The Reeducation of Nya Reece – Part III (revised)

For those who have read this before. It is just the end that has changed. Chapter 5 to follow this weekend.

----

"As you walk in darkness, you are not alone, you will never be alone."

"Raider on your six!"

Nya jerks her head around but can't see anything except for the flashes of light on her retinas. "I don't see it!"

"Archer, hard tail it! Hard tail it –NOW!"

She slams her palm down on the throttle and the VIPER spins backwards over its rear thrusters. Between the spots in her vision she sees the Cylon fighter and targets it instantly. Gunfire flashes between the ships and for a moment, she wishes that one would take her as well, now that there is nothing to live for. But her shots are faster and the Cylon ship blows into tiny pieces of debris that scatter across the hull of her ship.

Like rain falling, the soft patter lulls her and her eyes close. A stray shot hits her VIPER and spins it uncontrollably as warning lights and alarms scream their multiple warnings. Starbuck is shouting across the comm. again but Nya doesn't care, her eyes are closed, and she holds them that way.

"I loved you…" She whispers to the darkness and sees the explosion happen again, and again, and again.

----

One day before the attack…

Tom Zarek gazes around him at the sleek efficiency of the Battlestar Pegasus. This ship is nothing like the decrepit old hull that Adama calls his pride and joy. This is a warship, that much Tom can see from her smooth lines and angry detailing.

"Commander Cain," he smiles as he recognizes the martial woman approaching him with one hand extended in welcome. "Permission to come aboard?"

"Granted." Her handshake is what he expected, nearly crushing. "Welcome to the Pegasus."

"I must confess some curiousity." He says as he follows her off the shuttle deck. "I've heard that you're fond of stone-walling President Roslin, so your invitation was unexpected."

"Straightforward." Cain nods. "I'd heard that about you."

"We can play the politician's game but I figured that was a waste of your time."

"Good instincts."

They continue down the hallway as the crew turn to watch them and glance away just as quickly. The difference in attitude crawls at Tom's spine. He'd heard the rumors, they all had, but he hadn't imagined that the truth would be so palpably obvious just from walking down a corridor. Bad things had happened here, and would continue to happen, and it all emanated from this woman.

"And?"

"And," she ushers him into an austere conference room. "I'm interested in brokering a deal."

"A deal?" He wonders how much weight he should give to the warning sirens going off in his head.

"Yes. I need someone I can work with in control of the civilian Fleet. Someone who isn't going to be bothering me every step of the way."

"I don't think I understand."

Cain snorts and gives him a look that makes it very clear she thinks his protest is ridiculous. "You'll have complete independence within the framework I give you. You give me what I want from the Fleet and I won't interfere in how you run it."

"You're offering me the Presidency?" He has to hear her say it because he doesn't quite believe it himself.

"Yes." She pours him a glass of whiskey and Tom takes it just to gain himself a moment to compose his thoughts.

"The Presidency." It's what he wants. It wasn't always, he had believed in freedom and independence once, but now in this new world, it's power. And Cain is offering to wrap it up and hand it to him free of charge. "I'd exchange a 888 for a despot."

"Call it whatever you want." Her voice is almost brittle. "The offer stands."

"And any assurances that I'd ask for?"

"Not a part of our deal." She drains her own glass and pours another. "You keep me happy and I'll maintain the civilian Fleet. If not…"

That promise lingers in the air between them.

"I'd like a day to think about it."

"A day." She laughs and it makes Tom remember what tomorrow is; the attack on the Resurrection Ship.

But he decides to hold to the timeline. There is something uneasy about this sudden offer and he tries to dispel the lingering worry that she's planning something against Adama and Roslin. Then, in a fit of pique, he tries to tell himself that he doesn't care. Dead by Cylons, by chance, or by this mad woman's hand will all give him the same thing – power.

"One day, and you'll have your decision."

-----

Nya hurries through the Pegasus corridors furtively as though every eye that sees her might glean the truth of her journey. Any part of it might send her back to the brig and their idea of reeducation.

"Hsst." Comes a voice and she turns instinctively towards it.

The small olive-skinned man stares at her as though he hasn't decided whether or not to trust her. He's wearing the uniform of a ship's cook even as Nya is dressed as a Fleet pilot yet there is something else more binding than uniforms that ties them together.

"Hail Zeus and Hera. Hail Orai, guardians of the gates of heaven and hail the Fates who decide when we shall walk between them."

He breathes a sigh of relief and pulls her into the shadows that contain him. "Praise, Apollo. I wasn't sure about you until that."

"Most Sagittarons won't even admit they're religious anymore." She answers softly.

He nods. "I'm Zeke. And no, they won't. You've seen what happens to people who don't follow Cain's orders. We're both courting death by meeting."

"But you know why I've come."

Silence descends between them as he reaches into his coveralls and pulls out a tiny half-damaged scroll. The parchment crackles as he unrolls it and she almost gasps as she sees the tiny watermark across the top, the reason she's come to this man.

"The serpent." She whispers.

Zeke nods. "The serpent. I couldn't save much from home. This and a few other things. The rest are gone now. Destroyed by Cylons like they'd never existed."

"Things aren't gone as long as we remember them."

A warmth embues his face and wipes away the years and sorrows laid upon it. "Spoken like a daughter of the Gods. Were you bound for the priesthood?"

"No, it was always the stars for me." She reaches out and touches the scroll with a reverent finger. "But this, this explains so much."

"Why are you interested?" Zeke asks gently. "With everything going on, what does this have to do with life?"

"Something someone told me once."

"Do you mind if I ask what?"

A sudden noise startles the both of them and they draw further into the shadows of the hall. They wait, each holding their breath, as a pair of crewmen turn the corner and walk past them without seeing.

"Thank you." She leans in and kisses him on one weathered cheek. "May the Gods and the Lords of Kobol bless you, Priest of Apollo, for what you've done."

"What have I done?" Zeke quests. "What are you going to do?"

-----

The VIPER spins and the force of it forces Nya to reopen her eyes. She grabs for the throttle and rides the spin around and manages to steady the fighter. Alarms continue to give their clarion cry for attention and she shuts them off.

"Archer?" Comes Starbuck's query. "You alive in there?"

"I'm here, Starbuck." The VIPER bucks at her commands but flies in a limping manner back toward the battle.

"We're just mopping up." Comes the gleeful voice. "Get your bird back to Pegasus. Mission accomplished."

"Mission accomplished." Nya echoes without any joy. "Wilco." Her VIPER turns and heads towards the hulking behemoth that is Pegasus.

-----

Tom paces on board the Pegasus. Now that it is time to decide, he cannot do it. Cannot make the simple choice that will give him everything he's worked so hard for. He keeps thinking of Nya and how disappointed she would be in him.

Then, as cheers fill the crowd around him as the first news of victory spills through them a small part of his heart hardens. She always was a political weakness, either in campaigning, or in the pursuit of power. A sense of determination fills him and Tom Zarek decides that some things are worth the sacrifice. She will either understand or she won't but this is the time for him.

In his Fleet he will change things.

-----
Nya staggers from the smoking cockpit of her VIPER and hits the deck. Her legs won't bear her weight and she can't feel them anyway. The world keeps swimming around her and collapsing into pinpoints of light that inevitably fade into the darkness.

"Lieutenant?" Says the voice of one of the deck crew but the words skitter off her mind and fade away. She reels and tries to focus, but the only thing that matters was the explosion.

A ball of fire in the darkness of space. Thousands of copies on board but only one that mattered.

The irony strikes her at that moment. All of the copies of Leoben were Leoben. She hadn't loved a man, not a unique man, she'd loved a machine as much as the VIPERs were stamped out of fabricating plants on Caprica. She hadn't loved anything capable of loving her back.

"Nya?"

This, then, is a voice familiar to her.

"Tom?"

Suddenly her eyes clear and she manages to stand upon her own feet. In a single moment of comprehension she manages to see past all of the blinding pain that has transfixed her.

"Nya?" He tries to pull her into his arms but she resists the movement, not because it is Zarek but because she is still relearning her balance.

"No, wait." She says. "It is gone. The Resurrection Ship is gone."

"I know." He answers. "I'm so sorry."

"No." A small smile touches the corner of her lips. "It had to happen. The Gods willed it."

"How do you know?" But then something occurs to him and he grasps her arms tightly. "There's no embarrassment in grieving."

But there is nothing mad or deranged in her eyes. Nya is suddenly more in control of herself than she's ever been. "If we wait until our lives are free from sorrow or difficulty, then we wait forever. And miss the entire point."

"What do you mean?"

In response, she kisses him.

-----

Leoben hits the ground hard. He looks up, expecting to see dark sky and is blinded by the sun. Then, a cold steel barrel plants itself between his eyes.

"I knew something was wrong with you." D'anna says coldly. "You're under arrest, Leoben Conoy, and if I'm right. You'll be boxed before nightfall."

Thanks for the patience. I was momentarily sidetracked with the realization that I didn't like Nya helping Gina but I wasn't sure how to fix it and the story.

Chapter 5 is currently in progress and will be up shortly. :)

P.s. The quote Nya says is from Dirk Benedict. No boos, I was searching around and came across it. It was definitely a moment of eloquence from him. I had to use it.