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AN: Regarding Baltar's interrogation, it's taking place around this time, as are the other events of "Taking a Break From All Your Worries", but I won't be looking at any of those storylines directly as the Doctor wouldn't have much to contribute during the interrogation, and he and his companions have other issues to assess right now that take precedent over trying to get involved in the personal lives of people they've only just met

AN 2: I make reference to Fitz's time with the Remote here, so a brief explanation for those who haven't read the novels. Basically, a few novels before the destruction of the TARDIS, Fitz was abducted by Faction Paradox and trapped in the past, where he became a member of a colony known as 'the Remote', who 'reproduced' by using remembrance tanks to recreate the deceased based on others' memories of them, with these remembrances naturally changing from the original as time went on (the main reason the otherwise sterile colony chose remembrance as a means of 'reproduction' rather than cloning that would just recreate the deceased over and over again). When the Remote arrived on Earth (and would paradoxically contribute to the events that led to Fitz being abducted in the first place), the Doctor encountered the version of Fitz that existed after two centuries of being 'remembered' back to life, and was able to restore this Fitz to basically the original version by using his and the TARDIS's own memories of Fitz. At this point, Fitz is aware of his 'true' origin but doesn't think about it much, reasoning to himself that he is basically Fitz Kriener as he and the Doctor are certain that the original Fitz died during his time with the Remote

A New Angel, a New Fate

Fitz had no idea what it said about his mental state these days that he actually missed the days when people were trying to kill him. He appreciated the chance to rest and enjoy himself as much as the next person, but even if the Colonials were willing to accept him and Compassion while the Doctor did whatever he was doing, he just felt like he was constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. He supposed he could attribute it to the fact that the Colonials themselves had admitted that there were still five Cylon models unaccounted for, which meant that pretty much anybody could be an enemy agent and even they wouldn't know about it, but a part of him wondered if it was something else…

And no, he wasn't worried about anyone thinking he was a Cylon or anything crazy like that; what the Remote had done to him and what the Cylons did weren't the same thing! The Doctor had told him more than once that he was biologically human as far as any tests would confirm, and that was all he needed (he wasn't going to think about the whole thing with his memories coming from the TARDIS; he was still Fitz where it counted as far as the right people were concerned)…

Still, for the moment, the issue of the Cylons and the Fleet's attempts to reach Earth in this era were the main things to worry about. Since the Colonials didn't have the sensor range to plot a jump directly into the Ionian Nebula from this distance, they were making gradual jumps in that direction while the Doctor and Lieutenant Gaeta went over their star charts in case they managed to find a better 'road-sign' to Earth. This left Fitz and Compassion with little more to do than look around and take in more of the ship while the Doctor worked, even as Fitz did his best to maintain a low profile. Those present at the briefing had agreed to keep the fact that Fitz came from Earth a secret, but all of them knew that it would only take one slip-up to put him in an awkward position, and that was before any of these people knew about the time-travel angle.

Fitz might have enjoyed attention back on Earth, but it was different being appreciated for his singing and being hounded for stories about Earth when he already knew he couldn't tell anyone the truth in case it created some kind of time-travel mix-up. He didn't know what he could say if they were as far back in time as the Doctor suggested, but when even the Doctor didn't know anything about the future of the Fleet, Fitz agreed that it was better to err on the safe side.

Taking an experimental sip of what passed for a drink on Galactica, Fitz wasn't sure if he should be disturbed at the taste or impressed that they had actually managed to make any kind of drink considering what he'd heard about the fleet's food issues. While the Doctor had speculated that Compassion may have a food machine inside her somewhere, he had also mentioned that the results would be so relatively tasteless that eating the processed algae that the rest of the fleet used would be more straightforward and stop anyone asking potentially awkward questions. Fitz still wasn't sure what story had been passed down to the lower ranks to explain why he and Compassion were given so much leeway when going around the ship, but he wasn't going to ask around in case it gave the game away. As it was, they attracted a few stares, but with the Doctor acting as the admiral and president's chief scientist, it seemed like nobody wanted to press his official 'assistants' for much either.

Looking over at Compassion, Fitz supposed that she was the main reason he wasn't having to deal with any awkward questions. The living TARDIS hadn't expressed any concerns about staying in one place for an indefinite period of time, and even if nobody knew what she was, she could still carry off that same edge that she'd developed with the Remote that made it awkward for people to approach her, and by extension anyone she was sitting with.

Glancing around the makeshift bar, Fitz smiled morbidly as he saw Lee Adama and Galen Tyrol awkwardly talking with the women he was fairly sure they were married to; Adama had a certain urgency about his manner that Fitz couldn't entirely place, but Tyrol and his surprisingly petite wife just looked particularly awkward.

"Something amusing?"

"Just… people-watching," Fitz shrugged as he looked back at Compassion, indicating the two couples with a brief nod. "It's almost morbidly amusing, when you think about it; the world's ended, and this lot can still find time to worry about their personal lives when they're dealing with genocidal robots and don't even have a planet any more."

"In my experience," Compassion noted dryly, "humans make a mess of things even under the best of circumstances; I hardly think it's surprising that they would continue to do so in a situation like this."

"Well…" Fitz shrugged. "You just think the last survivors of a whole civilisation would shape up a bit more, I guess; hold on to tradition, try not to screw up…"

"That's the Doctor's influence," Compassion noted solemnly. "Hope for the best, but you need to learn that he also prepares for the worst."

"Still sucks," Fitz said, wincing at the drink as he took another sip; it seemed to vary sharply in quality and flavour every time he drank a bit. "And I'm not sure if we should be glad they've got the news service still going or not; how many news options can you have when your civilisation's this small?"

"This isn't just about the state of society, is it?" Compassion asked, looking thoughtfully at Fitz.

"…Well, it is, kind of," Fitz shrugged. "I mean, Dad didn't really talk about the war that much, and I didn't like to listen to it anyway, but all that stuff we've been reading about that Zarek guy talking about how the people needed to step up… just reminds me of some of Dad's stories about the Nazis."

"I don't recall him preaching against particular ethnic groups-"

"Not in that way, more in the 'blame other people for the fact that life sucks' way," Fitz clarified. "Everything I read about him was more about blaming the current leaders of this fleet for getting everyone into this mess without clearly saying what he'd do differently beyond getting in charge himself. There's some stuff about a book he wrote that made a few points, but so far what he's done in this fleet just sounds like he's winning a lot of attention without actually saying what he'd change."

"I've looked at those old articles, and from what I recall, Mr Zarek hasn't said much on that topic since the Fleet left New Caprica-"

"You've got potentially everything the TARDIS had on the Doctor knocking about in there, and you haven't picked up enough to know that someone like that doesn't change his spots that quickly?" Fitz asked, looking at grimly at his new means of transport. "I'm not saying he hasn't calmed down a bit, but someone like that guy? Wouldn't surprise me if he's just waiting for a time when it's all calmed down a bit so he can step in and point fingers at everyone else for making the mess."

"That's… surprisingly insightful of you," Compassion noted, raising an eyebrow as she looked at him.

"You grow up hearing about that kind of thing, you notice it when it's all going on again after you've had a bit of time to pick up the details," Fitz said, shaking his head as he took another sip of his drink. "Just have to hope that's not going to be a problem for us before we've deal with the main issue right now…"

"Yes, that Tom Zarek could be a problem," the Doctor said, nodding in agreement at Fitz's assessment before smiling at his friend. "Quite frankly, I'm impressed at your degree of insight, Fitz."

"Hey, we're normally just in a new place long enough to deal with the immediate issue; if we're going to hang around here for a while, I wanted to be sure we knew the general picture beyond killer robots," Fitz said, before his expression became grimmer. "Besides, I grew up hearing a few tales about someone like him…"

"Good point; he might not be motivated by perceptions of racial inferiority, but there is a prejudice issue there that we can't ignore," the Doctor nodded at his friend before studying the paperwork before him. "Actually, it would be best if you could keep an eye on the broader details here; even without the question of the Cylons' conflicting agendas, these people are giving me a surprising amount of material to work with that's open to a variety of interpretations…"

"You're getting all that from Doctor Baltar's interrogations?" Compassion asked, looking at the pile of paperwork in front of the Doctor curiously.

"Transcripts from the interrogations and accompanying notes about his history just before the destruction of the Colonies and his own subsequent role in this fleet," the Doctor clarified. "It's actually fascinating, in its way; before the colonies fell, Doctor Baltar was a strong supporter of the idea of returning to research in artificial intelligence, arguing that humanity shouldn't allow itself to be 'scared' from further research in this field just because of the Cylons, and then he was found by a raptor looking for survivors before the fleet had to leave the Colonies."

"At which point he was the best scientist they had left, right?"

"Considering that he was the best before the worlds ended, that's hardly a surprise," the Doctor nodded. "He was persuaded to accept the position of Vice-President when Laura Roslin officially reformed the Colonies' primary government, mainly because of the good publicity, but he went on to run for the presidency himself when the time came for the next election."

"Yeah, that bit I don't really get," Fitz noted. "I was asking around, and apart from suggesting they settle on that planet that ended up being a crap choice all around, doesn't sound like Baltar really did much while he was acting as President, so why would he have even tried to get elected in the first place?"

"It was probably more of an ego thing than anything else," Compassion mused.

"Most likely; Baltar's need to appease his ego appears to be his biggest drive, when I get down to it," the Doctor acknowledged, turning back to the transcripts in front of him. "Actually, that would tie in to the most interesting thing about these interrogations…"

"You find anything interesting about interrogations?" Fitz asked, looking sceptically at the Time Lord.

"I don't agree with the idea, but I'm not going to completely ignore what comes up in them just because of the methods used," the Doctor clarified, before he turned back to the papers before him. "Anyway, assuming all these notes and recordings are accurate- and despite what some people would have us think, Laura Roslin strikes me as an honest woman so far- I find it interesting whenever he's questioned about the theory that he was involved in the original Cylon attack, Baltar never says that he didn't do anything."

"Excuse me?" Compassion asked. "How is that relevant?"

"And where did that theory about him being involved in the first attack actually come from?" Fitz asked. "I get that people don't like the guy, but I haven't heard anything about the idea that he was working with the Cylons before the worlds were blown up?"

"It's a theory that Laura Roslin has; there are apparently hints that Baltar was seen with a woman identified in hindsight as the Cylon woman Sharon Agathon calls Number Six before the attack, but obviously we don't have any concrete evidence of it," the Doctor explained. "Anyway, my point is that, during these interrogations, Baltar states that he wouldn't do anything to hurt a man's family, or that he didn't conspire with the Cylons in the attack, but he hasn't said anything to rule out the possibility that he might have been tricked into helping them in some way. After all, before the attack, nobody in the Colonies had reason to believe that the Cylons had assumed human form; it wouldn't be impossible to assume that Baltar had contact with a Cylon agent and gave them what they were looking for assuming it was just for purposes of industrial espionage or something."

"I don't see anything about that theory here," Fitz noted, glancing over the papers in front of him for a moment. "Why haven't you mentioned that?"

"Because it's just an observation," the Doctor explained. "Don't misunderstand me, from what I've heard about him I fully agree with any assessment of Doctor Baltar as an idiot genius with a particularly self-centred view on everything around him, but I don't know for a fact that he did anything."

"Idiot genius?" Fitz asked.

"A broad range of knowledge on several complex topics and a complete inability to put that knowledge to practical use; what I've found about his educational background showed a greater skill in biological rather than computer science, so a few of his technical victories are likely either aided by luck or external forces," the Doctor clarified. "Add in everything he said about 'God's plan' in his last interrogation, and I'm inclined to think that he also has an inability to face intense negative emotions, so he copes with them instead by essentially shifting blame on to a higher power."

"To give the impression that he can't have any individual responsibility for his actions?" Compassion asked.

"Would that link with that bit here about him wanting to be a Cylon?" Fitz asked, indicating the relevant part of the interrogation notes.

"Essentially, yes; if he was a Cylon then he wasn't a traitor but was set up to destroy the Colonies before he even began, which absolves him of responsibility as he was just following his programming," the Doctor nodded at his companions. "I don't know what he did or didn't do, and I don't think he's a Cylon, but I'm inclined to think there are a few secrets in his closet, and more importantly, he feels guilty about something even if he's psychologically incapable of acknowledging it."

"Ties into that 'idiot genius' bit?" Fitz asked with a smile.

"Precisely," the Doctor nodded, smiling back at his friend before his expression became grim. "Unfortunately, if we're dealing with a very intelligent man who's simultaneously convinced himself that he's the victim in everything, it's going to be very difficult to get the truth out of him…"

"Can't you just try and talk to him yourself?"

"I'm good, but I'm not exactly a qualified psychiatrist, Fitz," the Doctor noted, before he sighed. "Besides, I'd rather not do something that potentially controversial until I know I can get results…"

"You're worried about how you'll look to people?" Fitz asked in surprise. "You normally just dive in…"

"We're going to be here for a while, and this isn't twentieth-century Earth, Fitz; I have no contacts and no history with anyone here. They may have accepted me as their unofficial scientific advisor out of a lack of alternatives, but I haven't done enough to earn their respect yet, and our position here is too fragile for me to try and assert any kind of authority."

"You think they'd turn on us?" Compassion asked.

"I think they're scared human beings dealing with an impossible situation; in that position, people can do anything," the Doctor clarified solemnly. "These people may have colonised twelve planets, but we have no evidence of alien contact, and their history with the Cylons would likely discourage them from being too quick to trust."

"I suppose there's only so much any of us can do about prejudice," Compassion said, the three of them sitting in silent reflection as they looked back at the last two locations they'd visited before arriving in the Temple. The mods and rockers might have turned to their conflict out of a lack of anything else to do in the city rather than any genuine prejudice, but the only way to end the conflict had been to put everyone in a new environment, and it had taken the destruction of the city to deal with the 'conflict' between the slimers and the Eskoni.

"In any case," the Doctor continued after the moment's contemplation had passed, "the end result is that I don't want to rock the boat and give the senior staff a reason not to like me this early on, which means we have to pace ourselves with what we reveal and what we try and change beyond anything that obviously helps with the Cylons."

"Any luck on that front?"

"Still trying to put together the conflicting strategies, actually; it just doesn't fit together…"

The Doctor paused in thought for a moment before he shrugged. "On the brighter side, Lieutenant Gaeta has found a nebula that looks like a likely mark on the route they're tracing to Earth; apparently a nebula not too far from here was created when a star went nova about the same time as the thirteenth tribe was allegedly travelling this way, which has prompted speculation that this nova was what inspired the designs in the Temple."

"That seems a bit of a stretch," Compassion noted.

"In terms of us getting here in time to see this star go nova, yes, but on the other hand, it does give them a plausible destination," the Doctor said, nodding in acknowledgement of his friend's point. "Keep in mind that when even we don't know where we're going, the best thing we can do is follow the man provided and hope for the best."

The idea of the Doctor having nothing more to fall back on than hope didn't make Fitz completely comfortable, but he supposed it was the best any of them could do in a situation like this.

Still… even if he understood why the Time Lord preferred to stick around with this fleet rather than keep on running, he worried about what it said for a man to keep chasing other peoples' problems instead of facing his own.

He appreciated that losing the TARDIS meant more to the Doctor than just losing a means of transport, but that didn't stop him worrying about his friend's mental state…