Hearts and Fates Entwined

By: Fairedust

Part 4

Chapter 13

Lee stood in his office, staring into nothing. The mission clock in the corner showed there were still five more hours before he was to jump the Fleet and continue the search for Earth. Dee was sitting on a nearby chair, papers scattered on a table in front of her. She looked up at Lee when she realized he'd not responded to what she'd been saying.

"Lee, you shouldn't give up hope on them so soon."

"Am I that easy to read?" Lee said, his voice filled with resignation.

"You are to me." she said with familiarity.

Lee felt himself bristle at her attempt to make a personal connection. He couldn't forget what she'd done when he'd first received his commission of the Pegasus. Nor could he forget what she'd put him thru during the Ground Breaking ceremony and then after. But he told himself he was being unreasonable. Dee must realize he'd never fall into her arms, whether he was with Abby or not. By taking a deep breath, he managed to tamp down his uncalled for animosity and accepted that she was merely trying to encourage him. In a moment of vulnerability, he told her what he really thought.

"Dee, this mission would have been difficult enough had both our Battlestars been in the mix. But as it stands my father chose to go into battle with only his ship. A ship, I might add, that isn't even at half strength." his insides knotting up as he said aloud what he'd been thinking.

Still trying for that elusive connection with Lee, Dee plowed on. "Lee, the Admiral and the Bucket have pulled off miracles before and you know it."

"Dee, they are out manned, out positioned and out matched. My father has taken on more than the 'old girl' can handle. That isn't opinion, it's military fact." Lee blurted.

After Dee took a moment to absorb what Lee had said, she felt the need to add - even if it was only for her own benefit, "Well then, if the Old Man doesn't return, … 'you' will be in command. You will lead us to safety. You will lead this Fleet to Earth." she stated with surety.

Still reeling from saying his fears out loud and still feeling uncharacteristically vulnerable, Lee shot back in a strained voice. "How can you be so sure, Dee?"

"Because you are the Commander of the Pegasus. The Admiral has placed you in charge of this Fleet. You 'will' ensure this Fleet's safety . . . because, . . . because you are an 'Adama'." she said with conviction.

Lee turned to look at Dee upon hearing her words of confidence. She sounded so sure, while he felt completely adrift. But when he chanced a look at her eyes, he realized she too needed to be reassured. She needed to know that he would not buckle under the strain that was clearly beginning to overwhelm her. Behind him, he heard the hatch open and immediately felt the calming presence of Abby enter the room.

"You're right Dee. I am an Adama and I will do everything I can to keep this Fleet safe." he said with enough confidence to see her relax with relief. Then he looked back towards Abby and signaled her to come over to the table. Only sparing Dee a quick glance, he said in a dismissive tone. "If there is nothing else, I need to focus on some important decisions."

Dee looked from Lee at the planning table to Tabitha still standing near the doorway. She knew a dismissal when she heard one. Even though it rankled her to be forced to leave, while it was clear Tabitha was being asked to remain, she gathered up her papers anyway. With one final look at the two who remained in the room, she exited thru the hatch.

Oooooooooooooooooo

Meanwhile in the Galactica's Pilots' Ready Room:

Kat sat at a table waiting impatiently. It was difficult to remain still with all the tension flowing thru her veins. Also in the room, Racetrack paced back and forth. She had long ago given up the appearance of trying to remain still. As she paced back and forth, she constantly snapped and popped her fingers, in an attempt to keep herself from screaming out loud. Much like most of the others slated for this mission, the tension caused by waiting was beginning to show.

Both pilots jumped when the phone in the Ready Room buzzed to life. Kat looked over to Racetrack, signaling the pacing pilot to answer. After only a few seconds of listening, she acknowledged whoever she was speaking with. Then she turned to face Kat with a feral grin appearing on her face.

"We're on." was all she needed to say, before both pilots bolted from the room - heading to their awaiting 'birds'. Finally their mission was a go. All the tension they'd struggled with over the hours was morphed into the thrill of anticipated battle. Finally all their hard work was to be put to the test. This was either an all or nothing and all those involved were fully committed to the task.

Over the intercom, the message could be heard throughout the ship.

"Action stations, action stations. Set condition one throughout the ship. Action stations, action stations. Set condition one throughout the ship"

The first to launch were two teams of Raptors. They were to jump into an orbit close to New Caprica, but on the other side of the planet. There they were to execute the opening gambit. Adama could only hope their plan would work.

Oooooooooooooooooo

On the surface:

A Three rushed into Colonial One. "Two Battlestars just jumped into orbit. Adama is back." she said with fear.

As soon as the words were in the air, Guias Baltar absorbed the news with a mixture of happy relief and trepidation. Relief because they would all be saved, well most anyway. Trepidation because he had no idea how this was going to effect him.

Another Six, standing across from Caprica Six and Guias, was much more focused than the others in the room. "De Anna, where are they? Have our Baseships moved to intercept? Have they already engaged? What about our defenses? Are the Centurians already in positions?"

"Our Centurians are all in position. Several are already stationed in the towers. Both of our Baseships are moving to intercept the Galactica and the Pegasus as we speak." De Anna said with anxiety still showing in her voice.

Others in the room decided it would be a good idea to see what, if anything, was happening outside. Before their eyes, it looked as if pandemonium had just erupted. Several key structures were set ablaze via explosives. People seemed to be running every which way, in an effort to avoid the flames. But as they watched more fires continued to appear.

The Six moved toward the Colonial One's Comm link. She wanted answers and she wanted them now. After listening for several minutes, she informed the small group in the room, "It's a trick. There are no Battleships in orbit. What is Adama up to?" she said with a trace of confusion.

Just then they all heard a horrendous sound outside. It seemed as if the very atmosphere around them was tearing apart. Then abruptly the terrible sound ceased to exist. In its place was the undeniable sound of Vipers racing overhead. Explosions.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

The Colonel and Tyrol were attempting to gain access to the ship yard, but were pinned down by the Centurians stationed on the towers. As they waited for their chance to advance, they heard a horrendously loud sound. Both men looked to each other, wondering if the planets atmosphere was being torn asunder. When they hazarded a glance around the corner of the storage container they were hiding behind, they saw something they never would have believed possible. The Galactica had just jumped into the inner atmosphere. It was directly above the city and falling fast.

Gods, but that ship wasn't meant to be inside the atmosphere. As they watched the 'ol girl' fall like a stone, they could hear the horrific sounds coming from her overburdened hull and engines. Then they heard the wondrous sound of Viper engines taking to the air. Just before both men were sure the Galactica was about to crash to the ground, she jumped.

Within moments, one of the Vipers had taken out the guard tower outside the shipyard. Wasting no time, the Colonel ordered the armed men accompanying him to move forward. It was essential to gain control of those ships. Tyrol had already handed out the launch keys.

Not far behind this first wave of armed men, pilots were waiting anxiously for word to move to their designated ships. Everyone knew time was against them. It wouldn't take too long for the Cylons to regroup and call in reinforcements. All they could do is hope the Galactica could hold off however many Baseships were out there in orbit long enough to load everyone on the surface and for all the ships to make their first jump.

Out in the streets, the sounds of chaos seemed to reign. Everywhere you turned, people were screaming in fear and pain. The wailing of frightened and/or lost children was everywhere. The deafening sound of gunfire from Colonial weapons was intermixed with the sounds of the Centurians' lethal firepower. The backdrop for this wicked symphony was the sounds of raging fire and explosions. If an artist or poet ever tried to describe Hell, this would certainly be their inspiration.

With the help of the Vipers, the shipyard was quickly under the control of the Colonists. Shortly afterwards, Raptors began to appear in mass. As soon as they landed, they opened their hatches. Marines poured out of their open hatches. As soon as each Raptor was emptied, they took to the air once more. Their fire power and detection equipment was required in the air. The battle for humanities survival on the ground was now in full swing.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Kara could hear the raging battle happening below and outside her window. She was still unaware the Galactica had returned. All she could think of was the Resistance had finally decided to make a major push. Uncharacteristic fear ate at her. How could she possibly protect herself and Casey, trapped like a rat in this 'dollhouse'. She was sure the Cylons would retaliate in force. She was well versed with battle tactics. She knew this wasn't a battle the Colonist could wage and win against the Cylons. The Cylons seemed to never run out of resources; where as the Colonists' resources were extremely limited. The firepower at the Cylons disposal was far superior to anything they had available. But most importantly - Cylons didn't die - humans did.

Kara could hear bullets ricochet off the exterior of the building she was being held prisoner in. She knew it was only a matter of time before one made it thru her window. Then an even greater fear took hold. She knew it couldn't be long before a Centurian burst thru the door of the apartment to slaughter anything it found. Looking over her shoulder at Casey, Kara felt her heart freeze.

'Oh my Gods! Casey is totally exposed, standing there in the middle of the room like that. My Gods!! What kind of mother am I to not find a safe place for her?' Kara railed at herself. Without thinking that she was exposing herself in front of the large pane of glass, Kara charged across the room. As soon as she'd scooped Casey up against her chest, she all but dove into a bedroom and pushed the little girl under the bed.

"Casey honey? I need you to stay under the bed. You're not to come out of there until I tell you. You'll be safe. OK?" Kara tried to say in as soothing a voice as she could muster. Just after the little girl gave her a trusting look and nodded her head, Kara heard the door to the apartment open.

Not knowing if it was friend or foe, but figuring it could really only be foe, she looked around for a weapon. Nothing . . . There was absolutely frakking nothing! She couldn't even grab a lamp from a table for Gods sakes. Leoben had made very sure all potential weapons were either removed or solidly anchored. FRAK!!

Kara quickly signaled Casey to be very quiet. Though to be honest, Casey had yet to make a peep. 'Gods' Kara thought. 'Casey is one brave little girl'. Kara, however didn't feel the little girls calm at the moment. As she stood with her back against the wall, next to the jamb, she could hear someone moving suspiciously thru the apartment. Without a weapon she knew she had little to no chance of overpowering one of the Cylons, especially if it was one of the Six models. But she was not about to allow anyone near her child. She was going fight with all she had, in order to save Casey from any harm.

When she heard the distinctive sound of the floor squeak right outside the door, she used the only thing she had to her advantage - the element of surprise. Jumping out into the hallway, arms raised to attack whoever it was that posed a threat to the child behind her, Kara froze. It wasn't a Six or even a stranger. It was Leoben.

When Leoben saw Kara jump into the hallway, ready to attack, Leoben's quick reflexes had him jump out of her reach. "Kara, you're alright." He said with a sigh of relief.

His obvious relief made Kara even more confused than she was before. Why had he sounded so relieved? It wasn't as if she could have escaped. They both knew that to be fact. She'd been trying for four months to do just that. As she stood staring at him, another thought occurred to her. Her fear had been correct. Leoben had been afraid one of his so called brothers or sisters may have already come here. "What the FRAK is happening out there?" she demanded.

"It's the Insurgence. They've gone on a full scale attack. I just had to be sure you and Casey were still safe." he told her, but she could tell he was hiding something. Quickly Leoben made to leave. He was needed out there. When Kara realized he was going to lock them back in, even knowing that one of the other Cylons could come here at any time and slaughter her and Casey, she snapped.

"Leoben! You can't leave us in here! It's not safe and you know it. You have to let us out of here!!!" she screamed at him.

Leoben didn't have time for this. He shouldn't have even come here in the first place. He just had to know if she and the child were safe. Had to see with his own eyes that none of the others had come here and destroyed those he believed he loved. Thinking it was for the best, Leoben abruptly turned on Kara and struck her hard across the temple. If she was unconscious, she would draw that much less attention to herself. She'd be safe, Leoben thought. Quickly he exited the apartment and relocked the door. He was needed elsewhere. He could spare no more time.

Oooooooooooooooooooo

Back in orbit:

"Sir, the Colonial ships have begun to clear the atmosphere. Several have already started to jump." came Helo's ever calm voice.

From across the CIC, Hoshi's voice didn't seem so relieved. "Admiral, two more Baseships have jumped into orbit. They are launching their Raiders."

The Admiral unknowingly brought his hand up to rub his temples. In a quiet voice, that only Helo could hear, "Four Basestars? We may have been able to hold off two, . . . but there's no way we can hold off four." When Helo heard the Admiral, he lowered his head so no one else would be able to read his fear or resignation. With effort he pulled himself back together, in much the same way the Admiral had already done. Even if they didn't survive - at least they would hopefully be able to hold out long enough for the Colonists to jump to safety.

"Sir, correction. A third Basestar has just entered orbit. That makes the count now five Basestars. It too is launching it's Raiders."

Just then the Galactica was rocked hard from a direct hit.

"Report!" demanded Adama, as he pulled himself back up from the floor.

From somewhere off to his left he heard someone report from the Damage Control panel. "Sir, there wasn't any radiation from the last hit. It was from conventional ordinances. But our FTL has been knocked off line."

Bill looked around the CIC. All faces, he noted, were fully focused on him. He was well aware that without the Galactica's FTL drives, there was no possibility for their survival. They were all dead men, just waiting for the event to catch up with them. "Well that's it then. It's been an honor to serve with you all. Let's see if we can at least give those Civilian ships some time to get clear, shall we." he said in an unusually calm voice. When those around the room heard his words, they accepted their fate. But much like their Admiral, they wanted to save as many as they could before their ultimate destruction.

"Continue to target anything that gets into the Colonist's flight path. Let's save as many as we can." the Admiral ordered. Within seconds, his orders were being obeyed. The battered Battleship turned about, no longer trying to protect itself, but only trying to keep the rapidly escaping Colonial ships safe while they cleared the surface's atmosphere so they could jump.

Oooooooooooooooooo

Several hours earlier:

Lee waited for Dee to close the hatch behind her before he spoke a single word to Abby. When he'd dismissed Dee, he'd indicated Tabby was to come forward and stand at the planning table. As Dee gathered up her papers, he'd watched Tabby gracefully take up a position on one of the couches instead of where he'd indicated with his outstretched hand. Hearing the hatch click shut, he knew the two of them were finally all alone in the room.

"Abby." stress flowing from his voice. He needed her calm presence right now more than ever. He'd been awake last night as she lay in his arms, having a nightmare. But instead of waking her as he normally would have, he felt compelled to listen to her words as she cried out over and over. He knew somehow she'd been seeing what was to come, not what was in the past. He felt selfish for allowing her fear and pain, but he had to know what she'd been seeing. He somehow knew she could see what lie ahead, but for some reason she'd decided to keep it all hidden.

Tabby looked up at Lee's face and easily read his pain. He believed he'd already lost his father. He believed he'd already lost Kara. By the Gods' he even seemed sure the Colonists themselves were already lost to Fate. She just wasn't sure what was the best course of action to help him. The decisions had to be his own. Her dreams had already made it perfectly clear, she wasn't allowed to make the decisions for him. But she just couldn't allow him to suffer the way he so obviously was right now. She had to do something, even if it brought down the wrath of the Gods on her very soul. Lee was what mattered. Lee was who she had to protect. She had already decided when her visions began, that she was willing to sacrifice herself for his survival. It wasn't only his life she was concerned about. It was his heart and soul that seemed to be in the most danger.

Lee watched Tabby's thoughts race across her face. The fact that he knew she was either allowing this to happen or that she herself was in such a state of distress wasn't lost on Lee. Walking across the room, to kneel before her, he placed his hands on her thighs and looked into her eyes. Eyes he knew could see so much, too much.

"Abby. You know what is happening out there. Somehow you already know the outcome." when she tried to look away from him, he placed a hand against her cheek and gently returned her gaze to his own. "Abby, I heard you last night. I heard it all. It seemed as if you were able to see many different outcomes." He watched as a single tear broke loose from her long lower lashes, to make a trail down her cheek. "I listened to you see their total destruction, but I also heard you speak of seeing them reunited with the Fleet. I need to know how they survived."

"That's just it Lee. I wasn't shown how they survived. I was only shown there was a possibility they survived. Every time I tried to see how it was possible, the Gods' took me down a different path. They made it very clear that the decision had to be yours and yours alone." she rasped out thru the lump in her throat. When she finished, she closed her eyes - not willing to see the look of confusion on his face. Not willing to let him see there was something she was still not willing to tell him. Her dreams/visions had made it clear Lee was going to feel pain. What kind or how devastating was still in motion. But regardless of what he chose, she's sworn to herself she'd protect him to the best of her abilities. She was willing to defy the very Gods themselves to keep him safe.

"Abby, I can't live with just leaving them behind. I can't live with leaving my father . . .or Kara behind. The Galactica cannot do this mission on her own." He said as if already devising a plan of action.

This was a path Tabby had seen several times already. This was the path she believed was the most likely. It also seemed to be the path that gave Lee the most chances for survival in the long run, that is if he managed to survive the immediate future. This was the path that wouldn't have his guilt kill his soul or make him eventually take his own life.

. . . It was also this path that would cause her the most pain. It was this path that she felt herself being beaten from every side at once, from unseen attackers. It was this path, she was beginning to feel sure Lee was going to choose, that she felt the searing pain rip thru her abdomen. This path where she felt death in herself and knew the Universe would loose part of Lee. But it was also this path that she saw Lee live.

Knowing he'd already made his decision, but was waiting for her to respond, she answered with as much confidence as she could. "Lee you already know what to do. You just need to accept it."

Lee looked into her eyes and he realized his did already know what he needed to do. "Abby I want you to go to another ship, while we are unloading the Pegasus. I want you to be safe."

"No."

"What do you mean no? You obviously know what I'm planning to do. I want you to go to another ship. I don't want you to come with me on this mission." he stated firmly.

Just as firmly, she responded. "No Lee. I will not go to another ship. I am going to stay here and protect you. It's the only way."

As Lee looked at her, he realized he'd not be able to dissuade her. Also something in her words and tone told him, he still didn't understand all the implications of his decision. She obviously knew more than he did. Out of nowhere he remembered his 'spacewalk'. He remembered she'd been there with him the whole time. Then he recalled the question that Racetrack had asked him. 'what happened to those two Raiders, Apollo?' Understanding finally began to dawn on him. He realized that Abby was going to try to protect him and his ship! He just didn't think she'd be able to do so. In the end he finally agreed to let her stay. The odds of their survival were slim. He selfishly wanted to keep her near him for as long as possible.

There were a lot of preparations to make. There wasn't a lot of time. With that thought in mind, Lee quickly rose and began to do what was necessary. He wanted to be ready to jump as soon as possible.

Ooooooooooooooooo

"Sir, we've destroyed one of the Basestars. But the other four are now moving in to flank us." Came Hoshi's strained but still in control voice.

"How are we doing with the Colonial vessels? Have they all made the jump?"

"No Sir. There are still several down on the surface. I've received reports that Colonial One is among those still to depart." came Hoshi once again.

"Any word on our FTL drives yet, Helo?" the Admiral asked.

"Yes Sir. The engine room reports that it will still be at least another 20 minutes before they can get them back on line." Helo reported with a stoic voice.

"Very well, we keep doing what we've been doing, for as long as we can. We need to give those ships on the ground as much time as possible." The Admiral said, but he knew his beloved Battlestar couldn't take much more. The Vipers had already reported they were running out of ordinance and fuel. Several had already rotated in to be refueled and rearmed, before launching once again. The Galactica, he knew, would fall. It was only a matter of time. His only comfort was the knowledge most of the ships had already managed to jump to safety. Lee and the Pegasus would be waiting for them on the other side of their first jump. Lee would now lead the remainder of humanity.

"Sir! The Pegasus has just jumped into range!" yelled Hoshi

"Damn you Lee!" the Admiral said, just as his ship was struck once again, knocking him to the ground. As he regained his footing, he looked at the large dradis screen above him. He could see the Pegasus coming in fast, forward guns firing. As he watched he saw another of the Baseships break apart and blink out of existence. Under his breath he said, "Thank you, Lee."

"Galactica, Pegasus actual. Why don't you let us take some of this heat for a while."

"Pegasus Actual, Galactica Actual. Our FTL drives are off line and there are still ships on the surface."

"Galactica Actual, Pegasus Actual. Understand. Get your FTL back on line. We will remain until the last ships have jumped."

"Pegasus Actual, Galactica Actual. . . .Lee . . .thank you and Gods speed. Galactica Actual out." with that the Admiral ordered to be switched over to his pilots frequency. "All Galactica's birds. Return to the ship. Combat landings are authorized." Turning towards Helo, "Now get me my FTL drives back on line!"

"Yes Sir!" Helo said with a smile showing his own relief.

ooooooooooooooooooooo

On the Pegasus:

Lee stood in the Pegasus' CIC, watching the dradis screen above him. When he'd jumped into orbit, he'd seen four Baseships lining up around the Galactica. Gods' he prayed he wasn't too late. The Galactica still had all her 'birds' in the air. But the sheer amount of Raiders was daunting. Ordering the Pegasus to target the closest Basestar, he moved in. Within moments the Pegasus had a firing solution and had taken out their intended target.

Above the excitement in the room, Lee saw the image of the first Basestar blink out of existence. But he was too battle trained to allow himself a moment of happy excitement. There were still three Basestars out there. As he watched, the Raiders were redeploying onto them as well as the Basestars changing their trajectory in an effort to target their new adversary, the Pegasus.

After speaking thru the Comm link with his father, he chanced a glance over towards the map room. Abby had asked to be placed in there instead of left in their quarters. She said she needed to be near where Lee was. As a precaution, Lee decided it would be best if George was to remain in the room with her.

It wasn't long before the Pegasus began to feel the brunt of the Raiders' attack. The ship was being rocked from their repeated hits, but their hits didn't feel right. Something felt off, but he couldn't take the time to ponder this strange feeling. Quickly he ordered their Flak charges to be engaged as an effort to block the incoming ordinances. Then he called for a report on the remaining ships on the ground and the status of the Galactica's FTL drives. As he watched the screen above him, another two Basestars jumped into orbit. When he'd jumped in there were only four and they'd destroyed one almost immediately, leaving just three. Now there were five out there. And they were all beginning to converge on the Pegasus, already deeming the Galactica no longer a threat.

From the map room above him, he could see an eerie glow. It wasn't from any of the instrument panels in there, he knew. Where it was coming from he could only guess. It could only be Abby. How or why this was happening he couldn't even begin to hazard a guess.

"Sir, two Basestars have jumped into orbit and are converging on our location." came Dee's voice. It was only from years of exposure that allowed him to hear her fear. Anyone else in the room would have just heard her ever calm tone.

"Plot a targeting solution on the closest Basestars' central axis. Let's see if we can whittle down the odds." Lee called out.

"Sir, two Basestars have launched heavy ordinance. They have made it thru our flak barrier and will strike us on our top side." came another voice.

"Sound the horn. Brace for impact." Lee advised. There was nothing else he could do. He'd left all the Pegasus' Vipers with the Fleet. Anything that made it thru their thick flak field was going to hit them.

Suddenly the eerie glow from the map room grew brighter. The air in the CIC seemed to become almost charged with ozone. Odd Lee thought to himself. But he had no time to consider the implications. He was listening to Dee count down the time to impact.

"10 … 9 … 8 … 7 … 6 …" then they all felt what could only be the detonation of the incoming bombs. But they were early! How could Dee have been off by a full 5 seconds?

"Report" Lee demanded. He needed to know how badly his ship was damaged.

"Sir. The missiles didn't hit us. They exploded before reaching us." Dee said with confusion.

Lee again looked up at the eerie glow coming from the map room. Suddenly he knew why the missiles hadn't struck the Pegasus. Wasting no time, he quickly ordered the Pegasus about. Making her a harder target.

"Sir another two ships just jumped away from the surface."

"Has the Colonial One jumped yet?"

"No Sir. It is reporting that it is still on the surface along with several Raptors. Those are the only ships still down there, Sir."

Throughout listening to the current reports being quickly shouted across the CIC, Lee could feel the odd sensation of being rocked but again realized it didn't feel quite right. It didn't feel as if the explosions were actually coming from the ship's hull but more like they were being pushed from the percussion of explosions happening just off their hull.

Lee knew it had to be Abby's doing somehow. How that was possible he didn't even try to guess. He was just grateful for her ability. But he also wasn't foolish enough to think she could continue to do what she was doing indefinitely. Just as he was given the report that the Galactica jumped away, he felt his ship get a true impact. Something had gotten thru. At the same time he felt the impact, he heard a bloodcurdling scream.

"Sir. Our FTL drive has just been knocked off line." came Dee's now undisguiseable worried voice.

From another direction, "Sir we now have a plotting solution for one of the five Basestars. Awaiting your order."

"Fire." Came Lee's calm voice. He knew he didn't have the luxury of becoming frightened. There would hopefully be time for that later. Right now he needed all his focus. His FTL drives were out. There were at this very moment still five Basestars with all their Raiders focused on his ship. So far they had been lucky they'd suffered no irreparable damage. But their luck wasn't going to hold out much longer. They needed to either eliminate those Basestars or get the hell out of here. Both of which didn't seem very likely at the moment.

Lee again chanced a glance up at the glass separating the CIC from the Map room. Again he noticed the eerie glow become brighter. He wanted desperately to run up to that room and see if Abby was alright, but he knew that was impossible. He was needed here.

From Dee, "Sir, engineering has just reported that it will take almost an hour to repair our FTL drives. There are simply not enough personnel down there to fix it any faster." she managed to say in a calm voice that only cracked once.

"Sir, the fifth Basestar has been destroyed. There are still four remaining. Which do you want to target?"

Just as Lee told which he wanted a plotting solution to fix on, the Comm link at the dradis screen control panel buzzed. Without thinking, Lee picked up the line. It was George.

"Laddie. What ever ye are going ta do, ye'd better do it fast. I'm no sure how much more of this the Lass can take!" came George's anxious voice.

Again he noticed his ship being rocked in that extremely odd way. But this time he had an open line to the room where Abby was. This time he could hear her pain filled moans thru the line, where as before he was blissfully unaware.

"Sir! Ye need to destroy those damn ships fast or jump the hell out of here! We, …she canna keep this up! She can't keep protecting this ship on her own! It's killing her!!"

Lee looked over towards where Dee's station was. He ran what she'd just told him over again in his mind. It will take almost an hour to restore the Pegasus' FTL drives. The Pegasus, and more importantly Abby, didn't have that kind of time. He looked again at the dradis screen and noticed something. The Cylons, in their efforts to pin the Pegasus down, had grouped themselves together. He made a quick decision.

"George, get Abby to the hanger deck as quickly as you can. Do you understand?"

"Yes Sir. But the only way she's gonna allow me ta move her is if you promise her you'll be there waiting for her." George said firmly, knowing what he'd just told Lee was the Gods' honest truth. There was no way she'd leave him behind.

"Can you get the line close to her?" Lee asked, knowing there wasn't much time.

"No. Not only will the line not reach. But I'm not sure what would happen if I got too close to her in this state."

"Alright. I'll think of something." and he disconnected the line.

Just as he disconnected with George, the ship felt as if it was hit from several sides at once. Someone from damage control was quick to report that the missiles once again had exploded before impact. There was only superficial damage to some of the ships electronics. Looking over to Dee he asked if she could patch him thru to the Map Rooms intercom. When she nodded her head that she could, Lee had her patch him thru.

"Abby, I need you to let George take you to the hanger deck. Can you hear me?" when he didn't hear any response from either Abby or George, he looked back at Dee. "What's happening? Why don't either of them respond?"

"I'm not sure Sir. But I think the Comm speakers in that room were fried."

FRAK!! Lee thought. But a solution seemed to fall into his mind almost instantly.

"Remaining crew of the Pegasus, this is your Commander. Everyone is to report to the hanger deck. We are abandoning ship. I repeat this is your Commander. We are abandoning ship." He once again glanced at Dee to see if his command had been heard. He received a nod from her in response.

"Mr. Hoshi. I want you to plot a collision course for the central Basestar. We are going to use the Pegasus to destroy them all."

"Yes Sir." Mr. Hoshi gave his immediate response. Once the course was set and the autopilot was engaged, Lee and the CIC crew moved to make their way to the hanger deck. Time seemed to be shrinking. They had to launch their remaining Raptors, carrying the skeleton crew of the Pegasus, before it rammed into the Basestars.

As Lee exited the CIC, he saw George just in front of him. The large man was carrying Abby in front of him like a child. When he raced to join up with the large man, George instinctively turned Abby away from Lee's sight.

"No Sir. Don't look. It will only slow ye down, Laddie." George said in a pain filled voice.

Lee momentarily froze in place. "Is she still alive?" he needed to know.

"Yes Laddie, she still be alive. But for how much longer I no be knowing." George said without slackening his forward pace. He was determined to get the Lass onto one of the awaiting Raptors and back to the Galactica's Life Station. She was bleeding from all over. Black and purple bruises and severe gashes could be seen where ever her skin was exposed.

ooooooooooooooooooo

As George sat in the Map room with Tabitha, he'd watched her being attacked from all sides by some invisible force. It was as if she was being attacked from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. As he'd watched, her body began to glow - then a bright bubble began to form around her and grow. Helplessly he watched as gashes and purple/black bruises began to form all over her flesh. As he watched her helplessly, he asked himself why she wasn't striking out? Why wasn't she protecting herself?

Then he began to realize she was protecting the Pegasus and all that were aboard her. Instead of striking out at the Cylons and their Basestars, she was using all her abilities for defense, protection. She must be absorbing all the Pegasus' hits with that strange bubble that had formed around her. She was somehow absorbing the damage with her own body. Feeling useless he watched her body being rocked back and forth with every hit she protected the ship from. It was now perfectly clear she was absorbing all the Pegasus' hits, ensuring the safety of those within.

He was momentarily encouraged to note that as soon as a bruise or gash formed on her tender flesh, it would disappear. That is until those two missiles broke thru her defenses. As soon as she screamed out, George realized something was different. No longer were her bruises or gashes disappearing. Even though she seemed to be growing even brighter and he found it hard to even stand, due to the force of her strange bubble, her injuries were now remaining. He had no idea how much more of this she could take. That's when he got his Commander on the line.

When he heard Lee's voice come over the intercom., sounding for the crew to report to the hanger deck. Heard Lee state that they were all to abandon the ship, he noticed Tabitha's bubble begin to shrink. No longer caring what would happen to himself when he approached her, he stepped up to take her into his arms. As soon as he made contact with her, the bubble disappeared all together. Now he was sure she'd been creating a field around the Pegasus. Because with the disappearance of her glowing bubble, he could now feel every distinctive impact that now struck the Pegasus.

With her now firmly in his arms, he gave her a once over. Her eyes seemed glazed with pain, but she steadfastly refused to give any voice to her obvious agony. "Lee? Is Lee safe?" was all she wanted to know.

"He be along shortly Lass. Ye rest yerself for now." he managed to squeeze past the lump in his throat.

Then he felt her body spasm in overwhelming pain. As she did so, George watched her hands grip her abdomen tightly. "Lee! I'm so sorry! I didn't know! I didn't understand what they tried to tell me! Please! Please forgive me!!" she cried out in both physical and emotional agony. Then mercifully she lost consciousness.

As George stood there momentarily frozen in place by her physical and verbal reaction, he saw something that almost brought him to his knees. Fear raced up and down his spine, fear that made him suddenly feel overwhelmed and nauseous. He realized his hands that were holding her were suddenly slick. As he looked down her tiny limp body, he realized his hands were covered in her blood. Blood that was seeping from the juncture of her thighs. My Gods! What was happening to her?

Knowing this wasn't the time or the place to get any answers, he quickly exited the room. He must get her onto one of those Raptors. He needed to get her back to the Galactica. If he would have allowed himself the comparison of now to how she looked after her ordeal on the Prometheous; he'd have said she looked only slightly rumpled from the Prometheous compared to now.

When he heard Lee come up behind him, he knew he couldn't let the younger man see her in this state. His Commander was needed to fly one of those Raptors. And if he were to see Tabitha right now, he doubted Lee would be able to even walk to the Raptors, let alone fly one.

tbc