The Defector
By Jojobevco
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Battlestar Galactica story or characters. I do, however, reserve the rights for any characters I develop and the plot of this story.
This chapter covers the events of "Unfinished Business"
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Chapter 25
Memories at the Dance
1300 Hours
Hangar Deck
Battlestar Galactica
Fight Night
Sarah entered the flight deck to see what was happening. She really didn't understand this ritual; personally she felt that all the extra and gratuitous violence was too much in a universe fraught with destruction. Sarah wasn't a pacifist, not by any means, but she believed in judicious and appropriate use of force, not having her crew beat the crap out of each other.
Right now, in the ring were Lee Adama and, to her surprise, Billy Keikeya. Even more surprising was that Billy was winning. She honestly had no idea how that was happening. Some shouting in the corner drew her attention. There was Dee, shouting and cheering her husband on. Dee had changed since her marriage to Billy. She went from being almost suicidal, to being one of the happiest members of the crew. Sara had the feeling that her baby changed that too.
Flashback
1000 Hours
Outside Billy Keikeya's Office
Cloud 9
Two Months after Gaius Baltar's Inauguration
Dee was pacing outside her husband's office. She really had no idea what to do about what she had uncovered. Dee had just found out that she was pregnant, and she honestly wasn't sure how she felt about it. She didn't know if she wanted to bring a child into the universe right now, but her faith wouldn't let her do otherwise. But she knew above all, that she had to let Billy know, she had to let him in on the decision.
Dee gently knocked on the door three times before a muffled, "come in," was heard. Billy was inside standing next to a white board that had each ship listed, each ship's total passengers, and each ship's total capacity. It also listed whether or not the ship was in the Fleet or on the surface. Finally there was a small corner at the bottom that had the current population of the Fleet versus the population of New Caprica. Every week when Dee came in here the Fleet number kept getting smaller while the New Caprica number kept getting bigger. It was depressing.
Billy saw her come in and turned to give her a big kiss, "Hello, Dee, how are things in the CIC?"
"Boring as hell, how are things here?"
"Crazy, everyone keeps wanting to go to New Caprica, even though I tell them it's safer here and more comfortable here, they keep wanting to leave. To make things worse Baltar wants more ships on the surface, so that means I have to move people to other ships, it's a logistical nightmare. Actually, it's worse than the initial evacuation from the colonies. Or maybe I just notice it more because I'm in charge. Oh, I don't know."
Billy collapses on his couch and throws his arms out, Dee cuddles next to him.
"Well, I hate to tell you but your logistical nightmare just got worse."
"Huh, did Sarah have her baby? If she did then I might have won the pool…"
Dee slapped his arm "No you idiot, it's not Sarah having the baby."
"But there is a baby involved?"
Dee nodded.
"Well, then who's having the baby?"
"Um, we are Billy,"
Billy blinked before responding in a monotone, "we're having a baby?"He slowly started smiling, "we're having a baby!"
Billy noticed that Dee wasn't smiling,, "What is it, Dee? What's wrong?"
"It's just I'm worried, this isn't exactly the life I imagined for my child, this isn't a good life, running and hiding."
"Dee, we will be the best parents we can be. There isn't any more we can do."
Dee slowly nodded and started smiling, maybe things would be alright
End Flashback
"Sarah, Sarah!"
Sarah turned around to see Laura and her husband coming into the hanger deck. Both of them had a meeting earlier in the day, so they were just coming here now.
Sarah kissed her husband, "Hello, Bill. Hello, Laura, what brings you here?"
"My father loved boxing when I was growing up, so now, I like boxing."
Sarah glanced over at Doc Cottle who seemed to be getting into it, odd for a Doctor.
"Laura, your husband seems to be getting into it."
"Oh yes, he really loves fighting."
Bill and Sarah looked at each other struggling not to laugh.
Flashback
1400 Hours
A Hill Overlooking New Caprica City
New Caprica
One Month after Gaius Baltar's Inauguration
Bill and Sarah stepped out of the raptor on the hill overlooking what would eventually become New Caprica City, emphasis on the eventually. Right now, New Caprica City consisted of a single dirt road leading from Colonial One to the river on the other side of the settlement. In all there were a few tents constructed, mostly for government and construction, as well as the two new tents going up directly in front of them.
"Do you think that this is going to become the vision of humanity as it was?" Bill asked sarcastically, borrowing a line from Gaius Baltar.
"No, we don't have the infrastructure, or the time."
"I agree."
Their attention was drawn to a squabbling couple down below,
"No, no, no, your hospital goes there, my school goes there."
"I need the hospital closer to the planned sewer and electric lines."
"Oh! Well, speaking of power we brought two generators down here, one for me and one for you, now you're taking both of them!"
"Laura, I run a hospital that people need, building a city leads to injuries, what do you need a generator for? Look around. Do you see any school children?"
As the couple continued squabbling Sarah and Bill started laughing, Bill asked, "Why do they argue so much?"
"I don't know, maybe it's for the make-up sex?"
Bill turned to Sarah and smirked, "Make-up sex? I'll show you make-up sex!" He pounced.
For the rest of the day the pilots strategically avoided the hill, While the Major was rather beautiful, it sort of felt like watching your parents having sex. Not a good image.
End Flashback
As Sarah looked around the crowded Hanger Deck, she saw the Gina and Felix behind a table, taking bets on the action. Just a few months ago, Gina wouldn't have been anywhere near a crowd this big, she really had come a long way from the battered, scared woman Sarah held on the Pegasus, and most of it was thanks to her relationship with and subsequent marriage to Felix Gaeta. As she smiled, joking with the crew members and collecting money, Sarah glanced down at Gina's rather large belly. That went beyond Sarah's wildest expectations, she never expected Gina to get pregnant, simply because when she first met Gina on Pegasus, Sarah never expected Gina to become intimate with someone again. Eventually she did, but it was a long uphill battle.
Flashback
2200 Hours
A Maintenance Locker
Battlestar Galactica
Two Months after Gaius Baltar's Inauguration
Felix and Gina were making out with each other in a maintenance locker by Gina's quarters. It was the first time they made out, before, after the kiss on the Raptor, two months earlier, they had just kept it to chaste kisses of only a few seconds. These kisses were always initiated by Felix. For some reason Gina found herself unable to initiate any sort of contact with Felix, she responded to what he did, but she never started it.
Today, after a rare dinner on Cloud 9 the two returned to Galactica smiling and looking at each other with eyes that could only express a portion of how they felt. They started kissing in the hallway before Felix dragged them into the locker and shut the door behind them. The kissing started getting more intense, Felix's hands slowly started moving, running one through Gina's long blond hair and running the other under her shirt, over the scars on her back.
This caused a reaction in Gina, she froze. Suddenly, she remembered her experiences on Pegasus. She remembered the beatings, the taunting, the violations; she remembered how she felt, how she just shut down. Gina did the same thing in that closet. Felix had only a moment's warning before Gina's legs gave out and he had to gently guide her to the floor. He looked into her eyes and could only see a blank vacant look. Felix didn't know what to do, so, he called someone who did. He reached the phone on the wall and dialed the Adamas' Quarters.
The Admiral answered, "Adama."
"Admiral, this is Lieutenant Gaeta, is the Major there, Sir, because there is something wrong with Gina and I really don't think I'm qualified to handle it."
"Hang on," he heard the phone passing around and some mumbling. He snuck a quick look back a Gina, who was still on the floor, but at least no she was blinking.
"What is it, Felix?"
"It's Gina, Major, she's currently, on the floor in the Maintenance Locker near her quarters, and she seems to have this vacant look in her eyes."
"Frak, okay, Felix, listen to me, she's probably having a flashback, listen carefully, kneel down next to her and start gently reassuring her in a gentle tone of voice, telling her this isn't real, that she's safe, that sort of thing. If you must put your hand on her hand, only on her hand, nowhere else. I'll be there in a few minutes."
Felix did exactly what she said, he knelt down next to her body, which was sort of propped up against the wall, and started talking to her.
"Gina, it's Felix, Felix Gaeta, you're safe, you're on Galactica, no one is going to hurt you, okay."
It didn't seem like he was getting through to her, so he gently placed his hand on her hand, a few moments passed before he slowly felt it close around his. Her blinking became more rapid before she slowly moved her head, focusing on him.
"Felix?"
"Hello, Gina."
At this point the hatch opened and a pregnant looking Sarah stepped in, "Any change, Mr. Gaeta?"
"Change in what, sister?"
"What's the last thing you remember?"
"Let's see, I was walking down the hallway with Felix, we came in here, and we started um…"
"Making out?" Felix supplied.
"Yes, making out, then I woke up here on the floor. What happened?"
"I think you had a flashback. Mr. Gaeta, I need to know exactly what happened. This is important."
"Right, well we were making out, it was getting a bit more intense, I ran my left hand though her hair and my right hand under her shirt,"
"The front or back, Felix?"
"Back, why?"
"I'm trying to figure out what triggered this. Come, Gina, let's get you to bed, we'll talk more about this in the morning.
0800 Hours, The Next Day
Office of Sarah Inviere-Adama
Battlestar Galactica
Two Months and One Day after Gaius Baltar's Inauguration
Tick, tock, tick tock.
Sarah and Gina were sitting in Sarah's office, discussing the events of the previous evening.
"So how are you feeling?"
"Terrible, horrible, scum of the earth, etc."
"Why?"
"Because here I've got this great guy willing to do anything for me, willing to date me after everything that happened and I can't even make out with him without blacking out. I'm dirty, ugly, horrible, and weak I don't deserve him."
"What, you are not, you're beautiful and a wonderful strong woman, you just have some issues you have to work through."
"Beautiful, that's a laugh." Gina stood up and pulled off her shirt and her bra. "Look at me, seriously, Sarah, look at me." Gina slowly spun around so that Sarah could see all the scars covering her breasts, her torso, and her back. "I'm gross, ugly, disgusting, and don't get me started on how weak I am. I mean seriously, if I can't stay conscious during a make out session, what happens when we actually have sex, Sarah?"
"Gina, I could tell you that he doesn't care, but you won't believe me, the best thing you can do is tell him what you told me and see what he says."
"Yes, I should, I suppose I owe it to him."
"Good." Sarah picked up her phone and called the tactical station in the CIC, she asked for Felix to come down, before nodding to Gina and leaving her alone with her thoughts.
A few minutes later Felix came in and saw Gina sitting, facing away from him, topless, he immediately went bug eyed and his jaw dropped. Luckily, he managed to get control of his facial reactions before she turned around. However, that didn't do him much good when she did, his jaw dropped and he went bug eyed when he saw the front of her incredibly hot model-like body.
Gina wasn't looking at him, instead she was looking at the floor between them.
"Felix, listen, you are a great guy, probably the greatest person I've ever dated. Honestly, though, I don't think we should be together, I'm really not good enough for you, not by far. I'm grotesque and ugly, and weak. I feel horrible about what happened yesterday. I love you, Felix Gaeta, these past two months have been the most spectacular of my life, but I don't deserve you. You deserve a woman who's beautiful and emotionally stable; a woman who doesn't go comatose just because you touch her." After saying her piece, Gina ignored the tears welling up in her eyes and just waited for Felix to do something.
His next comment surprised her, "Wow, you are so beautiful."
"What?"
"Look at you; you are one of the most beautiful sights in the universe."
"No, Felix you don't understand, you don't understand that under," she looked down, "Oh!"
Gina just realized that she was naked from the waist up.
Felix looked at her shocked and embarrassed face and grinned, "What, you didn't realized you were topless this whole time?"
Gina answered in a small voice, "No, no I didn't."
Felix slowly walked toward her, talking in a calm, controlled voice while he did, "Gina, I can see your scars, I can see them, and they are just as beautiful as the rest of you, because they prove something. They prove that you have an amazing, unbreakable spirit, they prove that you are a survivor." He gently placed his hands on her forearms, "You are beautiful Gina, never doubt it." Felix then gently kissed one of the scars on her upper shoulder. Surprisingly, Gina didn't blackout or flashback. This was kind, this was Felix, and this was good.
End Flashback
Sarah looked back at the ring; apparently Sharon Tyrol just got her tags called, the climbed into the ring and looked around before pointing at a single person, Sharon Agathon, who was smirking at Boomer. As she got into the ring, the crew of Galactica came to a startling conclusion.
The two Sharons looked exactly alike. They both had the same muscle tone, same body dimensions, same eyes, same noses, same hairstyle, and the same skin with the same blemishes. The only differences between them are that Boomer had a scar on her right cheek from where she tried to shoot herself and Athena has a scar (that the crew couldn't see) from her emergency c-section.
Sarah knew that this fight was going to be brutal. These two had a lot of issues between them and it was all coming to a head at this damn dance.
The bell rang and they came out swinging.
Flashback
1000 Hours
Sickbay
Battlestar Galactica
Three Months after Gaius Baltar's Inauguration
The Tyrol's were sitting in Sickbay with a worried look on their face. In the past few days, Sharon hadn't been feeling well, which was unusual because Cylons don't get sick. So, they did the best thing they could do, they went to sickbay.
Fleet Chief Medical Officer, Layne Ishay looked at them, heard their symptoms, nodded, drew a bit of blood and walked off for a few minutes. When she came back she was smiling.
"Congratulations, Sharon, you're pregnant."
"Pregnant? Pregnant!" She turned to Galen and jumped into his arms, "We're pregnant! We're going to have a baby!" She then proceeded to kiss him quite thoroughly.
Layne waited a minute or so before gently clearing her throat, pulling the lovebirds apart, "Right, yes, now there's a lot you need to do…" Layne then went on to describe the prenatal care that Sharon would need, including that she should limit her flying.
2200 Hours
CAG's Quarters
Battlestar Galactica
Four and a Half Months after Gaius Baltar's Inauguration
Sharon and Galen just finished moving to their new quarters after Sharon's recent promotion to CAG. After Kara left to get married, the most experienced pilot left on Galactica was Sharon, so the Admiral promoted her, even though she was on limited flight status due to her pregnancy. They were now laying on their new, wider bed, Sharon in the crook of Galen's arm as they were both gently rubbing her belly and the life that grew within it.
"I'm thinking Nicholas for a boy."
Sharon turned her head slightly, "Nicholas?"
"It was my maternal grandfather's name and William for a middle name, after the Admiral, of course."
"Sounds good, I don't have any ancestors, so I'm kind of lacking in that regard," She chuckled slightly, "How about if it's a girl."
"Athena, after the goddess of Wisdom and War."
"It's fitting, with my smarts and warlike attitude."
"Your smarts and warlike attitude, I think I have some smarts in there myself, I built a ship you know."
"Yes and it blew up on the first mission.
"It's not my fault that the Cylons shot at the thing."
They both laughed before laying in silence for a bit, and then suddenly Sharon spoke, "Sarah."
"What about her?"
Sharon playfully slapped him, "No you idiot, as a middle name Athena Sarah Tyrol has a nice ring to it."
"Yes, it does, it's unique."
End Flashback
One of the Sharons hit the other in the face with a right cross, knocking her down. The one on the ground quickly swept the standing Sharon's legs out from under her, bringing her to the ground.
Flashback
0200 Hours
Sickbay
Battlestar Galactica
Seven Months after Gaius Baltar's Inauguration
Thirty minutes ago, Sharon Tyrol woke up with vaginal bleeding and severe abdominal pain and was quickly rushed to sickbay by her husband. Layne Ishay came over with the ultrasound machine and started listening to the sound of the heartbeat in Sharon's womb. She was trying to diagnose why the fetus's heart rate was steadily dropping, nothing she, nor anything Doctor Cottle on the surface did helped.
Suddenly, she heard nothing, "The fetus's heart rate has flat-lined. I'm sorry, but there is nothing I can do."
"Nothing, what do you mean nothing? Please, there has to be something?"
"Sharon, I'm sorry, but you've had a miscarriage. We'll have to wait and see if the fetus and placenta pass naturally on their own, or if they'll have to be removed."
Layne bowed her head and left the grieving couple alone.
End Flashback
One of the Sharons was up against the ropes of the ring while the other was working her over, before the one on the ropes suddenly went on the offensive, kicking the other in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her and sending her flying to the other side of the ring. The one on the ropes stood up, did her best to shake off the pain she was feeling and started advancing on the other, who was still trying to recover her breath.
Flashback
1800 Hours
Galactica Daycare Facility
Battlestar Galactica
Eight Months after Gaius Baltar's Inauguration
Boomer was keeping up with her work; actually it was really the only thing holding her together. Sarah had tried talking to her, everyone had, but she and Galen weren't talking to anyone, not even each other, they answered questions with the shortest conversation possible. Today the random wandering that Sharon took after work in an unsuccessful effort to keep her mind off of things took her to the Daycare, where Sharon was getting Hera to take her home for the day.
Sharon Agathon saw Boomer, for the first time since the tragedy and approached her, "Sister, I'm sorry about what happened to you—"
\ "I don't want your condolences!" Boomer shouted before pausing for a second, "Why, why did this happen to me, why do you, you of all people, get that happy healthy child and I get nothing? Why?"
Sharon Agathon had always be jealous of her, 'sister,' who for some reason was more respected than she was, who didn't spend months looking at the walls of a cell, who was let off with a slap on the wrist when she should have been killed, who didn't have the shame, embarrassment or horror of being violated by Thorne. She decided that now that she had Boomer jealous at her she was going to take full advantage of it,
"I don't know, maybe it's God punishing you for what you did, maybe you or your husband are weak and pitiful, maybe I and Helo have something you two don't. I don't know what it is, but know that I am better than you!"
Boomer's shock and anger broke into sadness and grief; she let out a sob and ran from the room.
End Flashback
Both of the Sharons were barely able to stand by this point, they had both thoroughly beat and bruised each other, that they looked like blotches of red and blue and purple and some of their original skin color, both of them were leaning on each other, hugging each other.
Athena said to Boomer, "I'm so sorry."
"I'm sorry, too."
"I love you, Sister."
"I love you, too."
AN: Please Review! Thanks to those who have.
AN2: I've planned out the next few chapters except for how to deal with Caprica Six (namely how do I get her on Galactica if Hera doesn't need to be rescued) and how to get Starbuck's (or another) Viper to "Earth" and the Ionian Nebula, preferably without killing Kara.