"How much longer will you toil in this childish game?" the man in the shadows asked while gazing out at the passing stars. "Have you not yet grasped the reality of your situation, commander?"

"What you ask of me, I simply cannot allow," the stern colonial officer replied. "We survived the ravages of the Cylons long before we ever encountered you."

The man kept his back to the Commander and chuckled. "So, you will not allow me to have control over this ship and its crew? I would have expected more from a man of your stature. And yes, you have survived the ravages of the Cylons but for what? A vain struggle? A rootless quest for a new world to call home?"

The Commander shot a glare at the shadowed man. "We will do whatever it takes to survive."

The man placed his hands on his hips. "I could free you from such tiresome burdens and give you everything you will ever need...or want. I could even restore this ship to its former glory. Whatever you wish will be delivered to you if you submit yourself, your ship, and your warriors to me."

The Commander shook his head. "Tell me, if you have such abilities, then why haven't you used them?"

The man turned from the viewport and approached the table. "You should know the answer, commander."

The Commander leaned back in his chair. "It is because I will not relinquish command of this ship and its warriors to the likes of you."

The man chuckled again. "You cannot bring yourself to call me by my name. You have a great deal yet to learn, Commander."

"There is no knowledge I need that I cannot learn on my own," the Commander replied, keeping his eyes on the man. "And there is nothing I can gain from you…Count Iblis."

Iblis stepped into the light and stared down at the Commander with a smirk. "Come now, Commander Koltan. Tell me, what benefit does defiance of me promise you? This battlestar, Clypeus, is only a reprieve for you and your crew. Even the Colonies of Man would never have been as merciful towards you as I have. Where I have shown you grace, they would have offered you nothing but accountability for your iniquities."

Koltan waved his hands dismissively. "My past has no bearing on the situation at hand."

Iblis's expression turned cold. He stared at Koltan intently as if he were piercing the man's soul. He noticed the slight hint of a shiver rippling through the colonial officer. "You are mistaken, Commander.", he said. "Your past is very much a part of this entire ordeal. It has proven to be your destiny."

Koltan furrowed his bow. "My destiny?"

Iblis nodded. He continued to gaze at Koltan. "Yes, Commander. I would be remiss if I failed to remind you that your reputation among the Colonial Military branded you as a rouge. Against the firmly established rules of engagement, you launched massive strikes against unarmed Cylon civilians to lure their military into reprisals." Iblis moved closer. His smirk became a sinister smile, as striking as a full moon breaking through storm clouds in the night. "In the eyes of the Council of the Twelve, and in most of the colonies, you were nothing more than a vile war criminal. To them, your distasteful tactics fanned the flames of the Thousand Yahren War…and prolonged it."

Iblis noted the beads of sweat forming on Koltan's forehead. He offered nothing but a sharp glare contrasting with a brilliant smile. Koltan looked away for a moment before turning back to Iblis.

"I only did what I thought was right," Koltan countered with a wavering voice. "The Cylons are nothing but soulless machines. They are mechanized vermin. Civilian or not, a Cylon is a Cylon. None of them deserve to exist."

Iblis shook his head and laughed. "There were very few in the Colonies who shared your extreme views. The only aspect they could ever agree with you on is that the Cylons were an enemy to you all." Iblis took a seat across from Koltan. "The only difference between you and the rest of the Colonial Military is that you alone acted independently and utterly against the will of the Council."

Koltan held his hands up. "It is irrelevant now, Iblis. It means nothing to no one."

"It should mean something personally to you, my friend," Iblis said in a soft tone. "The horrors of the colonies' destruction and the defeat of the battlestars at Cimtar are a rather cruel irony. Their apocalypse became the salvation of you and the Clypeus. Had the peace conference been a legitimate armistice, President Adar would have sent a task force to hunt you down and bring you to justice shortly after signing the peace accords. I assure you it was the next thing on his agenda."

Koltan wiped the sweat off of his forehead. "This history lesson of yours is getting us nowhere, Iblis."

The Count glanced deep into the Commander's soul. Fear welled within him like a mighty rain-swollen river washing over its banks. He remained calm and focused on the weakening Commander Koltan. "What if I told you that the Clypeus is not the only remaining battlestar? There are several others. The Battlestar Galactica has rediscovered Battlestar Pegasus. As we speak, both vessels are launching an assault on the Cylon outposts on Gamoray."

"Adama and Cain are alive?", Koltan gasped. "We assumed we were the only remaining battlestar."

"As did Adama until he encountered Cain and Pegasus," Iblis replied. "Until that occurrence, Adama was in no position to wage a prolonged war. His battlestar is escorting a 220-ship civilian fleet. Galactica and those ships are all that remain of the colonies. Adama has taken upon himself the responsibility of leading them all to safety."

Koltan's expression lightened. "If Adama and Cain are attacking Gamoray, then they will need help. Clypeus will come to their aid."

Iblis shook his head slowly. "I'm afraid I cannot allow that to occur."

Koltan clenched his fists. "And why not, Iblis? What do we have to lose?"

"Your life…and this battlestar," Iblis replied coldly. He glared at Koltan. "And besides, what makes you think that Adama and Cain will so easily forgive your war crimes? If you were to approach them following their victory at Gamoray, what would stop them from turning on you and bringing you to tribunal?"

Koltan slammed his fists on the table. "How can you even suggest that we sit by and do nothing?"

Iblis chuckled. "You will hardly be idle. You and the Clypeus will face tests of my design."

"Tests?" Koltan gasped. "What do you mean, Iblis?"

"As you tested me before accepting my guidance. I will test you," Iblis replied. He waved his hand in the air. The lights in the room dimmed, and a sizeable holographic grid appeared over the table. "I present to you the conditions of the tests, Commander."

The chart wavered and displayed five Cylon basestars in battle formation.

"The five basestars are lying in wait to entrap Galactica and Pegasus. They are in the perfect position to launch a devastating attack on both battlestars well within a centar. The traitor, Baltar, is leading three additional basestars that are closing in on the rear flank of Galactica. Gamoray has a fighter strength equal to a basestar. Galactica and Pegasus will have a tough fight against that kind of firepower. They will be destroyed rather quickly, especially if the five basestars within your striking range join the battle. The civilian fleet protected by Galactica will be annihilated as well."

Koltan leaned back in his chair and exhaled. "Do you think we will stand a chance against five basestars ourselves? What is to stop me from bypassing them and warning Galactica and Pegasus? I may be a war criminal in the eyes of Adama and Cain, but I am not the kind of man who will stand by and allow innocent civilians to die in vain."

Iblis chuckled and shook his head. "Allow me to explain, Commander. If you attempt to contact either of the two battlestars, I promise you that I will surround Galactica, Pegasus, and Clypeus with a Cylon force that will increase a hundred-fold. And do not entertain thoughts of escaping into deep space to leave Galactica and Pegasus to their eventual fates."

Koltan rose to his feet. "And why shouldn't we run, especially if it were for our benefit?"

"The periodic pulses of high-level radions emitted by this system's star have been a double-edged sword for you and your warriors, Commander," Iblis said while maintaining his brilliant smile. "On one hand, the pulses have shielded the Clypeus from Cylon sensors. While on the other, they have bathed this battlestar with radions powerful enough to penetrate the armored hull. Your crew is slowly dying from radion poisoning."

A smirk spread across Koltan's weathered features. "I am already ahead of you, Iblis. Dr. Alinas has assured me that he will be able to administer periodic radion inoculations to our crew. It's your move now, Count."

"Fair enough," Iblis replied with a smile. He approached the conference table and placed his hands on the back of an empty chair. "And since you have chosen to test me, I will now humor you by proving myself." He motioned towards the door. "Dr. Alinas will enter momentarily and inform you of the true nature of your situation."

Koltan huffed. "I have already beaten you to the draw, Iblis. I ordered Dr. Alinas to prepare a report before I ordered the inoculations. Anything he says will not come as a surprise to me."

"Suit yourself, Commander," Iblis replied with a cold stare. "You will be proven wrong…right about now."

The door to the conference chamber slid open, and a short, slender, bald man entered. He paused for a moment and offered a nervous glance at Iblis. He nodded slightly before turning to Koltan. "Sir, I have inoculated our warriors and crew as ordered…but there is a bit of a setback." He took another glance at Iblis before wiping sweat off his forehead. "There has been a miscalculation in our inventory of inoculations."

"What kind of miscalculation, Dr. Alinas?" Koltan demanded as he rose to his feet. "I want an immediate answer!"

"We only had enough for one dose for each of our warriors," Alinas replied in a shaky voice. "Without additional inoculations, our warriors only have two sectons to live. At best estimate."

Koltan glared at Iblis. "You put him up to this! How dare you put words into the mouths of my warriors!"

Iblis retained his calm demeanor and waved dismissively with his hand. "I warned you that the news would be grave, Commander. And now it appears that the reality of your situation has come to the forefront." Iblis approached Koltan and held out his hand. "Do you not realize that I can permanently heal your crew of their afflictions? Do you not see that I can provide you with all that you will ever need? Come now, Commander, you know that neither you nor this battlestar will survive much longer without my guidance and assistance. The Cylons will find you sooner or later. And they will annihilate you just as they did to the colonies. Take my hand in a gesture of goodwill, and all of your needs will be fulfilled. It will come to pass if you bow before me in submission."

"I might as well surrender to the Cylons," Koltan snapped. He pointed towards the holographic image of the five Cylon basestars. "My warriors are capable of carrying out hit and run strikes on those basestars. With the extra squadrons I obtained from the battlestar Solas before its destruction, I could easily launch a surprise attack on each one and neutralize their long-range scanners and communication. They are focused on Galactica and Pegasus. They have no idea that we are out here."

Iblis nodded and placed his hands on his hips. "What you say, Commander is true. But it will not remain that way for long. Your patrol ran into fighter craft from one of the five basestars. They will initially believe the vipers were from Pegasus. But they have ways of finding you out."

"That is where you are mistaken, Count Iblis," Koltan said with a smirk. "Before we arranged this meeting, Captain Tyrus informed me members of Onyx Squadron had neutralized the Cylon fighter patrol."

Iblis stared at Koltan as if he were looking through the Colonial Commander. The Count's smirk stretched into a wide smile. "Did he report on the encounter with the Cylons after he contacted you?" Iblis paused and waited for a response. After a few seconds of silence, he continued. "It appears that Captain Tyrus and his gallant squadron ran into a second patrol. Three of your pilots were lost in the ensuing skirmish."

Koltan shrugged. "And what does that mean to us? As you have already pointed out, we are safe from detection due to the pulses of this system's star. Besides, we are close enough to Gamoray that the Cylons will pass our patrol off as one from Pegasus."

Iblis shook his head and laughed. "You have no idea of what you are up against out there, do you? The five basestars are under the command of an IL-series Cylon known as Legion. He is a clever and talented tactician and just as a superb of strategist as the Imperious Leader who preceded him. He is one step away from obtaining that title himself. With a little luck, he may even assume that role sooner than anticipated."

"Galactica and Pegasus are going to neutralize the current Imperious Leader on Gamoray," Koltan gasped. He glanced at the holographic image of the five basestars and chuckled. "Ingenious plan. Allow the Imperious Leader's destruction at the hands of Adama and Cain. Assume the crown of the Cylon Empire himself and then move in on Galactica and Pegasus to finish them off."

Iblis stepped up to Koltan and extended his hand again. "And in that revelation, you are left with two choices, Commander. Take on Legion and his basestars and expend your resources, leaving the Clypeus to suffer the inevitable fate of destruction. Or accept my counter-proposal."

"There is no way for us to come out of this situation alive.", Koltan muttered. "Even if we take out Legion and his basestars, Galactica and Pegasus are doomed. They will fall to the Cylon forces led by Baltar."

"It doesn't have to end that way, Commander," Iblis said with a soothing voice. "If you take my hand in friendship and loyalty, I will see to it that Legion and his forces are no match for Clypeus, Galactica, Pegasus…and the others."

Koltan raised his eyebrows. "The others?"

"Yes," Iblis replied. The smile on his face was a blinding as a blazing sun. "I mentioned earlier that there are other battlestars out there waiting to be rediscovered. Certainly not enough to be a formidable battlegroup by any means. But they would add to the strength of Adama, Cain, and…you."

"If we had those kinds of numbers, then why would we need you, Count Iblis?", Koltan asked as he rose to his feet. "We could join with the others and find a world for our people. We could live in peace under the protection of the battlestars."

The smile on Iblis's face melted into a grimace. "And it would only be a matter of time before you faced a fate similar to Cimtar. The Cylons would not permit such a force to live for long. They would come again and in greater numbers."

The reality of Iblis's words tore into Koltan's soul. He knew Iblis was right. He sighed and shook his head. "What do you propose?"

Iblis drew closer to Koltan. "Pledge allegiance to me, and I will resurrect every battlestar and warrior lost in the Thousand Yahren War. For everyone I raise, I will multiply them by ten thousand. The Cylons will be beaten and driven back by those impossible odds. Eventually, they would be nothing more than a handful of inoperable relics in a Colonial Victory Museum. If you allow me to have complete control over this ship, I will restore the Colonies and Colonial Military and endow them with immeasurable power."

Visions of repaying the Cylons via an unstoppable mass of Colonial battlestars played within Koltan's mind. He glanced at the five basestars in the holographic display and imagined them falling to a tidal wave of vipers and battlestars. The fear that once welled within him began to subside. A faint glimmer of hope broke through to his troubled soul, bringing the first peace he had experienced in several yahren. It clothed him like a warm blanket shielding him from the biting cold air of defeat.

"Trust in me, and it will come to pass," Iblis offered with a warm tone.

Kolton nodded and stretched out his hand, looking forward to sailing away from dire straights and into the calm waters of Iblis's paradise.