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THIS OUGHT TO BE DIFFERENT
Chapter Ten
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"You're not going to believe what we've found!" Kara and Six tried to out-shout each other

Dualla looked up frantically. It'd better be good! I'd better be something that would save Lee.

"Come," Kara smiled and extended her hand, helping Dee stand up, Six offered her assistance to Sam, but he refused.

"I'll wait. He shouldn't be left alone." Pointed at the Major.

Kara's quick stolen glance did not escape unnoticed. And Sam was sure he'd seen concern there. Was she lying about the extent of her amnesia? Did she somehow remember him, and their affair? Sam wished he could still hate the Major, but somehow his compassion prevailed over resentment.

He watched the three women walk away and cursed his bad luck. He was damn curious what made Kara and Six so elated, and his jaw nearly dropped to the floor, when he saw one of the pillars rise from the ground, the girls enter it, and the pillar sink back.

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"What are you doing?" Dee shrieked. She wanted to escape, she had the worst suspicions, when the two blondes forced her inside the pillar, into a tight pentagonal area in which the three of them could barely fit. Kara and Six were both smiling, almost laughing, and Dee was sure there were predatory sparks in their eyes.

Before she managed to scream however, some kind of door started rising, cutting her off the spacious hall, Sam and Lee. He breath caught from panic. Then, as soon as the two missing walls of the pentagonal cage were the full height, there appeared a slit right above the floor, that grew rapidly, and Dee realized finally it was them, inside the small box, that were lowering. Soon the lift stopped, and Kara stepped out.

"Voila!" she extended her arms, showing the corridor they now found themselves in. Dee looked around in awe. Everything was lit by dim yellowish lamps located in the ceiling. The wide walkway, of a low ceiling, encompassed a central wall, that must have been supporting the tall column in the center of the room above. There were writings, similar as above, all around the middle of the rotunda. And when Dee stepped out from the lift, and looked behind it, she saw a tight corridor, that led further into the accommodation.

"Let me show you around!" Kara exclaimed.

"And I'll help those two get down here," Six added, pointing at the ceiling.

Dee sighed, shook her head skeptically, and followed ecstatic Kara.

"I can't believe you haven't found it earlier!" Starbuck sneered. "You were sitting on a starship and never thought there had to be some control center."

"We did think that," Dee replied, offended. The pilot's arrogance was starting to irk her. "We just couldn't find it!"

"You're lucky to have me here," Kara smirked, but before Dee found a reply, the pilot stopped abruptly in an entrance to a wider area. The younger officer was focused on her colleague, so the first thing she noticed was how transfixed, and haunted Kara's eyes became. Only then she took the time to look around.

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When Six came back up, Sam was already limping toward the lift. He hesitated when the cylon gestured for him to enter, shot a glance at the Major's still form, but she promised to be right back for the ill man, and the fighter could not resist his curiosity any more.

"I won't tell you," Six deflected his demands of explanation. "You wouldn't believe anyway. You have to see it."

Indeed, Sam would not believe if he didn't see it.

When they got off the lift, he looked around equally dumbfounded as Dualla had been before him. "Is that?--" He looked at the tall blonde next to him; she was smiling genuinely.

"The control center." Six nodded, guessing his thoughts. She pointed at the corridor behind the lift. "It's there exactly, but right now I'd rather take you to the lower level."

Sam put up a hand to stop her. "What's on the lower level. I will believe you!"

The cylon grinned. "Something we might consider bunk rooms. With kitchen, bathroom, beds."

"You want to put me to bed?"

"No. But I think you shouldn't strain--"

"Let me decide about what I should and what I shouldn't," Sam smirked. He could do a happy dance now! "I want to see the command center."

Six shook her head at this, but consented and led him down the small corridor.

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The area was elliptic. Or ellipsoidal even; the floor and ceiling weren't flat either. There was no corner in the room, even the flickering screens, filling the wall opposite from the entrance; few buttons on the flat, slanted surface below the monitors; the surface itself, were round, oval, elliptic. The only straight lines and figures--pentagons mostly--were displayed on the screens and were constantly changing, moving, evolving. It made Dualla dizzy.

Kara stood next to her, staring at the monitors, breathing fast. Dee could say her colleague was excited, and frankly, she was pretty elated too, though she was not believing her own eyes yet. She stepped closer, and tried to comprehend the symbols on the screens. These must have been all kinds of control panels. There must have been some communication system, too. This was something she was familiar with, if she only could--

"What do you think this all means?" Dee turned to Kara, and gasped.

The other woman's face was deathly white and it was hard to tell if it was from the weird light that illuminated the room, or from emotions. Her lips were trembling, moving slightly as if she wanted to say something, but couldn't make out words.

"Starbuck?"

"I--uh--this--here--" she tried to choke out. Shook her head, and simply crossed the distance between herself and the flat surface in two long, determined strides. "I know what it is." She touched the surface and wild swirls of colors danced upon it. "I can't name it, but I know." Moved her fingers, and swirling colors changed pattern. The evolving lines, triangles and pentagons on screens also started moving. It was all in chaos, but Dee felt instinctively that there was method in this madness.

They heard voices, and Kara quickly withdrew her palms, looked behind. Sam limped in, leaning on his hand-made crutches, the cylon hovering behind him.

"Whoa!" he gasped.

Six looked at Dee and Kara, and for a moment regret flashed in her eyes. She blinked and stubborn superiority returned. "I'll be back as soon as I get the Major down." Turned and strode away.

"Down?" Dee asked, suddenly frightened, worried for her husband.

"Living area," Kara explained without much ado and returned to the monitors.

"What are you doing?" Sam gasped, seeing the dance of colors and lines.

"What do you think? I'm piloting this thing. I'm a pilot, am I not?"

"How?"

"Wish I knew--"

Sam and Dee stood on either side of a focused Starbuck and shared worried glances.

"Do you at least know where you are going?" tried Sam.

"No idea."

"So maybe you know where the communication device is?" tried Dee, as this question kept nagging her. "There must be some, right?"

"Over there." Kara pointed to the few switches next to Dualla's left arm.

"Seriously?"

"I'm not sure you'll be able to use them though. But you might try."

Dee tried. Damn, she would use it! Even if Starbuck thought she would not be able to, she would use this thing somehow!

The monitor in front of her started displaying data she could not understand. But she could, she probably could contact the Galactica. If she only knew how! If Kara could instinctively pilot this ship, then why wouldn't the comms officer be able to understand how it communicated?

"Kara," she suddenly heard Sam's deeply concerned voice. "What is this thing?"

Near the border of one of the monitors appeared an arc, described with tiny symbols, similar to those on Dee's screen, and--she realized now--the same as writings on the column above. The arc soon changed into a half-circle, and then into the full circle that flashed and started pulsating, the many writings all around it changing constantly, disappearing and moving.

"Maybe we should stop?" inquired Sam, but Kara only shook her head.

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t.b.c