Kestra followed silently behind Jammer and the Chief. They walked down the streets to the outskirts of the city. Galen glanced around himself and Jammer and Kestra followed suit out of habit. He nodded to Jammer and led them around a corner and into a long tent. Kestra squinted in the dim light within. She heard voices.
"I will not allow you to put the children in danger," Laura yelled.
"The children are in danger," came the gruff voice of Colonel Tigh. Kestra remembered the Colonel from Galactica, and she tensed in fear at the sound of his voice.
"No weapons at the school," Laura argued.
"The cylons would never look there," Tigh insisted.
"If we risk the lives of our children just to get back at them we are no better than they are."
"It's not about being better. It's about survival. As long as they're here we fight them any way we can," Tigh said. Galen had turned the corner and stopped at the entrance. Kestra saw Tigh standing in Laura's face, but the former president wasn't backing down. Behind them, Anders and Seelix were sitting silently. "If you're not here to help get out. You couldn't stop Baltar and you can't help us now." Laura rolled her eyes at this and glared at the Colonel.
"You think Gaius Baltar's presidency is my fault," she said angrily.
"Well it's not mine. I did my part," Tigh shouted.
"It was a democratic election. The people chose Baltar. I can't help that," Laura yelled. Galen and Jammer had walked up to the pair, but Kestra hung back in the shadows.
"And how did that work out for them?" he asked bitterly. Laura folded her arms.
"No weapons at the school."
"She's right Colonel," Galen stepped in before the argument could get out of hand, "we'll find somewhere else to store the weapons." Tigh grunted as he turned to Galen. He was distracted by a figure beyond the man. Kestra's pulse quickened as Tigh's eyes narrowed at her.
"What the frak is this?" Tigh hollered as he stormed across the tent. Kestra dashed around him and hid behind Laura. Laura's eyes were wide as she placed her hands on Kestra's shoulders and shielded her from Tigh.
"Colonel, stand down," Laura said firmly. Tigh glared at Laura before glancing around at the others. They all looked at him curiously.
"What is going on here?" Tigh asked angrily, "you all want to protect this thing." Suddenly all eyes were on Kestra. Anders furrowed his brows and turned away from the confrontation.
"What does that mean Colonel?" Galen asked.
"Kestra, what is he talking about?" Jammer asked warily. Kestra glanced fearfully at her friends then back at Tigh.
"Kestra is not a threat, Colonel," Laura said evenly.
"The frak it is," Tigh argued, "I thought the old man tossed it out an airlock."
"What the frak is going on here?" Jammer yelled over all of them. Tigh glared at Kestra.
"She's not human," he said in a low voice. Seelix jumped up defensively and Galen and Jammer both took a step back.
"That's… that's impossible," Jammer stuttered, "she was with us before the occupation. She can't be a cylon." His eyes were fixed on Kestra's. She finally took a step out from behind Laura and approached him.
"I'm not a cylon," she said emphatically, "just ask the Colonel." She turned to look at Tigh as did the others. He only glared.
"Just because it's not a cylon doesn't mean it's not dangerous. It should have died on Galactica," he said.
"If you lay a finger on her it'll be the last thing you ever do," Laura said as she approached Tigh.
"Are you threatening me lady? For that thing?" he asked in her face. Laura did not back down and stared directly at him.
"Everybody calm down," Kestra said quickly, "Laura." Laura turned and caught her pleading gaze. Though it appeared to pain her to do it, Laura slowly backed away from Tigh. Kestra nodded and turned back to the others. "Colonel Tigh is correct. I am not human, but I'm not a cylon either."
"That doesn't make any sense," Galen said in irritation, "you told us you grew up on Caprica."
"I lied," she said apologetically, "the president's party found me on Kobol nearly two years ago."
"No, I was there," Galen said in confusion. He stopped and his eyes widened as he stared at Kestra more intently. "You? That was you?" Kestra nodded. Galen turned and ran a hand through his hair. "You were the cylon on Kobol?" he yelled as he turned back to her.
"No," she said emphatically as she approached him, "not a cylon. You assumed I was a cylon, because you've never encountered life outside your galaxy." Galen glared at her.
"And how do we know you're not a cylon? What proof do we have?" he asked angrily. Kestra turned to Laura and Tigh.
"Doc Cottle examined Kestra," Laura informed him, "her anatomy is not quite human. Cylons mimic human anatomy." Galen looked at Tigh who nodded reluctantly.
"Then what are you?" he asked, "you look human." He took a step back and looked her up and down.
"That's because I am Galen," she said. He flinched when she used his name now. "My father is a human, but my mother is part Betazoid."
"What's a Betazoid?" Jammer asked suspiciously from behind Galen. Kestra met his eyes.
"It's a species from the galaxy I'm from. We would be alien to you," Kestra answered. Jammer, Galen, and Seelix all furrowed their brows silently.
"Aliens," Jammer whispered in wonder.
"Listen, I know I lied about being from Caprica, but I'm still me. You know me," Kestra insisted. They looked at her warily.
"Does Apollo know?" Seelix asked. Kestra nodded. Seelix raised her brows in surprise. "And he still wanted to marry you?" she asked. Kestra nodded stiffly as she tried to hold back the tears that threatened to spring into her eyes.
"What makes a Betazoid different from a human?" Galen asked. Kestra froze.
"That's an excellent question Chief. Cottle never mentioned why you were different. At least not to me," Tigh said, sending an accusatory glance at Roslin. Kestra closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Look into my eyes Galen," she said. Galen took a step forward and did as she asked.
"They're black," he said as his eyes widened. Seelix and Jammer stepped forward to get a better look.
"That can't be it," Tigh said gruffly, "the old man would never have let you go just because your eyes look different." Kestra sighed.
"No, he wouldn't," she said, turning to Saul, "Cottle also found that my brain has an extra lobe that the human brain does not possess." Tigh narrowed his eyes at her.
"And did Cottle say what this lobe is for?" he asked suspiciously.
"No, he didn't know. Betazoids are a very similar species to humans. The only physical difference I possess is my eyes because most of my DNA is human," she insisted. Saul narrowed his eyes.
"I say we still can't trust her. She could get fed up with us and turn us all over to the cylons," he said, refocusing on the others.
"I have known Kestra for two years, and she would never betray us. Besides, she is in the same position down here as we are," Laura said. Both she and Saul turned to Galen, Jammer, and Seelix.
"If we can't trust her we have to kill her now," Galen said to the other two, "she already knows too much." Kestra looked at Galen, a man she considered her friend, in horror as he so casually suggested her murder. Laura yelled in protest, but she was quickly interrupted by Tigh screaming just as loudly.
"Hey!" Anders yelled as he stepped out to interrupt the shouting match. He looked at Kestra and then at his fellow insurgents. "I know what she is," he turned and looked her in the eye again, "but she's been a good friend to all of you." He turned back to Galen, Jammer, and Seelix. "I get it. She lied… but are you seriously willing to kill her over that?"
"She could turn us in to the cylons," Galen said.
"Then I guess we'd better let her help us fight them," he said.
"Anders we can't trust this thing. We don't even know what it is," Tigh said angrily.
"I know it's been living in the fleet for two years, and hasn't killed any of us or caused us any harm. We've done more to sabotage ourselves than she has. Roslin's right. She's in the same position as us. As far as the cylons know she's a human, and Adama wouldn't have trusted her lightly, either of them. I think the rest of us need to follow their lead, cause I'm not gonna be the one that kills her." He looked pointedly at Galen, Jammer, and Seelix. Jammer nodded and came to stand in front of Kestra with him. Galen and Seelix hesitated but eventually joined him by Sam's side. They all faced Tigh. He shook his head angrily.
"I won't involve that thing in operations. There's too much at stake," he said. With that he stormed out of the tent. The other insurgents turned around to face Kestra again.
"I'm sorry," she said softly. Galen shook his head and turned to leave. "Wait." He turned at her call. "I'm still me right?" she asked desperately, "what I am doesn't change that."
"You lied," he said stiffly.
"And you've never lied?" she asked.
"Why?" he challenged. Kestra ran her hands through her hair.
"Because I've seen how your people react to people that are different. It was safer for me to be human," she said.
"That's our decision to make. Yours was to hide it," he said. Kestra narrowed her eyes.
"Yes it was," she said angrily, "because unlike your cylons I don't have lives to spare. Don't act like I'm wrong because I didn't tell you what I was. Not after what just happened. If you'd believed I was a cylon, you'd have killed me in an instant. You wouldn't have waited for a doctor to prove you wrong." Galen just shook his head and left. Seelix followed him immediately. Jammer looked sympathetically at Kestra for a moment before following them out. Kestra sighed in defeat and turned back to Laura. Laura stepped forward and embraced Kestra. Over Laura's shoulder, Kestra saw Sam wandering toward the exit.
"Sam," she said as she stepped away from Laura, "thank you." Sam stared at her for a moment.
"Don't make me regret it," he said tersely before leaving. Kestra looked at the empty doorway for a while.
"That went well," she said in a hollow voice. Laura came up behind her.
"It could have been worse," she said, "you're still here." Kestra shook her head and didn't even cast a glance back at Laura as she left.
