"Brace for impact!"
White-knuckled hands gripped consoles as enemy fire smashed into the ship. Everyone was thrown off their feet as the deck lurched underneath them. Sparks rained down around the crew of Galactica.
All the Battlestars had recalled their fighters the moment the last of the civilian Fleet jumped away. Galactica's vipers rested in a heap within her now retracted hangar bays. Valkyrie and Daedalus jumped away leaving just Prometheus and Galactica facing the oncoming horde of Cylon raiders.
"Breach in the stern hull."
"Damage control teams being spread pretty thin."
"Fire in port hangar bay!"
"Doc is reporting casualties."
Officers shouted reports. Crewmen pressed comms to their ears, pushing information down the lines. Burnt relays filled CIC with smoke while DRADIS showed the enemy closing in like the jaws of death. In these moments, chaos reigned. There was no time to think, but this is what they were trained for. Officers made split-second decisions, saving as many as they could.
"Jump drive spun up."
"Jump!" Adama ordered, watching the incoming enemy ordnance. Gaeta snatched up the FTL safety interlock, holding it in a tight fist. The ship shook again, and the bright-glowing blue crystals cast their light on frightened faces. He jammed the crystals into their slot feeling the mechanism click into place. Wasting no time, Gaeta twisted the key hard, but nothing happened.
On DRADIS, Prometheus blinked away while the Cylons kept coming. Everyone turned to wide-eyed Gaeta, who turned the key again. No disorienting twist came. There was no folding or stretching sensation. Instead of jumping to safety, Galactica found herself facing an onslaught of Cylon Basestars and raiders determined to blow her to hell.
"There's a problem with the FTL," Gaeta reported, working frantically over the console.
"Stop telling us the obvious and start on the fixing it!" Tigh ordered, practically feeling the enemy breathing down on their necks. More Cylon missiles streaked in and slammed into the ship, throwing people to the ground. Enemy contacts were overwhelming the ability of Battlestar gunners to stop them. Alarms blared and chunks of glass sparkled in the light as screens shattered. Meanwhile Gaeta worked furiously at the FTL computer.
Adama grabbed the tactical table and hauled himself to his feet from where he'd landed on the floor. Blinking several times, he tried to clear his vision. Wincing, he wiped away the blood dripping into his eye from the gash on his head. The ship shuddered again and he could taste the fear in the air. The hull creaked and groaned, threatening to buckle under the hailstorm of missiles raining down on her.
"Report?" Adama demanded.
"Still nothing!" Gaeta yelled. The young lieutenant slammed a fist onto the drive's computer screen. "The systems are functional, but FTL is not reading the navigation computer's jump coordinates."
Adama knew there was no way they could stand toe to toe with the Cylons for much longer. Galactica and her crew were one well-placed nuke away from total annihilation.
"But the FTL drive itself is still operational?" he asked.
"Yes, sir!"
The Cylons had the ability to kill them and they would if he didn't do something. Jumping with a faulty navigational array was suicidal under the best of times. "Disconnect the navigation array from the FTL drive," he ordered.
"Sir?" Tigh asked, looking at his CO warily. The FTL computer calculated where they were jumping and ensured they didn't end up in the middle of a star or asteroid. Space was pretty big though.
"Blind jump," Adama ordered. A morbid silence fell over CIC. It was damn crazy to jump when a navigational array and FTL computer were not talking to each other. Every Fleet cadet heard the stories of failed FTL jumps—when ships jumped blind and never reappeared. It was highly likely they'd jump right out of existence.
"That's crazy," Tigh said, as Gaeta stared at Adama in horror. Adama looked at the DRADIS screen, which showed too many enemy contacts to count. He'd staked his career on his ability to make the tough calls. He could weigh the lives of the men and women under his protection, against the facts on the ground.
"It's time to roll the hard six," Adama said, knowing they were out of options.
"Yes, sir." Gaeta said, obeying his commander and prepping the jump. "Ready."
"Jump!"
…
"Does imagining yourself here help?" asked the woman Laura referred to as Dream Elosha. Laura walked through the emptied and darkened corridors of Galactica. Her footfalls echoed against the dark metal while Elosha trailed behind her. Her sadness festered like a wound in her chest and ached. The pain was unbearable, unending, and unrelenting as her cancer once had been as it drained the life from her.
"Leave me alone," Laura sighed.
She slipped into Bill's quarters, their home, but in the dream was all wrong. The edges were blurred and out of focus, and there was no warm feeling rising in her. She picked up a Galactica sweatshirt from the floor, one of Liam's favorite things to wear. Collapsing on the couch, Laura held the sweater to her chest.
"You were so overjoyed and terrified at being a mother. So worried you couldn't be what he needed you to be," Elosha whispered, her honeyed voice trying to bring comfort and peace.
She clutched the sweatshirt in her arms, remembering holding her son for the first time. Her voice was thick with tears as she spoke. "I was scared. But then he came and it was easy. Liam was so perfect."
"Your people need you again. They look to their promised leader once more. Don't let yourself fade again," Dream Elosha said, resting a hand on her shoulder. Laura shook her head and stood to pace.
"I feel like I've been cleaved in two and some vital part of me is missing," Laura snapped as she paced through the quarters she'd come to call home. Her fingertips traced over the spines of books and the open pages of Searider Falcon, which lay open on the table.
"It's the price of great love," Elosha said, sitting there watching Laura pace with sad understanding.
"It is. And, my gods, it hurts. But I'm not fading again, Elosha. I won't." Laura's fingertips formed fists resting on each side of the open book. A grim look of determination crossed her face and she looked over to Elosha. "Someone did this to me, to Kara, and to Billy. We have all this pain that we shouldn't be having to live with. So I'm going to use it to drag down my enemies. They will never control this fleet, and my daughter will grow up and without ever hearing the names Dagon or Zarek."
"Laura?" Elosha asked, and Laura stood up, her spine rigid as steel. She faced Elosha and crossed her arms.
"If the gods are going to make me live in hell, driven insane by delusions that can't keep my family alive and safe, I might as well fill the place up with the bastards who deserve to be here. So tell me, Elosha, or whoever… whatever, you are, what can you tell me that will help. Who remembers?"
"Bill Adama, who represented Zeus; you, who represented Hera. Cottle as Ares, Kara as Apollo, Tigh as Poseidon, Billy as Hermes, Boomer as Athena, and Leoben as Haphaestus."
"Well, I knew all that," Laura said, pacing closer to look down at the priest. She looked ready to spit fire. "I want all their names. I want all the correlations. Now."
Elosha pursed her lips, and met Laura's burning gaze. After a few moments, she replied. "Fine. Lee represents Artemis. Caprica Six remembers and represents Demeter. Baltar represents Aphrodite."
"Frakking Baltar. Of course he remembers; he helped start this all when he introduced Six to Adar but he's dead now. I kept him locked in his lab on Galactica. Tell me about Zarek," she ordered.
"He remembers and represents Dionysus. The God who wields a staff wound in ivy, which he uses as a weapon to destroy those who oppose the freedom he represents. Called Eleutherios in old Gemenese—'the liberator'. He promises to free his followers from fear and overthrow the oppressive reign of the powerful."
"And you are only telling me this now after our so-called 'liberator' arranged the death of the oppressive Admiral Adama who only wanted to preserve humanity. Now my sons are gone." Elosha looked up at the woman who towered over her suspiciously and with a hint of trepidation.
"What are you planning, Laura?"
"To burn Dagon and Zarek with the fire they started."
Laura opened her mouth to demand more information from the reticent Elosha, but found herself snapped back into the waking world with the suddenness of a cracking whip. A hand clamped over her mouth, stifling the instinctive scream rising in her. She stared up at her assailant, wide-eyed and visualizing all sorts of morbid ways this could play out. There was a spark of defiance in the man's eyes.
"Shhhh. You wanted to get outta here, right?"
...
The crew of Galactica fought on. They ate, slept, and repaired the ship, repeating the process again and again. The Admiral stayed on duty with his soldiers as they pulled the ship back together. The clattering of equipment and the constant hard work of his crew eased his mind, assuring him of the resilience of his people. He looked at them and knew that they were not yet defeated and could keep on fighting despite limping through the stars. All the while they worked under the ominous certainty that unless Galactica reunited with the civilian Fleet soon, there would be disastrous consequences. Crew whispered in hushed tones as rumors about sabotage tip-toed through the corridors. Besides, the crew needed their Old Lady back almost as much as Adama himself did.
It was a nightmarish dystopia in CIC. Tools were strewn everywhere as the crew repaired the damaged systems. Sparks flew as crewmen welded metal on metal, and the acrid smell of smoke and metal from welding clung to the fibers of their clothing. Gaeta stood at the FTL computer. He hadn't gone off duty since the day before and now his hair stuck out in every direction.
"What's he doing in CIC?!" Tigh's voice cracked out like thunder across the room. He glared daggers toward Gaeta but more precisely toward the man ducking down behind the FTL computer console. A man, Tigh seethed, whom he considered lower than dirt and lesser than the maggots of New Caprica. He stalked toward them, sputtering with fury. "Mr. Gaeta, what is that man doing in my CIC?!"
'Awww. Does the big mean soldier-man scare you, Gaius?' Invisible Six teased, leaning against the console Baltar ducked behind.
"As a matter of fact…" Baltar muttered, picturing the many ways Saul Tigh might like to dismember him.
"It was Dr. Baltar who hypothesized that our navigation systems may have been compromised by a computer virus. He's been assisting with correcting the code," Gaeta explained, standing up straight and trying to keep looking into the XO's fury-filled gaze. Gaeta tried to brush off how short and young the XO made him feel.
"Baltar has been confined to his lab," Tigh snarled as Adama walked into CIC with Chief Tyrol who was briefing him on the current situation. "Get that frakkin' slimy weasel out of here!" the XO ordered, causing Baltar to swallow hard and tremble.
'Pull it together Gaius. You need to protect our child,' Six growled, combing her perfectly manicured hands through Baltar's hair.
"Oh yes, I remember that line. Our great mission," Baltar hissed to Six under his breath with no small amount of sarcasm in his voice. Six narrowed her eyes at him.
'An honor given to you by almighty god,' she purred. Seduction was what Six did best, and she moved deeper into Baltar's personal space with a look of pure heat in her eyes. She raked her nails down from his head along his spine, letting her shimmering white dress ride up as she crouched down beside him. 'Chosen above all others,' she breathed in his ear, making the cowering man tremble harder.
"Sir, I could really use his help on the jump drive. And if it was sabotage…"
"Enough!" Tigh ordered.
Baltar peeked his head over the top of the FTL computer, looking between Gaeta and Tigh. Behind them, Adama watched the whole scene with a cold detachment. Nodding slowly at Six as he weighed his options, Baltar stood up straight and slunk around the computers and consoles, giving tight-ass Tigh a wide berth.
'Where are you going?' Six asked, but the Doctor shook his head. 'Look at them Gaius. They're tired, desperate. A smart man like you knows how to use that. Use it for Hera!' Six yelled, her voice ringing in his ears.
Hera. Taking a deep breath, Baltar turned around and walked up to the table underneath the DRADIS screens where Adama had turned his attention to the reports in front of him, refusing to give the man any attention. Baltar found the small speck of confidence he'd found in the other timeline, locked eyes with his imaginary Six that only he could see, and spoke in a low voice that only Adama could hear.
"Mistakes were made last time, I won't deny that. But we need to get to Kobol, sooner rather than later."
Adama's eyes snapped up to him at the mention of Kobol. "What are you talking about?"
"All this has happened before. All this will happen again. Humanity has been scattered and divided once more, but we are destined to regroup at Kobol. Yes, I know that's the planet we were trying to jump to. I also know that is the planet where the shape of things to come will be given to humanity. Hera." Six watched Baltar with calculating eyes, wary with warning.
"You remember," Adama growled in a low voice that only Baltar could hear. The two men stared at each other while Six moved her attention to Adama, leaning over the table and propping her head up in her hand.
'Use his weakness against him,' Six suggested, studying the Colonial officer. 'You know, you remember; who will he rip the heavens apart to get back to? There are those whom god has meant to be joined. Just like you and me,' Six said. Baltar nodded.
"I remember parts. Enough to help if you want it, and I should think the recovery of your pregnant wife is something that very much weighs on your conscious. I can help you get back to her. So, if you decide that means something to you, I'll be in my lab." Grabbing his imaginary girlfriend's hand in his, he marched out of CIC holding his head high before Adama could recover and ask him questions that would be better answered in private.
…
Adama paced his quarters, clutching the work order Gaeta had just pulled with information on who'd last worked on the FTL. It confirmed that someone from Prometheus—Dagon's ship—had been in CIC doing something to their computers. Gaeta now knew a virus was corrupting the systems, but he couldn't get rid of it.
Adama's thoughts moved to Baltar, and he felt the old rage at the man coursing through him like wildfire. Baltar remembered. Even if he could only recall bits and pieces from the other timeline, he was someone else with memories and the ability to help them now. He would never trust Baltar, though. His farce of a presidency led to the disaster of New Caprica and the thousands of dead there. His own wife, who was nothing more than a simple school teacher at the time, was imprisoned and… Adama took a shaky breath as he imagined what they'd done to her. They'd countered the effects of Hera's blood and Laura's cancer had thus eventually come back. Baltar began the events of Laura's death. But what if he could help get her back, Adama thought. He looked down at the work order knowing Laura was in danger with Dagon in control of the military. But to put even a grain of sand's worth of faith in Baltar?
"Dad!" Liam said, having snuck from his room, the converted storage locker next door to Adama's quarters with a door cut in it, into the main cabin. "Is Galactica repaired?"
"No," Bill sighed, sinking down onto the couch and taking off his glasses to rub his gritty, tired eyes. Liam, often feeling out of his depth when his parents were faced with problems, fell back on copying what his mother did when he was upset. He poured some coffee and grabbed a snack (ration pack #45) and moved over to his father.
"What's going on?" Liam asked, sitting next to his father and offering up the sustenance. Bill looked over, right into Laura's sage green eyes. She and Liam looked and acted so much alike it was almost painful for Bill right now. He accepted the offering, giving Liam a small smile and letting the warm beverage soothe him while regarding his son thoughtfully for a moment.
"Suppose there was someone who could help us get back to the Fleet, to your mother, but doing so would mean using someone who once hurt all of humanity, including Laura, a lot. He's dangerous and someone I can never trust," Adama said, watching Liam scrunch his face up in a thoughtful manner.
"Well, I think Mom would advise trying and to meet that someone on common ground. If your interests align, then use the person, but keep your guard up." Liam shrugged. "Maybe like Boomer, right? You both care about Galactica, and saving the ship and crew was your common ground."
"You do sound like your mother," Bill chuckled, taking a bite from the military ration as he thought about what Liam said. It was pretty ambitious even to call the ration pack food. It tasted like bland potato paste combined with chalk from a school classroom and had the consistency of glue.
"Mom and the Fleet are at Kobol, aren't they?" Liam asked, causing Bill to choke on his ration pack.
"What? Why do you ask that?" Bill sputtered, Liam arched his eyebrow in a Laura-like way and pulled out a book and handed it to his father. His father tossed the ration pack down and ran a hand over the face of the book, feeling the embossed title under his weathered hands. The Pythian Prophecy, it read.
"I learned about it in school. Mom refused to touch the book and I remember it making her really upset. Some time ago I saw her with it on Colonial One, and she was talking to the priestess Elosha. It sounds like the prophecy talks about her, dad." Bill regarded
"Liam, it's… complicated. There's a long story behind all of this," his son merely tilted his head, giving him a determined stare. Bill sighed. "But I suppose you should know now." Bill told Liam the whole tale. He wove the story of Battlestar Galactica and its 50,000 survivors (Liam was horrified so few had survived). He told Liam about running from the Cylons with even more of a rag-tag fleet, with Laura as their president and searching for the thirteenth colony—Earth as told about in the book of Pythia. Liam listened with a thoughtful frown as his dad explained everything. His mind moving quickly through the information and seeing where the pieces fit into his life.
"That's crazy dad."
"It is crazy. I have always thought of myself as an atheist. Your mother used to call me Admiral Atheist. But it doesn't mean there are parts that aren't true. Lee remembers. So does Kara. Billy. Colonel Tigh. Doc Cottle."
"If you didn't meet on Picon, what was your real first meeting like?" Liam suddenly asked, and Bill laughed.
"We met when the Galactica was getting decommissioned," Bill noticed Liam completely intrigued by the story. "I didn't like her. She was this politician who thought she could come aboard my Battlestar and fix my backwards ways. I thought it was insulting that a naive and determined little school teacher could try and match me," Liam grinned, thinking of their first meeting.
"But you did love mom?"
"Eventually. It took a while to realize we were even on the same side. I even threw her in the brig once, but she busted out using my own crew. I had to chase her down to Kobol, and there something happened. We became partners. We always worked together after that."
"I didn't exist in that timeline."
"No. You were a bit of a surprise this time. One of the best. Laura had never been a mother and she was so happy. If we had to live through the apocalypse again, you were proof that things could be better."
"Was mom the Dying Leader?"
"What?" Adama demanded. Liam took the book from his father and flipped to the pages before pointing out a line.
"'They'll be guided by visions of a Dying Leader who once led her people.' Mom… mom is or was the Dying Leader," Bill could only nod his head as he thought of how he'd lost her. "You got each other back. You remembered each other and that's why you married so quickly after getting divorced."
"Yes."
"'Kobol demands a price in blood for those who return.' That's what the prophecy says. If there's any truth in any of this," Liam held the book up, giving it a funny look, "we need to get back to mom and the Fleet."
"You're right," Bill said, nodding. He stood, fastening the buttons up of his uniform.
…
William Adama marching into Baltar's lab always sent a chill of panic into the pit of the scientist's stomach. He had always been one of the few men who could see through Baltar like he was nothing more than polished glass and was never fooled by his propensity to use large words and concepts to cover his failings.
'Pull yourself together,' Caprica said from where she was bent over the lab table. She looked at him from over her shoulder with a pouty smile, 'He's just an old soldier after all.'
"Did you know that after you told the Cylons about using Hera's blood to cure Laura's cancer, they experimented on her? They even found a way to counter the effects. So, tell me… why shouldn't I shove you out the nearest airlock?" Adama growled, barely containing the rage in his words.
Baltar could feel his heartbeat slamming against his chest and he forced himself to maintain his composure. It was no easy task considering the scathing look Adama was giving him and the almost naked and very invisible temptress bent over in front of him. Her timing, predictably, could not have been worse, but she clearly delighted in the problems being thrown at Baltar.
"Bit of an overreaction, don't you think? Besides, as much as you hate me, you love Laura more. More than anything I'm guessing. You know I can help you get back to her. You know that I'm caught up in this tale just like you and Laura are. We always have been."
"I'm listening."
"There is a computer virus in the FTL system. Gaeta pulled the work orders. The last person to perform maintenance on the computer was a technician from Commander Dagon's ship. If we don't get to Kobol soon, Dagon—and probably Zarek—will kill Roslin and then they'll kill Sharon and her baby when they arrive."
"Conjecture."
"Destiny," Six gave an approving roll of her hips at Baltar's mention of destiny, causing Baltar to nearly squeak out loud despite him being fully clothed against Six.
"Frak destiny."
'Protect our child, Gaius!' Six urged.
"Laura's pregnant."
Adama stared at Baltar who trembled under the intensity of the Admiral's stare. He paced closer to the Doctor. "How would you know that?"
"Visions. Prophecy. Whatever you want to call it. I was told. Laura's child is a sign from her gods. Sharon's is a sign from the Cylon god. It all comes together. Look at you now. Demanding answers and damning destiny. You still expect this all to make perfect sense. We're humans. It's never going to! But I know we need to get to Kobol. I know Dagon will kill Laura, Sharon, and any hope humanity has if given the chance. I know I can help!"
'You're dancing on the edge of a knife, one wrong move and it's over,' Six seethed.
"You always struck me as someone who was overwhelmed by any job or task they were faced with. Someone who could never step up to what was expected of them."
"You're right," Baltar said, ignoring the urge he felt to dive under the table and hide from the scary Admiral.
'What are you doing? He's going to tear your head off and throw your body out an airlock!' Six said, standing to turn and look at him. She frowned, as if expecting the heat and anger radiating from Adama to set off one of the many explosive compounds in the lab.
"Did you know I became a farmer on that pretty little planet we found? I liked being a farmer. I liked providing. In the end, I also liked simplicity. Now, we could exchange insults all day. I'm sure there's all manner of names you'd like to call me. There's a wide variety of insectoid creatures or various mammalia that I could be called or with which I could be compared. Maybe there's some unsavory body parts you'd like to imply I'm like. Once that all got tiring, I'm sure reminding you that I once saved Laura's life and would give you pause. Isn't that all true?"
Six looked mildly intrigued at Baltar standing up to Adama. She crossed her arms and leaned back, letting the scene play out in front of her without comment for once. Adama himself remained undaunted but let Baltar speak.
"When it comes down to it, I'm a fan of living and I'm on the side of survival. Sharon, her baby Hera, and Laura leading the Fleet alongside you represents our collective best chance. I am committed to that."
Adama studied Baltar for a moment, weighing the past and the future in his mind.
"Report to CIC," he ordered, but before Baltar could move, Adama pinned him to the wall. "I'm watching you. Know that."
"We find our entertainment where we can," Baltar shrugged, as Adama released him.
'What a stimulating display of tenacity and stupidity,' Six teased, taking his hand and tugging him out of the lab.
…
Laura's protector shoved her back against the wall, flattening himself on the cold surface next to her. He pressed a finger to his lips, keeping her quiet as they listened to a lone soldier trudge through the halls. Reveille was still an hour away, and the corridors were deserted as sleepy soldiers dreamed of girlfriends, burgers, Pyramid Games, and other things lost to them in the Cylons' nuclear retribution. Adrenaline flooded Laura's system, pumping through her veins and causing her to shake with barely suppressed energy.
"How much farther?" Laura asked as the footsteps faded away.
"Couple more turns and a ladder. A raptor should be waiting at the aft storage airlock," the young corporal helping spirit her away muttered. "Pilot's a good man. He served under your husband years ago. He'll get you to Valkyrie."
Each newspaper delivered to her quarters spoke of increasingly dire conditions in the Fleet. The people were protesting the military and Dagon replied by sending troops to the belligerent civilian ships. The newspaper was covered with stories of altercations between Laura's Fleet security, who were dedicated to protecting the people, and the Prometheus boarding crews following their commanding officer's orders. Laura clutched the papers, realizing that Dagon was making the situation with a drunk Saul Tigh declaring martial law and causing the Gideon incident look like a gods-damned cocktail party in comparison to this brewing storm.
In the meantime, the Quorum was screaming for their President to be released. Knowing Zarek would put a bullet in her before letting her walk free, Laura took her fate into her hands and had been smuggling messages from her prison on the Prometheus to her followers in the Fleet. It wasn't all that surprising to learn the other Battlestar commanders were unhappy with Dagon, but he controlled the largest ship, commanded the most marines, and had her. Well, she could tweak that algorithm.
"Colonial One?" she asked as the man took her elbow and dragged her along behind him through the darkened corridors.
"As per your orders, they have been docked inside Valkyrie's hangar bay. The Quorum is aboard and safe," he reported, stopping at an intersection and sneaking a look around the bend. "Clear."
"Where is Kara Thrace?" Laura asked.
"No one has seen her since the funeral."
"What?" Laura breathed, stumbling as they rounded the corner.
"Madame President, we have to keep moving!" he said, tugging her hand. "We're almost there!"
Feeling a surge of triumph, she pressed on. Commander Ziegler commanded the Battlestar Valkyrie, and was an old friend of Bill's. Once he got Laura's messages, he'd felt both duty- and honor-bound to help. Together, they'd concocted this plan to get her out of this hell-hole. He'd promised to send his best to help with her jailbreak. Laura looked to the man pulling her along. Freedom; she could practically taste it.
"How's Billy?"
"Aboard Colonial One helping the Vice President keep the Fleet from imploding," he said, reaching a hatch.
"Thank the gods!"
"We're here," he said, grinning at her. Laura felt her heart skip a beat, and she gave the man what was now one of her rare smiles. Maybe she should add breaking out of military brigs to her resume.
Hearing approaching footsteps, the man's hands quickly spun the handle and wrenched the door open. "Quick!" he urged her, opening the hatch wide and urging her forward with a hand on the small of her back. Without hesitating, Laura jumped through the opening and saw the waiting raptor, hatch open and inviting. In front of it was a man in a flight suit.
She froze. The pilot was lying on the floor like a fallen doll, a trail of blood along the deck plate leading to a bullet wound on his back. Next to him stood Zarek and Commander Dagon.
"Ms. Roslin," Dagon greeted, inclining his head politely. Laura's horrified gaze flicked between him and the dead pilot. Her chest constricted and she let out a horrified gasp. "Unauthorized access of this airlock was a little suspicious, especially when DRADIS didn't pick up a raptor transponder. Old smuggler's trick to pick up cargo."
"Sir, I can explain," the young officer beside Laura began, trying to step in front of the President. Without warning, Dagon pointed his weapon at his head and the boy yanked his hand away from where he'd been reaching for his sidearm.
"I won't listen to traitors. On your knees, hands behind your head, he ordered. Behind them, the hatch creaked open again and a detachment of marines walked in. The approaching footsteps, Laura realized. She tried not to flinch as the Corporal was cuffed and dragged away. She looked to Dagon with a cold fury.
"Kara Thrace has returned from the little errand I sent her on back to Caprica to retrieve the Arrow of Apollo. Now, she's trying to hide on Valkyrie, but I'm going to invite her to meet me down on Kobol, and since you seem to want off my ship, I thought you could come with us," Dagon offered.
"Go to hell," Laura hissed.
Dagon looked down at the young, dead officer. "Yea, I probably will. But, I'll see my people to safety first. If you want to play prophet, then you are going to do your part, which is to help find the map to Earth. I believe in the gods, and if this is their will, I'll play along."
Beside him Zarek rolled his eyes and folded his arms. "The people need something to unify them again. Play along, Laura, and if you behave you'll be reunited with Kara and Billy," Zarek said. "And you'll be allowed to keep your daughter." Laura's eyes widened as a new fear pierced her heart.
"You're insane," Laura said.
"Get in the raptor, Ms. Roslin. We're going to Kobol."
...
Author's note: big thanks to my beta, and thank you all so much for your comments and support. This is an exciting arc to be reworking, and I hope you all love it. Let me know what you think!