Kestra raced to the bunker. Galen was already there with Seelix and a few others Kestra vaguely recognized. Galen did not acknowledge Kestra when she came in, but Seelix walked over to her.

"They took Laura," Kestra said frantically, "they took her away in a truck."

"Shit," Seelix said, glancing at Galen. He met her gaze briefly before returning to the papers in front of him. "We know about the raids. They've got Cally too," Seelix said.

"What are they doing with them?" Kestra asked. Seelix looked sympathetically at her. Seelix had been fairly cold toward Kestra since she found out she wasn't human which made this moment of sympathy even scarier for Kestra.

"They're going to kill them," Diana said as she placed a hand on Kestra's shoulder, "but we're going to stop them." She gestured back at Galen who was pouring over a map frantically.

"Let me come with you," Kestra said. Seelix shook her head.

"We're taking a small group. We don't want to draw more attention to ourselves," she explained.

"One more person won't change that. Just give me a gun, and let me come with you," Kestra pleaded.

"You're a liability, Kestra," Diana explained. At that moment, Galen jumped up.

"Okay, everything checks out. They're definitely there. Let's go," he said as he slung a weapon over his shoulder. His eyes lingered briefly on Kestra. "Get her a weapon," he ordered as he left. Diana sighed in irritation, but obeyed. She crossed the room and tossed Kestra a gun before following the chief out. Kestra followed quickly. She walked behind the group the whole way out but avoided falling behind. They approached Burglar's flats silently, and Galen began giving orders.

"The trucks," he whispered, pointing across the ridge to where the caravan had stopped. Kestra strained to see past the trees. "Down on the ridge," Galen ordered Seelix, 'you too." He was looking right at her. Kestra nodded and snuck down on the ridge a few meters away from Seelix. She set up her gun on a rock before her. She thought back to when her father had taught her how to fire a weapon. He'd insisted that she'd never have any reason to use it, but she'd better know how. She smiled slightly as she thought about how long that statement had been true. She didn't think Captain Will Riker would be too upset at her for using a gun to save lives. He'd done it himself, though he hadn't picked up a weapon in years to her knowledge. "This is it. Lock and load," Galen ordered. Kestra cocked her gun and peered into the scope.

"What do you see, Chief?" Seelix asked.

"Frak. I found Roslin. They've got Tom Zarek too," he informed them. Kestra peered through her scope and sure enough, Laura was there on the other side of the trucks with Zarek. Kestra kept her eye fixed on Laura. "There she is. There she is," Galen said. Kestra shifted her focus briefly and found Cally running away from the trucks. "What the frak's she doing?" Galen asked.

"She's making a run for it," one of the other men observed.

"The bulletheads are lining up," Seelix informed them stiffly.

"It's a firing squad. Sight in on the centurions right now," Galen ordered. Kestra reaimed her weapon at the centurions.

"Cally's right in the line of fire. If we shoot we're gonna hit her," Diana argued. She was right. Kestra couldn't get a good shot at the centurions past Cally.

"Count to five then fire," Galen ordered. Kestra tensed as he ran out into the open.

"I guess it's a good thing you're here," Seelix commented dryly. Kestra did not respond. "thousand one, thousand two, thousand three, thousand four…" Kestra still couldn't get a good shot past Cally and the centurions had aimed at the civilians by the trucks. "One thousand five." Suddenly, Cally dropped out of sight. Kestra pulled the trigger, and the air was filled with the sound of gunfire. She shot and watched the centurions fall one by one. People were falling left and right. As soon as the return fire stopped zooming over their heads, Seelix and the others got up and started descending the ridge. Kestra scrambled to stand and followed them down the ridge. From above them, she saw a number one step out from behind the trucks.

"Watch out," she called as she stopped and aimed at him. Seelix and the others ducked and turned as Kestra shot the cylon in the chest. He fell and dropped the gun in his hand. Seelix nodded at Kestra in approval before continuing toward the trucks. Kestra raced after her. They started cutting the bonds off the prisoners, but Kestra pushed past them all looking for Laura.

"Down here! We need help down here!" Kestra's head turned at the call. She looked down into a small decline where Tom Zarek knelt over Laura. Kestra immediately slid down to them and knelt beside Zarek.

"Laura," she said breathlessly as she took in the sight before her. Laura was lying on the ground with blood running from her shoulder. "Laura, no," Kestra breathed as she dropped her gun and tore off her jacket. She ripped a few lengths of fabric from the shirt she was wearing. She folded one up and pressed it to the bullet wound in Laura's shoulder.

"Kestra… what are you doing here?" Laura asked weakly.

"Saving you, of course," she replied with a smirk, "put pressure on that." Zarek obeyed Kestra's instruction as she took another length of fabric and wrapped it over the first. "Alright, let go." She tied the cloth tightly over the wound to slow the bleeding.

"What's going on down there?" Galen called. Kestra looked back up at him with fear in her eyes.

"Laura's been hit," she said. Galen's eyes widened.

"Is she gonna be alright?"

"If we get her back to Cottle now," Kestra replied, "help me get her out of here." Galen scrambled down, and he and Tom lifted Laura back up to where the trucks were. They laid her in the back of one of the trucks.

"Thank you," she said weakly as they exited. Kestra joined Laura in the back of the truck.

"Don't worry Laura. You're going to be ok," she reassured her.

"I know," Laura said, "thank you, for coming after me."

"Of course," Kestra said with a smile. A few more people piled into the truck before it started up and headed back toward the city. When they reached New Caprica city. Two men helped Kestra get Laura out of the truck and to Doc Cottle.

"What the hell happened here?" Cottle barked as they brought Laura in.

"She's been shot. Doc please help her," Kestra begged.

"Alright, alright, just calm down," he said as he took the makeshift bandage off the wound, "it doesn't look too bad. I should be able to stitch this up with no problem. Eshay, get me something I can dig this bullet out with." Kestra watched as he dug out the bullet and stitched up Laura's shoulder. "How the frak did they get away with this?" Cottle asked as he worked. He shot a quick, questioning glance at Kestra.

"Firing squad," she replied darkly. Eshay turned suddenly.

"They wouldn't dare," she said, shocked.

"They did," Kestra replied. Cottle and Eshay both looked stricken for a moment. Cottle finished bandaging the wound and nodded to Kestra. She approached the table as Laura groaned softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I just got shot," Laura replied with a grimace. Kestra smiled. "You saved my life."

"It was Galen. He found out where the trucks were and planned the rescue," Kestra said.

"But you came," Laura said, "and you found me."

"Yeah, I did. It's not like I had anything better to do," Kestra replied. Laura chuckled.

"Help me up," she said softly. Kestra placed her hands lightly over Laura's shoulders to stop her from getting up.

"Woah, you're not ready to get up yet," Kestra said with concern. Cottle had come back over and nodded in agreement.

"If you rip those stitches I'll just have to put new ones in," he said sternly.

"Galactica is coming soon and we need to get the people ready. Tory will need help with the evacuation plans, they're all back at home," Laura said. Kestra continued to hold her down.

"Ok, how about this. I will help Tory with the evaluation plans if you promise me that you will lay here and rest for eight hours. After that time, I will come get you and personally make sure you do not rip your stitches or overdo it," Kestra said. She glanced between Laura and Cottle who both looked unhappy with the situation. "Good," Kestra said without waiting for a response. She squeezed Laura's uninjured shoulder gently and smiled before leaving. Kestra exited the medical tent, fully intending to go help Tory as she had promised when she saw a pair of blue eyes watching her from just beyond the next tent. Kestra glared as she turned to walk away, but something stopped her in her tracks. She spun back around to see the six had followed her and was reaching out only inches away.

"Why?" Kestra spat angrily before the six could speak, "you know you had me fooled. I thought that you were different, that you had compassion, humanity even. But you're just like the rest of them. You don't want to live in peace. You just want to subjugate humanity to your will."

"That's not true," the six countered with wide eyes, "I tried to stop it. I…" She tapered off as her eyes squeezed shut. Kestra continued to glare, but the six ignored her accusatory looks. She pulled her away from the tent into the shadows where they wouldn't be seen. "I tried to stop them, but they killed me." This got Kestra's attention.

"What do you mean?"

"They wanted Gaius to sign the order, but he wouldn't. I tried to reason with me, but they shot me. By the time I got back they were already gone." Kestra frowned as she searched the cylon's face for signs of deceit though there were none that she could identify.

"Why would they do that?"

"They're getting desperate. They say we're cooperating with the humans, but every day they grow more angry and violent."

"Why do you think you're any different?"

"Because, Boomer and I truly wanted to live in peace with you. It's God's will. This is not what we wanted."

"You and Boomer?"

"We convinced the others that we didn't have to fight you. That we could live together," the six said almost guiltily. Kestra frowned, but then realized that the six's actions probably saved all the people on the planet. If the cylons had attacked they could have easily wiped them all out. "After we saved that man on Caprica, we decided that humans were worth saving… worth loving." Kestra looked back at the six now.

"Baltar," she said, "you love Baltar." The six looked at Kestra unabashed and nodded.

"I do."

"I'm not saying I approve of your choice, but I suppose we all owe our lives to you for it," she admitted reluctantly, "I suppose that means he saved us… in a way." The six smiled at her admission. "Who did you save?" Kestra asked suddenly.

"He was one to the resistance fighters on Caprica. His dog tags said K. Thrace." Kestra furrowed her brow.

"That's impossible. K Thrace is a woman," she said, but even as she did her eyes widened in realization. "Sam." She looked at the six who clearly didn't understand who she was talking about, but Kestra knew it had to be him. Only Sam would have had Starbuck's dog tags. "But he never said." The six shrugged.

"I suppose most humans would hate to admit a cylon saved them," she said. Kestra nodded.

"So why are you here?" she asked.

"I wanted to see what had happened to the prisoners," she said, then added, "and I hoped I might find you."

"Why me?"

"Because I think you want the same thing we do. I think you want the fighting to stop. Gaius told me you were different. You're not from the colonies, so you don't hate us like they do. You could help us make peace." Kestra became defensive at the mention of Gaius and her true identity.

"What else did Gaius tell you about me?"

"Nothing," the six said timidly at Kestra's sudden harsh tone, "he doesn't know what makes you different, but he knows that there's something." Kestra frowned. It was possible that she was telling the truth. It was also possible that Baltar hadn't told the six everything he knew or guessed. The six cocked her head curiously.

"What are you?" Kestra backed away. She knew she should leave. She should get as far away from this six and keep a low profile like Laura said, but she couldn't. This was as close as she had ever gotten to really learning about the cylons: about what makes them tick, to finding out how human they really were. And she couldn't help but long to know more, to take it further. It was dangerous to even talk to the six, she knew, but for some reason she trusted her. Kestra believed her when she said she loved Gaius Baltar. She even believed her when she said she wanted peace. She didn't remember making the decision to do so, but Kestra found herself projecting to the cylon.

I'm different.

The six's eyes went wide as did Kestra's. She never expected that her telepathy could reach a synthetic life form, but the look on the six's face made it clear that she was wrong.

"How did you do that?" she asked, bewildered.

"You can't tell them," Kestra pled quietly, "not even Baltar." The six furrowed her brow, but at the desperate look on Kestra's face she nodded.

"I won't," she promised. Then she narrowed her eyes. "You're not human are you?" Kestra shook her head. The six smiled. "You could help us. You must understand what it is to be an outsider. You could help us connect with them."

"I can't. I barely got them to trust me as it is. I can't start helping the cylons."

"The former president seems to trust you well enough," the six commented. Kestra's eyes narrowed.

"Are you following me?" she asked. The six's eyes widened as if she'd been caught, but in what Kestra didn't know. Was she following her? Did the cylons know more about her than they let on?

"They watch her very closely," the six admitted, "you've been noticed. You're a weak spot for her… if it becomes necessary." Kestra's eyes widened. Laura was right. She should have been more careful. "But it's ok, because they don't know where any of the detainees from the execution went." She glanced nervously back at the medical tent as did Kestra.

"Are you going to say anything?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I want you to trust me," the six said firmly. Kestra's hard gaze faltered, but she nodded.

"Ok." The six smiled. "I have to go," Kestra said. The six nodded and waved.

"I hope to see you again soon." Kestra felt slightly guilty in her knowledge of the rescue attempt that was planned for the very next day. All she did was nod as she turned and hurried away before she lost her resolve and told the cylon about the rescue.