1-10-2
The cell for Meridina was an open air cell that used a chain-link fence structure around it in a cube. Armed guards were posted around when they arrived. Robert watched passively as the Marines escorted Meridina into the cube. Her shackles were linked to the ground. A bedroll was beside them as the only concession to bedding. "If she has to use the bathroom...?", he asked in a low voice.
"We'll provide her the means," Adama answered. "But she's not leaving this cell until her trial."
"So even with me as a hostage, you still don't trust her to not try and escape?"
"I think it's better to prevent temptation."
Robert looked at him. There was something in his voice that made him think Adama wasn't just talking about Meridina being tempted. "I suppose. So, this trial... how will it go?"
"On Galactica. Lee is looking for a defense lawyer for her now."
"Lieutenant Borja can assist."
"You can discuss that with the attorney."
Robert nodded. "Can I speak with her very quickly?"
"Yes. But not inside the cell."
Robert nodded. He got the feeling that Adama wasn't being paranoid about them so much as making sure others couldn't be. He stepped up to the cell door. Meridina had assumed a sitting position and closed her eyes. "Are you uncomfortable?", he asked.
"I am fine," Meridina answered. "This is quite satisfactory given my current situation. Thank you, Admiral Adama, for your courtesy."
Robert didn't look back to see Adama nod silently. "Listen, we'll find a way out of this. I'll smooth things over with Roslin and give her compensation, something to get her to stop this."
"If you think you can." Meridina took in a breath. "Whatever happens, I am at peace with it. My swevyra is settled."
There was nothing more Robert could say at that point. He stepped away and walked back to Adama. "I'm ready to go to my quarters."
"This way," Adama said, gesturing toward the door.
"After we drop my things off, I want to see Roslin."
"The President is resting right now. I'll have Cottle inform you when she's able to talk."
"There has to be a way to smooth this over without this mess about a trial," Robert insisted. "We can make other concessions."
"It's not for me to decide, Captain." Adama shook his head. "You'd have to talk to Roslin or the Quorum about that."
Again, Robert got the feeling Adama was trying to tell him something. He filed that reference away for later and said nothing more as they walked on in the company of the Marines.
Angel was already fuming when she got to the medbay. Her mind was full of anger toward everything. Toward Robert for his damned "I'm responsible for everything" martyr complex. Toward Julia for that damned speech about the military or chain of command or what have you. Toward Meridina for causing this mess and the Colonials for being obstinate jackasses and...
She entered the medbay through the starboard entrance. The nurses looked at her and she saw one pale a little. Fear suddenly surged in to match her anger. Had something happened to Cat? Had those pagan bastards done something to her little...?!
"Angel, over here."
She looked to where Leo was standing at the entrance to the operating room in operating scrubs. "You're just in time," he said. "I was about to go in. Tom was shot."
Angel snarled. "Where is Cat? Did they hurt..."
Leo pointed to the next section. Angel tromped in. She started to hear a familiar sound. Caterina was sobbing.
She turned her head to the source of it and saw Cat sitting up in a bed, now wearing a blue medical gown. A nurse was standing beside her with a dermal regenerator applied to her face.
Her black and blue face, with blood seeping from her mouth, her split lip, and her nose. Her eyes were nearly swollen shut.
For the moment sheer worry overwhelmed the fury Angel felt. She ran over and gently hugged her crying sister. "I'm here Cat. It's okay, I'm here."
"Th-they k-kept hitting m-me," Cat sobbed. "They k-kick-ed me a-around. I... I-I d-don't kn-know why...."
Tears were coming down Angel's cheeks. "They can't hurt you anymore. They can't. It's okay." She tightened the embrace a little, letting Cat bury her face into Angel's shoulder.
"W-why? I-I was he-helping th-them..."
As Cat continued to sob, Angel put a hand into her dark hair and held her sister close. "They'll never touch you again," she hissed. Rage began to build inside of her. Pure, fiery rage. "Never again. I'll never let them." I'll kill them, I'll kill every last one that tries to hurt you!
Cat's only reply was to cry some more.
Adama was brief in checking on the defenses of the Fleet following the stand-down on both sides. He was due in the infirmary. When he arrived he found Roslin was awake again, looking as miserable as before. "Bill." Her voice was weak and strained. "What happened?"
Adama found a seat before speaking. "We made a mistake and it almost cost us."
"What do you mean? Did you get the Cylon back?"
"He wouldn't back down," Adama said. "I thought maybe he would. He was young, I thought I could get him to doubt what he was doing. But he wouldn't back down."
Roslin nodded gravely. "So we still have their officers?"
"We have two. The engineer on Pegasus sabotaged their shields, she and the other officer over there were transported out by their matter transporters."
Roslin showed no reaction to that. "What about here?"
"I exchanged them," Adama answered. "Commander Meridina offered herself as a prisoner in their stead and agreed to stand trial for taking the Cylon. Captain Dale is here as a hostage to her cooperation."
Roslin licked at her dry lips, prompting Adama to give her a cup of water. "A trial?"
"Yes."
"No." Roslin shook her head. "She would reveal the Cylon pregnancy in her defense. That's the very thing we've been trying to avoid. Everything in the Fleet would go insane if the news went public."
Adama wasn't surprised by the response, but he couldn't quite hide his disappointment. "What do you suggest?"
"I don't suggest anything, Bill. My order is simple. She's a Cylon sympathizer who undermined the security of the Colonies. And she represents an unacceptable security risk." Roslin sipped at the water again. "Throw her out of the nearest airlock."
"We could make it a closed trial," Adama suggested.
"And risk her defense leaking it anyway?" Roslin shook her head. "No, it has to be done this way." She looked at the expression on his face and narrowed her eyes. "I can see you're not in agreement."
"I think your illness may be interfering with your judgement, Madame President."
Her look turned frosty. "Well, Admiral, that isn't your call to make."
"If we did that, then we give up any hope of getting help from these people," Adama pointed out.
"If their help means being subjugated, then what good is it?" Roslin's breath grew raspy. "Have faith, Bill. I was right last time, remember? We don't need them. The Gods have been on our side so far."
Adama sighed. "I think you should sleep on this."
"I don't think it's necessary. The choice is clear." Roslin frowned. "We can't let news about that Cylon baby get out. Commander Meridina knew what she was getting into when she offered to surrender." Seeing he didn't look convinced. "The last time you fought me on something, Bill, it split the Fleet. Please don't do that again."
"Those were different circumstances," Adama replied. "The Alliance can change everything for us. I think you're being paranoid."
"Yet you followed my orders to stand up to them."
Adama's voice became a low growl. "And we nearly got destroyed because of it. You're asking me to sacrifice the security of the Fleet over your fear. I'm not going to spit on the hand Captain Dale's offering."
Roslin looked ready to continue to argue. But she halted. Her strength was clearly drained. "I suppose it doesn't matter," she said. "I'm going to die soon anyway. And you'll be following Baltar." She turned away in the bed. "I wash my hands of this, then. Just leave me to die."
"They might still be able to save you," Adama pointed out.
"I've made my peace with my death, Bill. And right now I'm just so tired I don't care anymore."
With nothing more to be said, Adama left the infirmary.
Even though he was officially the Vice President of the Colonies, Gaius Baltar still preferred to work out of his lab most times. Especially now, as he was going over his notes on the Cylon's baby and reviewing the samples he'd taken from the fetus.
"Distracted, Gaius?"
"Well, now I am," he mumbled. The Cylon in his head was hovering over his shoulder. "I'm still analyzing the child's cellular makeup. I'm trying to find something I can bring to Roslin. Something to get her to agree to the baby living. Then maybe the Cylon will be returned and I can..."
"Don't worry about the child," Six cooed. "She is safe where she is, right now. The important thing is how to deal with the Gersallian woman."
"Knowing Roslin..." Baltar stopped when he heard the door open. He looked up and saw Adama enter. "Ah, Admiral. I see we haven't been blown to pieces by our new friends yet. I take it the negotiations have gone well?"
"That's why I've come to you, Vice President." Adama clearly didn't like that either, not that Baltar quite cared. "President Roslin... is no longer capable of making reasonable decisions."
"Oh?" Baltar frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Captain Dale and his security chief replaced the two officers we had," Adama explained. "Commander Meridina has surrendered to our courts. Captain Dale is staying with us as a hostage to her behavior. They made the agreement on the belief that she would get a trial. President Roslin, in her condition, has ordered Commander Meridina's immediate execution."
"For once, I agree with Roslin," Head-Six said to Baltar.
Baltar ignored her. "What? She... but if we did that, then..."
"...then we would alienate our best hope of survival, yes," Adama said. "Doctor, I would like to request that you go to the Quorum on the matter."
"Well, yes," Baltar said. "The President's suffering has ruined her mind, that much is clear." He nodded briskly and tried not to sweat. "I will call the Quorum immediately."
"When you do, I would like to ask that the Quorum take up the issue of Commander Meridina."
"In what way?"
"To negotiate her release in return for other concessions," Adama replied.
Baltar blinked. Behind him, he heard a hiss from the Cylon in his head. "You want to let her go?"
"I can't keep her a prisoner and Captain Dale a hostage for the time period of a full trial. And a trial would mean public exposure of the Cylon baby and provide the peace movement openings for sabotage."
"You can't let him, Gaius," Head-Six insisted. "She could tell them that you warned her about the child. She is a threat to you! She has to die!"
"Well, Admiral, I shall ask the Quorum about it, but surely a closed trial is a suitable alternative," Baltar remarked.
Adama looked at him intently for several sconds. "I'm not sure that's a good idea, Doctor," he answered in a low tone.
"It might be the best, though. People will talk if we let her go." Baltar fought to keep himself from flinching. "Perhaps a private trial by the Quorum? Just to determine if we can safely release her."
"I'll leave that to you." Adama turned toward the door. "Let me know as soon as you have an answer."
After Adama stepped out, Baltar looked back to the Cylon in his head. "You're awfully vicious today."
"I'm pointing out the obvious."
"Are you?", he asked skeptically. "If i didn't know better... I would think there was something more about this Meridina woman and her kind that has you on edge."
"Gaius, trust me. She is a threat to you." Head-Six drew close to him. "Do what you need to, but you need to make sure she dies."
There was something in the intensity in the being's eyes that worried Baltar. Actually it scared him. But he wasn't going to cause a fight he couldn't win either, not even for his own little Head-Cylon.
So he put his thoughts to the side and went to his lab phone. "Communications, patch me through to Cloud Nine," he said upon the comm specialist answering. "I need the Quorum on the Galactica immediately. It's about the President."
Robert found that the VIP quarters were smaller than the ones aboard Aurora. He quickly set up his belongings and took out the laptop-sized portable system that would let him communciate visually with the Aurora.
First the bridge popped up. Locarno was in the command chair. "Captain, is everything alright?"
"Yes." Robert shifted in his chair. "Where is Commander Andreys?"
"In the medbay. Doctor Gillam just brought Barnes out of surgery. He's going to be fine."
Robert sighed with relief. "Oh thank God." Tom's fine. "Can you patch me down there?"
"Transferring you now."
The screen blipped and changed to show the medbay from one of the interior walls. Leo and Julia were standing around a bed. Tom Barnes was asleep in it. "How is he?", Robert asked.
Julia and Leo turned. "He's going to be fine," Leo answered. "Nothing vital was hit and Cottle got to him in time to stop the bleeding."
"That's good to know."
"What's happened over there?," Julia asked.
"I'm under house arrest. Meridina is chained to the floor of a cube with a platoon of Marines ready to shoot her. All things considered..." Robert sighed with resignation. "This is about the best outcome we could have hoped for. How are Lucy and Cat?"
The look on their faces told Robert he'd just asked a question they didn't want to answer. Leo reached over to the controls off-screen and tapped them. The image shifted to a different bed in the medbay. Angel was still in uniform, sitting beside her younger sister and comforting her.
Robert looked at Caterina's face and couldn't stop the gasp from coming out. "My God... Cat? Cat, are you...."
"She's not okay," Angel hissed, embracing her trembling little sister. "She looked worse when we got her back." Angel's eyes burned with a rage Robert rarely saw from her and knew to be nasty. "This is what those bastards did to her, Robert. They beat my little sister! For nothing! For the sheer joy of it! And you still want to work with them...!"
Robert found his own anger was starting to rise. "I'll handle it Angel."
"It's not going to be enough, they'll..."
"I said I'll handle it!," Robert shouted in irritation, causing her to go quiet, still visibly fuming. "I'll talk to Adama and..."
He heard footsteps and turned to see Adama was standing at the threshold of the VIP quarters. "Yes, Captain?", he asked.
Robert knew he had an angry look on his face. He didn't care. He pulled to the side and allowed the image to show Caterina. She looked away from the camera, but the bruising and wounds on her face were still visible. Angel looked into the camera with a glare that by all rights should have killed. Robert pointed a finger accusingly at the screen. "It's not enough you took my people into custody when they were trying to help you instead of pursuing a more diplomatic action. Or that one of your Marines got trigger happy and shot my officer, my friend. Your people are so out of Goddamned control that they did this to one of my people! Not just anyone, but Cat, and she..." Robert lost his words at that point. The idea that someone would want to savagely beat Cat of all people. Sweet, inoffensive, geeky Cat?
Just what the hell is wrong with these people?!
Adama looked at the screen pointedly for a moment. Robert reached over and cut the transmission. "I'll have it investigated," Adama answered.
Robert shouted, "That's not good enough!"
Adama met his expression coldly. "It's the best you're getting. This is for the Fleet to deal with."
"You people..." Robert sank into a seat. "My God, Cat. She must have been terrified." He looked up at Adama. Had he been calmer, he might have recognized that the old man's look wasn't stern defiance, but constrained shame. But all he could think of was Caterina being beaten. "We just wanted to help. That's all we want. To help. And you... look at you, seriously, look at how you are! Ordering the abortion of a baby because you find her existence inconvenient, hurting the people who came over to give you the means to protect yourselves! All for what?!"
"What about your side?", Adama asked. "Your security chief bluntly violated all of the trust we showed you. She didn't try to appeal the decision. She didn't come to us and offer to take the child. She took our prisoner by force."
"Oh, you really think Roslin would have handed Sharon's baby over if we asked nicely?", Robert guffawed. "Don't even try that. We both know she wouldn't have cared."
"That doesn't justify betraying our trust," Adama retorted. "Because that's what this comes down to. Commander Meridina violated the trust I extended to her."
Robert was still fuming, but said nothing more while he struggled to regain control of his anger.
It was clear the two had nothing else to discuss. "I'll come back when you've cooled off." Adama turned and walked out.
Zack was the last one to arrive to the staff meeting Julia called. He took up her usual seat while she took Rob's. The absence of Cat, Angel, Meridina, and Barnes gave the air further tension; Lucy was sitting in for Barnes.
"We did too good a job," she said. "I mean, the shield systems aren't fully up to spec, but they're pretty secure from transporter exploits."
"I know there are ways to beam through shields," Julia said.
"Aye." Scotty nodded. "But it isnae easy. Ye could kill th' people ye're beamin' out if ye cannae match the shield harmonics completely."
"Can't we?"
Scotty looked to Jarod. "Mister Jarod, maybe."
"Maybe six out of ten," Jarod admitted. "But the shield harmonics can be unpredictable. I honestly don't recommend it."
"Are we even sure about trying?", Locarno asked. "Even if we succeed it'll completely destroy our relations with these people."
"I know." Julia nodded at him. "I'm not saying we will, but I'd like the option if we had to do it."
Zack nodded at her. "We can't leave Rob and Meridina, though," he said. "We need to talk to them and get this smoothed out."
"They've made it pretty clear they don't want to talk about it," Jarod said. "Nothing we offer can change that."
"There's got to be something." Zack looked to Lucy. "You've been learning that life force stuff from Meridina, right? Maybe you and I could go over there and find out what might change their minds?"
Lucy blinked and clenched her fists. "I..." She looked away. "I'd rather not."
"Then I'll go alone," Zack said.
"No," Julia said. When he looked at her with clear frustration, she returned it with a disciplined look. "I know you want to get Rob and Meridina out of there, Zack. But I can't risk any problems with the Colonials right now. You can make calls, but that's it."
"I think this is a mistake," Zack said. "The risk is worth it."
"That decision is mine to make. And I'm in command. So no."
"Oh, that's an original argument," Zack said, rolling his eyes. "'I'm the boss, so I win'."
Julia's eyes shot daggers at him and Zack quieted over it. "So for now, just work on finding a safe way to beam through the shields we gave them," she said. "For now, we're not breaking the agreement."
She was answered by nods. A sullen one in Zack's case.
"Well, you're all dismissed. Except for Commander Carrey."
Zack stopped rising from his chair and let the others leave first. "I know that things between us have gotten complicated," Julia began, "and that you're probably not thinking things through. But remember that until you get the okay to leave this command, you still have to accept orders, and that includes mine. And while I shouldn't have to say this, your behavior is showing I do, and I don't like that, Zack. I don't like it one bit."
He remained quiet for a few seconds before finally speaking. "Maybe that's become our problem," Zack finally said. "We're trying to balance being friends and being officers, giving each other commands when we used to give suggestions." He looked over at her. "You really like this too, don't you?"
"What do you mean?", she asked.
"This 'Group Mom' thing you've got going on. No, not just that. You like being in command. Even back during our days in the Facility, you were always taking charge of projects and missions."
Julia nodded at that. "Yeah, I suppose I do. It's a lot of responsibility."
"And you've always liked that." Zack sighed. "Dammit, Julie, I don't want to be the troublemaker. But you're asking me to sit here while Rob's in danger."
"I'm asking you to trust his judgment. And mine."
"Really?" Zack looked to her. "I just wonder if this is Rob trying to make up for the screwed up mission with that Darglan base. Putting himself at risk like that..."
Julia sighed. "Yeah, well, you know Rob. Always putting himself at risk when he can get away with it."
"Yeah." Zack tapped a finger on the table. "Listen. I know that those people like me. And my crew. We saved one of their ships. If they know it's me, I don't see how I'd be in danger. Especially if I'm not on Galactica and they can't think I'm trying a scheme to get Rob and Meridina out. I really think you should let me make contact with someone. Captain Adama seemed pretty reasonable."
"Not right now," Julia answered. "Give it a day to see if things finish settling down. Then ask again."
"Fine. A day."
Julia nodded. "You're dismissed."
"Aye Commander," he said, a little flippantly, before walking out of the conference room.
"A private trial?" Tom Zarek looked at the others in the Quorum. "Are you serious?"
"Absolutely," Baltar said. He sat at the head of the table in the Galactica wardroom, the flag of the Colonies behind him. The twelve members of the Quorum were seated to either side of the table. Zarek, representative of Sagittaron, was two seats down from Baltar's right. "There are sensitive matters at stake."
"You mean Adama and Roslin are trying to save face for nearly getting into a shooting war with people who came to help us," Zarek retorted. "If the trial is public then they have to admit what's going on."
"What is going on?", Miksa Burian of Aquarion asked. "What did this Alliance officer do?"
Baltar took a drink. He knew it likely that word of what Roslin had ordered would leak if it the entire Quorum heard it. It was bad enough she was dying and would leave him in charge. If they removed her early, that would put him in the hot seat even faster. And if they tried and failed, it would put him on Adama's bad side, which he preferred to avoid.
On the other hand, they would find out eventually, and turning the Quorum against him seemed even less reasonable. "She took the Cylon prisoner from our cell and spirited her to their ship using their transporter technology." Baltar took another drink as the assembled all stared in bewilderment. "The Cylon is... pregnant."
"What", the Piconese representative blurted out. "You can't be serious!"
"I am. I've examined the fetus extensively."
"Who's the father?", Zarek asked.
"A Colonial Raptor pilot, Helo Agathon. He was taken over to the Aurora as well." Baltar held up a flimsy. "They've filed for political asylum in the Alliance."
"Why?" This was Burian again. "Why would they help the Cylon?"
"By the Gods, I knew it," Sara Porter of Gemenon muttered. "They're siding with the Cylons. They're against our faith and they're siding with the Cylons."
"That's premature," Baltar answered. "In fact, the reason has to do with the Cylon's baby. President Roslin's order is that the pregnancy is to be terminated as a potential threat to the Fleet."
That bombshell silenced the room. Zarek blinked. "She what?"
"She's right," the Tauron delegate said. "It's... it's some kind of abomination, that thing should be terminated."
"This is why the alien officer took the Cylon?", Burian asked. "To save the child?"
"Yes." Baltar nodded. "At least, by her admissions."
"I'm with Roslin, throw the alien out of the airlock."
"That would be inadvisable," Baltar remarked bluntly. "A legal trial would give any sentence we impose the force of law and they would have to respect that. If we summarily execute their officer, the Alliance may very well leave us and never re-open relations. You could even push them into relations with the Cylons." Baltar put a finger on the table. "This is the single greatest opportunity the Fleet has ever had. We have to do this right. If Commander Meridina is to be executed, it should be from the finding of a trial. A private trial by the Quorum."
"Why don't we negotiate for concessions?", Zarek asked. "The technology these people have could revolutionize life for the people of the Fleet. They could help us find a new world to settle. Their replicator technology would give us food and medicine that we need." He looked at the others. "I say forget a trial. We negotiate with Captain Dale or his superiors for compensation."
"And we just let that Cylon get away?", the Tauron delegate demanded. "What will that say to our people then?"
"That we're putting the future ahead of everything else," Zarek countered. "We have a chance to change Colonial society for the better. It doesn't matter how many gods the Alliance worships, if they're willing to help us, we need to accept it."
"I'm with Zarek," Burian said. "I call for a vote on Vice President Baltar's private hearing suggestion. We will interview all of the key witnesses and Commander Meridina herself. We can use a possible decision to prosecute to extract concessions."
"No!", the Tauron shouted. "We can't be that weak!"
"We're already weak," Zarek countered. "And I'm tired of it. Better to make a deal now while we have an advantage. I second Delegate Burian's motion."
Baltar dutifully counted up the votes as they came. The motion was brought forward and passed by eight votes to four. The meetings and trial would be held on Galactica.
Now he just had to decide whether to listen to the Cylon in his head and ensure Meridina died.
Roslin spent most of the day in and out of sleep. She could feel the end was coming on.
A part of her welcomed it.
It had just gone so insane. These other humans, their talking about multiverses, about Earth being the home of Humanity and not Kobol, it was so much. Just too much.
This, the Cylon having a baby, it was like the entire universe was conspiring to drive her mad even as it killed her. Roslin felt adrift and she had grabbed onto whatever constant she could to stay stable. The need to protect the Fleet, to keep it from falling apart, just as it would if the Cylon having a baby was made public, or if they bowed to the Aurora's crew and their imperious behavior.
Roslin looked around in the infirmary, groggy-eyed, her mind struggling to focus. What could she do to end this madness? She hated the thought of leaving her people such a mess.
"Madame President?" One of Cottle's nurses walked over to her. "Ma'am, are you okay?"
A small and wistful smile crossed her face. "I wish I could say I was. Where is Billy?"
The nurse looked out of her vision. There was the sound of her aide being roused and after a minute or so he stepped into Roslin's view. "Ma'am?", he asked.
"Can you deliver a message for me?"
"Yes, of course."
"I want to see Captain Dale. As soon as possible." She licked at her dry lips. "While I still have time."
The dreams came again.
For Robert, they were familiar imagery, still chilling and terrifying. Third Reich starships burning planets. Fassbinder killing Beth. The girl in the red and gold clothing leveling everything around her, begging for his help. He could feel the burns on his body as an armored, red-haired figure urged him toward a distant red light, spewing forth destruction. A dark robed figure looked at him from a throne raised high. He turned and saw a young girl, maybe eight years old with disheveled red hair, huddling beside him in fear. Dark energy came from the robed man's upraised hand.
He expected pain. Instead he was in a room on Galactica. He recognized Adama, Tigh, and what looked like the Colonial Quorum at a table. Meridina was sitting beside him. A shot rang out and blood erupted from Meridina's temple. She tumbled over dead into his arms. "Meridina!", he cried out. He looked up in time to see someone holding a gun to his head. He could just make out blond hair framed around the face.
The gun went off.
Robert sat upright. A brief cry had been coming from him when he awoke, terminating as he regained control with wakefulness. His arm reached out for Angel before he remembered she wasn't there. He was alone.
He reached over for his time piece. It was still morning on both ships. He had gotten maybe four hours of sleep. Robert rubbed at his eyelids and cursed the starkness of the dream. It seemed so much more. And he knew he wouldn't be going back to sleep any time soon.
Lucy woke up screaming.
The images still stuck in her head. Meridina and Robert dead. Guns going off. She'd been helpless to stop it, like she was seeing it as a ghost and not a person. She touched her arms as if to reassure herself that she was flesh and blood.
As she did so, she realized that it wasn't just a dream. It didn't feel like it was one. Her senses, the new ones, were still tense and excited. Meridina had told her that sensing the possible future was one possible outcome of her growing attunement to her swevyra. Or it could have been her experiencing the thoughts or dreams of someone else.
Her first thought was to seek out Meridina and ask about it. Her mind quickly reminded her that Meridina was currently a prisoner over on Galactica. She would get no answers from Meridina.
....couldn't she? Lucy thought about it for a moment. Could Meridina feel her mind? Could they communicate? She breathed in. She could try, couldn't she?
You cannot try. You must do. Lucy smiled a little at the thought of Meridina's rebuke to those thoughts. She curled her legs up and set her hands on them in what felt like a natural meditation pose. She focused herself, her essence, and reached out, seeking another. Meridina? Meridina! Are you out here? I want to talk! Please?
Nothing.
She bit into her lip and concentrated. She would make a connection, she would do something about this, she had to. She....
Images came to her head. Not of Meridina and Robert dying, but of an open field, grass and trees. A sky? It was interspersed with a big starship with a wide dome. Other images came. There was a blond woman, other figures... another woman, a bit older looking. Something familiar about her, very familiar. A gun was changing hands. "This will be our chance," someone said
Lucy opened her eyes. She knew that hadn't been a dream. It was something more.
Trust your feelings. Meridina's words came to her mind. Your swevyra will show you the way through your feelings. Trust in them.
Which meant she had to find the ship.
As an assistant department head Lucy didn't have quarters near the hull, so she had no window to look out into the fleet. But she knew she had seen that ship before. She went to her personal monitor and accessed the Rio Grande's sensor logs with her personal clearance. Ship after ship from the Colonial fleet popped up. She isolated them by size and....
"Bingo," she murmured to herself. "And I cannot believe I just said that out loud."
The domed vessel was on the screen, along with its name: Cloud 9.
"We'll provide her the means," Adama answered. "But she's not leaving this cell until her trial."
"So even with me as a hostage, you still don't trust her to not try and escape?"
"I think it's better to prevent temptation."
Robert looked at him. There was something in his voice that made him think Adama wasn't just talking about Meridina being tempted. "I suppose. So, this trial... how will it go?"
"On Galactica. Lee is looking for a defense lawyer for her now."
"Lieutenant Borja can assist."
"You can discuss that with the attorney."
Robert nodded. "Can I speak with her very quickly?"
"Yes. But not inside the cell."
Robert nodded. He got the feeling that Adama wasn't being paranoid about them so much as making sure others couldn't be. He stepped up to the cell door. Meridina had assumed a sitting position and closed her eyes. "Are you uncomfortable?", he asked.
"I am fine," Meridina answered. "This is quite satisfactory given my current situation. Thank you, Admiral Adama, for your courtesy."
Robert didn't look back to see Adama nod silently. "Listen, we'll find a way out of this. I'll smooth things over with Roslin and give her compensation, something to get her to stop this."
"If you think you can." Meridina took in a breath. "Whatever happens, I am at peace with it. My swevyra is settled."
There was nothing more Robert could say at that point. He stepped away and walked back to Adama. "I'm ready to go to my quarters."
"This way," Adama said, gesturing toward the door.
"After we drop my things off, I want to see Roslin."
"The President is resting right now. I'll have Cottle inform you when she's able to talk."
"There has to be a way to smooth this over without this mess about a trial," Robert insisted. "We can make other concessions."
"It's not for me to decide, Captain." Adama shook his head. "You'd have to talk to Roslin or the Quorum about that."
Again, Robert got the feeling Adama was trying to tell him something. He filed that reference away for later and said nothing more as they walked on in the company of the Marines.
Angel was already fuming when she got to the medbay. Her mind was full of anger toward everything. Toward Robert for his damned "I'm responsible for everything" martyr complex. Toward Julia for that damned speech about the military or chain of command or what have you. Toward Meridina for causing this mess and the Colonials for being obstinate jackasses and...
She entered the medbay through the starboard entrance. The nurses looked at her and she saw one pale a little. Fear suddenly surged in to match her anger. Had something happened to Cat? Had those pagan bastards done something to her little...?!
"Angel, over here."
She looked to where Leo was standing at the entrance to the operating room in operating scrubs. "You're just in time," he said. "I was about to go in. Tom was shot."
Angel snarled. "Where is Cat? Did they hurt..."
Leo pointed to the next section. Angel tromped in. She started to hear a familiar sound. Caterina was sobbing.
She turned her head to the source of it and saw Cat sitting up in a bed, now wearing a blue medical gown. A nurse was standing beside her with a dermal regenerator applied to her face.
Her black and blue face, with blood seeping from her mouth, her split lip, and her nose. Her eyes were nearly swollen shut.
For the moment sheer worry overwhelmed the fury Angel felt. She ran over and gently hugged her crying sister. "I'm here Cat. It's okay, I'm here."
"Th-they k-kept hitting m-me," Cat sobbed. "They k-kick-ed me a-around. I... I-I d-don't kn-know why...."
Tears were coming down Angel's cheeks. "They can't hurt you anymore. They can't. It's okay." She tightened the embrace a little, letting Cat bury her face into Angel's shoulder.
"W-why? I-I was he-helping th-them..."
As Cat continued to sob, Angel put a hand into her dark hair and held her sister close. "They'll never touch you again," she hissed. Rage began to build inside of her. Pure, fiery rage. "Never again. I'll never let them." I'll kill them, I'll kill every last one that tries to hurt you!
Cat's only reply was to cry some more.
Adama was brief in checking on the defenses of the Fleet following the stand-down on both sides. He was due in the infirmary. When he arrived he found Roslin was awake again, looking as miserable as before. "Bill." Her voice was weak and strained. "What happened?"
Adama found a seat before speaking. "We made a mistake and it almost cost us."
"What do you mean? Did you get the Cylon back?"
"He wouldn't back down," Adama said. "I thought maybe he would. He was young, I thought I could get him to doubt what he was doing. But he wouldn't back down."
Roslin nodded gravely. "So we still have their officers?"
"We have two. The engineer on Pegasus sabotaged their shields, she and the other officer over there were transported out by their matter transporters."
Roslin showed no reaction to that. "What about here?"
"I exchanged them," Adama answered. "Commander Meridina offered herself as a prisoner in their stead and agreed to stand trial for taking the Cylon. Captain Dale is here as a hostage to her cooperation."
Roslin licked at her dry lips, prompting Adama to give her a cup of water. "A trial?"
"Yes."
"No." Roslin shook her head. "She would reveal the Cylon pregnancy in her defense. That's the very thing we've been trying to avoid. Everything in the Fleet would go insane if the news went public."
Adama wasn't surprised by the response, but he couldn't quite hide his disappointment. "What do you suggest?"
"I don't suggest anything, Bill. My order is simple. She's a Cylon sympathizer who undermined the security of the Colonies. And she represents an unacceptable security risk." Roslin sipped at the water again. "Throw her out of the nearest airlock."
"We could make it a closed trial," Adama suggested.
"And risk her defense leaking it anyway?" Roslin shook her head. "No, it has to be done this way." She looked at the expression on his face and narrowed her eyes. "I can see you're not in agreement."
"I think your illness may be interfering with your judgement, Madame President."
Her look turned frosty. "Well, Admiral, that isn't your call to make."
"If we did that, then we give up any hope of getting help from these people," Adama pointed out.
"If their help means being subjugated, then what good is it?" Roslin's breath grew raspy. "Have faith, Bill. I was right last time, remember? We don't need them. The Gods have been on our side so far."
Adama sighed. "I think you should sleep on this."
"I don't think it's necessary. The choice is clear." Roslin frowned. "We can't let news about that Cylon baby get out. Commander Meridina knew what she was getting into when she offered to surrender." Seeing he didn't look convinced. "The last time you fought me on something, Bill, it split the Fleet. Please don't do that again."
"Those were different circumstances," Adama replied. "The Alliance can change everything for us. I think you're being paranoid."
"Yet you followed my orders to stand up to them."
Adama's voice became a low growl. "And we nearly got destroyed because of it. You're asking me to sacrifice the security of the Fleet over your fear. I'm not going to spit on the hand Captain Dale's offering."
Roslin looked ready to continue to argue. But she halted. Her strength was clearly drained. "I suppose it doesn't matter," she said. "I'm going to die soon anyway. And you'll be following Baltar." She turned away in the bed. "I wash my hands of this, then. Just leave me to die."
"They might still be able to save you," Adama pointed out.
"I've made my peace with my death, Bill. And right now I'm just so tired I don't care anymore."
With nothing more to be said, Adama left the infirmary.
Even though he was officially the Vice President of the Colonies, Gaius Baltar still preferred to work out of his lab most times. Especially now, as he was going over his notes on the Cylon's baby and reviewing the samples he'd taken from the fetus.
"Distracted, Gaius?"
"Well, now I am," he mumbled. The Cylon in his head was hovering over his shoulder. "I'm still analyzing the child's cellular makeup. I'm trying to find something I can bring to Roslin. Something to get her to agree to the baby living. Then maybe the Cylon will be returned and I can..."
"Don't worry about the child," Six cooed. "She is safe where she is, right now. The important thing is how to deal with the Gersallian woman."
"Knowing Roslin..." Baltar stopped when he heard the door open. He looked up and saw Adama enter. "Ah, Admiral. I see we haven't been blown to pieces by our new friends yet. I take it the negotiations have gone well?"
"That's why I've come to you, Vice President." Adama clearly didn't like that either, not that Baltar quite cared. "President Roslin... is no longer capable of making reasonable decisions."
"Oh?" Baltar frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Captain Dale and his security chief replaced the two officers we had," Adama explained. "Commander Meridina has surrendered to our courts. Captain Dale is staying with us as a hostage to her behavior. They made the agreement on the belief that she would get a trial. President Roslin, in her condition, has ordered Commander Meridina's immediate execution."
"For once, I agree with Roslin," Head-Six said to Baltar.
Baltar ignored her. "What? She... but if we did that, then..."
"...then we would alienate our best hope of survival, yes," Adama said. "Doctor, I would like to request that you go to the Quorum on the matter."
"Well, yes," Baltar said. "The President's suffering has ruined her mind, that much is clear." He nodded briskly and tried not to sweat. "I will call the Quorum immediately."
"When you do, I would like to ask that the Quorum take up the issue of Commander Meridina."
"In what way?"
"To negotiate her release in return for other concessions," Adama replied.
Baltar blinked. Behind him, he heard a hiss from the Cylon in his head. "You want to let her go?"
"I can't keep her a prisoner and Captain Dale a hostage for the time period of a full trial. And a trial would mean public exposure of the Cylon baby and provide the peace movement openings for sabotage."
"You can't let him, Gaius," Head-Six insisted. "She could tell them that you warned her about the child. She is a threat to you! She has to die!"
"Well, Admiral, I shall ask the Quorum about it, but surely a closed trial is a suitable alternative," Baltar remarked.
Adama looked at him intently for several sconds. "I'm not sure that's a good idea, Doctor," he answered in a low tone.
"It might be the best, though. People will talk if we let her go." Baltar fought to keep himself from flinching. "Perhaps a private trial by the Quorum? Just to determine if we can safely release her."
"I'll leave that to you." Adama turned toward the door. "Let me know as soon as you have an answer."
After Adama stepped out, Baltar looked back to the Cylon in his head. "You're awfully vicious today."
"I'm pointing out the obvious."
"Are you?", he asked skeptically. "If i didn't know better... I would think there was something more about this Meridina woman and her kind that has you on edge."
"Gaius, trust me. She is a threat to you." Head-Six drew close to him. "Do what you need to, but you need to make sure she dies."
There was something in the intensity in the being's eyes that worried Baltar. Actually it scared him. But he wasn't going to cause a fight he couldn't win either, not even for his own little Head-Cylon.
So he put his thoughts to the side and went to his lab phone. "Communications, patch me through to Cloud Nine," he said upon the comm specialist answering. "I need the Quorum on the Galactica immediately. It's about the President."
Robert found that the VIP quarters were smaller than the ones aboard Aurora. He quickly set up his belongings and took out the laptop-sized portable system that would let him communciate visually with the Aurora.
First the bridge popped up. Locarno was in the command chair. "Captain, is everything alright?"
"Yes." Robert shifted in his chair. "Where is Commander Andreys?"
"In the medbay. Doctor Gillam just brought Barnes out of surgery. He's going to be fine."
Robert sighed with relief. "Oh thank God." Tom's fine. "Can you patch me down there?"
"Transferring you now."
The screen blipped and changed to show the medbay from one of the interior walls. Leo and Julia were standing around a bed. Tom Barnes was asleep in it. "How is he?", Robert asked.
Julia and Leo turned. "He's going to be fine," Leo answered. "Nothing vital was hit and Cottle got to him in time to stop the bleeding."
"That's good to know."
"What's happened over there?," Julia asked.
"I'm under house arrest. Meridina is chained to the floor of a cube with a platoon of Marines ready to shoot her. All things considered..." Robert sighed with resignation. "This is about the best outcome we could have hoped for. How are Lucy and Cat?"
The look on their faces told Robert he'd just asked a question they didn't want to answer. Leo reached over to the controls off-screen and tapped them. The image shifted to a different bed in the medbay. Angel was still in uniform, sitting beside her younger sister and comforting her.
Robert looked at Caterina's face and couldn't stop the gasp from coming out. "My God... Cat? Cat, are you...."
"She's not okay," Angel hissed, embracing her trembling little sister. "She looked worse when we got her back." Angel's eyes burned with a rage Robert rarely saw from her and knew to be nasty. "This is what those bastards did to her, Robert. They beat my little sister! For nothing! For the sheer joy of it! And you still want to work with them...!"
Robert found his own anger was starting to rise. "I'll handle it Angel."
"It's not going to be enough, they'll..."
"I said I'll handle it!," Robert shouted in irritation, causing her to go quiet, still visibly fuming. "I'll talk to Adama and..."
He heard footsteps and turned to see Adama was standing at the threshold of the VIP quarters. "Yes, Captain?", he asked.
Robert knew he had an angry look on his face. He didn't care. He pulled to the side and allowed the image to show Caterina. She looked away from the camera, but the bruising and wounds on her face were still visible. Angel looked into the camera with a glare that by all rights should have killed. Robert pointed a finger accusingly at the screen. "It's not enough you took my people into custody when they were trying to help you instead of pursuing a more diplomatic action. Or that one of your Marines got trigger happy and shot my officer, my friend. Your people are so out of Goddamned control that they did this to one of my people! Not just anyone, but Cat, and she..." Robert lost his words at that point. The idea that someone would want to savagely beat Cat of all people. Sweet, inoffensive, geeky Cat?
Just what the hell is wrong with these people?!
Adama looked at the screen pointedly for a moment. Robert reached over and cut the transmission. "I'll have it investigated," Adama answered.
Robert shouted, "That's not good enough!"
Adama met his expression coldly. "It's the best you're getting. This is for the Fleet to deal with."
"You people..." Robert sank into a seat. "My God, Cat. She must have been terrified." He looked up at Adama. Had he been calmer, he might have recognized that the old man's look wasn't stern defiance, but constrained shame. But all he could think of was Caterina being beaten. "We just wanted to help. That's all we want. To help. And you... look at you, seriously, look at how you are! Ordering the abortion of a baby because you find her existence inconvenient, hurting the people who came over to give you the means to protect yourselves! All for what?!"
"What about your side?", Adama asked. "Your security chief bluntly violated all of the trust we showed you. She didn't try to appeal the decision. She didn't come to us and offer to take the child. She took our prisoner by force."
"Oh, you really think Roslin would have handed Sharon's baby over if we asked nicely?", Robert guffawed. "Don't even try that. We both know she wouldn't have cared."
"That doesn't justify betraying our trust," Adama retorted. "Because that's what this comes down to. Commander Meridina violated the trust I extended to her."
Robert was still fuming, but said nothing more while he struggled to regain control of his anger.
It was clear the two had nothing else to discuss. "I'll come back when you've cooled off." Adama turned and walked out.
Zack was the last one to arrive to the staff meeting Julia called. He took up her usual seat while she took Rob's. The absence of Cat, Angel, Meridina, and Barnes gave the air further tension; Lucy was sitting in for Barnes.
"We did too good a job," she said. "I mean, the shield systems aren't fully up to spec, but they're pretty secure from transporter exploits."
"I know there are ways to beam through shields," Julia said.
"Aye." Scotty nodded. "But it isnae easy. Ye could kill th' people ye're beamin' out if ye cannae match the shield harmonics completely."
"Can't we?"
Scotty looked to Jarod. "Mister Jarod, maybe."
"Maybe six out of ten," Jarod admitted. "But the shield harmonics can be unpredictable. I honestly don't recommend it."
"Are we even sure about trying?", Locarno asked. "Even if we succeed it'll completely destroy our relations with these people."
"I know." Julia nodded at him. "I'm not saying we will, but I'd like the option if we had to do it."
Zack nodded at her. "We can't leave Rob and Meridina, though," he said. "We need to talk to them and get this smoothed out."
"They've made it pretty clear they don't want to talk about it," Jarod said. "Nothing we offer can change that."
"There's got to be something." Zack looked to Lucy. "You've been learning that life force stuff from Meridina, right? Maybe you and I could go over there and find out what might change their minds?"
Lucy blinked and clenched her fists. "I..." She looked away. "I'd rather not."
"Then I'll go alone," Zack said.
"No," Julia said. When he looked at her with clear frustration, she returned it with a disciplined look. "I know you want to get Rob and Meridina out of there, Zack. But I can't risk any problems with the Colonials right now. You can make calls, but that's it."
"I think this is a mistake," Zack said. "The risk is worth it."
"That decision is mine to make. And I'm in command. So no."
"Oh, that's an original argument," Zack said, rolling his eyes. "'I'm the boss, so I win'."
Julia's eyes shot daggers at him and Zack quieted over it. "So for now, just work on finding a safe way to beam through the shields we gave them," she said. "For now, we're not breaking the agreement."
She was answered by nods. A sullen one in Zack's case.
"Well, you're all dismissed. Except for Commander Carrey."
Zack stopped rising from his chair and let the others leave first. "I know that things between us have gotten complicated," Julia began, "and that you're probably not thinking things through. But remember that until you get the okay to leave this command, you still have to accept orders, and that includes mine. And while I shouldn't have to say this, your behavior is showing I do, and I don't like that, Zack. I don't like it one bit."
He remained quiet for a few seconds before finally speaking. "Maybe that's become our problem," Zack finally said. "We're trying to balance being friends and being officers, giving each other commands when we used to give suggestions." He looked over at her. "You really like this too, don't you?"
"What do you mean?", she asked.
"This 'Group Mom' thing you've got going on. No, not just that. You like being in command. Even back during our days in the Facility, you were always taking charge of projects and missions."
Julia nodded at that. "Yeah, I suppose I do. It's a lot of responsibility."
"And you've always liked that." Zack sighed. "Dammit, Julie, I don't want to be the troublemaker. But you're asking me to sit here while Rob's in danger."
"I'm asking you to trust his judgment. And mine."
"Really?" Zack looked to her. "I just wonder if this is Rob trying to make up for the screwed up mission with that Darglan base. Putting himself at risk like that..."
Julia sighed. "Yeah, well, you know Rob. Always putting himself at risk when he can get away with it."
"Yeah." Zack tapped a finger on the table. "Listen. I know that those people like me. And my crew. We saved one of their ships. If they know it's me, I don't see how I'd be in danger. Especially if I'm not on Galactica and they can't think I'm trying a scheme to get Rob and Meridina out. I really think you should let me make contact with someone. Captain Adama seemed pretty reasonable."
"Not right now," Julia answered. "Give it a day to see if things finish settling down. Then ask again."
"Fine. A day."
Julia nodded. "You're dismissed."
"Aye Commander," he said, a little flippantly, before walking out of the conference room.
"A private trial?" Tom Zarek looked at the others in the Quorum. "Are you serious?"
"Absolutely," Baltar said. He sat at the head of the table in the Galactica wardroom, the flag of the Colonies behind him. The twelve members of the Quorum were seated to either side of the table. Zarek, representative of Sagittaron, was two seats down from Baltar's right. "There are sensitive matters at stake."
"You mean Adama and Roslin are trying to save face for nearly getting into a shooting war with people who came to help us," Zarek retorted. "If the trial is public then they have to admit what's going on."
"What is going on?", Miksa Burian of Aquarion asked. "What did this Alliance officer do?"
Baltar took a drink. He knew it likely that word of what Roslin had ordered would leak if it the entire Quorum heard it. It was bad enough she was dying and would leave him in charge. If they removed her early, that would put him in the hot seat even faster. And if they tried and failed, it would put him on Adama's bad side, which he preferred to avoid.
On the other hand, they would find out eventually, and turning the Quorum against him seemed even less reasonable. "She took the Cylon prisoner from our cell and spirited her to their ship using their transporter technology." Baltar took another drink as the assembled all stared in bewilderment. "The Cylon is... pregnant."
"What", the Piconese representative blurted out. "You can't be serious!"
"I am. I've examined the fetus extensively."
"Who's the father?", Zarek asked.
"A Colonial Raptor pilot, Helo Agathon. He was taken over to the Aurora as well." Baltar held up a flimsy. "They've filed for political asylum in the Alliance."
"Why?" This was Burian again. "Why would they help the Cylon?"
"By the Gods, I knew it," Sara Porter of Gemenon muttered. "They're siding with the Cylons. They're against our faith and they're siding with the Cylons."
"That's premature," Baltar answered. "In fact, the reason has to do with the Cylon's baby. President Roslin's order is that the pregnancy is to be terminated as a potential threat to the Fleet."
That bombshell silenced the room. Zarek blinked. "She what?"
"She's right," the Tauron delegate said. "It's... it's some kind of abomination, that thing should be terminated."
"This is why the alien officer took the Cylon?", Burian asked. "To save the child?"
"Yes." Baltar nodded. "At least, by her admissions."
"I'm with Roslin, throw the alien out of the airlock."
"That would be inadvisable," Baltar remarked bluntly. "A legal trial would give any sentence we impose the force of law and they would have to respect that. If we summarily execute their officer, the Alliance may very well leave us and never re-open relations. You could even push them into relations with the Cylons." Baltar put a finger on the table. "This is the single greatest opportunity the Fleet has ever had. We have to do this right. If Commander Meridina is to be executed, it should be from the finding of a trial. A private trial by the Quorum."
"Why don't we negotiate for concessions?", Zarek asked. "The technology these people have could revolutionize life for the people of the Fleet. They could help us find a new world to settle. Their replicator technology would give us food and medicine that we need." He looked at the others. "I say forget a trial. We negotiate with Captain Dale or his superiors for compensation."
"And we just let that Cylon get away?", the Tauron delegate demanded. "What will that say to our people then?"
"That we're putting the future ahead of everything else," Zarek countered. "We have a chance to change Colonial society for the better. It doesn't matter how many gods the Alliance worships, if they're willing to help us, we need to accept it."
"I'm with Zarek," Burian said. "I call for a vote on Vice President Baltar's private hearing suggestion. We will interview all of the key witnesses and Commander Meridina herself. We can use a possible decision to prosecute to extract concessions."
"No!", the Tauron shouted. "We can't be that weak!"
"We're already weak," Zarek countered. "And I'm tired of it. Better to make a deal now while we have an advantage. I second Delegate Burian's motion."
Baltar dutifully counted up the votes as they came. The motion was brought forward and passed by eight votes to four. The meetings and trial would be held on Galactica.
Now he just had to decide whether to listen to the Cylon in his head and ensure Meridina died.
Roslin spent most of the day in and out of sleep. She could feel the end was coming on.
A part of her welcomed it.
It had just gone so insane. These other humans, their talking about multiverses, about Earth being the home of Humanity and not Kobol, it was so much. Just too much.
This, the Cylon having a baby, it was like the entire universe was conspiring to drive her mad even as it killed her. Roslin felt adrift and she had grabbed onto whatever constant she could to stay stable. The need to protect the Fleet, to keep it from falling apart, just as it would if the Cylon having a baby was made public, or if they bowed to the Aurora's crew and their imperious behavior.
Roslin looked around in the infirmary, groggy-eyed, her mind struggling to focus. What could she do to end this madness? She hated the thought of leaving her people such a mess.
"Madame President?" One of Cottle's nurses walked over to her. "Ma'am, are you okay?"
A small and wistful smile crossed her face. "I wish I could say I was. Where is Billy?"
The nurse looked out of her vision. There was the sound of her aide being roused and after a minute or so he stepped into Roslin's view. "Ma'am?", he asked.
"Can you deliver a message for me?"
"Yes, of course."
"I want to see Captain Dale. As soon as possible." She licked at her dry lips. "While I still have time."
The dreams came again.
For Robert, they were familiar imagery, still chilling and terrifying. Third Reich starships burning planets. Fassbinder killing Beth. The girl in the red and gold clothing leveling everything around her, begging for his help. He could feel the burns on his body as an armored, red-haired figure urged him toward a distant red light, spewing forth destruction. A dark robed figure looked at him from a throne raised high. He turned and saw a young girl, maybe eight years old with disheveled red hair, huddling beside him in fear. Dark energy came from the robed man's upraised hand.
He expected pain. Instead he was in a room on Galactica. He recognized Adama, Tigh, and what looked like the Colonial Quorum at a table. Meridina was sitting beside him. A shot rang out and blood erupted from Meridina's temple. She tumbled over dead into his arms. "Meridina!", he cried out. He looked up in time to see someone holding a gun to his head. He could just make out blond hair framed around the face.
The gun went off.
Robert sat upright. A brief cry had been coming from him when he awoke, terminating as he regained control with wakefulness. His arm reached out for Angel before he remembered she wasn't there. He was alone.
He reached over for his time piece. It was still morning on both ships. He had gotten maybe four hours of sleep. Robert rubbed at his eyelids and cursed the starkness of the dream. It seemed so much more. And he knew he wouldn't be going back to sleep any time soon.
Lucy woke up screaming.
The images still stuck in her head. Meridina and Robert dead. Guns going off. She'd been helpless to stop it, like she was seeing it as a ghost and not a person. She touched her arms as if to reassure herself that she was flesh and blood.
As she did so, she realized that it wasn't just a dream. It didn't feel like it was one. Her senses, the new ones, were still tense and excited. Meridina had told her that sensing the possible future was one possible outcome of her growing attunement to her swevyra. Or it could have been her experiencing the thoughts or dreams of someone else.
Her first thought was to seek out Meridina and ask about it. Her mind quickly reminded her that Meridina was currently a prisoner over on Galactica. She would get no answers from Meridina.
....couldn't she? Lucy thought about it for a moment. Could Meridina feel her mind? Could they communicate? She breathed in. She could try, couldn't she?
You cannot try. You must do. Lucy smiled a little at the thought of Meridina's rebuke to those thoughts. She curled her legs up and set her hands on them in what felt like a natural meditation pose. She focused herself, her essence, and reached out, seeking another. Meridina? Meridina! Are you out here? I want to talk! Please?
Nothing.
She bit into her lip and concentrated. She would make a connection, she would do something about this, she had to. She....
Images came to her head. Not of Meridina and Robert dying, but of an open field, grass and trees. A sky? It was interspersed with a big starship with a wide dome. Other images came. There was a blond woman, other figures... another woman, a bit older looking. Something familiar about her, very familiar. A gun was changing hands. "This will be our chance," someone said
Lucy opened her eyes. She knew that hadn't been a dream. It was something more.
Trust your feelings. Meridina's words came to her mind. Your swevyra will show you the way through your feelings. Trust in them.
Which meant she had to find the ship.
As an assistant department head Lucy didn't have quarters near the hull, so she had no window to look out into the fleet. But she knew she had seen that ship before. She went to her personal monitor and accessed the Rio Grande's sensor logs with her personal clearance. Ship after ship from the Colonial fleet popped up. She isolated them by size and....
"Bingo," she murmured to herself. "And I cannot believe I just said that out loud."
The domed vessel was on the screen, along with its name: Cloud 9.
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