame. Hesitantly he smiled again and reached out to commend her. Her arm rose and suddenly Bill was knocked to the side as two loud cracks filled the air. He fell heavily on his stomach and felt the air whoosh out of him. He rolled over and sat up to view the commotion. What the frak is going on? Boomer was being restrained by marines; with her sidearm lying on the deck in front of her.

Bill's gaze turned toward where he'd been standing and his heart stopped beating. Lee was slumped against the center console with two blossoming bloodstains growing upon his chest. His son's blue eyes flickered to Bill. Lee gave him a soft, broken smile before closing those eyes.

Lee was still wearing his restraints.