Authors Note: Thank you for the reviews so far and constructive criticism. Hopefully this restructure is a lot more readable, enjoy.

Chapter 15: Looking Forward, Looking Back

The alarm claxons rang loudly over and over again, reminding Rebecca of the mission, the Ulysses was about to jump and carry out their attack. She reached down to her station phone and brought the receiver to her lips, "All hands this is the Commander; we will jump momentarily and engage the enemy, gunnery crews standby, all pilots man their planes, good hunting." She hung the phone back into place.

Ken was talking with the Major; he walked over to the FTL station and entered in the jump calculations. Among the civilian fleet the most obvious ships vanished in three massive flashes, and on the other side they wasted no time.

Val sat in his cockpit in one of the many launch tubes along the starboard flight pod trying to keep calm, and pictured himself painting more Cylon Raiders on his wing. He checked his instruments and weapons, everything looked solid. The voice of the launch control officer filled his earpiece, "jump in ten seconds, prepare for combat insertion."

Val grinned and narrowing his eyes staring ahead, "frakkin' rights."

He felt a sinking sensation as space folded and he looked at the control officer in the observation booth to his right.

"Pad lock secure, kill em' all sir," Val saluted the man and watched the pressure door lower.

The rush of acceleration nearly crushed his body against the chair; Val could already see fiery detonations from ship to ship missiles fill the void of space beyond the tube's exit as he hurled like a sling shot out of the nest.

He formed up with the attack squadrons and looked over the combat zone. The battlestar's occupied the basestar's as planned, the Ulysses and Galactica ganged up on the first target, while Pegasus threw everything it had at the second. Val could feel the concussion from every explosive shell and missile as they pierced deeply into the enemy hulls crashing through multiple decks. The Cylon's were caught off guard and missing their escort Raiders thanks to the decoys, and already one of the massive vessels was coming apart from the merciless onslaught.

In the corner of his eye a nuclear blast caught Val's attention, and momentarily blinded him. The warhead detonated disintegrating half of one of the space faring behemoths, the rest of the ship exploded in a violent fiery maelstrom. Dust and flaming debris shot everywhere, the disconnected Raiders drifted helplessly as the battle became fiercer.

It was an impressive sight to behold, a desperate battle of epic proportions; this is how war was meant to be waged. The Colonial's were merciless, two of the basestar's were nothing more than flaming husks now as the battlestar's switched their targets and salvo fire. The heavy batteries of the Colonial warships fired streams of deadly slugs, they trailed smoke and crashed into the remaining enemy carriers, the Cylon's were taking heavy casualties.

Century Alpha, lead Vanguard Basestar

Leoben walked calmly down the sterile corridors, keeping his projection to the normal pattern. His experience on board the Ulysses was always in the forefront of his mind. He wanted nothing else but to see the last remnant of feral humans cleansed from the galaxy. When the others asked him to join their endeavour, he fervently agreed. 'Rebecca Cain must pay, they must all suffer God's fury' he thought, and entered the command center of the baseship.

The other models looked frantic, and Leoben narrowed his eyes and walked toward the datastream consoles, "Situation?"

A copy of Cavil replied, "Were under heavy attack, the Colonials are trying to destroy our Ressurection shipI recommended more security, but of course no one cared to listen."

Leoben cursed, if that were to happen they would have no way of reviving, they would have no choice but to retreat until another Ressurection ship could be acquired. Some of the Cylons were thrown to the deck from the rattling concussions of the explosive shells. Leoben looked to the others, "let's try to cover their escape, then fall back to the forward outpost," when they realized the battle was hopeless they agreed in trying something more efficient.

Between the two remaining basestars six fifty kiloton fusion warheads launched from their sleek tubes. The automated air defence batteries of the battlestars picked them off, some were deflected away harmlessly, but two of the bombs detonated between the warships, the shockwaves were so powerful they pushed the battlestars several dozen meters away.

Leoben watched the battle in a panoramic three dimensional view from the ships optic sensors, it was looking bleak, and the Resurrection ship suddenly reported a massive failure of all FTL drives as a small missile destroyed the vital system, smoke could be seen wafting up from under the vessel. Leoben never felt such rage, how could these pathetic rodents do this to God's children? He slammed his fist into the datastream board, the gelatine bled. The others didn't have to say it aloud, they knew they had been dealt a crippling blow; the humans may get away once and for all.

Combat zone.

Well over a hundred Vipers and dozens of Raptors headed full speed towards the alien vessel known as Resurrection, which looked very similar to a gothic cathedral. The remaining basestars launched every Raider they had now, and half a dozen of them flew right past Val's kill slot, he reacted as fast as he could, "this is Raven to Ulysses attack squadrons, the Cylons are launching their Raiders faster than anticipated, Red and Black team form up with me, let's keep them off our backs."

Acting as his wingman for the mission was Captain Jade "Aurora" Sterling, the deadliest pilot in the cockpit next to Val from Ulyssescrew. "Copy that Red one," Val ripped the stick to the left, and he performed several barrel rolls as Black and Red team opened fire at a group of Raiders tearing ass after the Viper squadrons. Val practically cut one of them in half as he passed through the ship while it exploded, bloody gore streamed across his canopy, "that's just nasty," Val said aloud as the meaty fragments slid off from the velocity, leaving behind red streaks.

Val ripped his reverse throttle handle and spun around to gun down two more Raiders. "Open ranks; take out as many metal mother frakker's as you can."

A cheer was heard from Aurora, "hell yeah, six already Raven. You gotta' keep up if you wanna hold onto that top gun!" Val narrowed his eyes and blasted apart another Cylon Raider, the contents of the ships made Val cringe every time. Suddenly dozens of anti-air craft shells streamed by nearly colliding with the fighting Vipers, instead slamming into oncoming Raiders and heavy Raiders, tearing them apart, and they exploded violently.

"Watch out for those frakkin' automated point defence batteries, their picking off Raiders right in our engagement zone!" The pilots acknowledged the warning, and they pulled back getting some distance from the battlestars while they went toe to toe with the basestars. Val made sure the main body of Vipers and Raptors had a clear avenue of attack, and then rejoined them.

Apollo's voice filled Raven's earpiece, "Starbuck, Raven, Apollo here, target's FTL is history. She's all yours."

Val gave his orders, "alright it's the main event of the day boys and girls, Black and Red squadron continue on mission, don't be shy with your ammunition, give them everything you've got with an explosive round on top," they gladly complied, and Val cruised beneath a spire on the Resurrection ship, and pressed his thumb to the trigger.

It was a blood bath; tens of thousands of Cylons were vented out into open space as the massive windows splintered under the blaze of bullets and high calibre explosive rounds from the Raptors. Every bullet Val shot inside tore apart something, and blood flowed like a river in a fiery chasm of death. It felt like destroying a toaster factory, one full of genetic freaks, he nodded in approval when the ship finally came apart; the blast that followed disintegrated several Vipers that didn't get clear in time, the shock wave caught up Val's craft. He felt the energy pass through him, it rattled him to his bones.

He growled in pain, but kept flying straight ahead until there was nothing left to look at but debris and floating corpses. A Cylon body rolled across and bounced off his cockpit canopy, 'disgusting,' Val thought, "Raven to Ulysses, the Resurrection ship won't be a problem anymore," Val looked down at the DRADIS monitor, enemy units within the combat zone started to jump away.

"Roger that Raven, you're instructed to return to Ulysses, remaining enemy forces are retreating, well done."

Val replied, "Ulysses Raven, will-co, comin' home." Already dozens of pilots were crying out with excitement, the wireless filled with chatter. Val glanced at a large section of a basestar; it was slowly burning as it drifted helplessly, suddenly the Pegasus opened up, and flaming kinetic shells slammed into it, finishing the job. Val approached the Ulysses, taking his time for a smooth landing, the rest of the attack squadrons made their way back to their respective flight pods.

BattlestarUlysses, CIC.

As soon as Raven confirmed the destruction of the Resurrection ship, the thrill of victory was hard to ignore, and Rebecca was smiling and shaking hands. Ken looked very relieved, "congratulations Commander."

She nodded, "to all of us, this is a major victory," and the crew exploded into cheers and applause. When the excitement began to calm down the Major touched her headset, she was already standing near the command console.

"Sir, Admiral Cain is on the line," Rebecca picked up the station phone, bringing it to her ear.

"This is Commander Cain," Helena sounded for once, in months, relaxed.

"Congratulations Rebecca, we've struck a mortal blow to our enemy."

Rebecca gripped the phone, "I couldn't agree more."

Helena paused, "I suppose we'll see each other again on Colonial One, I'd like to speak with you, see you there," the line went dead, and Rebecca blinked. Was she trying to reach out to her? She folded her arms below her breasts.

The Major looked up at Rebecca again, "Commander Adama is asking for you sir," she nodded then picked the phone up. "Ulysses actual here, go ahead."

It only took a moment for a reply, "well done Rebecca, we've dealt the Cylons a blow they won't soon forget, they won't be coming back for a while." Bill sighed, continuing, "I'm going to pass on to you the same thing I told Starbuck: it's not enough to survive, one has to be worthy, of survival."

Rebecca was shocked, he was backing down? "That's... that's very wise of you sir, see you on Colonial One?"

Bill replied, "looks like it, we'll see if we can work something out, goodbye for now Commander, I advise you begin your jump prep," and Rebecca set the phone back into place.

She gave her orders, "Recover our birds and then begin jump prep, were heading back to the fleet. Have casualty, damage, and mission reports sent to combat. Colonel, you have the deck, I'll be in my quarters."

Ken nodded, then tilted his head, "everything alright?"

Rebecca twitched the corner of her mouth into a small smile, "fine, carry on Colonel, we'll celebrate later."

Ken raised a brow but offered her a gentle smile, "you bet," she nodded, and then turned to leave combat.

The glass pressure doors hissed swapping out air and she made her way down the corridors to her quarters, Sergeant Major Williams was at his post, guarding the door with another equally loyal marine. "I just heard Commander, payback is a bitch."

Rebecca grinned then patted his shoulder, "you got that right Sergeant Major, carry on," he nodded, a grin on his face, "aye sir." Rebecca swiped her pass card into the electronic lock, and it lit green. The door opened and she walked inside. She looked at one of her wilting plants, she totally forgot about them, and then she undid the first button in her uniform. She reached up to rub her neck, and sat down onto the sofa.

Now in private, Rebecca could vent her own feelings, she pulled out her near up to date log book, and wrote down her thoughts and feelings and details about the mission, knowing that someday, someone will read her words, and understand her place in time. Suddenly she felt the unmistakeable sensation of faster than light travel; she cleared her throat, and then held her stomach until the feeling passed. She moved one of her hands to her chest, and pressed it gently into her ribcage.

The bruises were gone now, but she still felt that piercing pain in her side, she swore under her breath, rubbing it still, then decided best to ignore it. Rebecca was about to finish writing a sentence when one of the station phones in her quarters rang, "CIC to Commanding officer," she looked over to it, then sat up, walking a few steps to pick it up.

"Cain here, go ahead," Ken tried to say it as best he could.

"A report was just sent to us regarding Admiral Cain," Rebecca set her left hand on her hip.

"What is it Colonel?"

He hesitated, "the Admiral was shot ten minutes ago. They found her body in her quarters, a fatal head wound. Their Cylon prisoner was responsible, killing one marine and escaping the ship," Rebecca dropped the phone from her grasp; she flared her nostrils with heavy shaky breaths.

She reached down and picked the phone back up, placing it to her ear, "Rebecca?" She replied, hoarsely, "yes I'm here... make sure proper burial services are organized."

Ken sighed, "do you want me to come down there?" Rebecca sniffed, rubbing her eyes, and replied.

"No not right now Ken I... need some time alone," she tried hanging the phone up but missed the hook the first time, then looked at it, then set it back. She was too shocked to react any more. She shuffled slowly towards one of her shelves, looking down at the photo of the Admiral and herself dressed elegantly for a political party. She touched the glass of the frame with a fingertip, and then felt a tear fall down a cheek, she closed her eyes, but it couldn't contain the flood of emotion that washed over her.

Every person in the hanger deck was wildly celebrating; Val let himself be swept up into it. "Showed those toasters who the masters are!" They cheered, and the newly stocked supply of beer was distributed around, Val shook his bottle up as hard as he could and let it spray everywhere.

Blackball walked up and gave Val a high five, he was rowdy and feeling the euphoria of victory, "hell of a win for the good guys, those bastards won't be coming back for awhile," deck chief Chris Orelon came up to Val and shook his hand, in the other he had the top gun mug, and handed it to him.

"Captain that's quite the trigger finger you got there, now it needs to hold onto something, but, next time try not to get blood stains on the windshield."

Val smirked, "what can I say, the hammer came down, and Cylons came apart, and whatever was left of them ended up as my hood ornament."

Chris laughed, and then slapped his shoulder; he nodded with a wave to another group of pilots who were calling him over. Blackball handed Val another beer, he gladly accepted and twisted off the cap, filling up his mug and taking a long drink. "God's damn I missed the taste of beer."

Blackball agreed, "Damn straight skipper."

Val felt a hand on his shoulder, he turned and looked into the face of Captain Jade "Aurora" Sterling, Val's competition and the woman after his job every waking hour, but Val sensed she wanted more than that, but that could just be wishful thinking on his part. Her sharp features gave away her oriental heritage, and she was stunning. Val always felt stupid around her, her skin a golden honey, high and tight cheek bones accompanying a narrow jaw and even nose, plush full lips, and a slender yet muscular build. Long and straight eyebrows furrowed as she tilted her head, noticing him looking her over.

Dark brown eyes peered into Val's emerald green, but he spoke up before it became awkward, "Captain Aurora there you are, I guess I was so far ahead you couldn't see me adding more notches under my belt?"

She smirked, "Sorry to be the bearer of bad news Raven, but it looks like there's a new top gun aboard,"

Val narrowed his eyes, "so Miss Sterling thinks she has bested the best, alright, let's tally up the kills!" he shouted, and the pilots heard their CAG, they howled raising their beers as over fifty pilots mingled and began updating their kills; Val looked around the faces of his pilots, "alright alright! Hey! Shut the frak up!" he shouted in a humorous tone.

The noise died down, even knuckle draggers joined the crowd wanting to hear who the new top gun was, "alright, let's hear it," the decibel levels rose several frequencies as the Viper pilots compared their kills. Val was sitting completely content on sixty nine, but Aurora had a lasting grin on her face, she crossed her arms looking at the CAG, 'no way in hell she has gotten more kills then me,' Val thought. The crewman looked between Val and Jade, knowing it would come down to them. They said it at the same time "sixty nine!", "seventy one!" Val felt like a piece of his ego snapped off and fell down crashing onto the deck, and the crew cried out with cheers and laughter.

Jade patted Val's arm, "well Raven, I'll leave you to mop up your shame, seems the CAG isn't the big dick on campus anymore."

Val closed his eyes with a smirk and shook his head letting out a laugh. He ran a hand over his mouth. Blackball looked at him, "Damn..."

Val nodded, "alright laugh it up Tucker," he joked, and handed over his top gun mug to Jade. The mug was beautifully crafted, covered in painted skulls and crossbones, "you're a hell of a fighter Jade. You earned this," she took it from his extended hand, and raised it to her lips taking a drink.

"Cheer's Captain."

Over the months before finding the fleet, Ulysses top pilots built up their scorecards, there are only four pilots aboard ship with over fifty kills, they were the ones who were always on top of their game, but Jade and Val tallied the most, between every raid and base or station they attacked, the amount of enemy craft destroyed added up quickly. Val could only imagine what his real kill count was now after nearly emptying every round from his Viper into the Resurrection ship.

Half an hour passed as Val enjoyed the victory celebration, but he overheard crewman start to talk about Admiral Cain being assassinated by a Cylon agent. Val didn't know if was a joke or not, he was feeling the effects of the beer, and decided it must be a bad joke. Eventually this line of thinking came crashing down when it was announced over the ship speakers, and for the senior officers to report for burial detail at twelve hundred hours tomorrow on Pegasus, the victory became bittersweet, and Val lost his thirst. "I'll catch up with you guys later," He said to Aurora and Blackball, they saluted and watched Val leave the hanger deck.

Ken couldn't imagine what Rebecca was feeling now, the Admiral was all she had left, when he received the report he was beside himself, knowing full well what Adama was going to do after the attack, and he suspected the Admiral may have had similar schemes. Ken found out when the burial would take place, after the autopsy. 'First thing in the morning,' he made the announcement over the ship speakers.

"Attention all hands, this is the XO, we have just received a report concerning Admiral Cain, I'd like to address the rumours that have been going around, and it's my duty to inform you, the rumours are true, she has been assassinated. The Cylon prisoner aboard Pegasus was responsible, it somehow escaped its holding cell, killed one marine guard and then the Admiral herself before escaping the Pegasus, a full investigation will be conducted. Ranking officers are to report for services of the dead at twelve hundred hours tomorrow, thank you for your attention." He hung up the phone; Ken could see the look of shock on some of the CIC personnel's faces, loosing Admiral Cain this way was a blessing in disguise however. 'At least we didn't have to do it, but it doesn't change the fact it wouldn't have happened anyways, and that doesn't make me feel any better about it.'

Ken didn't realize how intricate those certain plots were, Adama decided not to kill Admiral Cain before the Cylon shot her, and the same second thoughts saved his own life, but whatever the reasons, he would never know.

Rebecca couldn't cry anymore, it was too painful; instead she tried to lie still in her bed. She felt utterly drained; the last six months have led up to this moment, and Rebecca didn't know if she could take anymore, the despair was beyond anything she could have hoped to grasp. There is no advice or guide book for dealing with a holocaust, and subsequent death of your last blood relative, but despite these feelings, she didn't feel alone. She had Ken, her closest compatriot, but then she thought if something happened to him, how could she deal with it? Ken was family to her, he has been for years, and the thought of losing him was too much to bear.

She then thought of Kendra, how this would change things between them, maybe she could talk to her now, and apologize. She had to settle the past with her, letting it continue to fester would only make it worse, but Rebecca didn't know how to approach her, and decided to risk it anyways. 'I want to deal with my aunt first, this is too much to take in,' she heard one of the station phones in her quarters buzz, "CIC to commanding officer, the President is on the line asking to speak with you sir," the Major sounded tired, something Rebecca could relate too, she groaned sitting up on her bed.

Her uniform jacket was fully unbuttoned now; she placed the palms of her hands over her eyes, and exhaled slowly. She walked over to the phone near her mirror. She picked it up, "Commander Cain speaking." The President's voice was one of compassion.

"Hello Commander, I'm sorry to disturb you during this sensitive time, but the whole fleet knows what has happened to the Admiral, I wish I could say how sorry I am for your loss, but it wouldn't sound right. Thank the God's we did not have to go through with what we had planned," 'with what you had planned you mean,' Rebecca wasn't sure what to say to her, this woman wanted her aunt dead, and convinced her to go along with it, and she realized how wrong she was in agreeing to it.

"The Admiral was many things, but she was the one person in my life whom I idolised. I followed in her footsteps, the events after the attack may have been wrong, even monstrous, but I understand why she did them. If she hadn't made those choices, I'd be dead, and the Ulysses would have been destroyed long ago. I loved her, and I served her as best as I could. She survived the first Cylon war, and had to watch her family die on Tauron. She managed to save my father's life, but it didn't help fill the void of loss. When my mother died she stepped in, and never looked back, she took care of me while my father was never around to care. I was torn between duty, and my personal feelings, but the preservation of this fleet has been foremost in my mind, as you said, it's bigger than anyone of us."

The President respected Rebecca's rationalization and sacrifice; there was no greater example of loyalty, character, and ideals. "Commander you have my sincerest gratitude and condolences, thank you, we'll talk more after the burial tomorrow afternoon."

Rebecca nodded, "Madam President," and she hung up the phone. Rebecca looked at her digital wrist watch and it was starting to get late, and she was exhausted. She dragged her feet to the edge of her bed, and slowly undressed until she stood in her military tank top and underwear. She slipped under her comforter then shut her eyes, but the pain remained, she fingered her dog tags, and hoped tomorrow would bring her some peace.

Rebecca stood as disciplined as possible; the throbbing in her side reminding her she was still alive. She listened to the sermons of Helena's officers; soon it would be her turn to speak before Colonel Fisk ascends to Commander of Pegasus, something she didn't like. Rebecca walked onto the stage and up to the podium when it came to her turn. "Helena Cain was more than an Admiral, more than a Leader, she was my aunt, she was of my blood. What were the chances of us meeting at the end of the world? I think it was more than coincidence, because of her actions I stand before you today, along with my ship, and crew, because of her." She saw Kendra's face among the officers standing at attention; her head was tilted staring at Rebecca with a familiar softness in her eyes, she continued.

"I'll always remember days spent on Tauron in the warmth of the sun staring at clear sky, laughing with you at my side, or being there when I needed you most. Your unfaltering faith in me has made me into the woman I am today, as I strived every day of my life to live up your expectations. In this I hope I was a success. As you pass beyond the veil of tears, I pray you find peace, may the lord's of Kobol take you into their arms and grant you life everlasting." Rebecca faltered slightly, and then looked down stiffly. She stepped down from the podium and walked back to her place next to Ken, who gently patted her back a couple of times.

Commander Fisk walked up to the podium next; he sat down his speech paper and browsed the words before trying to appear dignified. "And she died knowing that her ship, and her crew were safe, and her mission had been accomplished. Nothing was more important to her then her ship, her crew and her mission, and as I take Command of Pegasus I pledge to uphold those values, that made her such, an effective and heroic leader." Commander Fisk stepped back, and Captain Thrace stepped forward.

She coughed softly before continuing, "I uh, only knew Admiral Cain for a short time so, what I have to say about her will be short," She looked at the faces of the officers gathered. "She faced things, she looked them right in the eye and she didn't flinch. That's something we do a lot around here, we second guess, we worry. When I think about what she went through after the attack, one ship, no help, no hope, she didn't give up, she didn't worry; she acted. She did what she thought needed to be done and the Pegasus and Ulysses survived. It might be hard to admit, or hard to hear, but I think we were safer with her, then we are without," Starbuck looked directly at Rebecca, and she nodded softly and closed her eyes turning her head away. The launch tube hatch closed and pressurized, and the decompression of escaping oxygen could be heard.

Val didn't feel anything for the Admiral, but he did for Rebecca, that must have been a blow to the heart. Val scanned the faces of those gathered, and he spotted Lee, 'he doesn't look too good' Val thought. He learned earlier about the destruction of the Blackbird stealth ship, and Lee's near death experience. Once the burial detail ended he had a chance to talk to him. "Captain," Lee raised his eyebrows slightly as Val approached him, "yeah?" Something about him wasn't right, he didn't seem all there, "you alright Lee?" Val asked, Lee not used to hearing his name from a practical stranger looked at him, he smiled slightly and shook his head, "look uh, I'll talk to you later Raven," Val wanted to ask about his daughter, but he realized it was the wrong time and place. He decided to wait and see if Apollo would follow through, but he wouldn't wait much longer.

Val wanted to give his condolences to Commander Cain, but he could see the pain behind her eyes as she talked with Commander Adama and President Roslin, he decided not to disturb her. Instead he made his way down the hanger deck, but not before running into Captain Thrace. "I never took you for the sensitive type Starbuck, but from the sound of the score it seems the Admiral made quite an impression."

Starbuck crossed her arms, and shrugged, "maybe she did, maybe she had the right idea, and maybe, you owe her your respect."

Val raised a brow and nodded, "I had a certain respect for her sure, over the months she made some questionable calls, but everyone keeps saying we'd be dead without her, so yeah, she has my respect, if reluctant..."

Starbuck narrowed her eyes and shook her head, "I decided a while ago that you were an arrogant bastard, you know you remind me of someone else I know, and he gets the same way from time to time."

Val didn't know how to deal with this woman, she practically tap danced on the line and knew how to get away with it. He decided not to get defensive; that would play right into her hands, "well that's a shame, I was going to offer to teach you some manoeuvres I learned during the war, figured you could use them to catch up to the game."

Starbuck replied sharply, "I can fly circles around your head any day, and I don't need a high kill count to prove it either."

Val grinned, "Sounds like a challenge, alright, let's settle this once things cool down, and when I beat you at least Ulysses crew will have something to laugh about in the rec. room."

Starbuck stepped closer, she smiled dryly and mixed her words with laughter, "when I'm done with you, they will have something to laugh about," and brushed past him, Val felt slightly burned, and decided to leave, he walked down the hanger deck to the Raptor.

Kendra watched Rebecca speak, she fought mixed emotions - she convinced herself she would never forgive or unburden herself to her, because she was terrified of being hurt again. She listened to the remaining words of respect, and when the procession ended she then gathered whatever courage her heart could muster forth, and approached the Commander. She just finished speaking to her CAG, and then turned to say something to the remaining senior officials before slowly walking towards and stopping in front of a picture of the Admiral.

Kendra came to stand a couple of feet aside from Rebecca, who clasped her hands behind her back, then tilted her head to offer a fragile smile to her. Kendra had difficulty trying to find words of comfort, realizing how shut off she was now to emotion. Rebecca mumbled her thoughts, "I never got to tell her, how much I loved her, and I think that is what strikes me so deeply. We were both so consumed with fighting for so long I was blinded to the things we were doing. I won't say I regret what I've done, because if I did it would be saying I'm not grateful for surviving, but I have blood on my hands." Rebecca turned slightly, to look at Kendra, who tilted her chin upwards, "I'm sure over the months; my aunt's influence has brought you close to her. And her ideals and character made you into someone you're not, but you didn't have much of a choice did you?"

Kendra closed her eyes tightly, her lips parting, "I have blood on my hands as well. And you're right about the Admiral. Her choices saved your life, and mine." Kendra paused before continuing, she was reluctant and fidgety, "There's... there's a lot I want to tell you, but not now. Thing's should settle down soon, and I'm sure we can talk, then, I mean if, that is possible."

Rebecca took in Kendra's appearance; her eyes still gave away her feelings, even if she couldn't connect with them. Her hair was longer, but it suited her, and she looked like she belonged in a uniform. How she ended up on Pegasus still eluded her, but she was going to find out. Rebecca sensed Kendra lost something during the war as well, she was so withdrawn and clearly in pain. Rebecca wanted to help her; her feelings for this woman are strong.

She took a shallow breath, "after the business with the operation is concluded, I plan on taking some r and r. I need to get away from CIC for a while, remind myself I'm still human." She averted her eyes to the metal deck, "If you'd like, take some time for yourself as well; hopefully there's some kind of luxury liner in the fleet, that's where I'll be if there is."

Kendra didn't react immediately to the invitation, her eyes met Rebecca's and she could see her trying to sort confused messages. She didn't know what to say, and decided to give her condolences, "I... I'm sorry for your loss; I know what she meant to you."

Rebecca smiled weakly, closing her eyelids gently, "thank you."

Kendra let out another shaky breath, "I should go sir, excuse me."

Rebecca reached out and gripped Kendra's forearm gently as she turned to leave; a subconscious or impulsive act, Rebecca didn't know. Kendra looked at her incredulously not expecting the gesture. She touched Rebecca's hand and gently untangled the digits until her fingers sat limp in her palm. 'Her skin is so soft' Kendra coughed retracting her hand, she glanced around in modesty. "I'll think about it," she walked away before Rebecca had a chance to reply, she wetted her lips, then turned around to look at the picture of Admiral Cain.

It didn't take long for Ken to approach Rebecca after watching the exchange between the two officers. He stepped up beside her, looking at the stern pose of Helena Cain in her uniform. He kept his voice soft and quiet, "you were right about her Rebecca, she shot Jurgen for disobeying her suicidal orders to attack a Cylon staging area. Shortly after they did find a civilian fleet, fifteen ships. The Admiral had them all stripped for resources, they took everything, food... FTL drives... Colonel Tigh told me about that travesty."

Rebecca shut her eyes tightly; a tear fell heavily down her cheek. "She became someone else out here."

Ken frowned, "There's a lot of history in her life, and seeing her family killed on Tauron didn't help her."

Rebecca hissed softly, and then wiped away the tear with the tip of her index finger. "I couldn't go along with her machinations anymore Ken, you know that."

He folded his arms, and then breathed out, "I know, you had no choice but to do what was right. Luckily for them, were not so hell-bent on revenge to turn against our own people..."

Rebecca settled her gaze on him, "we've nearly died too many times to count over the months, but the only reason were standing here now is because of her. As Captain Thrace made clear. Right now, there are those who are relieved she is dead, and others who are afraid."

Ken didn't understand, "afraid?"

She nodded, "now that Admiral Cain is dead, her loyal crusaders won't have anything to hold onto now."

Ken shook his head, "no, they do, their part of the fleet now, were all that's left Rebecca, and we have to stay together no matter what happens."

She chuckled softly, "that easy huh?"

His lips widened into a smile, "you know how it is for us, we can do the impossible: make miracles,"

Rebecca mumbled, "Raise the dead..."

Ken's smile faded slowly, Rebecca shook her head, "sorry that was..."

Ken waved his hand, "don't worry about it, come on, let's get you out of here, you need a break."

She didn't protest, and then raised her eyebrows, "what are breaks?"

Ken rubbed his chin, "hmm, sipping on an ice cold beer on a warm sunny day lounging on the beach back home..."

Rebecca grinned, "driving my car along the Caprican coast, feeling the wind on my face," the pleasant memories made them smile, it helped ease the pain, and the two comrades made their way to the hanger deck.

It didn't surprise Rebecca when the President promoted William Adama to Admiral William Adama. It was a long overdue reward for years of combat experience and command, and she supported the decision when the President asked her for her blessing and the vote needed to promote a Commander to an Admiral. As if she would have objected to it, she found that slightly amusing. There weren't any ceremonies, and Rebecca was glad, she thought it was in part due to her aunt's death. Instead she went aboard the Galactica to visit the Admiral in person the following day.

Rebecca approached the CO's quarters, three marines were stationed outside, and they all stood crisply at attention and saluted her when she stopped a couple of feet from the door. One of the marines raised and balled his fist before loudly rattling it twice against the metal, "enter," he spun the hatch wheel and unbolted the door pushing it open. It creaked noisily and Commander Cain stepped in, hearing the ancient door shut behind her just as noisily. 'It may feel like living in a brittle rusted can, but this old warhorse still packs a punch,' Rebecca thought smugly.

The Admiral sat on his couch, and in front of him were the logs of Admiral Cain. He stared hard at Rebecca, "have a seat Commander," she complied, sitting on the other side of the L shaped couch. "I've been going over your logs and Admiral Cain's, from what I've read she thought highly of you," then he shook his head, "but from what I've learned here, tells me something else."

Rebecca narrowed her eyes, "sir?"

Adama looked sharply at her, "you rushed in, and shot first without taking a look around! From the operational details and the logs I read over, I've come to a very disturbing conclusion in regards to the pirate base you attacked."

Rebecca couldn't look into his eyes; he wore a grave expression mixed with compassion. "I don't want to burden you with the details of what I found; God's know this is the last thing you want on your conscience, but what I can't have, is someone in command of a warship who makes reckless decisions and not accept responsibility for their actions. There were innocent civilians living in that station, not just criminals, but you levelled the entire structure before realizing it."

Rebecca looked him in the eye, "how do you know that?"

He hesitated, not wanting to cause her further pain, but showed her the personal logs of Admiral Cain, it stated she knew about the civilians living in the base, but didn't warn Rebecca because she was dealing with Jagar. He would send her supplies from his raids in return for ammunition and weapons, and the two made several trades, but in the last exchange Jagar tried to have eighty men board and take control of the Pegasus, the Admiral retaliated violently, ordering the Raptors to be shot down. Admiral Cain then sent Lieutenant Thorne to the Ulysses to kill their Cylon prisoner. Already knowing the location of the pirate base Lieutenant Thorne falsified his report claiming the Cylon gave him the information before attacking them, forcing his men to shoot and kill him. What really happened was a quick execution; Thorne walked into the cell, pressed the barrel of his gun to the prisoners head and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Rebecca has never felt such betrayal; her aunt used her to cover up her illicit activities with a pirate? If word got out about this her credibility would be ruined permanently. She didn't know what to say to the Admiral after reading the hand written words, but she knew he had her by the throat. "So what will you do? Order a warrant for my arrest?"

The Admiral sighed wearily, "let's cut right down to it, we've all done things... but I know why she had you do it, she used you, I can't blame you for that."

Rebecca furrowed her brows painfully, "you've made it clear to me I'm a butcher."

Adama shook his head, he wheezed slightly, "no, not a butcher, a soldier who follows any orders given to her without question, stupid yet courageous, and loyal, that's not exactly the right order in my eyes but, you get the point."

Rebecca couldn't feel anything but a sinking weight in the pit of her stomach, she clutched her side, "so what are you trying to say Admiral, is that I should feel guilty for being ignorant of the fact and simply move on?"

He snorted softy, looking her over, "despite all of this, you picked your side, and that won you my trust. What happened in the past cannot be dwelled on, otherwise it will kill you inside, you did what had to be done, but the cost remains to be seen. You'll pay for the decisions you make for the rest of your life, they'll always be more mistakes to replace the ones before them. All a person can do, is try to make a better call the next time."

Rebecca frowned deeply; Bill Adama's sense of justice was definitely unique. "Your right and I I'm sure there will be many more hard choices over the coming months."

Adama nodded, "anything is possible, but for now, the fleet is back together, and the Cylon's won't be coming back for a long time. We can focus more now on our goal."

Rebecca looked up, "a goal sir?"

He nodded, "we have a map to Earth, were heading to the Ionian Nebula,"

Rebecca replied incredulously, "Earth? How is that possible?"

Adama rolled his shoulders into a shrug, "you've missed a lot Commander, but suffice it to say, it's our only chance."

Rebecca wetted her lips, "even if Earth exists as you believe, the Cylons won't stop looking for us until the human race is nothing but a memory. I don't think leading them to the thirteenth Colonies doorstep will end well for any of us."

Adama exhaled, "remember what I said about going with what you know, keep that philosophy close Rebecca, it will help you."

Having already adhered to that philosophy Rebecca nodded, "It already has."

Bill crossed his legs, looking at the young officer. "I know what it's like, to have to live with the feeling of having lost someone close to you. My wife, and my son Zak, were taken from me as well, but remember the memories that make you smile, and laugh. Because it's better to dwell on those things then berate yourself over what could have been. Looking back, as I've told you Rebecca, will not give you the answers or the peace you will need. Try to see the reasons why, not what could have been, and improve. I'd recommend taking some R and R, Cloud 9 is the finest luxury liner in the fleet; you should go, consider it a mandatory shore leave. Report back here for your new orders when you feel you've had enough time to heal."

Rebecca nodded, taking in his words of wisdom. The Admiral leaned back into the sofa, "I won't sacrifice the few people we have left over past mistakes, being one of only two remaining command officers left in the world, I need to preserve your experience for as long as possible." Rebecca understood, this was it, there were no more reserve officers left, and they were fighting to simply live now.

"Thank you for your time sir."

The Admiral grunted, "Dismissed Commander."

Rebecca stood at attention, saluting sharply, Bill returned the gesture, and Rebecca walked out of the Admirals quarters with an entirely different perspective about her aunt, she had trouble thinking well of her.

It took three days to finalize the mission details and settle down to the daily duties aboard. Val was fixing a leak in one of the fuel pumps in his ship, Chief Orelon helped with the tool passing. The Chief was talking about how Commander Adama was promoted to Admiral, but Val was focusing on his work. He hated funerals, having to go through one for his wife, it never got easier. His thoughts were disturbed when the Chief tapped his foot with his boot, "Val, you got a ship to ship call from Galactica, its Captain Adama," 'seems he got his old job back,'

Val pushed out from underneath his Viper and walked over to the nearest stationary wall phone, he picked it up and clicked the appropriate line button. "This is Raven go ahead,"

Lee replied, "Val I managed to find out about your daughter, she's onboard the Niffia, a civilian transport, we picked them up when the President organized a search for stranded ships, they were having trouble with their FTL drive when we found them. They were on their way to Gemenon I think. But she's there, I already let the Captain of the ship know you want to see her, and she should be waiting for you,"

Val couldn't believe it, she's alive! "This is a debt I can never repay, you found my daughter, thank you,"

Lee chuckled, "No problem, I'm glad at least some people have reunited with the ones they love, it doesn't happen often nowadays,"

Val furrowed his eyebrows, and shut his eyelids tightly, rubbing them, emotion began to rise, "I'll pay you back one day, count on it, but right now I got to get to my little girl," He hung up the phone, then walked directly to the nearest unoccupied Raptor.

Chief Orelon saw Val climb into Raptor eight and begin powering up the systems, "Hey Captain, what you up too?" Chris asked as he leaned against the Raptor hatch door looking inside at him, Val turned.

"My daughters alive, and I'm going to get her," Chris widened his eyes in disbelief but smiled, "Good luck," and he stepped back, he ordered one of the knuckle draggers to hitch the Raptor onto one of the landing pads.

Once out in free space Val approached the sleek civilian transport, it looked much like an arrowhead, "This is Raptor zero eight Ulysses to civilian transport ship Niffia, requesting permission to dock," A few seconds passed before a reply was heard.

"Roger that Raptor eight, permission to dock granted," Val guided the Raptor into the hanger bay. Once beneath the small hanger deck Val was greeted by what appeared to be the ships XO, a slim bald headed Caucasian, "courtesy of Captain Zanic, your daughter is waiting in the observation room sir," Val nodded and rapidly shook the man's hand before jogging down to the corridor towards the destination described.

The open view of space illuminated the room in a dark silhouette of shadow; the small child sat lost in thought looking across the sea of stars basking in its radiance. Val was frozen, seeing her before him was something out of a dream, and the stunning view made it all the more surreal. He watched her for a time, before she slowly turned her head, and rested her eyes onto him. The child blinked rapidly several times, slightly shrinking away.

"Is that you Daddy?" The innocent question sparked Val's emotion, a tear lazily slid down one of his cheeks.

"Yeah baby, it's me," He nodded, the little girl looked him over slowly again, before her lower lip began to quiver, she sat up from the chair and ran into Val's arms, Val choked out a cry of pain and joy as he picked her up, holding her tightly to his chest.

She sobbed into his shoulder, and Val felt heartbroken. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there baby, I'm going to take care of you now, I swear alright?"

He heard her mumble her agreement as she cried freely, "I thought you died Dad, I thought I lost you. I heard about scary robots, and I didn't understand, at first," Val fought from breaking down, being with his daughter at the end of the world was nothing short of a miracle and he never felt happier.

"Those things can't hurt us now, they're gone. But now that I'm here, do you want to come and live on board the Ulysses with your Dad? That way we can be closer to each other, would you like that?" The increase of the grip she had on Val gave him the answer, he kissed the side of her head then noticed a packed bag sitting in the next seat across from the one she was occupying, and he reached down and picked it up by the strap setting it on one of his shoulders.

Val turned and slowly made his way back towards the flight deck, but he was met half way by an older blonde haired flight attendant, she had her hands wretched in a tight ball in the middle of her chest, "hello Captain Bonen, I'm Haley Locke, I know your eager to take Cassandra with you but, I'd just like to tell you how much I've grown to love your daughter. And I'd like you to forgive what a mother has to say, but a battlestar is no place to raise a child."

Val had an unbreakable devotion to his daughter, he had forgotten how potent love can be, "I appreciate the concern, but believe me she's safer on Ulysses than anywhere else. She will have people there who can look after her if anything happens to me, people I trust."

Haley seemed unconvinced, "Hear me out Captain, I don't know a lot about the military, but my uncle served in the first Cylon war, and he liked to tell me the stories before he passed away. He said a CAG is the man in charge of the airway, his responsibilities are quite numerous. Now if you take Cassandra with you, she will only have you to share her thoughts with, because I'm sure you know she doesn't open up easily to strangers." Val kissed Cassie's shoulder, she was getting tired.

"I'm perfectly capable, you have to know some very difficult math to fly any kind of aircraft, and I'm not too bad in the history department either. Besides, I'm not going to lock her up in my duty locker; I'll make sure she has a good education, she'll be taken care of, I swear alright?" Val wasn't expecting to have to convince someone to claim his own daughter, but this woman looked after her when no one else would.

"I lost my own daughter when the Cylon's attacked us, and I took it upon myself to take care of her as my own, she's very bright, even though she doesn't speak that often. I just wanted to meet you in person, and say goodbye to her."

Val nodded, "Of course."

She smiled, then stroked Cassandra's hair, "Goodbye little one, I'll miss you, be good Cassandra." She looked at the woman, and then turned away to press her face into the crook of Val's neck, he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You have my deepest thanks; if you ever need anything don't hesitate to call me. I'll have Cassie visit you once in a while."

She nodded, tears welling in her eyes, "Thank you Captain Bonen, take good care of her, she's very special."

Val smiled, "Yeah, she is, goodbye Haley," She closed her eyes as Val passed by her, and he found himself back on the tiny hanger deck.

Val sat Cassandra in the co-pilots seat, he laughed when she started asking about all the instruments, and he tried his best to summarize it in a way she could understand. Several hanger deck crewman and pilots rushed around Val when he stepped off his Raptor with his daughter in hand, news of him finding her spread quickly. Everyone was smiling and welcoming her, and she enjoyed the attention. Jade had an immediate attraction to Cassandra, she was already making her laugh, something that delighted Val.

After the attention died down Val showed her around the hanger deck, she found the Vipers particularly interesting, running her hands along the metallic skin. "I want to fly a Viper when I grow up Daddy."

Val chuckled, "You can do whatever you want sweetheart, but if you want to learn how to fly, I can give you a few pointers, but first you need to pass the height requirement."

She giggled, and then smiled looking over the sleek craft, then watched some of the deck hands go about their work. Val crossed his arms, chuckling as he watched her.

"Like father like daughter, I see the future CAG of Ulysses," Val turned around to face the Commander, he saluted sharply with a grin.

"Yeah well that's something I'm fighting for now, her future." Rebecca smiled, her hands were clasped behind her back, and Cassandra wandered back over and stood looking up at Rebecca comically.

Rebecca leaned down with a bright smile, "Hello there, you must be Cassandra. I'm your father's well, boss you could say."

Cassandra took a hold of a fold of Val's flight suite pant leg, "hello boss lady."

Rebecca laughed, and then shook her hand gently, "she's adorable Val, just keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't get into trouble. You can find a place for her to bunk in the officers' quarters; I'll allow her to stay aboard as long as she doesn't distract you from your duties."

Val smiled with a nod, "aye sir."

Rebecca shook her head smiling, and then walked passed them towards a Raptor, two pilots climbed in after her, one with the Commander's duffle in hand setting it down onto the narrow Raptor deck. 'She must be taking that R and R I overheard her and the Colonel talking about yesterday.' Val watched her Raptor for a few moments before looking back to his daughter, and then smiled taking her hand. "Let's get you settled then get some grub huh?"

Cassandra nodded up and down, "okay," and the two made their way to the officer's quarters talking and laughing.

Rebecca stared out the cockpit of the Raptor, she felt happy for her CAG, reuniting with a family member thought dead was something she knew well. She only hoped it would last for them. She pushed them out of her mind and focused on trying to find some peace. The luxury vessel Cloud 9, appeared before Rebecca's eyes, it had one massive pressurized glass dome to hold its artificial park and buildings. The rest of the ship contained expensive suites and formal dress and cover bars, casinos, Rebecca actually looked forward to it now.

The pilots began their approach, and the Raptor entered the large landing bay of Cloud 9. The pilots saluted their Commander and wished her well before leaving; Rebecca picked her duffle up by the handle and walked towards an elevator in the landing bay. A white jacketed staff member of Cloud 9 approached Rebecca. "Commander Cain?"

Rebecca raised an eyebrow as she looked at the man, "that's me."

He smiled politely, "a pleasure to meet you, I'm Nathan, and I'll be your attendant while you stay with us on Cloud 9, please let me take your bag for you and I'll show you to your room." 'Even at the end of the world it feels like it still turns, just go along with it,' Rebecca handed him her bag with a blank face. The elevator ride was short, and the carpeted doors opened revealing heavy vanity, walls and carpets were decorated lavishly. Rebecca followed her 'attendant' to large double doors; he pushed them open and the room inside sparked Rebecca's interest. There was a private hot tub, bar, and a ridiculously large queen sized bed, not to mention the magnificently hand crafted life size figurines of different weapons displayed on three pillared metal stands, Rebecca touched an old anaconda .45 magnum. Strange now that she thought about it, but meticulous, they must have set their rooms up to match their client tastes. She looked at the hand painted pictures hanging on display under the glow of small theatre lamps.

She turned to look at Nathan who was already speaking, Rebecca decided to listen. "Casino's run all night, but the bars close at three am. We have one night club which runs from eight until six in the morning. Swimming pools are on the observation level, which would be the large dome you saw coming in. Tennis and golf are all accessible at the east side of the dome; swimming pools are on the north side. The buildings are located close near the middle of the dome, and then there's the park itself, plenty of things to do to take the mind off stress. Fresh swim wear can be found in the walk in closet, and if you need anything else just call extension six one three and I'll come right away, any questions?"

Rebecca frowned and sat down into the maddeningly comfortable black leather chair. Nathan cleared his throat, "Right well I'll be close by, enjoy your time on Cloud 9 Commander." She nodded while raising her hand dramatically to massage her tired eyes. Nathan let himself out quickly.

Rebecca remembered Adama consoling her, "remember the memories that make you smile, and laugh." She couldn't bring herself to hate Helena, despite what she made her do; she loved her too much to let that deter her, but the fact remained, she consorted with pirates, a treasonable act. She would have to shoulder and pay for her aunts sins, because she would not allow a black streak to damage her family's name. How she would atone she didn't know, but before the end she would reclaim her family's honor.

Rebecca sprawled painfully across the couch; the burning pain in her side caused her to groan loudly in agony, a few minutes of throbbing passed before the pain faded, leaving her catching her breath. She nodded off and slept for an hour before waking up, she pushed herself up and off the sleep trap. She yawned lazily and unpacked her duffle; she forgot what wearing civilian clothes felt like. She slipped out of her blue uniform into tight fitting denim and a white long sleeved t-shirt with Kendra's old martial arts school emblem sewn into the middle of the front.

She reached up and undid the band holding her ponytail in place. The dark strands of her silky jet black hair fell loosely around her shoulders; she ran her hands through it making herself look like a regular civilian. She even vainly thought it made her look slimmer and younger, and excused herself for being human. "Time for a walk before bed," she said aloud looking at herself in the mirror, her eyes were slightly baggy and bruised black from lack of sleep. She took her steps carefully and thoughtfully, thinking of her aunt, and the "good times", which were actually many, and she dwelled upon those memories. Rebecca took the elevator to the artificial observation room; she immediately noticed how badly the background appeared in contrast with the current surroundings. She looked up at the artificial sun, and enjoyed the warmth of it, having nearly forgotten what it felt to have sunlight on her skin, even if it wasn't real.

"Close, but not close enough," she said aloud, there was no one else near to hear her. That changed when she noticed how many people were sitting and talking around the side bars. She casually tucked her hands into her pockets and walked towards one of them. She sat down in an unoccupied red cushioned stool and placed her elbows onto the bars edge. The bartender acknowledged her and walked over, "what're you drinkin' hun?"

She thought about it, "a beer will be fine," he nodded reaching behind the bar, and set down a Caprican pale ale in front of Rebecca, he easily twisted off the bottle lid having done it thousands of times already, "enjoy, just wave if you need me again," she nodded thankfully, and took hold of the beer, raising it to her lips, enjoying the bite and taste.

Gaius Baltar watched the slender beauty stroll nonchalantly up to the bar and try to blend in. For her to dress in something so street trashy was beyond him, but he wasn't interested in her clothing... "I see you've forgotten poor Gina already with the sight of another beautiful woman, you work fast Gaius, but I think you'll want to forget about this one, she has a different kind of appetite when it comes to intimacy."

Gaius glanced coldly to his left, and then smirked, "oh really, and I keep forgetting to remind myself not to hold a conversation with my supposed self declared guardian angel of death, thank you angel of death, for your inspiring grasp of the obvious, it never ceases to amaze me, but you know I have things to do, people to... pardon me," He walked away just as Six was about to break his neck.

Rebecca began to think of Kendra, and if she would be here. Her line of thought was broken when she noticed a well dressed man sit next to her, "hello there, I haven't seen you here before um, I'm Vice President Gaius Baltar, Doctor Gaius Baltar, pleasure to make your acquaintance miss?" He extended his hand, and Rebecca reluctantly took it, but decided to play along.

"Rebecca Cain," Gaius wasn't expecting that, the memory of seeing Admiral Cain brutalize Gina flashed in front of his eyes, and he stammered slightly before scratching his head, "Co – Commander Cain, I see your here to enjoy the last shred of civilization among the public eye, people like us, it's hard to get away from the spotlight."

Rebecca closed and rolled her eyes taking another sip from the bottle, Gaius persisted, "I imagine losing your aunt only a few days ago still presses down heavily on your conscience. I know just how hard it can be to lose people you care about."

Rebecca looked at him through her loose bangs, "Are you patronizing me Mr. Vice President?"

Gaius tried to wear a serious expression, "I only care about your, state of mental health. You know I'm a doctor, I should give you a full examination in the medical-" Gaius was smiling like a fool when he was about to finish his line, but upon seeing Kendra it stopped the running of his mouth. Gaius looked her over, he raised a brow quizzically. Kendra looked between the two, then Rebecca reached out and took her hand.

"The Vice President was just leaving," Gaius felt like someone had kicked him in the genitals, he blinked several times embarrassed, then stood with a wound in his ego.

Six draped her manicured fingers across his shoulders, a mocking smile was chiselled on her face, "Oh come now Gaius, I gave you a fair warning," Six looked at the two women, "It's too bad isn't it, knowing you're not good enough to satisfy her needs."

He scowled and Six smiled seductively, enjoying humiliating him, "Aw don't worry Gaius, others are waiting, have you forgotten about poor Gina?"

Gaius looked at her venomously; with effort he calmed himself before clearing his throat. He vowed not to let Six gloat over this, and since he couldn't seduce Rebecca he decided to play the next angle, "How terribly shallow of me, let me pay for your drinks, I wouldn't want you to think I don't treat my friends well," he reached into his Caprican jacket vest pocket, and pulled out a money clip, he peeled off two one hundred cubit bills, and set them in front of Rebecca who exchanged a look with Kendra, who shrugged in turn.

Gaius tried to polish it off, "If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to call me, I'm on the Galactica, well obviously not now, but um, that's where my office is at the moment. You know there's a political summit tonight, the President is supposed to attend, you should come, and of course you can bring along your em..." He looked over Kendra, who narrowed her eyes at him, he quickly finished, "company, yes, we all need company, hope to see you there, right, carry on..." He looked stiffly ahead and walked away; Kendra chortled softly, and then sat down next to Rebecca.

"Well some things never seem to change, even after a holocaust. Men hit on you at every bar you've ever gone too; even vice presidents can't seem to resist you."

Rebecca looked at her in amusement before wetting her lips with her tongue, "And you Kendra?"

She batted her eyelashes gently, lowering her gaze to the ground, "this is hard for me... confusing, what do you want from me?"

Rebecca fingered the cubit bills, "I owe you a lot and... I know what I've done. I can only try to make amends."

Kendra studied her carefully, she still didn't trust her, she crushed her under her ambition. She decided to keep her guard up, "too late, you never looked back, so why should I believe anything you say now? You think because it's the end of the world you expect us to start over like nothing's happened?" Kendra became frustrated, having had no one to confide in over months of conflict. Her anger and grief overcame her; she shouted and even screamed at Rebecca who endured every second of her outburst. Once Kendra vented her feelings, she told Rebecca what happened the day they broke apart.

"My transfer was approved when you left me. I didn't get the chance to tell you before you disappeared. You hurt me, badly, and I've fought against the pain ever since, and it made me choose my own path in life, and that was fleet command. I wanted one day, for you to see me and how far I've gotten and what you lost. I was able to get a posting on Pegasus as Admiral Cain's new personal aide a few weeks after my mother died; the day I arrived for duty was the day the Cylon's attacked us." Rebecca was shocked, "your Aunt's influence reached me, and I had to do things I never thought I could do. And right now, I want to hear the words you owe me."

Rebecca pulled her gently forward, and Kendra complied, and wrapped her arms around her neck. Rebecca spoke as softly as she could; "I'm sorry," Kendra coughed back a sob, gripping Rebecca's clothing between her fingers.

"Are you for real?" Kendra asked weakly, Rebecca smiled, rocking her back and forth in her arms, some onlookers began to stare, but she didn't care.

"For real," She leaned forward and kissed her cheek tenderly. Kendra supported her head with her forearm, resting her chin in the palm of her hand on the bar table. "Spend the day with me, it will be good for you, take your mind off duty."

Kendra crossed her arms beneath her chest; she looked around the massive dome, and then squinted under the artificial sun light, "alright."

The next few hours stretched on, the pair walked the length of the park, trying to come to terms with each other. Kendra had been so angry, she told Rebecca it began back home on Caprica, and only became worse with time. Admiral Cain was the one who brought it out, and it made her kill innocent civilians. She didn't admit it directly, but Rebecca felt she was involved, but didn't press the matter, for now. The two sat around the uniquely designed swimming pool which resembled a figure eight. It started getting late, and Kendra spontaneously hugged Rebecca, pressing herself against her, the warmth of her body sent shivers up her spine.

"I forgot what it was like to be happy, even if it was for only a day." Rebecca felt her shake with silent painful sobs, it was short but powerful. She apologized a second time, but it was much more personal. Kendra wanted her back, how many nights she stared up at the ceiling thinking about her she failed to count. Her heart told her what she wanted, but her fear of her kept her aloof. It was ironic in a way, Kendra wasn't afraid to die, but she was terrified of Rebecca Cain, the one person she knew who could pierce the thickest armor she could wear, and that's what she feared the most. Her charisma was palpable; being near Rebecca was intoxicating, and Kendra found herself yearning to let her into her life again. When Admiral Cain died, Kendra took it hard. She was a mentor to her, she taught her how to survive, how to make the decisions no one else wanted too, or couldn't, and her niece was the last link to her.

She untangled herself from Rebecca's defined body; she peered into her eyes, becoming lost in the deep bright blue hues. She leaned forward, tilting her head, and tested her lips. They tasted sweet, and were soft as silk, the kiss lingered longer than planned, and the two withdrew apart regretfully. Kendra smiled sheepishly, and Rebecca felt the unmistakeable feeling of love settle in the pit of her stomach, it glazed over all over thought, she was falling for her a second time. Kendra's thick armor shattered, her fear settled calmly.

She reached tentatively up to stroke the side of Rebecca's cheek with her finger tips, "I forgive you," tears pooled in the corners of her eyes, and she wiped them away.

"Come on, let's go to the mess - I mean, political party?" she laughed.

Kendra smirked, "you're gonna regret going to this, prepare to beat off every politician wanting something from you."

Rebecca shrugged, "meeting the delegates of the government is nothing new to me, it's going to have to happen sooner or later anyways."

Kendra grinned hooking her arm in Rebecca's, "alright, but don't say I didn't warn you."

Val had his daughter settle in; there were extra bunk racks in the senior officers' quarters. She picked out a bottom one, 'smart choice' he thought. After showing her around the ship the two went into the mess hall. Jade, Tucker and two other officers sat forward around one of the table's drinking coffee and talking quietly amongst themselves, they waved to Val who nodded in turn. He strolled over with Cassie, she smiled when she saw Jade and jumped up onto her lap to her surprise, but found it endearing. Val chuckled and sat next to Tucker, who tapped his knuckles to his in greeting.

"Shit, you guys don't really think Earth exists... we'd have a better chance of liberating the Colonies then finding a planet from fairytales," said Lieutenant Josh "Square" Christen, a native Gemenese. His skin tone was a deep black, but he was called square for a reason, he was a big man.

Val shrugged, "Who knows what's out there. I just hope when we get there our long lost cousins aren't still beating each other over the heads with tree branches, because if their technology isn't on par with ours were really screwed," he looked at his daughter, "or even worse, the Cylon's get there first."

Jade ran a finger across the length of one of her brows, and Tucker remembered something. "Captain, remember when we were scouting that last system before we found the fleet, and a rusted space station nearly crashed into us out of nowhere?"

Val totally forgot about that, he nodded, "Yeah that's right, what about it?"

Tucker narrowed his eyes, "Remember the part about it being two thousand years old?"

Square held out his left hand as if saying stop, "whoa whoa, what you guys talkin about'?"

Tucker looked at him, "We were scanning a system in a nebula when an ancient station nearly crashed into us, we did a full scan right after. Guess we haven't had time to report it..."

Jade didn't understand, "How can it be two thousand years old? I mean..."

Square interrupted her, "I think I know what's goin' through your head, but humans have been travelling through space for centuries, it's probably an old listening station from a forgotten time. Look, are you guys really surprised? Lord's know how much debris is floating around out there. But, if you insist on going deeper, and maybe a little crazier, I got a theory for you. Two thousand years ago is when the thirteen tribes left Kobol, it could have been something that was left behind, but of course there's no real proof of that, right?" This was disturbing to realize, there's something very odd going on, and it's not just the holocaust, everything Val did felt like déjà vu, he felt like an actor on stage playing out a role that's been performed over and over again, he couldn't put his finger on it... it has something to do with the scrolls... "- right Val?"

He looked up, "Uh what's that?"

Jade repeated herself, "You don't believe in the God's right?"

Val frowned slightly, "If any kind of higher power does exist, they obviously don't care what happens to us..."

Square sighed slightly, being an avid believer himself, "The God's do not get involved with the affairs of mortals, but that doesn't mean they don't care, they do influence us, but subtly."

Val smirked, "I make my own fate, as for the Gods'; their cruel and unusual methods don't inspire me."

Square shrugged, "Too each his own Cap'."

As they talked Val noticed a shady looking man watching him from across the mess, he wasn't in uniform. He wore a black leather jacket and faded jeans; his metal studded belt held them in place, a black skull cap hugged his head tightly. When his eyes connected with Val's and he finished his drink, and then stood walking out of the mess.

"Didn't know we had any civilians aboard ship..." Val murmured, then felt a small hand tug his sleeve,

"I'm a civian right dad?"

He looked down and chuckled, "Yeah babe, civilian," she tried to repeat it again, the others laughed, something that was a rare sight these days.

When Val finally got back to his bunk he was tired, he put Cassandra to bed, then walked over and opened up his locker and reached in to find something, and found a piece of paper instead sitting on top a pair of pants. He coughed clearing his chest, taking it between his fingers. He raised it higher to read, his eye lids opened widely, 'So "Val", you think you're one of them now, trying to blend in with the every day crowd, but deep down you know who you really are, ruthless, a cold blooded killer, just like me. Treason is a capital crime, I'd hate to see you publicly destroyed and then executed, leaving behind poor little Cassandra. Don't worry; I'll take care of her if anything happens. But, if you do decide to come and see me, I'll keep your secret. I'm on Cloud 9, come alone, with regards, Phelan.' He crumpled the paper, and then in anger slammed his fist into the locker door denting it heavily. 'Son-of-a-bitch, how did that bastard survive?!' Val shouted loudly, "FRAK!" waking up half the pilots; he stormed out of the officer' quarters and headed down to the hanger deck.

Phelan sat comfortably under the glow of the dim blue neon lights of the retro styled bar, one of his "escorts" sat next to him stroking his fine silk dress suit jacket. Business had been good, until one of his employees's slipped the tongue causing a bust; he lost half his crew and all of the goods, but discovered something intriguing along the way. He slapped the woman's hand away gently, and then sat up; he walked over to Keller his acting lieutenant.

He spoke softly for a criminal, he gestured his hands. "Word has reached my ear that a rat is alive and well, and acting CAG of the battlestar Ulysses. This is what I want you to do, take this note, plant it in his locker, and then come back. I don't want him dead yet, we can use him. Take this fake mechanic's ID to get past security." He handed it to him.

"Yeah boss, I'll go right now," Phelan nodded, and then snapped his fingers sharply together, one of his escorts walked up obediently to his side.

"Pour us a drink sweetheart." She forced a smile and did as she was told. When Keller returned Phelan told him to wait in the flight deck, he reached a hand into his jacket, and pulled out a talon 12 mm gas powered automatic assault pistol, its handle was made of ivory depicting skeletons standing in a circle and holding hands. He set it down on the bar table, then raised a finger at the bartender for another shot of ambrosia.

Val didn't even think about how bad his luck was anymore, he expected terrible things to come his way now on a daily basis. He wasted no time climbing into his Viper, and left without announcing a flight plan. When he touched down in the flight deck of Cloud 9 the same man he saw earlier on Ulysses greeted him. "Well I'll be God's damned, never thought I'd see you again, alive that is." He chuckled, "so you think your some fancy Viper pilot now huh, think you can change your name and become someone else?"

He looked Val over to his annoyance, "Keller wow, I see your still Phelan's bitch, what a surprise... it was too much to hope you pieces of shit bought it with everyone else in the attack."

Keller barked a laugh, "there's the scum I used to know, come on tough guy the boss is waiting."

The elevator music only added to Val's frustration, whatever Phelan wanted it wouldn't be good. The elevator doors opened, and Keller walked ahead of him down the corridor, Val made to follow. As soon as he turned around the corner he saw Commander Cain walk by the end of the hall wearing her dress uniform, he pressed himself up against wall; he waited a few more seconds before continuing, he was afraid he might run into her. Keller led him to another elevator, but it was much smaller, a private elevator. The padded doors opened up to a private club which looked quite impressive despite its retro feel, the bar was lined with a blue neon band, which reflected off black polished marble making everything gleam in a blue glow.

The bottles of alcohol were all illuminated with shelf lights, shady looking characters sat in small groups among the booths and tables with attractive woman at their sides. The music playing was mellow industrial. Keller then stood in front of Val, "Put your arms out, gotta frisk ya." Val narrowed his eyes at him cautiously, then reluctantly complied, raising his arms. Keller unstrapped his gun and holster, and then patted him down. When he was satisfied he motioned with his head towards the bar table.

Val walked slowly through the hazy smoke, the room was very dark, he walked up to the bar and looked to his right, there sitting comfortably on one of the stools was Phelan, nearly blending in with the shadows. He was just staring at Val, one elbow on the table, he raised a hand, and in between his index finger and thumb rested a Caprican Imperial fumarello, highly expensive cigarettes. He casually lit it with his Zippo lighter and flicked shut the small lid with a motion of his wrist setting it down, and took a long drag. The smoke he exhaled was thick and fragrant, and Val inched closer sitting one chair away from him.

"When the fleet heard of warships appearing out of nowhere, you couldn't believe the excitement. I saw a lot of opportunity." He took another drag, "Imagine my surprise when I learn my old captain is alive and the CAG of one of those battlestars. It was pure coincidence I found you out, don't worry yourself with how. Now as I look at you, two things are going through my mind," He stabbed the air with a raised index finger, "the first is an unanswered question. Why did you leave, and why shouldn't I just kill you now?"

He fingered the exotic weapon on the bar, and Val blinked an inclined his head to the weapon, "where did you find that?"

Phelan grinned, then lifted it up, "I knew you'd remember this baby, you ghosted a lot of guys with it, and it's been serving me well for the last few years."

Val looked away, "that's not who I am anymore, you got the wrong guy."

Phelan blinked, "Oh really?" and nodded to someone, and Val felt two pairs of masculine hands grab him roughly from behind, they lifted and slammed him onto the bar and held his face against the cold marble. One of them pressed the barrel of a gun to his head.

Phelan walked around the other side, and he looked down at Val who struggled to get free. With one hand he gripped his neck and with the other pressed the hilt of a military stiletto against his throat. Val stopped struggling, "Are you listening - that's good. Since you don't want to have a friendly conversation, I'll just skip to the good part. We're setting up a black market within the fleet, and you're going to help. You work for me now, understand? When I call you answer, and whatever we need you provide, otherwise..." He pressed a button on the hilt and the sharp blade sprang out with a metallic 'click', "I'll slit your little girl's throat from ear to ear and as for you, you'll never see the light of day again because you'll have no eyes, understand?"

Val's face was swollen red from lack of circulation, veins stood proud as he stared hard ahead down the length of the bar, he managed to gruffly reply, "yes," Phelan brought the tip of the knife half an inch from his left eye tickling the small eyelashes.

"Leaving the organization without a word was bad enough, but killing Jagar? Well, there are some things a businessman can't have." He crashed his fist into Val's left side, the pain made him grunt loudly, Phelan continued, "but lucky for you he decided to work for himself and stop taking orders, then Cain destroyed the Voroc, so I owe her my appreciation for that at least, getting rid of the evidence,"

He tapped Val's sweating forehead, "and how lucky for me, my best agent returns in the form of a Colonial officer, and a CAG no less, that will come in handy," he withdrew, picked up his resting cigarette; he inhaled deeply, and blew the smoke into Val's face. He breathed relief when the men released their death grip, and he stiffly straightened himself out, choking slightly from the smoke.

He rubbed the side of his head where the gun was digging into his skull.

Phelan took his seat again, "we'll catch up later Alec, I mean Val," he grinned wolfishly, and then blackened his expression, "now get the frak out of here."

Val rolled his shoulders then brushed his flight suite off. He eyed the resting automatic pistol, he wanted to try and grab his old iconic weapon and waste them all right there, but he fought back the murderous impulse, reminding himself he isn't the same man he was ten years ago. He looked at Phelan with venom, and then pushed his way out of the noisy private club. One of Phelan's goons handed him his gun and holster back, Val took it without expression, and Keller waved with a broad mocking smile as the elevator door closed.

When Val returned to the Ulysses he felt like a part of his world had fallen off, he had been placed between a rock and a son-of-a-bitch. Phelan wanted him to steal for him that much was clear, what he wanted remained to be seen however, but he expected to find out shortly. He quietly settled back in the senior pilot's duty locker, he saw Captain Sterling snoozing soundly in her rack.

He sat on the edge of Cassandra's bunk, watching her sleep, 'Damn you Phelan, why couldn't you just let it go?' he thought, then leaned in kissing his daughters forehead, she turned on her side in response. Val sighed, then walked across the room to his own rack, and stretched out on it. 'What a week it's turning out to be,' he thought, then realized the truth about his past would get out one way or another in time, in what form he didn't know, but it's what he felt, and he stayed awake fearing tomorrow.

The fine dining experience at the end of the world seemed frivolous, but Rebecca pretended she enjoyed it, having taken Gaius Baltar's offer they joined the political summit, the setting was relaxed at least but the overall feeling was overshadowed with bitter reality. Rebecca and Kendra adorned their dress uniforms, Rebecca proudly displayed her commendations and medals earned over the years in the military on a sash.

When politicians weren't boring them to death with pointless monologues they were asking her for concessions, 'frakking vultures' she thought bitterly, Kendra was right. Gaius surprised her however, instead of trying to bludgeon her with half-baked pick up lines he tried to use his knowledge of art to win her over, but not in the way one would expect, his Machiavellian efforts were starting to work to his glee, and Kendra was getting angry. "Do you always get this personal with battlestar commander's Mr. Vice President? Some decorum should be maintained, after all, you don't want to give people the wrong impression."

Gaius rolled his eyes meagrely, "Nothing wrong with talking about the finer complexities of life is there? Art is a gateway to the soul, and those who appreciate its appeal are often the ones with a finer taste of things." Six stood next to Gaius, her presence and silence began to make him nervous, and his behaviour and subsequent references which hinted to a fourth invisible party slightly disturbed Rebecca. He definitely knew how to flatter a woman however, but she could see right through him, and Kendra wasn't happy seeing him try to manipulate her.

It wasn't long before Gaius's plan became apparent the further he went on, "my ship stores aren't dispensers for your personal use Doctor. I'm giving all I can right now to the fleet, I have nearly two thousand people living on Ulysses, and the specialty food and supplies are for my pilots only. The rest is needed for the crew. Your deal may be fair and even clever, I'll concede to that, but it's also selfish and greedy, my people deserve better..."

Gaius couldn't believe it, he was certain he had her in his pocket, but she turned out a lot more acute then he anticipated. Realizing he wouldn't be able to strike his shady deal with the strong willed woman, he excused himself leaving the two officers alone, his only option left was going through Fisk. "That was the best pitch I've ever heard, he's too brilliant for his own good, that's why I turned him down. There's something dark about him... I don't trust him."

Kendra sat back comfortably in the padded chair, she watched Gaius sit and talk with one of the politicians. "When can you ever trust a politician?"

Rebecca crinkled the corners of her mouth into a soft smile, "having had years of experience in dealing with them I can pick out the corrupt ones without much difficulty, he's dirty."

Kendra nodded, "wasn't the President supposed to be here tonight?"

Rebecca looked around the restaurant, "yeah, something must have come up."

Kendra then focused her attention on Rebecca. The two women talked about a lot of things, their feelings, their experiences, and what may come around the corner. When the five course dinner came to a close and the wine bottles emptied, it was quite late and all the politicians slowly filed out. The pair sat up and made their way to Rebecca's suite.

Behind closed doors old lovers reunited, clothing was quickly shed messily onto the floor between passionate kisses, the soft bed welcomed their warmth under white linen. Gasps and moans of delight filled the room, beneath the sheets their bodies intertwined. Rebecca explored every curve and recess of her lover's body, paying close attention to her hairless sex. Kendra not having been with anyone since before the attack, was very responsive to the private treatment she was receiving, she moaned softly feeling Rebecca lap at her most sensitive area, she smiled slyly, enjoying every moment. The world was forgotten in rising ecstasy, all that mattered was the feeling. Motion became blurred and time slowed as wave after wave of energy passed between two beings, the sensation erupted into orgasmic surges of pleasure as two voices cried out in unison. The night was only beginning.

Ken was confident with taking care of ship business while the Commander was on leave, 'much needed leave,' he thought. He was up late finishing some paperwork, there was an accident only a few hours ago when a small transport collided with a patrolling Raptor, luckily no one died but there were serious injuries. He had to go through and sign the medical and damage reports from the ships themselves before he could turn in. Finally with a flick of his wrist he signed the last page, he set down the pen and stretched.

The last few days had been an assault of the senses, first finding the fleet, and then nearly becoming involved in a civil war. Following that was the assassination of Admiral Cain, a lot of baggage will be left over. Admiral Cain could have caused a power vacuum; luckily the President was quick on her toes in promoting Commander Adama to the flag officer, ensuring no one would get any ideas. Ken found it amusing, the President was afraid of Rebecca, with good reason; if she didn't pick the side she did he was certain the civilian fleet would have been left to a grim fate, and the President stepped as carefully as she could. He was thankful his closest friend held firmly to her beliefs, a rare thing. He was sceptical about Earth however, but Rebecca trusted the Admiral enough to follow his lead, so it was good enough for Ken. He sat up, and walked over to his bunk, sitting on the edge.

He unstrapped his boots, and then unlaced them, pulling his feet free. Now lying down on his rack sleep took him quickly, he dreamt of home, the humid and tropical world of Gemenon was described as 'a water world where mankind is one step closer to reaching the heavens'. Ken believed the hype, because it was true. He could see the lush jungles and islands along the main continent while the tranquil high lands provided a gorgeous back drop for the great city centers. Spires touched the sky and reflected the warm light of the sun, giving the buildings an ethereal beauty as ships passed overhead. He saw himself sitting with his sister at the dinner table in his mother's house, laughing and remembering the good times.

But something wasn't right, a darkness shrouded the scene, the cities lit up under flashes of light as billions cried out in their moments of death. Bodies and buildings were blasted apart under the nuclear detonations, Gemenon burned gloriously under the heat of ten thousand suns as it's oceans boiled and it's land caught aflame disintegrating every living person on the planet like match sticks. The screams drowned out everything else, he was witnessing the slaughter of the human race, Ken fought to escape the dream, but it only became more vivid. The Cylon basestar's in orbit didn't stop the assault until the planet turned into glass. He saw Gemenon destroyed countless times over in different ways by different versions of Cylon basestars.

Ken lurched forward violently, he gasped, his body was drenched in sweat; he sat upright, and held his head and throbbing chest. "God's help me... what is happening to me?" for the rest of the night Ken tried to make sense of what he saw, consoling himself that it was only a nightmare, a very lucid nightmare.