When I knew she was asleep, I slid out from between the covers, groped around in the dark for my pistol. After nearly tripping over one of her shoes, I found it, returned to her side. She stirred, murmuring as she curled up against me, a little lump under the covers.
She had slid her panties back on, underneath one of my old college pyramid t-shirts, which her delicate body swam in. I smiled, listening to her slow breathing. I figured she was a pajamas kind of girl. I stretched the blanket a little more over my legs. She was a cover hog, too.
I fought the urge to doze for a while. I didn't tell her, but I think she knew this was a house divided. Hell, do the math and no thinking was necessary. 9 to 7 to go. Every one of the mechanics Down Below and the boys in their racks by the cargo hold were armed, just as I was. We were still on the brink, and I didn't know who could be trusted for sure. Stengler's indecision had to bother anyone with ears and eyes. If the man at the top didn't look strong, shit rolled downhill on the rest. Fear made people do crazy things, take actions upon themselves they never would, otherwise. I figured I could stay awake, until 0400, then maybe catch a nap before breakfast. As I had told Diana before, she was safe on the Lady.
At some point, I blinked, and suddenly the clock next to me read 0210. I dozed off. Shit. And there was annoying tapping noise, the creak of hinges--the hatch. The wheel was spinning, my eyes were finally wide as the door was kicked open. I didn't hesitate, loading a round into the chamber of the semi-automatic. I couldn't make out the silhouette against the dim backlight in the corridor, as I rose to my knees, felt Diana stir.
I frakked up. Caff died so she could live, and I risked everything to keep her safe. Now that would unravel here, because I dozed for maybe half an hour, leaving her absolutely helpless.
Without a word, I shoved her face first under me, rising to my knees. There was no way I could get out of this without taking a slug, as the shadowed figure raised the gun at his side. I was screwed, but I could at least follow through, give Diana a chance to live. He drew a bead on me. I felt Diana squirm under my weight, and I realized I would never know who betrayed me as the shot echoed off the walls.
After a breath, I realized that I was untouched. My would-be killer arched convulsively, losing control of his trigger finger, and my ears were hammered with more gunfire as he unloaded three rounds spastically into the ceiling, raining clumps of insulation down upon him. My heart thudded, seeing the man's legs sprawled out. I rose to my wobbly feet and told Diana to stay down.
I and found myself looking down at Mangan, who had already dropped his weapon, and clutched his right shoulder, blood oozing between his fingers. He grimaced, whitefaced up at me. And I looked down the hall, to see Nick, who fired the shot that downed him.
"Don't you frakkin' move, Mangan," he said, creeping slowly down the hall in his boxers and a tanktop, pistol still trained on him. Behind Nick was Marty, Toby, and Ed, weapons ready if the shooter had somehow missed.
I trained my gun on him, too. I was never sure of his loyalty, but I never thought he would resort to this. I never could think of Adam Mangan as a cold-blooded killer. To my left, Stengler and the rest of the flight crew loomed. I had never seen Jeffers look so fundamentally rattled as the stink of gunpowder and burned flesh hung in the air. Nick slowly bent down, to grab Mangan's weapon.
"Keep a bead on him, Krenzik. Old bastard's shifty," he told me. Given that I never saw this coming, Nick was pointing out the obvious. He carefully picked up the 9mm by its grip, then flipped it around, pointing the butt-end toward me.
"You're the boss, Krenzik, whaddya want to do with him?"
I took the weapon, looked behind me, seeing Diana still flat against the mattress.
"It's okay, baby. Come on," I beckoned. Before the last words were of my mouth, she was peeking around my shoulder, and, eyes wide as plates, she leaned against me, watching Mangan writhe, trying to hold in what he leaked all over his hand and the floor.
By then the entire crew was packed into that corridor, Nick beside Mangan to the right, Stengler on the left. The captain's lips were pursed, surveying the whole scene. The words stuck in my throat, and then I pictured Diana with eyes dead to the worlds, everything she ever was in a dark splatter on the wall behind her. I squatted down in front of my FTL tech, Jim Caffrey's best friend, our would-be killer.
"Why, Mangan?"
He just glared at me, spit bubbling at the corners of his mouth. I turned to Diana.
"Take this, for a minute," I told her, handing her Mangan's pistol. She brushed stray hair out of her eyes, looked at me as though we didn't speak the same language. "It's okay, just hold this for a little while."
Diana took the weapon, cradling it as if she were holding a poisonous reptile. I turned back to Mangan snatched him up by his shirt collar so hard we almost butted heads.
"Tell… me… WHY?"
His mouth stretched into a feral smile that made a cold spike run up my spine.
"Why not, Krenzik? Everything's frakked. Jimmy's dead 'cause of her. She could bring Galactica down on us, and now 'cause of her we're runnin' off to Kobol to make that nut happy."
He looked over to Nick, the other mechanics, as I felt Diana clutch my arm with her free hand.
"Aint' too late, Nick. All of you," he said. "I'm on your side--"
Stengler squatted down next to me, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Let him go Krenzik."
I stared at him in disbelief, then the captain repeated the order, and I complied, letting Mangan's head thunk against the bulkhead. I hoped it hurt.
"Now, Mr. Mangan," Stengler began. He was trembling, redfaced. "I guess you decided you knew what was best, eh? Enough to take matters into your own hands, on my ship. ON MY SHIP!"
The FTL tech turned to the knuckledraggers once more.
"Come on, we're armed, Nick, Toby… Marty…Ed--"
"No way, man," Nick said. "This is straight up bullshit. And so are you," he finished, spitting on him.
Pinklon sifted his way from behind Moore and Jeffers.
"Look," the nurse said. "While we figure out what we're going to do, we need to stop the bleeding--"
"Step back, Mr. Pinklon," Stengler told him. "I'll let you know if you're needed."
He turned back to Mangan.
"If you're familiar with interstellar Colonial law, then you know that in times of war, when military or government aid cannot be reasonably expected to arrive, things like this fall under captain's mass. Basically, I'm the law on this vessel. And you committed mutiny. There's only one punishment that fits this crime. For all our sakes, you will be spaced."
I couldn't believe I was hearing this. Sure, I wouldn't have shed a tear if Nick hit him in the head, but the threat was eliminated. I also found the irony of Galactica coming for him fitting justice.
Jeffers put a hand on the captain's shoulder.
"Now hold on Brad, lets just chain him up and put a guard on him for a while, figure out what we're going to do before we--"
"This is my ship, Mr. Jeffers. If I would have remembered that a long time ago, it wouldn't have come to this."
"As the XO it's my duty to point out--"
"It's also your duty to know when to step back, Milt." Then he turned back to our traitor.
"You leave me no choice. You're going out the fore airlock, Mangan. And may the Gods have mercy on your soul."
He was really going to do it. No shit. Adam Mangan would die--horribly. His lungs would strain for air, as his eyes froze, and the pain would be inconceivable before his heart exploded. Mangan just glared at him.
"You don't have the balls to--"
"Sorg," Stengler said. "Dempsey, pick his sorry ass up and let's get this over with."
"No problem, sir," Nick said. Toby took a deep breath, all color gone from his face as he grabbed one arm, and Nick the other. Mangan cried out as Sorg wrenched his wounded limb, trying to break free.
Diana shoved past me, in the middle of all of them. Her hair was a tangled mop, and she only wore panties and my old Libron Tech Pyramid shirt, but she crossed her arms, the shock in her eyes replaced with steel.
"Put him down," she told them.
"Miss Thalyka, what the hell are you doing," Stengler asked her.
"What I have the right to do, Captain. You speak of Colonial law, and the provisions that may be invoked 'when military or government aid cannot be reasonably expected to arrive'. But that is not the case, at the moment. We will be jumping to Kobol tomorrow, where the President herself awaits. Certainly, a reasonable period of time, for more assistance and advice, in a way, than would have been available even back on Caprica or Libron. And until then—and even discounting that—I am a member of the Cabinet. I am aboard this ship. As a result, that law does not apply. I speak for the government at the moment, Captain Stengler. And I forbid this action."
"Last time I checked, Madame Secretary, the Colonial government was dissolved." He gestured to Toby and Nick. "Let's go."
Without hesitation, he shoved past Diana, knocking her into me, and the throng moved forward, toward the right turn leading to the fore airlock.
Jeffers followed, pleading. "Brad! Come on! You don't have to do it!"
Stengler just ignored him as Mangan fought every step of the way, screaming himself hoarse.
"Cap'n," I said. "We can--"
Before I could finish, Diana elbowed her way back in front of him, barely keeping up, as we all turned the corner to the airlock.
"Last time I checked, Captain, according to that very same Colonial law you claim to be basing your actions now off of, both Adama's arrest of the President and Tigh's dissolution of the Quorum and declaration of martial law were illegal actions. Meaning that legally speaking, the government is not, in fact, dissolved. Making me just as legitimate as I was a week ago. And I am telling you now: This action is illegal and, if followed through, will be, given the circumstances, considered murder."
This was all too surreal. Mangan screaming his head off, leaving a trail of bloody drips behind him, and Marty--Marty pistol-whipping him when he wouldn't stop pushing off the walls with his feet. The entire time, Diana was breaking down Colonial law to the captain, who just ignored her and pressed on.
Jeffers sidled up next to me, as the airlock loomed closer.
"You need to reign her in, Krenzik. This isn't the time for lawyering-- right or wrong."
I didn't give a damn about the legalese. This was wrong any way it was sliced. We had other options, we had over 500 yards of chain and frakload of padlocks back in the shop. Jeffers was right though.
I took Diana aside as we were finally at the airlock, Mangan slumped and battered in Toby's and Nick's arms.
"Cap'n," I said. "The Astral Queen's a big prison we can dump him off--"
"We don't answer to Tom Zarek," he told me. Then he looked to Diana. "And legal or not legal doesn't matter, does it? Galactica's got the firepower, don't they?" He gestured to Ed.
"Open the door, Coursen. Ed complied, and the thick glass split at the push of a button. The single, dingy red strobe flashed as the klaxon sounded.
With that, court was adjourned in the Lady of Libron II legislative district, and Stengler turned his eyes to me.
"You have anything you'd like to say to him before we end this?"
This was really going to happen, and there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it. Jeffers, Moore, Pinklon, Mitchell, everyone else glowered behind me. It was wrong, but eye-for-eye was hard to dispute when everything was turned upside down. I couldn't convince him to stop it. No one could.
"Cap'n, he doesn't have to die! He--"
"That's okay, Krenzik," Mangan said, spitting a glob of blood at my feet. "You can tell me when I see you in Hell." Then his eyes fell upon Diana. "You too, bitch."
Diana fought her way back in front of me, veins standing out on her neck.
"Captain Stengler! I…ORDER YOU…TO STOP!"
"Shut up Miss Thalyka."
Stengler then turned to Nick and Toby. "Throw him in and shut the doors. I'll do the rest."
The two men threw Mangan in, where he collapsed in a heap. As the glass slid shut once more, he didn't scream, or pound on the glass. He just laid there, glaring at me as the Captain pulled the lever, just before he was sucked into the eternal black.