Consequence
Of Alliance
-Chapter 6-
Baltar spun around, eyes wide and wild with disbelief as he took in the group of guards advancing towards him. This couldn't be happening! Not now, not when he was so close!
Laser blasts exploded around the traitor, coming very close to wiping out, not just him, but Apollo, Sheba and Cassiopeia too.
As he dived for cover, Baltar managed to get off a few misplaced shots, bringing more than one of the Blackshirts to the ground. Looking back, he saw he had left Sheba unguarded in the midst of the laser-fire, still lying unconscious on the tarmac. With no hostage, they could just keep shooting until he was dead. He had to get to her before someone else did. He would not be stopped. He'd die before he let them lock him up again.
Seeing the dark intent in Baltar's eyes, Apollo lunged forward, his left hand reaching desperately for Sheba's flight jacket. His fingers only brushed the dark material before it was pulled abruptly away from his grasp. He made one last try before a sudden searing pain in his shoulder brought him crashing to the ground. Before he could recover, Baltar had hoisted Sheba up into her previous position and was running back towards the shuttle, regardless of the energy blasts that were hitting it.
"*Apollo!*"
The Captain looked around to see Starbuck, broken free of the Blackshirt's grip, running towards him, laser drawn. Trying not to hit Sheba, he let off a barrage of shots at Baltar's feet, just as the group of guards finally ceased their fire. The traitor disappeared around the side of shuttle, but not before felling two more of Reese's men.
"*Apollo!*" Starbuck shouted as he ran to help him. "You alright?"
"Stop him!" Apollo replied weakly as he struggled to get up, heedless, now, of the laser wound on his arm. "Starbuck, you have to stop him!" The pain was still evident in his voice as he sat helpless on the tarmac. "*Please.*"
Starbuck shook his head, defeated, as he helped his friend up. "He's in the shuttle. There's no way we can get to him now, we'll have to-"
His next words were drowned out by the unmistakable roar of engines being activated.
Before them, Baltar's shuttle rose into the air, its pilot oblivious to the shower of sparks erupting from its engines. As it flew towards the sanctity of space, the port stabiliser exploded in a cloud of smoke sending the craft dangerously close to wall of the landing bay.
"Sheba," he whispered. Powerless to stop it, Apollo could only watch as the shuttle plunged to the left and crashed directly into one of the huge metal supports, bursting almost immediately into flames.
*~*
Only centons away, Adama deftly piloted his Viper towards the distinctive darkness of the prison barge. His eyes studied its smooth form, looming at him through the heavens, and were drawn, almost instantly, to its landing bay by the incredible flare that suddenly erupted from within.
The ship's only landing bay, the Commander knew that the apex of this event was, at that very moment, taking place, with him totally powerless to interfere.
*~*
Back on the *Galactica*, Siress Tinia made her way anxiously to the Council chambers. Since Adama had left, she had managed to speak with Siress Octavia, Councillor Leto and Councillor Anton. While Octavia had dismissed her concerns as pure paranoia, Leto and, of course, Anton had been more receptive. The older man obviously shared her views, but Councillor Leto had taken some convincing before he'd even listen to her. Nevertheless, he'd left their conversation obviously doubting the words he'd spoken in defence of Sire Antipas.
The meeting she was on her way to attend had been called only 30 centons after Adama's departure. Somehow, she feared, Antipas had found out about the Commander's plan, either that or her own involvement and, of course, the subsequent 'talks' she'd had with the other Council members. She wished she'd had time to speak with the others, but having just started to track down Councillor Ulysses, she'd received the urgent message of the Council meeting.
Hesitating as she reached the doors, Tinia recalled Adama's words. He had told her not to be silent, and she'd be damned if Antipas was going to get away with his arrogant play for power.
Drawing herself up to full height, she stood tall as she made her way haughtily into the chambers to the waiting members of the Council of Twelve.
*~*
For Apollo, the next few moments seemed to last a lifetime. He watched the shuttle screech to a stop, just short of the landing bay doors; the flames that seemed to engulf the ship all at once, blackening it's hull, suffocating the people inside. Without giving it a second thought, he sped forward, through the fire, and disappeared inside it, regardless of Starbuck and Cassiopeia's shouts.
Instead, his mind could only focus on the last time he had risked his life for Sheba. Transported back to that strange, red planet, Apollo could quite clearly see Iblis beginning the gesture to end her life; could feel himself push her bodily out of the way; could feel himself die. At the time, he hadn't cared. It didn't matter, as long as the Count's spell over Sheba was broken. She was safe; that was the last thought he could remember before the darkness had taken him.
This time was identical. Nothing mattered, except getting Sheba out of that shuttle. He could not see the fear on his friend's faces, could not feel the terror that dwelled in their hearts. As before, it didn't matter.
Plunging through the flames, he made his way to the cockpit, relieved to find it almost undamaged, except for some smoke billowing from a destroyed control panel. Lying underneath it, Sheba moaned in agony as she drifted in and out of consciousness.
As he moved towards her, Apollo could not help but be reminded of Serina, felled on the sands of Kobol, writhing in similar pain. Then, he had been helpless, but not this time. The thought that Sheba could die from her injuries never crossed his mind. He wouldn't let it. All his energy had to be focused on rescuing his love, before it was too late.
His gaze lingered on the prone figure of Baltar for only a micron. Still sitting in the pilot's chair, the traitor's head rested on the controls in front of him. Blood gushed from a gash on his head. Apollo hadn't the time to check whether he lived or not; every moment counted if Sheba was to survive.
"Burn in Hades, Baltar," he whispered, unable to stop himself, before he moved on to Sheba.
Kneeling down next to her, Apollo gathered his beloved into his arms as gently as he could and, taking great care to keep her as still as possible, began to carry her out of the cockpit.
Very dimly, Sheba had been aware of the presence that approached her from out of nowhere. How she recognised Apollo, she could not have said, but the trace of a smile on her lips showed, without doubt, that she knew he was there. The strength of love had not deserted her as she managed, through a sudden rack of coughing, to whisper his name. "Apollo?"
The Captain looked down in shock to see Sheba gazing up at him through the smoke. Wiping the blood from her face, he managed to smile, a tear trickling down his cheek as she murmured an almost inaudible "thank you."
Before he could answer, a weakened piece of metal fell from overhead, narrowly missing landing on top of them. Holding Sheba closer to him, Apollo hurried forward to the shuttle's exit, heedless of the flames licking at his feet and the increasing pain in his shoulder.
*~*
Back in the landing bay of the prison barge, Starbuck and Cassiopeia could do nothing but watch Apollo go, as the fires around them spread out of control. Nearby, the pitifully small fire-control team of the ship did their best to extinguish the flames, but their boraton failed to make an impact. All too late, Starbuck could see the danger.
Along the hull, the blaze had torn, consuming the ship's precious oxygen and getting ever-closer to the engines. It wouldn't be long before they reached them, they were situated so close to the edge of the vessel.
Grabbing Cassi's hand, Starbuck pulled her back towards their shuttle, away from the flames, and pushed her inside. As soon as she realised he was not following, the blond medtech came to an abrupt stop, and, not letting his hand out of hers, demanded to know where he was going.
He didn't reply. There weren't words powerful enough to express the turbulence of emotion inside of him. His desire to protect the only woman he could ever admit to loving. His need to help his friends. His loyalty to Apollo. He could never leave without him.
Cassiopeia understood, and for that he was glad, but still she held him back. "We'll wait as long as we can, Starbuck," she assured him, "but we have to be ready to go."
Starbuck looked back towards the flaming remains of the shuttle and the people still clustered to the side. "He won't leave without her, Cass. . . and I don't think I can either."
"None of us are going to get out of here at this rate," she replied, her voice loud over the roar of the fire. "When Apollo gets back *we have to be ready to go!*" Seeing it wasn't working, she added: "Starbuck. . . I don't want to go without them, but-"
"Wait here!" he said, ignoring her. "I'll be back!"
Before Cassiopeia could stop him, Starbuck had broken free of her grip and was making his way towards Reese, who was standing in a cluster with the remaining Blackshirts, their eyes captivated by the fires.
"*Reese!*" Grabbing his shoulder, Starbuck whirled the guard around. "You'd better start getting people out of here before the fracking ship goes," he shouted. "And from the looks of it, that's going to be sooner rather than later."
His face ashen, the Blackshirt could not reply. Not much of a leader in the first place, and much more concerned about looking out for himself than anyone else, the repercussions of his earlier actions were coming back to haunt the Blackshirt, guilt and fear undeniably incapacitating him.
He could feel Tobias and Monroe, his second-in-command, pulling him along as they rushed to carry out the orders Starbuck had just issued. Looking back for just a micron, Reese could see the look of utter contempt in the Lieutenant's eyes and knew, without a doubt, that as soon as he could make it possible, Starbuck would make him face the consequences for his behaviour today.
*~*
Watching them leave, Starbuck saw the flames arcing around the bay and closing off the exit the Blackshirts had just used. With an air of desperation, his eyes snapped back to Baltar's shuttle, looking for any sign of his best friend. He watched and waited for what seemed like an eternity before he could hear a frantic Cassiopeia calling him back.
As he made his way across the bay, tears inadvertently running down his face, Starbuck could feel the barge rock as an explosion sounded from Baltar's shuttle. Knocked off his feet, he looked back and saw, to his amazement, the dark figure of Apollo emerging from the inferno, Sheba in his arms.
Rushing to help him, Cassiopeia ran past Starbuck, shouting back to him to get the ship fired up so they could get out of here.
As if in a dream, Apollo moved past Cassi and through the shuttle doors to the backside passenger area, leaving her to make sure the entrance was closed. He laid the now-unconscious Sheba down on the seat as gently as he could and turned her face towards him, cradling it with his hand. Badly burnt and barely breathing, her eyes were shut and blood was still flowing from the cut on her forehead. His tender fingers brushed it away as he tried to bring her back to consciousness, unaware that Cassiopeia was watching.
"*Apollo!*" Starbuck's shout brought him back to the reality of the fire and the shuttle. "I can't fly this thing by myself!"
"I'm sorry, Sheba," he whispered as he rested her against the wall and, slipping by the waiting med tech, made his way to the shuttle's cockpit. "I'm so sorry."
*~*
"Can you not see the position Antipas puts us in?" Tinia's angry voice shouted.
Since she'd arrived at the Council meeting five centons ago, things had gone from bad to worse. Intending to put her arguments across in a calm and professional matter, she had found it impossible when faced with Antipas' superior and condescending manner. Thus, the meeting was slowly turning into a riot.
"As the President of the Council of Twelve, I-" Antipas began.
"President?" Tinia demanded, as she looked to the other members. "Only two centars ago, I watched uncertainly as you aided this man in usurping Commander Adama's position the centon his back was turned. Now I ask you *why* you can't see that he no more deserves this seat of power than Baltar deserves to live?"
"*Tinia!*" Montrose shouted, outraged.
"She is right, Sire," Councillor Anton said quietly, as he turned to Antipas. "You bring corruption to the Council of Twelve, and I for one shall not submit to it. It is obvious to me you have eyes only for your own well-being and a need for power that will undoubtedly bring us misfortune. To follow you is madness, and for others in this quorum to be doing so is appalling." The elderly man paused before continuing. "You spoke only this morning of Adama using a traitor for his own personal gain, and I believe that in doing so you also managed to describe this situation perfectly. Traitors to justice, and to Adama, the man who delivered us from the Cylons, you have coerced the other members of the Council into supporting you, no doubt with promises of wealth and power, and the luxury you think you deserve."
"You speak of traitors, Anton," Antipas purred. "What of the woman you so vehemently support. What of Siress Tinia?"
Tinia's heart sank as she saw the Councillor falter, unsure of what the young Sire referred to.
Antipas took the opportunity. "You are still her staunchest supporter after she allies herself with our elusive Commander and then lies to us, the Council of Twelve, about his whereabouts?"
"I did not lie, *Sire*, I merely did not break the trust of the true President, who has only-"
"Spare us more of your lies, Tinia," Antipas snapped. "You swore an oath of allegiance to this Council, and neglecting to tell us of Adama's actions, not to mention the real truth of *why* he has gone is, in my view, a crime worse than his."
"I swore allegiance to an honourable Council of Twelve; a quorum who cared for the people of the fleet and who believed in justice. As far as I'm concerned, your *new* Council is not worthy of my loyalty." Taking a deep breath, Tinia turned to the other Council members. "And so it should be with you."
Ignoring her words, Domra stood up. "What are you talking about, Antipas?" he asked. "What is this truth you speak of?" The middle-aged Council member did not know who to believe. True he was hardly ever one of Adama's supporters, but he still respected the man. To find out that he had lied to them twice in such a short time, and such severe lies as well, was not helping to move him in favour of the Commander.
"Siress Tinia, would you care to shed the light, seeing as you are so personally involved in keeping it from the rest of us?" Antipas asked.
The other members of the Council nodding in agreement, Tinia could see she had no choice. Sighing heavily, the woman began to talk.
*~*
Starbuck couldn't believe how haggard Apollo had become in the short time since they'd been separated. Smoke clung to his clothes and skin, small pieces of shrapnel were caught in his dark hair and already there were shadows under his green eyes. He looked pale and drained, almost as if something inside him had already given up hope.
He looked exactly as he had on the trip back from Kobol.
Apollo's movements were almost mechanical as he helped Starbuck prepare the shuttle for launch. He could tell his friend was worrying about him but he just didn't think he had the strength to get into a discussion with him. Starbuck seemed to sense that and said nothing, his attention returning to the controls in front of him.
He was able to wait, perhaps half a centon, before he knew he had to say *something*. He couldn't stand seeing Apollo like this. Reaching a hand out to clap his friend's arm reassuringly, Starbuck cleared his throat.
"Apollo. . . she's going to be alright. . . I mean. . ." he trailed off, unable to continue when his friend fixed emotionless green eyes on him.
"She's going to die, Starbuck," he said flatly, shunning his friend's hand. "And it's my fault. All this is my fault."
Immediately Starbuck got angry, his shock at Apollo's words and the finality in the Captain's voice showing clearly on his face. "*How the frack is this your fault?*" he demanded. "Listen, Apollo, Sheba needs you to be strong for her, when she wakes up-"
"She's not going to," he replied, his head lowered.
"*Why are you talking like this?*" Starbuck shouted. "If you give up, what do you think Sheba's going to do?
For a few moments, the Captain was silent, his face reflecting the dark thoughts that were undoubtedly running through his mind. He appeared not to have heard Starbuck's last comment, as, his voice nearly breaking, he whispered, "She said thank you."
"What?" Starbuck didn't understand.
"She said thank you," he repeated, looking up. "For rescuing her." He paused, shaking his head as tears welled in his eyes. "She knew she wouldn't have a chance later."
"That's ridiculous," Starbuck said incredulously, the anger returning to his voice. "Despite what you might think, Sheba's not going to go without one Hades of a fight, and you're not helping her one little bit with this kind of-"
"I failed her, just like I did Serina-"
"Sheba isn't Serina," Starbuck cut him off sharply.
Somehow, those words seemed to hit home; Apollo was silent.
Wasn't that what he'd been telling himself since he'd met Sheba? She wasn't Serina? Now the words spoken by Starbuck took on different meaning. Apollo loved Sheba for who she was; loyal, kind and generous. Caring, courageous, and strong. They could fight each other until the end of time and that would never change. Serina was only a memory now; you couldn't live for a ghost. Especially when there was someone as special as Sheba waiting for you. He had already hurt her with his anger, betrayed her with his doubt and his despair. Never again. She needed him now and he would be there.
Relieved, Starbuck could see something- everything- resolve itself in his friend's mind and his quiet strength, the strength that had first attracted Sheba to him, reassert itself along with the belief that Sheba would fight long and hard before she would let go. Apollo's eyes sparked with life and his anger with himself as he took over the controls of the shuttle with a ferocity that surprised Starbuck.
"Let's get out of here," Apollo said, determined.
Wiping the beads of sweat away from his forehead, Starbuck couldn't agree more as he realised that their time had just abruptly ran out. The rising heat in the cockpit was getting to be unbearable, the two warriors managed to take off and head as quickly as possible towards the coldness of space.
There was no time for delicate flying through the launch bay doors, as the fires closed fast on their tail. As quickly as they could, Apollo and Starbuck hurtled the shuttle through the blaze and out into the heavens.
*~*
Adama's viper streaked by the barge, its pilot doing his best to see from the outside the extent of the damage done to the ship. The entire left side was in flames and the right side was not far from it. A small group of escape vessels had launched from the underside of the ship and were heading, it looked, towards the Adena.
Sweeping lower in the direction of the landing bay, the Commander strained to see a shuttle emerging from the blaze, rising from the ashes like a phoenix, just as the prison barge exploded.