Another Way

by Maevenly

Cylons always have a plan. They want her but they've never been able to keep her. Now, the Cylons have the perfect bait,and trap,for Starbuck. Epilogue: Kara starts to pick up the pieces of her life and Lee's there to help her, along with everyone else.

10. Chapter 10: There and Back Again

Author's Note:

I really do not do these - I think a story should stand on it's own and, if an author believes that their work needs some sort of pre-empting, then they have not done their job properly as a storyteller.

With that being said, this chapter is a long one - lots of things will happen as well as a WICKED twist at the end. I really have fretted over certain parts of this chapter but I believe there is little I can do to make it better. That is, unless I missed some typos!

Anyway... ANY and ALL feedback you offer would be so greatly appreciated. And, if you have read any part of this story more than once, would you let me know why? I would love to know what I am doing 'write'!

Thanks! Maevenly

Another Way

Chapter 10: There and Back Again

Three long, efficient strides had Gaeta across CIC and hunched over the FTL drive navigational computer. Craning his neck at the DRAEDIS console and then looking back at the rate the computations were taking, he did the remaining math in his head.

"Colonel, thirty-nine seconds until jumping can commence."

"How long do we have before those nukes are in range?" Tigh's tone was clipped. He didn't need some kid to tell him this was going to be close shave with a dull razor.

"Forty-eight seconds before those Raiders can fire, Sir." The strain in Gaeta's voice was something everyone recognized because it mirrored the anxiety level held by every officer and Specialist in the CIC.

Tipping the mouthpiece of the headset he wore closer to his chin, Tigh looked at Dee. "Open a channel to the entire fleet."

Dee confirmed his order had been carried out with a curt nod.

"Attention Colonial Fleet. Jump co-ordinates will be relayed in thirty-five seconds along with a confirmation code signal. You are to jump as soon as you receive that code signal. Galactica out," Tigh signed off and raked the headset free. Locking eyes with Dee again, he barked, "Get everyone home. Combat landings, RFN."

"Galactica – Black Leader; copy that." Starbuck's voice was steeped in adrenaline. This was her element: outnumbered, outgunned but definitely not out of the game. Watching her streak forward, everyone in CIC heard her call out, "All birds back to the nest. Repeat. All birds back to the nest. SAR and Apollo – beat your asses back to any barn that has a big enough door. And keep your noses out of Galactica's suppression barrage."

Gaeta heard what she was saying but kept his eyes dancing between the DRAEDIS console and the FTL computer. The count down had begun.

BSG Xxx BSG

Being a luxury liner, Cloud Nine didn't have the most battle friendly technology on board. But the conference room where just a half an hour ago he was hearing out concerns from Quorum delegates was now filled with the sounds of battle chatter and the terse language of commands being issued. There was nothing he could do – interceding any more than he already had would only make matters more confusing and confusion led to un-necessary deaths. Sitting alone in the darkened room, steepling his fingers, Commander Adama knew he had the best people doing what they did best. His prayer was that this was the worse the Cylons had planned.

Xxx BSG Xxx

"What do you mean it's a trick?" Lee demanded as he high-tailed it towards The Intrepid. The ship was close enough so that he could make an emergency landing given the time constraints but also near enough the front lines so that he could see the final seconds of the battle on his DRAEDIS display and visually make sure Starbuck got on board the Galactica.

"Look at it! Disable only, no incinerations and now all their forces are pulled up to the front of the fleet." Helo argued his point as Racetrack made for the Geminon Traveller. It too was positioned toward the frontlines but on the opposite side of the fleet as Apollo. "They're after something."

Lee's eyes flicked forward. The sight of vipers scrambling back towards Galactica normally was a good sign. That is, until Helo's assessment merged with his own theories.

"FRAK! Black Leader – Apollo; get your people away from Galactica!"

Xxx BSG Xxx

Staring at the FTL navigational computer did not make the countdown go any more quickly. It still took a full second for the timer to advance to the next digit.

"Twenty-one."

Xxx BSG Xxx

Trust in her CAG, friend and something more than she was willing to admit to at the moment had Starbuck shouting into her comm system.

"ALL CRAFT – ABORT. REPEAT! DO NOT LAND ON THE GALACTICA!"

Forcing her will out and beyond her cockpit, the remaining space worthy Colonial signals turned on their projected flight path and started streaking towards her.

Lifting her gaze, she visually locked her eyes on the fresh wave of Raiders still too far out to engage. Already, she could feel her mind spinning, trying to formulate a plan as the signatures came in closer.

Closer… and still no bright ideas came to mind.

Think, Thrace!

BSG Xxx BSG

"Nineteen."

Xxx BSG Xxx

"Eighteen"

Closer… but a whisper of an action plan was beginning to speak in her ear. Just run the clock, Thrace; figure it out another day.

BSG Xxx BSG

Oh, Heavenly Father, thank You for this day. Thank You for blessing your Servant with the knowledge, faith and skills necessary to see Your children carry out Your will.

Number Two cast his prayer at the same time he looked at his LSO.

Never had Lucifer looked more beautiful than Number Two did when he gave his command.

"Now!"

BSG Xxx BSG

GONE!

"Galactica – Black Leader," Starbuck growled into her comm. "They're frakking gone!"

"We see it Black Leader. Fifteen more seconds and the fleet will begin jumping." Gaeta's voice echoed in her helmet as if forty nuclear bearing Cylon Raiders vanished from radar on an every day basis.

Xxx BSG Xxx

"Seventeen."

BSG Xxx BSG

"SON OF A BITCH!" Helo's voice exploded over the comm channels. Now, he had seen everything.

Xxx Bsg XXX

"MOTHER FRAKKERS!" Seelix's normally calm contra-alto voice raised two octaves as disbelief and rage steeled her words.

Bsg Xxx Bsg

Lee's calm shattered into forty pieces. The helplessness he felt when he thought Kara was going to be blown out of the sky became a fraction of what he felt as he faced his new reality.

'NO!"

Xxx Bsg Xxx

Dee's switchboard lit up like a meteor shower brightened a night sky during a lunar eclipse. Every ship in the Fleet was clambering for an answer and begging Galactica for their help. Her hands flew across the console as ship after ship was put on hold as she waited for Colonel Tigh to make a command decision.

Gaeta's mouth opened and closed without a sound. All he could do was split his attention between the FTL computers continuing to count down to a now useless end and the horrific image on the DRAEDIS display.

Colonel Tigh never expected the end game to look like this, or happen on his watch.

Xxx Bsg Xxx

Charging forward from her Presidential offices, Laura Roslin pushed her way through the ever present throng of reporters, past the security detail that guarded the hatch that led to the inner working of the political process and scattered the sentries that stood watch outside the bridge of Colonial One with one commanding flick of peridot green. Shouldering open the door, the pilot didn't even swivel his head to see who had barged into the cockpit. He knew very few could get to him without being stopped or gunned down and of those individuals most of them were facing the same scenario the hovered one click off his starboard bow.

"Why have we stopped, Captain?"

An icy hand resting on his shoulders even as his grip on the throttle of the space craft trembled carried the answer to the question she really wanted to ask as realization set in and her fingernails curled into the muscles along his collar bone.

Looking out to the left and then sweeping her eyes over every ship she could see through the view port, humanity's last survivors were now lost. There was no coming back from this. No strategy to play; surrender was not even a tool she could use because the advantage was one-thousand-percent Cylon.

Every Colonial ship had come to a stand still.

Ship captains had no choice but to cut their engines. If they didn't, then they would have rammed one of the forty Cylon Raiders that short-jumped directly into their flight paths, guaranteeing the activation of the nuclear warhead each Raider had primed, readied and aimed at point-blank range. To do anything but come to a full stop would have essentially ended the lives of every man, woman and child each ship carried.

The Fleet was lost.

Unless the Lords of Kobol interceded, the Fleet was doomed and time had come for Humanity's extinction by the very hands they had created. Man made the Cylons, and now the Cylon's were going to conclude their act of genocide against their makers.

Bsg Xxx Bsg

Starbuck kept her head in the game even as anger rolled off of her in waves and filled her cockpit. For the first time in a long time, the feeling of being boxed into a corner settled in the pit of her stomach.

Lt. Kara Thrace was going shove Starbuck Retribution so far up their collective frakking metal asses that the each and every one of those frakkers will be spitting shrapnel out of their collective frakking metal gullets even as they download into their new frakking bodies.

"Black Leader to all Colonial Vessels; on me." Her calm voice was lethally level. The Cylons were going to pay for their treachery.

There was nothing she could do about the nuclear armed Raiders that held lock-and-tone on every ship in the Fleet. There was something she could do about that Heavy Raider and the BaseStar that hadn't moved since this nightmare began.

"Apollo, Racetrack – fall back and take formation just above and below my wings. Everyone else, take positions opposite them; I want to see a text-book Fisherman's Net. They may have the Fleet but by the Gods, we'll blow their command ships to kingdom-come by the time we're done. So say we all."

Sliding into position, seven Viper pilots, three Raptor pilots and three E.C.O.'s repeated her vow.

"So say we all!"

Bsg Xxx Bsg

Viper One-One-Niner – Kara – had squared herself off against the Heavy Raider he had dispatched with the second wave of assault ships. Spread out around her, in a classic Fisherman's Net deployment, were the remaining flight-capable Colonial vessels. Behind this line he held every remaining member of the human race hostage.

Tangible fear was wrapped around every civilian vessel in the Fleet. To him, it was the equivalent of God resting His hand on his shoulders and telling His servant that this why faith is so important, why hardship, discipline and sacrifice demanded of him in order to further the Cylon cause. He knew his plan was good one. After all, God had shown him the way to bring the prodigal daughter home where she belongs. But looking at his tactical display and feeling the purrs of success feeding into bio-mechanical aspect of the BaseStar from the Raiders that took positions in front of every single ship that represented the last of mankind, the might of God's will and the fact that He chose him to carry out His edicts was truly humbling.

Pressing a button on his console, he hailed Viper One-One-Nine; to hear her voice speaking directly to him for the first time in more than two years and one holocaust later was something he had prayed God would gift him with.

Xxx Bsg Xxx

"Black Leader to group; this is it people. This is what we have trained for, this is the reason why we say our prayers, and this is the reason why we draw breath. No one moves until they do. I do not want to see a single shot fired until that BaseStar and Heavy Raider have launched their reserve forces. You are going to need every bullet and every missile you have to do as much damage as possible. We are not going to go down without taking them with us." The fact that Starbuck's voice was emotion free proved where her head was at – one hundred percent committed to taking out as many Cylons as possible before she was done. If she could do that, then they could do that.

They also expected an addendum to her rallying speech and when Lee heard Kara's request for him to switch to gamma frequency; he also cut the feed to his E.C.O. This was between two of them.

"Lee?" Kara – not Starbuck was on the other end of the line.

"I'm here, Kara." Lee – not Captain Adama or Apollo answered her. "No chance of some retina-detaching, beyond insane plan cooking in that brain of yours?"

"Funny you should ask that – I was going to ask you the same thing." Kara replied. "Got any War College, super-secret manoeuvres hidden up your sleeve?" They both knew that Lee's Raptor was stripped of any and all ordinance as a precautionary measure when the ship was detailed for the refuelling run to the Rising Star.

A muted beeping noise spread between their two birds.

"What was that?" Kara asked, the forced smile in her voice wavering.

"My chronometer; we should be jumping by now." Keeping his words even was proving to be more difficult than he thought.

They both knew that this was how it could end, but for some reason a sense of disbelief and unpreparedness had them both rattled.

"I don't know how to say this to you." The honest tremble in her voice was different from the voice she used to convey the end game in front of them.

"Neither do I." It wasn't a cop out and this wasn't the time for flowery speeches. This was it and they both knew it.

"I love you, Kara."

"I love you too, Lee."

Hearing her swallow, her next words made his eyes sting. "If you see Zak before I do, let him know I won't be long, okay?"

"Done; the same goes for you, you know." Lee could not keep the thickness out of his voice.

"Not a chance, Adama. I'll wait for you, if that's the case. I think I like the idea of exploring the Elysian Fields with you for the next eternity or so. Zak can find us if that's going to be the case." Lee could hear the sincerity in Kara's promise.

"Forever never sounded so good, Kara," Lee offered his own promise. "Maybe we will even find our father while we're at it."

"All we have to do is find your mom, Lee – that's where we'll find your dad. He'll be holding her hand as he reaches out to you and pulls you close." A loud sniff echoed in his headset. "Damn, Lee – you're gonna make me cry if we keep this up."

Lee smiled through his heart ache. Dying didn't seem so bad knowing that Zak, his mom, his dad and Kara were going to be waiting on the otherside. Not to mention sending a BaseStar full of Cylons to the deepest bowels of Tartarus as a post-script on a set of service records only the stars would bear witness too.

"Can't wipe your eyes with a helmet on, can you Lieutenant?" Apollo deliberately broke the moment. They had a job to do and a family reunion to attend.

"No you can't Captain." Her voice might have cracked as she stumbled over the word Captain, but Starbuck's bravado carried across to the CIC as she switched back to the attack frequency and included the CIC on their plans. "Galactica Actual – Black Leader; do what you can and leave the BaseStar and Heavy Raider to us. I'm invoking blood rights. They're asses belong to us."

For a brief moment, Starbuck, Lieutenant Thrace and Kara contemplated the concept of supping in Valhalla and earning her Valkeryie wings. Neither Artemis nor Aphrodite would let that happen unless they set a place for their son and servant Lee Adama at Odin's Table as well.

Bsg Xxx Bsg

"Copy that Black Leader; good hunting. See you on the otherside." Tigh's clipped tone possessed the professionalism everyone knew he had within him, even in the face of certain annihilation. "The Old Man wanted me to tell you that he will see you soon and that not to worry about how you will find him – he says that all he has to do is look for one of you and the other will be close by."

"Copy that Actual; tell the Commander that we already have that sorted out."

Having been a fighter pilot, Tigh understood only too well why Apollo answered for both he and the Lieutenant. Adama's son knew Kara needed to be Starbuck as badly as Lee needed the veneer that came with being Apollo.

Looking at Captain Kelly, Tigh issued one of his last commands. "I want you to make sure this is recorded. They deserve that much."

"Aye, Sir." Kelly saluted Tigh and double checked the ship's log to make sure everything was working properly.

"Sir?" Dee's voice rang with fear.

"What is it, Officer Dualla? You were trained for this. Don't give into the fear now." Tigh offered what little reassurance he had to the communications Specialist. "We all are going to be dining with the Gods before this is done."

"I am not afraid of dying, Sir. It's the Heavy Raider – they've been hailing us on our own attack frequency."

Disbelief rang across the CIC.

"Why am I only hearing of this now, Petty Officer?" Tigh knew that yelling at the young woman wouldn't do any good, but he could not help himself – everyone has a breaking point – even if looking at the face of Zeus was on the evening's agenda courtesy of the nuclear warhead locked onto the stern of the Battlestar.

"The transmission identifies the Heavy Raider as The Caster and requests to speak with Persephone." Bewilderment underscored her explanation. "We don't have anyone by that call sign and I've been trying to get him to clarify his requests, but the same hail is sent repeatedly Sir, and he re-iterates that he will only speak to Persephone."

Xxx Bsg Xxx

Oh frak, oh frak, oh frak – this can't be happening. That was the mantra that echoed in Kara's head as Dee's voice was relayed into her headset.

"Black Leader – talk to me; Starbuck – what's wrong!" Helo cut into her thoughts.

"Starbuck – Apollo; SitRep, Lieutenant," Apollo snapped at her, hoping to bring her out of whatever had shattered her attention.

"Black Leader – Galactica Actual; what the hell is going on?" Even Tigh sounded worried as his primary warrior started to mutter erratically through the comm systems.

Frak! She'd done it again – spoken out loud what she was thinking in her head.

Recovering her emotions, she took a deep breath before speaking.

"It is a sick Cylon head game, that's all." Summoning all the courage that hadn't been sucked out her intake valve, she squared her shoulders, set herself more completely in her cockpit. "It's more of Leoben's mind-fraks. Patch him through. That frakker picked the wrong day to do this."

And she prayed that, for once, Lee bought her bullshit.

Bsg Xxx Bsg

"Apollo – Helo; switch to gamma frequency on my mark." Pausing for a moment, Helo said, "Now."

Lee re-tuned his wireless and motioned to his E.C.O to stay with CIC and Starbuck as he picked up Agathon's call.

Xxx Bsg Xxx

Connecting the BaseStar to Viper One-One-Niner, another light on Dee's switch board lit up. Looking at Colonel Tigh, she said, "Sir, Helo and Apollo are on gamma."

Gripping the edge of the console, he made a quick decision and tilted his chin as he made eye contact with the stockier man. "Captain Kelly – monitor gamma; Dee – stay on Starbuck."

"Aye, Sir."

Bsg Xxx Bsg

"I swear by the Gods, Helo – you had better have a good explanation for this!" Lee needed to keep his energies focused. If Kara cobbled together some sort of plan, he had to be ready for her signal. Gods knew that where she went, so did he.

"Apollo, listen to me for a second. Remember what I said about the Cylons being after something? What if I was wrong? What if they were after 'a someone' rather than 'a something'?" Regret seasoned his latest analysis.

"Explain," Lee ordered.

"What if this whole thing was a diversion? What if the Cylon's primary target wasn't the fleet or even Galactica but someone within the Fleet? What if they were after someone else, Apollo? What if their objective was someone like the President or you for that matter. If you were taken…"

"Helo – Starbuck and I have a pact that has been in place since the worlds ended." Lee did not need to spell out what he meant – his tone conveyed the nature of their agreement implicitly.

"Be that as it may, Sir" Helo took a deep breath before saying something he never thought he would. "But what if someone changed the rules and didn't send out the new playbooks to all the teams?"

"Helo, standby," the E.C.O putting his hand on his shoulder had Lee turning in his seat and facing the other man. "What is it?"

"You had better listen to this, Sir."

Bsg Xxx Bsg

The conference table on board Galactica was crowded. Every seat was taken.

In the centre sat Commander Adama and President Roslin. On either side of them were Lee and Billy. Radiating out was Colonel Tigh, Helo, Gaeta, Seelix, Captain Kelly, Racetrack, Rat Trap, Kat, Hot Dog, and Coda. On the fringes of the group were the other pilots and E.C.O's who saw what happened after the battle.

The room was dark. On the screen was the 'mission playback' of the battle and ensuing confrontation with the Heavy Raider and BaseStar as it was recorded by three different Raptors.

They were watching Ambush as she broke formation away from the lower left hand corner of the Fisherman's net and answered the Heavy Raider's hail after receiving instructions from CIC.

"This is Viper One-One-Niner, call sign Persephone. Go ahead-"

A missile launched from the Heavy Raider finished Ambush's sentence as her bird exploded into free-floating wreckage and her body was instantly incinerated. Lee winced at the bright light that momentarily overexposed the film and caused the screen to go white. But just because there wasn't a picture, did not mean that there wasn't sound.

"Damn it! I told you not to do that! You are not out here, Colonel – we are. We have already claimed blood-rights on these two crafts."

Starbuck's indignation resonated across the conference room.

"It is the Cylon model Leoben. He knows me, knows the sound of my voice. Hell, he knows more about me than I do. He is going to know if we are frakking with him."

As the picture came back into focus, Commander Adama's voice was heard coming out of the sound system.

"Black Leader – I have spoken to the President and we both agree that for now, you have the board."

Glancing over at the XO, Lee could see Saul reliving that moment. Whatever orders Tigh was going to give her had been over-ridden by Commander Adama's executive decision.

Focusing back on the action on the screen, he didn't need the film to remind him of what happened out there less than ninety minutes ago and three FTL jumps later. But they were not here to talk about the principles of time and space. That wasn't the reason why they were here. No. They were assembled to figure out why they were all still here, why the Cylons left once they had what they came for and not destroyed the last remnants of mankind once they got what they wanted, and what the next step was going to be.

Starbuck's Viper separated and pulled out and ahead of the pack. Stopping just a click from where she started, she hailed the Heavy Raider.

"This is Viper One-One-Niner acknowledging the vessel Castor."

Her voice was strong. Lee could not detect any hint of the near panic he picked up on when she thought with her mouth open just a few moments prior to her facing off with the Heavy Raider.

"Voice imprint confirmed." A computer generated voice devoid of inflection continued, "Stand by for message relay on frequency Pi Delta Beta."

President Roslin interjected.

"Do we have a copy of that conversation, Captain Adama?"

Being the senior pilot and CAG, he knew why she asked him that question. It fell as one of his responsibilities. As someone whom he had served with and for since the destruction of the colonies, he knew the secondary reason why she pointedly asked him that question. She thought he needed someone to pull him back from reliving what happened. He wanted to scoff at her misdirected sense of empathy; didn't she know that you cannot re-live what you haven't stopped experiencing?

"Captain Kelly, would you please roll the playback?" Captain Adama asked even as he felt Lieutenant Agathon sit up straighter and bristle despite the man being two seats away.

"Yes, Sir," Kelly signalled for the tape to be played as events on the screen unfolded and the audio attached to the video was turned down.

Lee didn't need audio-visual support. That was why the Gods gave Men memories.

Xxx Bsg Xxx

One minute she was there, the next thing he knew, Ambush was and the bird she flew was gone.

Lee cut his transmission to Helo and hailed Kara.

"Black Leader – Apollo; acknowledge."

No answer.

"Black Leader – Apollo; ACKNOWLEDGE!" Like Kara, the more riled up he got, the lower his voice dropped. For her not to answer him at a time like this was more than enough to get his back up.

His E.C.O looked nervous as he made a suggestion.

"Maybe she cannot hear you because she is on another frequency, Sir."

Snapping back at the other man, Lee was pure Captain Adama when gave the same order to Helo. "Find that wireless band she's using."

He could feel the seconds tick away when the squawk and squeal of audio feedback made his teeth itch as Starbuck's voice slowly solidified into something recognizable.

Bsg Xxx Bsg

Everyone in the conference room had pens poised and attentions finely tuned as they listened to the verbal exchange and matched what they heard with that was being depicted on the screen.

"Repeat. This is Viper One-One-Niner, call sign Starbuck acknowledging the vessel Castor."

"I would know your voice anywhere, Kara – regardless of what you called yourself."

"The name is Starbuck, you will address me as Starbuck and there is no way in Hades that you are Castor."

"Interesting choice of words, Persephone; you are the consummate artist, aren't you?"

"Starbuck to enemy craft: state your intent or prepare to be engaged." Her malice was clear.

"Yes, I noticed that as well." Apparently Kastor was not put off by her promise of destruction. "It seems we have an audience don't we? Would you like me to prove to you who I am - Persephone?"

"Starbuck to enemy craft: if you stray outside the Codes of Conduct I promise you I will blow you out of the sky and take every one of your little friends with you in the process."

"Acknowledge receipt of transaction, Starbuck."

The way he said her name, Lee only heard him call her Kara, not her call sign.

"As stipulated in the Codes, I am exercising my right for you to provide proof of your intentions and I require the ability to speak with the necessary parties involved."

"Done."

"Pause here," Adama did not look up from the notation he was making as he issued his order. "Mr. Gaeta, do we have confirmation of this?"

"Yes, Sir – we do." The images on the screen dissolved and in their place was a long shot of the Aerilon Maiden and the Raider that was holding it hostage. "This footage was filmed seconds after Lieutenant Thrace-"

"Captain Thrace, Lieutenant Gaeta." Colonel Tigh reminded the tactical officer of Starbuck's promotion.

"Of course; moments after Captain Thrace exercised her right, this happened."

The video began to play again. This time, the Raider slipped backwards and away from its quarry before it blinked and jumped out of the solar system. Free of its sentry, Captain Thrace could be heard talking to Central Command.

"Galactica – Starbuck; transmit jump co-ordinates to the Aerilon Maiden and instruct the pilot to get his ship out of here RFN."

Dee's voice answered. "Co-ordinates transmitted; ship is away. Starbuck, Galactica Actual would like to know-"

"Relay to Galactica Actual that looking a gift horse in the mouth can lead to loosened teeth skidding across the barn floor."

"Castor to Persephone –"

"As stipulated by the Codes, I validate that you willingly and wilfully released an opposing craft to the custody of their sovereign state."

Signalling for the lights to be marginally brightened, Gaeta addressed the assemblage.

"From this point, systematically, one-by-one, the Fleet began to jump. For every Raider that was withdrawn, a Colonial vessel was allowed to escape as the conversation between Starbuck and Caster progressed."

On the screen, Raiders and ships jumped away. Fast forwarding the film, the longest thirty minutes of Lee's life was played out in less then three minutes.

"At this point," Gaeta again referred to the time stamp affixed on the bottom of the screen. "Every ship was away except Cloud Nine, Colonial One, Galactica and the fighters and raptors under her command."

Tigh settled back in his chair and grumbled loudly. "They reached an accord."

Lee gripped his pen more loosely. If he was going to drive it into Saul's throat for stating the obvious, a tight grip would do just as much damage to his hand as the ball-point would do to the older man's neck as he was forced to hear his own words and her replies echo in his head. Listening to Tigh explain what he said was secondary.

"The Codes of Conduct is a bureaucratic, typed version of 'parley'. Starbuck instigated the ancient mariner's etiquette of parley to free the Fleet."

Bsg Xxx Bsg

"Gods damn it, Starbuck – answer me or I swear that I will ram your frakking bird myself!"

"Starbuck – Apollo; am switching to gamma frequency – all craft, standby and await further instructions. You are ordered to stay the hell off gamma channel."

Lee knew she was speaking to Helo specifically. But at least he now had her partially divided attention. The BaseStar, Heavy Raider and her new friend that was little more than a disembodied voice over the wireless was hard to ignore. As well as the three remaining Attack Raiders holding everyone he lived with, respected, and loved hostage.

"Okay Starbuck – it is just you and me. Wanna fill in a few gaps?"

"Nope. The only reason why I'm talking to you right now is because you would shove your Raptor up my burners if you got pissed enough."

"You're damn straight I would. As your commanding officer, I am ordering you to brief me on your intentions."

"You have no authority here, Captain. I have the board and control of the situation. Sit tight. It will all be over soon." Starbuck's slightly condescending tone was enough to make him want to put his foot through the control panel. But if he did that, then there would be no way for him to fire up his engines and visually inspect her Viper from the inside-out. "I promise."

Oh frak! Starbuck's word was iron clad.

"Oh – and Apollo? I am releasing you from your end of our pact. Make sure you get everyone back on board. Do not leave anyone out here. That is an order, Captain."

"Starbuck – don't do this! Whatever it is, tell me. I cannot help you if you don't tell me what is going on!"

The calm tone of his E.C.O brought back some of his rationality. "She's gone, Sir. She's back on the battle frequency."

He watched as Starbuck fired her aft thrusters and advanced her fighter closer to the Heavy Raider.

"Switch us back, Specialist." Lee commanded quietly. If he continued to shout, then the possibility for him missing a vital piece of intelligence or moment of opportunity existed.

Apparently, Helo had such qualms.

"Apollo – Helo; stop her! Why the frak are you just sitting there?" Hearing the other man breathe heavily for a moment, he was more cohesive when he came back on the line. "Apologies, Sir. I lost my cool for a moment. With all due respect, Apollo – what the FRAK is she frakking thinking?"

"Apollo – Galactica Actual; I want a SitRep that explains what I am seeing!" Lee would bet that Tigh's mouth barely moved when he snarled out his latest command.

Collecting his thoughts, Kara's bird came to a stop less than a click away from the Heavy Raider. On DRAEDIS, the Attack Raider standing guard over Colonial One kicked on its engine and flew over the bow of the ship only to blink out in a flash of light. Immediately, Colonial One followed suit and jumped to rejoin the Fleet at the rendezvous point.

"The last civilian vessel is next." Her voice was steely.

"To quote you, because you put it so eloquently: as stipulated in the Codes, I am exercising my right for you to provide proof of your intentions and I require the ability to speak with the necessary parties involved." The 'captain' of the BaseStar transmitted his request with a Colonial code-signal.

"Proof of intentions will be provided momentarily. Speaking with the necessary parties has already occurred when you took it upon your self to pirate an enemy frequency. Permission denied, Castor." Starbuck cut her transmission and jammed any further communications from reaching the Galactica, Cloud Nine or the remaining members of the squadron.

Xxx Bsg Xxx

Lee snapped himself back to the present just as Tigh was filling President Roslin in on the finer points of parley.

"You see, when it comes to invoking the right of parley, what it all comes down to is this: who wants what the most, how far one is willing to go to get what they want, and what one deems an acceptable sacrifice as a means to achieve one's goals." Snorting derisively at the screen as Kara's Viper approached the Heavy Raider, he finished up. "Captain Thrace played a tricky hand with nothing but a pair of brass balls to back her up. Whatever she told them, they bought her bluff and earned our freedom. I have never approved of her or her conduct as a Colonial officer before today. As of right now, she has my respect."

Helo spoke up.

"Per Captain Adama's orders, I cross-referenced the voice-print we have on file from Starbuck's original interrogation of Leoben and an audio sample from the transmissions issued by the ship called Caster."

Lee saw a fleeting look of regret flit across his father's face. Kara would have never interacted with that rat-bastard if the Commander hadn't sent her the Geminon Traveller in the first place.

"They do not match." Reporting his finding, Helo shuffled his papers before replying. "Nor is there talk about water and streams or his place in Cylon evolution. We are listening to someone new here."

Looking through the lower lens of her glasses, President Roslin looked in Helo's direction. "Thank you, Lieutenant."

Propping her elbows on the table, Kat piped up. "It's interesting that this Caster knew exactly which ships to keep."

Still focused on what he was writing, Adama said the one thought on everyone's mind, "Spies. Every war has them and this one is no exception. Call them sympathizers, empathizers, Unification Specialists, whatever; there are as many titles assumed as there are those who commit treason. The Cylons struck at the worse possible time. You all behaved admirably and are to be commended, but the attack could not have come at a worse time." Sparing a look at Lee, Saul and finally Laura, he put it simply. "We have a rat problem, people."

Letting go of Adama's eyes and switching her gaze to Billy, Roslin murmured instructions to her aide. "Please inform Doctor Cottle that as soon as Captain Thrace is fit for release, I would like her to report for an immediate de-briefing."

Jotting down her request, Billy confirmed he understood what she said. "I will communicate with Major Cottle as soon as we are finished Madame President."

Lee, Karl, Gaeta, Tigh, Adama and the rest of the attack squadron looked at the walls, shifted in their seats and avoiding meeting the President's eyes. The fact that she didn't know was evident in the way her hair swung around her shoulders as she tried to glean information no one wanted to answer. "Apparently I am missing something?"

Lee looked at his father, and asked for permission – son to father – to leave the room with a flick of his eyes. Standing up, he nodded to Roslin and made his way out of the room.

"Captain Apollo, where are you going?" Being kept in the dark was bad enough, now persons with vital intel were leaving the de-briefing.

He looked down at his father before touching eyes with Roslin.

"I'm going to search for Captain Thrace, Madame President, so that she can show up for her de-briefing." His words came out harsher and more biting than the way they sounded in his head, but all things considered, he could have said something a lot worse and inflicted a lot more damage. Just ask his father or Kara.

Watching his son pull open the door, he didn't have to look up to know Laura was expecting some serious explanations.

"Lieutenant Agathon, go help Captain Adama search for Starbuck." Adama did not even look in Helo's direction when he gave his order. Speaking to everyone else, he said, "Anyone who wants to stay is welcome to; anyone who wants to go with the exception of Colonel Tigh, myself, Lieutenant Gaeta and Madam President is free to do so."

The sound of chairs scraping as they were pushed back and papers being gathered never happened. An overwhelming sense of respect and – homage – filled the room.

Looking at Adama, Laura fought the urge to rest her hand on his sleeve and settled for a nearly breathless question.

"Commander, is Captain Thrace… dead?"

Giving her a side-long look, he clarified, "I don't send officers or personnel to search for dead people, Madam President." Calling on the strength it took to be a career Colonial officer for more than forty years, Commander Adama prepared himself to do what his son could not. Relive the moments between Colonial One jumping to safety and the instant Cloud Nine rejoined her sister ships. Not even he had seen what had happened after that.

"Mr. Gaeta, if you would."

Xxx Bsg Xxx

Lee heard the door to the conference room swing shut behind him, but kept his eyes closed. If he opened them, he knew that he would see his hands still encased in flight gloves, beating against the inside of his Raptor view port. That was what he had always told himself he would do if he ever saw…

She was the only one who could get him this angry. She was the only one who ever drew out the primal side of his psyche that he has spent so long mastering control over. She was the only one who could make him laugh at himself in a way that was affirming rather than degrading. She was the only one who called him on his bullshit and stood up to the icy demeanour that had been his ace-in-the-hole throughout his career. She never let him shut down. Never let him retreat completely in the shell of an existence he inhabited prior to the ending of the Colonies. She was the only one he wanted to hit on a regular basis and he was the only one who could knock her on her ass when she needed it. She fought dirty, played hard and never gave more than she was willing to concede, could quote Kataris from memory, was able to hustle a room full of card sharks and knew how to be a better human being than half the people he had served with over the past ten-plus years.

Squeezing his eyes tighter, he started to make his way down the corridor. He had learned his mind's response to trauma after he and Starbuck blew up the Olympic Carrier. He needed to get away and somewhere more private than not when the flashbacks started to play out against the insides of his eyelids. Somehow, he was aware of a door opening and closing. He just hoped – for their sake – they knew well enough to leave him alone.

A strong set of fingers clamped down on his shoulder. No one but Starbuck would sneak up on him like that. Leave it to her to be playing one of her games right about now.

"Kara – I am so not in the mood for your antics right now." He started speaking before he fully looked at the arm attached to the body of Karl Agathon. "Frak, Helo. I'm sorry."

"I hear ya, man. Let's go find Kara. This way, follow me." Karl fell instep beside him and together they made their way across the ship. "I know exactly where we need to go."

It was two decks later when the first in a series of emotionally charged flashbacks, matching frame for frame what everyone in that frakking conference room was watching on the 'mission playback', knocked the wind from his lungs and buckled his knees. He barely felt Helo drag him into a storage locker and away from prying eyes.

Bsg Xxx Bsg

It was a stand-off. One Viper facing one Heavy Raider as a BaseStar loomed ominously in the distance. In the balance hung the lives of the squadron, Galactica and every soul on board the Cloud Nine – his father's among them.

There was ceaseless chatter between the ships. Everyone wanted to know what was going on and the only person who had any answers wasn't talking to him or anyone. He had heard Helo's pleas for her to stop whatever it was she was doing. Even Kat got in on the cajoling band-wagon. She turned a deaf ear to all.

He did hear her page luxury liner. When that happened, everyone went quiet. There was no way she was going to ignore Adama.

"Starbuck – what do you hear?" Commander Adama issued his own pop quiz.

"Its clear skies, Sir and a glassy sea," Starbuck smoothly responded. "You are going to have an easy sail, Sir. After all, that's my job, right? That's why you pay me by the cubit."

"Your job is to stay in this old man's life. I need my son and my daughter by my side, Starbuck. I need someone to keep Apollo from feeding me green gelatine in twenty years."

A broken laugh was cut short.

"Sorry, Sir – you know how it goes. Once you've made your bed, you've got to lie in it."

"Not if that bed ceases to exist, Starbuck." Adama nearly growled as he argued the one loop hole in her logic. "I don't care what you've done, what deal you've made. I can protect you. Apollo can protect you."

"Not this time, Sir." Her taking a deep breath was eerie. He was always used to Starbuck just doing things because it needed to be done. "Promise me that you will make sure each and every person gets on board. There are a lot of floating birds both here and at the back of the fleet. Bring them home, Commander. I don't trust Apollo; not on this. Knowing him, he will probably hijack the first repaired, refuelled Raptor and seek retribution. Make sure he lives to fly another day. Make sure they all live to fly another day. Hell – you'll make the Chief's day while you're at it."

Lee had to interrupt even though he knew why she did not include him in her conversation with their father. He and Kara had already said their goodbyes.

"Starbuck. Don't. Do. This."

"Starbuck, you are to report to Galactica's hanger deck immediately," Adama had had enough. Switching up to his most intimidating, well riled Commander, I-am-not-going-to-deal-with-your-insubordination-any-longer persona, his voice boomed across the comms like a gun shot. "After that, you will report to my office and we will figure out another way out of this."

"I'm afraid not, Sir. You see, they already have."

The next fifteen seconds played out in the slowest motion he had ever experience in his life.

The burners on Kara's Viper cut out.

Her thrusters stopped adjusting her position.

Movement from the Heavy Raider caught the corner of his eye. A detail of four Centurions were mag-locked to the outside of the hull.

Helo's voice erupted from his centre console.

Seelix was relaying what she was seeing to those at positioned along the edge of the Fisherman's Net.

Adama was silent – he could not see what was happening in front of his son's eyes.

Kara ejected from her bird and arched into space, securely belted to her flight chair. Her side arm she flung away as she soared towards the Heavy Raider and certain death.

Somewhere in his mind, his analytical side put two and two together: evacuating her Viper was her 'proof of intentions'.

Helo was screaming to him not to let her go, that she was what they were after all along, but he really could not hear what Agathon was saying as the loading dock for the Heavy Raider opened and the guard perched off the starboard stern of Cloud Nine flew overhead and jumped away. On his DRAEDIS, Cloud Nine jumped as well.

Looking off his port bow, Starbuck's security detail was towing her into the Heavy Raider. Once she was in range, a glint of silver was all he could see as the metal soldier nearest to her cracked her face-plate. Don't they know they didn't have to do that? For better or worse, Starbuck, Kara and Lt. Thrace always kept a promise – whether she wanted to or not.

Watching the airlock re-seal, the hope of seeing her face one last time vanished in the bright flash of an FTL jump as both the Heavy Raider, remaining attack Raider and BaseStar vanished off the scopes.

Xxx Bsg Xxx

On the floor of the storage locker, Lee fought to bring breath back into his body. He had been there when it was just you, a transponder, a cracked face plate and the skill behind who ever was assigned to Search and Rescue was all that stood between you and a passage down the River Styx.

Looking up at Helo through a sheen of well-tethered tears as he pushed himself upright and braced one hand against the metal wall, he choked out two words even as his fingers tried to claw their way through inches of Battlestar grade steel.

"She's gone."

Bsg Xxx Bsg

In the conference room, everyone stood in the dark and saluted the empty expanse of space where certain doom threatened mankind and the tide was turned by the sacrifice of one woman, pilot, friend and daughter.

It was a long moment before Bill Adama could face the light so he let the moment stretch.

Xxx BSG Xxx BSG Xxx BSG Xxx

Manacled, chained and leashed with a metal collar, Starbuck rolled her shoulders to alleviate a cramp as the Heavy Raider docked with the BaseStar.

Pushed and pulled at the same time down the gangplank, she shook her hair out of her face and took her mind off the wet squelching sounds her flight boots made as she crossed the organic matter that carpeted the flight deck by focusing on how much damage she could inflict before she was done 'redecorating'. She had promised that she would come willingly and without a fight. At no point had the parley they settled on include post-abduction behaviour. If anything, a sense of calm spread through out her mind and body as she prepared herself. Everyone was safe: Cally, Lee, the Old Man, and Helo – everyone. She did what she had signed on to do when she scrawled her name on the dotted line almost seven years ago.

He shocked her by using her 'other' name when she was least expecting it. The way she figured it, turn about was fair play.

Kicked to her knees, the smooth fabric of her flight suit suctioned to the moist decking as her body made contact. A lock of hair fell across her eyes even as a large shadow blocked her view, A gentle hand swept her bangs aside as a warm, brown gaze locked onto her hazel-green eyes.

"Hello, Kara."

"Hello, Zak. Or should I call you Anders?"