Story Downloaded from Open Scrolls Archive (https://www.openscrolls.net)

Title: Faoi Dheireadh (#3234)
Author: batsojopo
Chapters: 3

Archive: Battlestar Galactica
Category: General
Description: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems
Published: 01 Jan 2007
Updated: 03 Jan 2007
Warnings:
Type: Drama
Characters: Adama; Roslin; Gaeta


Chapter 1 - Chapter 1

Title: Faoi Dheireadh
Part: 1
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later
Pairing: A/R
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems
Beta: none as yet (please be kind!)
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.





Chapter One


"Sir, why is this necessary?"

Admiral William Adama looked across the table to Lieutenant Felix Gaeta, while contemplating his answer. "It's called strategy, Lieutenant," he finally answered as he reached across the table and moved a small figurine to another square on the grid placed between them.

The younger man sat back and shook his head as he looked at his watch. "Five minutes."

A ghost of a smile crossed William's face while he sat back. "You did much better than I expected."

"What, five minutes?" Gaeta shook his head while looking at the board, wondering what he could have done better. He was the Admiral's tactical officer, he knew he should have done better.

"It takes time to learn how to strategize. War College is one thing, putting it into practice is something completely different." Adama picked up a glass and took a sip of the clear liquid inside it. For a short time he fingered it before setting it back down on the table. "Commander Allen was going to do this once you had taken your position on the Columbia, but things have changed." Leaning forward, William cleared the board and placed the pieces back in their box, leaving Gaeta to fold up the playing board. "Once you master how to strategize in two dimensions, it is only a short jump to three."

"Yes, Sir." Gaeta nodded while looking around the Admiral's cluttered quarters. Turning back he found Adama had stood up and was putting the sacred game back where he found it. For a moment the older man paused while looking at the books in one of the many shelves that lined the walls. He was searching for something. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, but not by much, Gaeta realized wanted to leave, but he wasn't dismissed just yet. "Sir, may I leave?"

"Not yet. There's something I want you to read." Adama's voice sounded distracted as he continued his search. Grunting in sudden approval, he turned around with a book in his hand. "Here." He handed it to Gaeta. "This talks about the different strategies you can employ while playing the Sacred Game. I want you to study and think about them carefully."

Gaeta nodded as he accepted the book. No doubt the admiral already knew all the different ways that could be used for the game. Adama had even allowed him to take the stronger side, but he still lost. Something was not right.

"You're dismissed."

"Thank you, Sir. Uh, Sir?

Adama tilted his head a fraction. "Yes?"

"Do you want this back?"

"For once, Lieutenant, yes. You're not the first, and you will not be the last to study the contents of it."

"Yes sir." Gaeta stood at attention and saluted, waiting for Adama to answer. When it was returned the younger officer turned on his heels and left the rooms for his own rack. Turning a corner, he ran straight into Lee Adama, the Admiral's son and only living relative. "Sir!" the tactical officer backed up several steps, clearly startled.

"What's wrong, Lieutenant?" Lee had also moved away, wishing once again that mirrors could be placed in strategic areas of the ship so this sort of thing did not happen.

"Nothing, uh, Major Adama."

Lee smiled sheepishly, "I'm sorry if I startled you. I didn't mean too."

"That's all right."

"I see he's given you a book." A slight smile crossed Lee's face as he looked at the thick volume.

"It's on strategy. . ."

"With the Sacred Game. I know. He had already had me study it. But, don't worry, he still beats the crap out of me on a regular basis, and I'm not talking about the boxing ring."

"That's somewhat nice to hear." Gaeta shook his head wryly.

"Well, my father's had many years of experience, and the First Cylon War to learn how to strategize while under a lot of pressure."

Gaeta nodded, instinctively understanding what it took for Lee to make that admission about the Old Man. "Which means I will never get to that stage."

"You never know." Lee gave a slight smile. Now moving away he turned, "Good luck."

"Thanks," Gaeta answered while moving around the corner.

Lee stood there for a few minutes, looking down the corridor. As if waking from a dream, he shook his head and sighed. Turning back around he continued on towards Adama's quarters.

"Dad?" Lee asked as he stepped through the door.

Adama stepped from his small, cluttered office. "Yes?"

Lee hesitated a moment, "I just returned from Colonial One, sir. Her captain told me that they're having trouble with their FTL drive. He's is attempting to get it up and running again, but I'm not sure if that is possible. Dad, you know those ships out there were not made to take what we've been putting them through."

Adama signed as he sat down in a nearby chair. "I know. And I also knew it would only be a matter of time before the civilian ships start breaking down from as many jumps that we have forced them to make."

"Don't forget the Galactica."

Adama let out a short laugh while shaking his head. "I know. She's almost as old as I am."

Lee let a flicker of a smile cross his face.

"I've been meaning to ask you, how are you holding up being the acting XO over on Pegasus?"

It was Lee's time to sigh as he sat down. "Let's just say I wish I was CAG over here."

"Just remember this, the Executive Officer is supposed to be the hardest on the crew, not the commander. You need to push them, not break them."

"To make the 'Old Man' look good?"

"Uh-huh." William sighed as he settled deeper in his chair. For a second his eyes flickered open slightly then closed again.

A few moments later Lee screwed his eyes shut tightly as he grasped his head.

"You must be prepared for anything and everything," Adama murmured. "Your mind must not be compromised."

Lee took a quick gasp as he rubbed his temples. "I wasn't prepared. That hurt."

"Son, you will never be given time to prepare yourself if that happens. You must always be on the alert."

Lee looked up to William, only to find the older man studying him closely. He was still relaxed, but had an edge about him. "I bet Kara's better than me," he tried to joke.

"Kara is not sensitive." William leaned forward and grasped the empty glass on the table before him along with the bottle next to it. Opening it up, he poured some of its contents into it. "Do you want something to drink?"

"No." Lee shook his head gingerly. The aftereffects still lingering on.

"You're headache should be gone within the hour."

"I guess I need to get back to the Pegasus." Lee stood up slowly and moved towards the door.

"Son."

Lee stopped and gave William a questioning glance.

"Be careful."

"I, I will." The younger Adama closed the door behind him.

For a time William gazed at the door, not really thinking of anything, but letting his mind wander. It eventually settled on the comment he made to Gaeta about how things had changed. They had gone from a thriving twelve planet economy and society with billions of people down to 70 or so ships and about fifty thousand souls. The civilians depended on the safety, albeit meager, that the remnants of the military could give them.

For the past two weeks they had not heard one whisper from the Cylons, but William knew they were out there. They were out there waiting to pick off the civilian ships that dared make the mistake of lagging behind, or trying to make a go at it without the protection the military somehow still provided. If we make mistakes, people die. He remembered calmly stating to Dee during those five hellish days after the Holocaust.

There had been highlights, but those were few and far between. President Laura Roslin had informed him early on of their first birth. He never though that one simple birth could give such hope to everyone. If anything, it gave the people even more hope than he had in telling them about Earth. Getting back up, he removed his jacket and draped it over the back of his chair in his small office. Sitting down he wearily lowered his forehead onto the back of his hands. All he really wanted was one day of rest, but he knew that would never happen. The Cylons showed them no mercy. These days of inactivity were harder on everyone than the days where the Cylons attacked them nonstop.

He had no idea how long he stayed in that position when the phone buzzed and Dee's voice came over the small speaker, "CIC to Admiral."

Sitting up, Adama rotated his arm to get the kink out of his shoulder then reached over and picked it up. "Adama."

"Sir, President Roslin is on the line for you."

"Put her through." He closed his eyes as he leaned back and tried to settle deeper in his chair. The cord to the phone kept him from leaning any further back than he already was.

"Admiral?"

"Yes, Madam President?"

"Because of the backlog from recent events, I will not be able to come over for our regularly scheduled meeting. I do apologize for that." Her voice came across as being apologetic.

"No need to apologize for that, Laura. Just don't push yourself. We don't know. . ."

"How much time I have been granted with Baltar's procedure," she finished. "I know, but I do have a government to run. I heard it was the same with you when you were, and still are to some extent, recovering."

"Touché." Adama let his smile creep into his voice. "I guess that means that dinner is off?"

"For now. I will make it up to you, Bill." If at all, she sounded even more apologetic.

"We can handle the meeting tomorrow. Because of your backlog it would just be easier for me to shuttle over." He hesitated before continuing, "Is there anything else I need to know?"

"Only that it still bothers me what the Tomb of Athena gave us. How do we know that the information is right?"

Adama let a smile creep across his face before answering, "It sounds like you've started to doubt."

"Not doubt. I just want to be sure of our destination," she answered with mock indignation.

"Laura, don't worry about it. The M8 Astral body is something that we already know about."

"What will happen when we get there?"

"I'm not worried about that right now. My main goal is to make sure that we make it there alive."

"Right, I know. It's, it's just that I worry about it."

Adama's voice softened, "Worry all you want, it's not going to change the decision we made on Kobol."

"In other words, if you make your bed you need to lay in it."

"You catch on fast. What we found out on Kobol is now considered ancient history in our current situation. We need to deal with the here and now, not what could or should have been."

"Like finding out there were survivors on Caprica."

"One and the same. I had the same type of discussion with Lee before we lost most of our water. He had not learned how to come to terms with his decision concerning the Olympic Carrier."

"I see," her voice was quiet.

"Anyway," William glanced at the clock. "It is starting to get late."

"I know. At least I can take my time and read that book now. I haven't had any time to myself. And you know, I never properly thanked you for giving it back to me."

"No one has had any time for themselves. Laura, I want you to take care of yourself."

"I will. See you tomorrow."

Adama set the handset back in its cradle then settled himself back in his chair while letting a small smile cross his face. He still worried about her, and a deep concern for her well-being was still there, but he could not let that cloud his judgment and ability to make command decisions. Seeing her so ill pained him too much. To this day he still wonders how he will go on without her presence. He had come to rely on her as the voice of calm and reason in their troubled times. The crazier things got the more solid she became.

Ever since he got out of Life Station after his own near death experience he had problems dealing with making the hard command decisions. With Laura now healed, somewhat, he found it easier to make those decisions with her input. He knew they were leaning more and more on each other, it was something he wasn't sure about.

~~~~~~~

Gaius.

"Why are you still here? I thought you were using Gina," he answered rather distractedly.

Are you listening to me?

"Of course I am!" He slapped his pen down on the table. This time he looked up. Lately she had not been communicating with him like she used to. Ever since Gina showed up on Pegasus, the woman in his mind had been shuffled off to the side and disappeared for a time. The image from his mind, or model number six, was wearing her revealing tight red dress, apparently trying to get his attention.

Something is going to happen very soon that will change everything.

"You said that before, and look where it got me." He stood up and gestured around his cramped laboratory. He had barely made a dent in all the blood samples. Their population was just over 50 thousand, and he was expected to run the Cylon test on each and every one of them.

Because you did not believe. Remember god has a plan for everything.

"Like that ship?"

That was our resurrection ship. You also know we are called to reproduce. Six placed her hands on his chest and started caressing him.

Shaking his head, Gaius grasped them and backed away. He much rather be with Gina than with an imaginary, or so he thought, woman in his head.

And for the humans to repent.

"It looks as if most have decided not to." He released her hands and ran one of his through his unruly hair. "Most, as you already know, still prefer worshiping the Lords of Kobol. Even after the ones that came over to attempt to convert everyone, failed. When all you have left is religion, a person will hold onto it with everything he or she has."

~~~~~~~

"Colonel, sir. DRADIS states that it's the astral body M8." Gaeta examined the screen at the tactical station closely. Turning around he looked at highest ranking member currently on duty in CIC.

"Bring the fleet to a stop." Tigh let out a sigh as he picked up the handset in the center console. He heard the command go out when he turned to Dee. "Get me the Admiral."

"He's over on Colonial One meeting with the President, sir." Dee touched her ear piece, listening closely. "You're through," she related after a moment.

"Admiral."

"What is it, Colonel?"

Tigh looked up at the DRADIS screen set above him. "We've reached the M8 Astral Body. I called the fleet to a halt for now."

"Good. I'll be over as soon as I'm finished here."

"Yes, sir." Tigh replaced the handset and turned back to Dee. "Who's on CAP?"

"Hot Dog and Starbuck are, sir." She paused before continuing, "Sir, Commander Fisk is calling."

Tigh rolled his eyes before picking up the handset again. "Yes, Commander."

"Has the admiral been appraised of the situation?"

"Yes he has. He's meeting with the President right now on Colonial One, and will be back shortly."

Fisk gave a quick acknowledgment then disconnected the line. After a moment or two he turned back to Dee, "Get on the horn and let the rest of our pilots know that we need them ready. We don't know what's out there and if the Cylons are hiding within the M8 body."

"Aye, sir."

~~~~~~~

"Admiral on deck!"

"As you were." Adama quickly moved around to the stairs and neared the commander's station set several steps down in the CIC. "So, that's it?" he looked up at the DRADIS screen for a moment before turning his attention back to Tigh.

"Yeah. I've also expanded the CAP. We don't know what the hell is out there in all that hash."

"Mr. Gaeta." Adama turned around.

"Yes, sir?"

"Any signs of Cylon activity in the area?"

Gaeta examined the information that DRADIS was sending to the tactical station. "Not so far."

"Good. I want you to have the computers scan the star clusters to see if they match any of the constellations we were given while on Kobol."

"Yes, sir."

Bill turned back to Tigh and asked quietly, "Any word on the civvies' FTL drives that are giving us problems?"

"No, sir." The Colonel shook his head.

Adama looked back up to the DRADIS again. "I don't like this position. We can be easily pinned against the cloud with no way out."

"Sir?"

Adama turned to Gaeta. "Yes, Lieutenant?"

"We have a 50 percent match on several of the constellations."

"That's better than nothing." Tigh gave a slightly wry grin.

"But not good enough. I was hoping it would be higher. There are a lot of things that can go wrong with that low of a match." He scanned the room before letting his eyes settle back on his long time friend. "Get me a count of all the civilian ships that we know their FTL drive is failing. We might have to try and find room on the other ships if necessary."

"Yes, sir." Tigh turned and moved over to Dee's station and said a few soft words. With a nod she began sending out messages. "Sir?" she said after a few minutes.

"Yes?" Adama moved over to her station.

"Ten ships confirm that they need to have complete overhauls of their FTL drives. If they are used again in their present condition the computers will melt and be of no use to us at all." She hesitated before continuing, "Colonial One, is one of them."

"She's small enough to have her permanently docked within either battlestar," Tigh started.

"But I don't want to give preferential treatment to her. That may be the base of our civilian government, but what about the other ships?"

"Well, that's just great, isn't it," Tigh grumbled. He continued a bit louder, "Have our computer techs fan out to those ships and see what they can do."

Dee glanced to Adama for a moment for approval. He gave a quick nod and turned his attention back to the DRADIS screens. "I want the Pegasus to come around, that way both battlestars can be a barrier between whatever is out there and the M8 body." Moving closer to the table, Adama picked up the phone. "Get me Pegasus Actual."

"Aye, sir."

"Pegasus Actual."

"Commander, I want you to bring the Pegasus around so we can use both battlestars as shields."

"Sir, I'm not - -"

Adama cut him off, "Fisk, we have at least 10 civilian ships out there that are incapable of jumping right now. We have to do what we can to make sure those ships, and their civilian passengers, survive."

The line was silent for a moment. "Yes, sir. Bringing Pegasus around."

Adama replaced the handset, hoping that they could get the issue resolved before there was any loss of life. For a moment he thought about having the noncombatant ships slip into the cloud, but quickly decided against it. There was no telling if they could even navigate out of it once inside.

TBC......................


Chapter 2 - Chapter 2

Title: Faoi Dheireadh
Part: 2
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later
Pairing: A/R
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems
Beta: none as yet (please be kind!)
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelradjr, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.

Colonial speach " "
English speach ' '



Chapter Two

Jack O'Bryan stood in the center of the bridge and looked out over the people that were sworn to secrecy. Only the highest levels of the government knew of their whereabouts. The large high resolution monitor set on the wall showed the roiling colors of the nebulae they were hiding within. They were hiding so they could keep at bay the hordes of races that were out in the not so distant reaches of space. Terra had been out exploring and minding her own business when they found out how deadly space could be.

It was her idea, though. If it wasn't for her, they wouldn't be in a position to make sure Terra thrived and succeeded. People thought it ironic and funny at first that she wanted to revive the ancient ways of her people. She had kept at it for some time before they finally agreed to her impossible scheme. Once the approval came, she quietly passed the word to anyone that seemed interested. In less than fifteen years they had made a name for themselves. No one wanted to face "The Finns" as they were being called and her Piranha Strike Force.

'Any change?'

Jack turned around and looked at the honey-brown hair beauty standing behind him. Like everyone else, she wore a brown uniform, but hers bore no rank or markings. She need not have them, everyone knew who she was.

'No ma'am, they're still there.'

She looked at the monitor for some time before speaking again, 'I do believe they will be there for a while. Come, Jack, there is something I want you to read.' She turned and moved towards the passageway that lead deeper into the bowels of the ship.

Looking around again, Jack always wondered just what went through her mind. No one knew and she seemed more a mystery than anything else. Rumors had it that she wasn't born on Terra and that she wasn't even human. It was impossible, for all government records stated that she was.

'What is it?' he asked as he stepped into the small room. As leader she was allotted a much larger space, but she refused it. She had most of the space converted over to a recreation area for her crew. They worked and fought hard, and she commanded them to play even harder. What was left was a cabin about the same size as was given to the lowest ranked among them. She never thought of herself as their leader, but their servant. Because of that everyone had vowed to follow her to their death if need be. But because of her tactical abilities that had not happened. Hopefully it would not happen for some time to come.

'I found something interesting.' She handed him a large tome with strange writing. He rolled his eyes then looked at her. 'Skipper, You know I cannot read this stuff.'

She shook her head. 'That is something we are going to have to rectify. I want everyone here to know and speak the old tongue.' Mair hesitated before continuing, "Have we had any transmissions come from that group of ships?"

Jack shook his head, 'If they did, it's lost in all this hash. We're doing good to be able to see them.'

She pursed her lips for a moment, 'We're going to have to figure that out. This is something that we will most likely need in the long run.' Taking the book back, she turned it around and scanned it for a moment. 'It is said that in the earliest versions of the invasion stories of the Mythological Cycle the Tuatha Dé Danaan came from the sky. It is never mentioned where they came from, but they were considered to be, and I quote 'the fairest of form and were a people of magic wonders with esoteric knowledge'.'

'So?' Jack shrugged his shoulders. 'It's just a myth.'

'To you maybe, but it's also ancient traditions and legends. Every legend has a grain of truth to it.' She closed the book and set it down.

'So what?' he shrugged again.

'Jack, when you first told me that the fleet out there is comprised of humans, it got me to thinking. I've always thought we were the only humans out here in the galaxy. That whole fleet throws that viewpoint out the window.'

Jack sighed. 'I know.'

'I want to know why they're there, and what their plans are.' Mair drummed her fingers on the rather large book. 'Jack, I want your people begin work on cutting through the feedback the nebulae is giving us. I want to know what's going on without them knowing we're here.'

'Always have to have tactical superiority.' Jack gave a short laugh.

'Which is why we're still alive. We need to be one step ahead of everyone that's trying to kill us.'

'Or just this ship and you.'

'That too.' Mair smiled warmly at him. 'Now get going before I write you up for lagging.'

'Yeah, yeah,' he gave a mock complaint as he waived his hand in her direction while heading out the door. When she was alone once again, Mair looked down to the book and opened it up again.

Jack arrived back into the control center of their ship and settled down at one of the computer stations. Mair really wanted to be able to hear what was going on out there, and he didn't blame her for her desire to know. He was just as curious of the newcomers as she was.

Pulling up the audio he systematically began to remove the different elements of the hash they were confronted with. When part way through he started picking up voice elements. The more he worked with it the clearer it became. 'Damn,' he mumbled. 'That almost sounds like. . .' he stopped as he turned to a woman who was sitting beside him. 'Lieutenant Glennan, could you get the Captain, I really think she needs to be here.'

'Yes, sir,' she commented as she rose from her seat.

A few minutes later he felt a hand on his shoulder. 'What did you find?'

Turning his head he commented. 'This,' as he ran through a series of commands, 'Listen.' The language that came out was a slight variation of the old tongue. 'Holy Mary Mother of God. . .' Mair muttered. Taking a step back she crossed herself as she closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and leaned back over.

'Skipper, it would seem that the original myths of the coming of the Danaans was right.' Jack shook his head at the irony of it all.

'My question is why are they there.' Mair took a few steps towards the large screen. It showed nothing of the fleet that sensors revealed to them. Truth be told, they didn't need the screen at all. It was just something to fulfill the need of "seeing" what was in front of them.

'Do you want to make our presence known?'

'Negative! Not until I know otherwise will we even breath a word in their direction. The Martoks did this before and we lost an entire fleet to their treachery.'

'But they have no idea about the Old Tongue. How would they even begin to trick us like that again.'

'Jack, I cannot do that. Until I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are real, we will stay here until further notice.' Mair turned on her heels and walked quickly to the back of the room and down the hall.

'I guess all we can do is to listen to what's going on. Anyone here understand the Old Tongue?'

~~~~~~~

Many hours later the last of the computer techs finally reported their findings to Admiral Adama. On at least half of the ships in question, their FTL computers hard drives crashed and were not able to be brought back up. Adama closed his eyes and sighed. Too many people and not enough space on the other ships. Not only that, but he had no idea how far or how close they were to their goal. With the population so low they could not afford to loose a single soul. He was going to have to come up with something else to solve the problem. Glancing down to his watch he noted the time. Gaeta would be coming by in about an hour for another 'strategy' session, though the younger man had come to call it a brutalizing session under his breath. Adama understood the younger man's view well enough, but that was the only way to learn.

The bosun's tone sounded suddenly over the speakers accompanied by Tigh's voice, "Action Stations, Action Stations. Set Condition One throughout the fleet. This is not a drill. Action Stations, Action Stations. Set Condition One throughout the fleet."

"Frack," Adama muttered under his breath as he moved quickly towards the CIC.

"Admiral on deck!" Dee called out when she caught sight of Adama.

"As you were."

"DRADIS contact, Sir!" Gaeta called out.

"Identify." Adama turned to his tactical officer.

"Cylons, sir. Two Basestars."

"Launch all vipers." Adama knew they were in a very bad position. This is it, he thought somberly.

"Vipers away, sir."

"Get me Pegasus Actual." He moved over to the Commander's station and picked up the handset.

"Aye, sir."

Fisk's voice came through the speakers, "Admiral, we have to get out of here."

"We can't do anything. If we leave the non-FTL ships we will loose thousands, and if we stay we will loose everyone." Adama disconnected the line without waiting for a response from the commander.

Another alarm sounded, this one more ominous than the ones before. "Radiological alarm," one of the specialists called out. It was followed by Gaeta, "Incoming Ordinance!"

"Frack," Adama muttered. He looked to the DRADIS screen. There had been multiple missiles. All but one were stopped. There was now nothing he could do to counteract the homing device it was implanted with. "Brace for impact!"

When the explosion did not happen Tigh turned to Gaeta, "What happened?"

"Not sure, sir. I think the electrical energy field from the nebulae has messed up the homing device."

Adama looked at the screen and realized suddenly that it was now heading towards Colonial One. "Get me Colonial One's captain. Now." Adama picked up the small handset.

"Admiral!"

"I know. Get away from there as fast as possible, but stay close to that cloud!" Looking up he watched in detached fear the events beginning to unfold before him. At the last minute the nuke angled up and flew past it to impact with the cloud.

Oh gods, I can't loose her, he thought numbly as he helplessly watched Colonial One be completely overwhelmed by the feedback from the explosion.

"Captain! Captain, can you hear me? Are you there?" It took all Adama's considerable will to not yell into the mic. In the background he could hear the viper pilots as they continued to engage the cylons.

There were several long moments of silence before they received a faint message through the static. "Kryptar, kryptar, kryptar. This is Colonial One. Lost engines, lost life support. Have minimal sensor ability. Need help immediately."

Adama looked back up to the DRADIS. The government ship was closest to the Pegasus. "Colonial One, do you have thruster control?"

"Affirmative."

"I want you to emergency dock with the Pegasus."

"Yes, sir."

"Docking during a battle is insane, you know that," Tigh grumbled as he leaned on the center console. Adama's glare stopped Tigh from continuing with his comments. "Yes, sir." He shook his head as he moved a few steps away.

"Get me Pegasus Actual." Adama turned his attention back to the DRADIS screen.

"Yes, sir."

~~~

Mair stood there silent as she imagined the panicked, disjointed messages that were probably flying back and forth across the small fleet. They were outclassed and outgunned by the attacking forces.

Glennan turned from her screens and commented, 'Captain, we have got to do something.'

'I know,' Mair answered softly. 'I know what it's like for them. . .' She turned to look at the screen then made her decision. 'Bring the Goch out of the cloud, keep the shields up and have the Piranhas ready.'

'Yes, Captain,' she answered crisply. 'There's a lot of jamming. It also sounds like the attacking forces use some type of electronic attack.' Glennan worked her controls, trying to get a clear signal on what they were about to deal with.

'Then we will give them a taste of their own medicine,' Mair mumbled. 'Get ready the worm,' she ordered.

'Aye, ma'am,' Jack answered while pulling up the necessary information required for a concentrated electronic attack.

~~~~~~~

"Frack, what is that!" Kat's voice came over the speakers.

"DRADIS contact, Sir! Coming out of the cloud."

"More Cylons?" Adama asked.

"No know configuration, sir," Gaeta answered worriedly.

"Ignore them. If they make any threatening move then we will have to get out of here. . .somehow."

The ship that emerged was about half the size of a battlestar. At least sixty small fighters emerged from the underside of the ship and started towards the two Cylon basestars.

"Sir, they're attacking the Cylons." Gaeta shook his head in confusion.

Moments later all the raiders stopped and the two basestars exploded from within. Everyone in the CIC was stunned at the sudden turn of events. Adama's voice eventually cut through the silence, "Have our pilots pursue and destroy remaining Raiders."

"Yes, sir." Dee answered. "Viper pilots, pursue and destroy remaining toasters."

"Aye, aye!"

With the added support of the unknown ship they were able to quickly eliminate any possible threat the cylon raiders now posed, but Adama wasn't paying any attention to that. He was watching closely Colonial One attempting to dock with the Pegasus. With only maneuvering thrusters it slowed the process down to a crawl. When the ship was safely docked Adama turned his attention back to the more pressing matter at hand, the new vessel that had helped them defeat the Cylons.

TBC..........


Chapter 3 - Chapter 3

Title: Faoi Dheireadh
Part: 3
Rating: PG, maybe PG-13 later
Pairing: A/R
Summary: The survivors of the Holocaust have finally reached Earth, but they find out that's not the end of their problems
Beta: none as yet (please be kind!)
Note: I do want to thank Vi, Marta, Axelradjr, and AlbertG for their expertise. Without their input this story would not be what it is today. Be warned, this takes place sometime near the end of season two. Anything after Epiphanies are conjectures from the author's warped mind. . .

Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and its characters are creations of Glen Larson and copywrited by Universal Studios. I make no money off of this.


Colonial speach " "
English speach ' '

Chapter Three

Kara Thrace, call sign Starbuck, climbed out of her Mark II fighter. They had more than survived, they had kicked butt, but only with the help with the arrival of that unknown ship. Thankfully she had not lost a single pilot. While peeling off her gloves she contemplated what just happened.

Not bothering to change into her uniform, Kara headed straight for the CIC still in her flight suit. Everyone she passed in the corridors didn't have any answers as to what just happened. Stepping inside the command nerve center she could hear the chatter from both the civilian ships and the comm from the fighters that were on scheduled CAP. "Lee?"

Lee turned towards her voice, but let her continue.

"Have you heard anything from Colonial One?"

A ghost of a smile crossed the younger Adama's face before answering, "She was able to successfully dock here. The CMO is checking her passengers just in case there is any radiation poisoning. That missile did explode pretty close to that ship."

"Yeah, I saw it." Kara shook her head.

Lee looked at her again, "All right, now why are you really here?"

For a moment Kara had a sheepish look on her face before answering, "Well, I, um, I'd really like to get my hands on one of those fighters."

"You'll have to talk to dad about that." Lee shook his head. "We haven't heard one peep out of them."

"Major Adama."

Lee turned around to see who was calling for him. He still wasn't fully familiar with everyone's voice, but he knew it would come in time. "Yes?"

"We just received word from Life Station that the President has been released and is wanting to shuttle over to the Galactica."

"Thank you," Lee nodded while taking the message he was handed. Turning, he looked to the Commander, not knowing what Fisk was going to do about this.

"Let her go," Fisk shrugged, "And have the Admiral deal with her."

"You still have no idea what we've been through since the Holocaust, do you Commander?" Starbuck asked.

"Kara." Lee's voice held a tone of warning. Moving over closer, he lowered his voice, "This isn't the Galactica. You have to play by the rules here."

Most of the earlier tension in Kara's face drained away, leaving behind naked exhaustion. "I know, it's just. . ."

"We have all been through a lot. I know. I was there, remember?" He hesitated before continuing, "Get some rest."

"Not before I finish the paperwork. You know I think it breeds. I leave it alone for one hour and it's twice as high since the last time I looked at it."

"Don't look at me, I'm not CAG," Lee gave her an amused look as he dismissed her. Giving him a quick salute she turned on her heels and quickly walked out of the CIC and down into the Pilot Ready Room.

~~~~~~~

'Okay, so they now know of us.' Jack shook his head.

'Well, sir, we just kept them from being shot out of the skies.' Angela shook her head at Jack's obvious understatement.

'Children.' Mair turned around to look at them with a stern look on her face. She was rewarded with them looking somewhat contrite.

'Sorry, ma'am,' they both mumbled.

'We will keep radio silence for now.' Maybe we've done too much for them, she thought to herself. "No," she whispered more for herself as she turned back to the screen. 'They were clearly outmatched.' Bringing her attention to the crew she continued loud enough for them to hear, 'Have the Piranhas come back on board?'

'Yes, ma'am. Do we set up a patrol?'

Mair hesitated for a moment while turning back to the screen. 'No, not now. I don't want to seem too aggressive to them. They are obviously military, so they do have some sort of protocol for flight patrols. Let them do it for us, that is for now.'

The fleet that was spread out before her seemed to have about the same level of technology as the Terran Republic, but they also seemed to have been in space much longer. She wondered if it was an ancient civilization, but had stagnated over the centuries, content in what they had and did not work on pushing the technology forward.

'Ma'am, just got word from our lead pilot, Johnson. He reports that the fleet was using two types of fighters. One was much more advanced than the other.'

'When you're at war, you will use anything and everything you can get your hands on to defend yourself.' Mair looked down to the reports she was just handed. 'How many of our pilots know the old tongue?'

Jack shook his head, 'I'm not sure about that. Probably not very many.'

Mair shook her head, 'That's not good, you know. If need be I will have the computers reprogrammed to only have that language. That way it will force you to learn it.'

'Does it help that I keep this phrase book with me, ma'am?' Glennan commented as she held up her electronic PDA.

'It's better than nothing.' Mair gave her a slight smile.

~~~~~~~

Stepping inside his quarters, Adama found his table piled high with paperwork and Laura standing off to the side with her back to the door. Dee had reported to him earlier about the President's arrival on the Galactica, so he wasn't that surprised to find her here. Pulling the door shut he stopped it just short of making any sound then moved behind her. Reaching out, he placed a hand on her shoulder. Jumping, she whirled around and he engulfed her in a strong embrace.

Laura stood there surrounded by the warm bands of Bill's arms. She placed her head on his shoulder and mumbled, "Gods, I was so scared. We could see everything from the windows."

Bill tightened his arms and let a hand move up her back to reach her neck. "It's all right," he whispered.

"What changed your mind?"

"About what?"

"This," she let her hand slide up the front of his jacket to rest over his rank insignia.

Loosening his arms, he pulled back slightly and studied her face closely. "With the cancer I had time to learn to let go. With what happened today, I realized that I hadn't done so yet." He cupped her face with one of his hands. "I almost lost you."

Laura let a small smile cross her face when he pulled her close again. She thought it felt right and she tucked her face into his neck. Of all the men I could have fallen for, it had to be him, she mused.

As if on cue, they both backed away from each other. "So, who are these people that stopped the cylons?" she asked as she collapsed on his couch.

"Not sure." Adama collected a couple of glasses and a bottle. "Water?"

"Yes, please."

"I have yet to ask," he answered as he sat beside her while placing everything on the table before them. Filling the glasses he placed the bottle back on the table and handed her one of them. "And they have yet to offer any information."

"I've been hearing things about how the Cylons just stopped. Do you know what went on?"

"The only thing I can think of is that the newcomers somehow sent a computer virus." He leaned back and let her nestle against him.

"You know, with the bit of cylon blood I carry? It's given me the ability to handle higher levels of radiation. Dr. Cottle gave me a clean bill of health after I came on board."

Bill was in the middle of taking a sip then stopped. "Really."

Laura nodded. "Most of the others have to go through radiation treatment, including Billy. I wish we were further away from the cloud."

"If you were, the missile would have. . ."

Laura brought her fingers up to silence the words that were about to come out of his mouth. "I know." She let her attention be pulled back to his table, that had her paperwork on it. "And I hope you don't mind me using your quarters as my office. I promise that I'll stay in the guest rooms.

"Who said anything about you staying there? What's wrong with staying here?"

"Nothing," she answered flustered. "It's just this isn't, these are your quarters."

"I know." He gave her a smug grin.

"Then," she started slowly, "You'll be staying in the guest quarters?"

"Who said I would be staying somewhere else?" He leaned closer as his voice lowered down to a whisper, "These are my rooms." Bill watched as her eyes closed slowly as he moved the final distance and brushed his lips against hers. Just as she started responding he pulled back and got up. With the sudden support gone she shot a hand out to keep her from falling.

"Damn you Admiral William Adama," she groused. Getting to her feet Laura moved behind him and wrapped her arms around him. "You're not getting away from me so easily," she whispered into his ear. He reached down and pulled her around to now stand in front of him.

"Laura," his voice was dangerously low, "If I start I'm not sure I'll be able to stop."

Looking into his eyes, she saw how the deep blue now blazed with desire. "Is that why you got up."

"Mostly."

TBC...........
------------------------------------------------------------------

Printed from Open Scrolls Archive (https://www.openscrolls.net) on Sat Nov 14, 2026 7:34 pm