William Adama laid his hand gently on his son's bare chest, comparing the rhythmic beat of Lee's heart to that of the machine they had him hooked to. His eyes locked on the rise and fall of each breath. His son was alive, but for how long? He wouldn't lie; he had been scared before, but nothing like this. When they found his son, it didn't look as if he was breathing; the bulk of his uniform hid his meager efforts. The blood that had been draining from his nose and mouth were also a bit distracting. And when Michael pointed out that the stone of his circlet was not glowing, his own heart nearly stopped in his chest.

Part of him kept trying to convince himself that none of this was true; that Lee could have very well tripped up when the power went out, and slammed into the desk or doorway. But something deep in his soul told him the Gemmon priest knew what he was talking about when it came to what was happening to his son.

Michael had come to only moments after they reached Life Station. He struggled to be heard past the ruckus of workers.

"Commander," he whispered. Pushing away the mask a tech had just placed on him, "I..."

"Hush, son," the commander returned, hoping to get the boy to cooperate with the medics.

"No time," he breathed as he finally stopped struggling with the mask "His Soul is trapped …Archie dies … he will die … Lee will die … It's my chance… he died to save me… I can finally… finally return the favor."

"Michael, you are tired; you need to rest."

"No… No…time. It's my turn, my choice. He… did it for.. us so … so long ago. I can… do it for him. .. now."

"I don't understand."

"I can … give him back his life and the chance to live it. Your son in that past life… the one he has been drawn to. We were friends... Officers in His…His Majesty's… Navy…" He closed his eyes and tried desperately to catch his breath. "He …Archie…was mortally wounded in battle, but… he ... lived for many days... before… he …succumb … His sacrifices saved me and many others on board the Renown."

Adama smiled … he really couldn't picture Lee as anything more than the little boy he had held in his arms the day he was born. To think of him as a Traveler was almost frightening. The military experiments William had participated in had actually failed. Nine men died that day he was nearly the tenth. The nightmare had returned with a vengeance and now it was taking his only surviving family, his little boy.

Finally calm enough to take the seat next to Michael's bed, he thought back on the words of his young assistant. He had prided himself as a military historian. Predating space flight and the simple combustion engine, the military was split into many different factions, and the Colonial Navy was not, to his knowledge, ever called His Majesty's Navy. And he had never heard of a ship, of land, water or space, that was dubbed "The Renown" but then maybe he was just getting old.

A smile crossed Michael's face as his mind seemed to become clearer. "No, Adama, you would not know the Renown, for it was never the name of a Colonial ship.

The commander's eyebrows arched as he realized that the priest has read his mind.

"The clarity of others' thoughts are just part of the process of death. By now the priests would have brought a child to claim my memories and those of the others whom I have kept."

"What should we do?" Adama asked openly.

"Nothing. They will stay with me until my rebirth, and maybe they, too, will find rebirth." He smirked. "I can assure you the Gemmon sect will not perish with the death of one man." His smile quickly faded as he looked over to the occupied bed to his left. "But the fleet could perish without the knowledge your son bears; knowledge he doesn't even know he has."

"I still don't understand. Are you telling me that my son is some kind of prophet?"

"Dear Lords, no. He is but a man. The ability to travel is known to all mankind. To actually do it is a little more touchy. Your family, it would seem, is highly blessed with the talent. Like you, your son has conquered time and space."

"Like me," Adama growled. "He could die without even knowing what is happening to him."

"Dainor did not let it happen to you. I will not let that happen to him."

"What can you do…now?"

"I will cross back through the portal, opening it up once again, and lead Apollo's spirit back through the opening."

"But only one can go through the portal to open it, and to maintain it you have to cross through it. One of the few things Dainor pushed us to remember was that only one spirit could cross the barrier. If you cross through and he comes out, then you will be trapped."

"Commander, I am dying. But Apollo has a chance of surviving. He has a future, and if I am right, he may be the key to finding the Thirteenth Tribe."

"I don't…..."

"Please, sir, listen. The Renown was not a Colonial ship. It was a ship that sailed the great waters of a small planet you know as Earth."

"Even if what you say is true, how can this knowledge be of any help to us? Sea voyages like what you describe are primitive."

"That's right, Commander, it was a very primitive ship, made of wood and tar with great sails to catch the wind… she was truly a sight to see. The air was clean and winds were strong and they sailed from one far port to another over great distances without land in sight for many months. And do you know how they could navigate such great distances? Just like we do now: from one star to another."

Adama didn't say anything, in fact was he was not sure what he was supposed to say. He heard what was said, he just was not sure he believed what he was hearing. This man, a priest, lived on the planet Earth with his son some lifetime ago. His mind was boggled and in his heart he was not sure that Earth was any more than a story from the Great Scroll.

"Yes, Adama, Earth does or at least did, exist. I do not know what became of them but I lived many years in that life and saw many great changes. And even if the planet is not up to our technological standards, it is habitable. I believe you have done the right thing by giving the colonists something to hope for. Earth is not just a dream, it does exist and with time and Apollo's help, you can get them there."

The disbelief in Adama's eyes was like nothing Michael had seen before. The man had thought to lie to his people and now by some bizarre mishap, he found out his lie was the truth.

"Commander, your son, well Archie, he was a sailor and a damned fine one. In Lee's heart, and more importantly, in the back of his mind, he knows those stars. Trust in him, teach him, and between the two of you, you will find the true path to Earth."

"And what if he doesn't trust me? Hell, I don't even believe what I am hearing, what makes you think anyone else will?"

He smiled and looked past the Commander. Behind him stood Kayla Salik, standing dumbfounded and almost in shock. "Because you have a witness to what I said, right, Doc? Because in his heart he does trust and believe in you. Because in your heart you know there is no other way to save your son or your people."

"You may not remember this but the Doctor's father was one of the men who worked on the project with Dainor. Doctor, any information you may need is hidden in the Commander's computer. I am afraid I did pilfer it from the Military Archive not so long after I realized who you were, Commander. I can't say I truly know why I felt it was necessary, but I did.

I can open the doors to the portal, so when his spirit is freed he will have a way home. But then you must find out how the his portal is opening and train him to understand them and close them just as Dainor taught you to open and close them. You are his only hope. Eventually, he will be able to look through the portals without going through. He will begin to regain the memories of that past life…just as you remember yours. You will know you are there by the chart of the stars."

"If you knew that Earth really existed, why did you not chart the stars for us?"

"I did not remember them until I crossed portals with Apollo. I had just been testing a theory. I didn't expect to actually find that his portal and mine are karmatically attached."

"There has to be another way," Dr. Salik whispered. "If you can open and shut these portals, why can't you open it from this side and bring him through?"

Michael smiled again…

Adama looked frustrated. "The opening is made by passing through…although you can see into the portal when you …. I don't know, I guess activate would be the term I am seeking. Anyway, unless someone goes through to that time, it is no more than a window and in most cases once you cross over, your memory of that life takes over and you forget this life. When your body in that life dies, this one too will die."

"It is believed that that was what happened to the others who died in the experiment. The only reason Dainor was able to save me was that we had shared a past life. He came and got me and brought me back. But then my portal was still open. Lee's is not. If what Michael says is true then, when this …Archie... dies, Lee will also die because he has no way to get back."

"No way but me," Michael interrupted.

"Lee would not allow it. He would not want that."

"No…no, nor would I have allowed Archie to have sacrificed himself for me…. had I been given a choice. Now the decision is mine. My life in that world was a good one if not a great one. Unlike him when he made his sacrifice, I know what I am getting into. Either way, I am dying. Why not make it a death worth something?