1. Prologue

Title: Deliverance

Author: coexistlove

Rating: PG-13

Fandom: Battlestar Galactica 2003

Character: General

Summary: A normal day on among the fleet is disturbed when an unidentified assailant attempts to assassinate President Roslin.

Disclaimer: Not written for money and if I owned Galactica this would have already happened.

Spoilers: Through Flight of the Pheonix

Author's Note: I thought about this while watching Colonial Day and though my setting is very different to begin with it was given further substance by whyoffry at LiveJournal.

Prologue

Laura yearned to go back to the beach. Funny thing was that she had never really appreciated beaches until she was stuck on a ship all day breathing recycled air and looking out at continually dark spaces all day. It felt almost life affirming when she took off her shoes and the grains of sand ran between her toes. She was at peace.

For a moment she wondered if the cancer had spread to her brain as Dr. Cottle had predicted it would. She wondered if she was even here at all or if it was just some elaborate fantasy world that her mind had created as a result of the cancerous cells invading her precious brain.

But she assured herself that the cancer wouldn't spread that far in just one morning. She remembered the prognosis that he had given her right before they found Kobol, about how aggressively the cancer had moved into her lymphatic system, but even with the cancer at such an advanced stage the invasion to other systems had taken weeks and Laura was sure that she would be able to dodge the bullet of a brain tumor for a little while longer.

Laura watched the sunset as the water splash against her feet. It felt good, refreshing. For a moment Laura wondered when she last dipped her feet in a tub of water. Her mind drifted to the time she spent at the Riverwalk Section of Caprica City where she sat with her foot dangling in the pool of water created by the fountain. She remembered how good it had felt after being given the news that she had terminal breast cancer. It was almost like bathing her feet would wash away the diagnosis, make the illness go away. But it didn't go away. It continued to progress to the point where there was nothing she could do.

Dilloxin had never been an option for her. She hated watching the side effects it had on her mother as she faded away over the course of two years. Now she faced a similar demise but turned to the Chamalla. In the beginning it had appeared to be having some effect but over the course of time the benefits seemed to dwindle. Billy had tried to convince her that Diloxin was a good option for her. That she should take it and attempt to live a week or month longer. But Laura wouldn't hear of it.

As the sky changed to brilliant shades of yellow and orange, Laura began to wonder if this was what heaven was like. An eternity of beautiful sunsets on the beach. Such an idea would make her the happiest person in the world. She could sit back, read a book, and just watch the sunset day in and day out. A small smile graced Laura's lips at the thought. It was perfect. Absolutely perfect.

Suddenly a violent wave splashed against Laura's leg and she stepped backward to see a mound of seaweed that had gathered in the current. Laura watched as the wave drew it back out and then back in. Carefully reordering the pieces of kelp so that it formed a distinct shape. When the waves appeared to stop Laura moved closer and looked at the formation with a gasp.

Written on the wet sand was her name in an almost infallible script, _Laura._


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

When Laura awoke that morning she found herself not on the beach but in her cabin on Colonial One. She realized that her beach dream had merely been another Chamalla induced hallucination and frowned at the thought. Unlike her dream with Leoben she had actually liked the location of this dream. It was warm and sunny and for the first time in five months she could feel the breeze winding through her hair, tangling its tresses with each minute that passed.

But the sunset on the beach was not her world. She still had business to tend to on Galactica and on Colonial One before she could even think of enjoying a sunset. She dressed and started going through some of the typical mundane paperwork that came across her desk when Billy came in.

"Madame President."

Roslin looked up at the young man's face and realized that she would probably miss him most of all at the end of however many weeks she had left. He had become not just her aide but her friend.

"Yes Billy," Laura said. "What can I do for you?"

"Commander Adama's on the line," Billy informed.

"Thank you Billy," Laura said as she picked up the wireless. "Commander Adama?"

"Laura, I wanted to confirm that you would be present for the christening of the new blackbird. It would mean a lot to Tyrol and his people if you were there," Adama asked.

"I'll be there."

Having never been much of an actress Laura couldn't mask the sound of sadness in her voice. She drew in a deep breath and exhaled, trying to calm herself down to the point where she could think rationally.

"Laura?" Bill's husky voice questioned. "Are you okay?"

"No…no…Bill…um…Is this a secure line?"

"Yes," Bill said. "Is there something that you want to discuss with me?"

"I probably shouldn't do this over the wireless," Laura said.

"Laura if something is wrong please tell me. I want to help you."

"You might not like what I have to say…"

"I don't care Laura, tell me."

Tears began brimming over Laura's eyes and she sucked in a breath trying to stifle the tears from falling as she listened for Bill's response. "Commander?"

"Laura… if you don't tell me right now I'm taking a shuttle over to Colonial One to get an answer from you in person."

"No! Please don't. I'll see you tomorrow. We can talk then."

"I want to see you privately the minute you get off the shuttle. I need to see you."

"Okay…I promise."

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Bill asked.

Laura detected the hint of worry in his voice and decided to address it, "Commander don't sound so worried." She could hear him smirk on the other end and smiled herself. "That's better…Now I will see you tomorrow."

"Gods be with you Laura," Adama said. It wasn't Adama's usual send off at the end of a wireless conversation and it took both Bill and Laura by surprise.

Laura sat in silence, not sure of what to say. Finally muttering into the phone, "Thank you Commander. May the gods be with you also."

When the wireless call was disconnected Laura went back to sorting through her papers. She hadn't fully accepted that she was going to die until her last appointment with Dr. Cottle. As strange as it sounded, Laura could still feel her hands shaking as she looked over the report that Dr. Cottle had given her. She was getting worse. She had felt it but now that it was on paper it was real. Yet a part of her still didn't want to believe it.

Now she was thinking about everything she would be leaving behind. She had often wondered if the sensations of life flashing before your eyes only occurred in the final moments of death. She felt that she was beginning to re-experience moments that she'd felt when she was younger. When she had lived with her parents, the time she had spent with her grandparents, meeting Adar. She was starting to look back on each memory with a certain fondness.

TBC

Comments and criticism always appreciated. Thanks.


	3. Chapter 2

When Laura got off the shuttle from Colonial One she felt her heart sink in sadness. How many more times would she get to visit the Battlestar before her time ran out? She knew that the last time would be when she was moved to Life Station. She would be attached to wires and machines so Dr. Cottle could monitor her around the clock. The thought of her last memory of Galactica being a hospital bed and a room smelling of antiseptic sickened her.

She glanced around the hanger bay as the usual military honors were carried out. She never really liked the way the military fawned over her when she visited the ship but now she realized that she was going to miss it. She smiled meekly as Commander Adama appeared before her.

"Madame President," he said offering her his arm. "Shall we?" Laura threaded her hand through his arm and he lead her through the halls of Galactica without a word. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm dying," Laura stated. "How do you think I'm holding up?" Realizing the curtness in her voice Laura immediately apologized, "I am sorry, it's just…"

"I know," Bill said. "You're sad, you're upset. It's okay." They reached his quarters and Adama opened the hatch, gesturing for her to enter. Laura stepped inside and Bill followed her, closing the hatch behind him. Laura wandered aimlessly around the living area like she had done in the past while Bill stepped further into his quarters, "Take a seat."

Laura turning to face him, tears teetering in the corners of her eyes. She thanked Bill and took a seat on the couch, fighting back her tears. She wouldn't allow herself to cry. Not now, and not ever. However Bill noticed her tears despite her best efforts and soon enough a friendly hand was resting on her shoulder.

"Laura?" Bill questioned. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I had an appointment with Dr. Cottle a couple days ago. He told me that the cancer has advanced to the point where I have weeks, a month at the outside." Laura's body began to shake. She let the tears fall down her face as she looked into Bill's eyes. "I don't want to die Bill," Laura cried.

"Oh my gods," Bill stated as he moved closer to her. A part of him knew that the deadline that Cottle had given her was drawing closer, another part didn't want to believe it. But no matter how hard he tried to put it out of his mind nothing could change the facts before him. He was losing Laura Roslin. "Laura why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm scared," she whispered as Bill pulled her closer to him. She was avoiding his question but she didn't care. She was too drained to focus on the past and the present seemed like the only thing she could think about.

"Don't be afraid," Bill said. "I'm here with you." He leaned down and kissed the top of her head before pulling her into his embrace. She buried her face into his uniform, seeking the warmth of another human being. "It's okay, you're not alone."

Laura inhaled deeply. She was overcome by her sudden outburst of emotion. A part of her wanted to be the stoic political leader and hold in all of her emotions but another part of her decided that she needed this opportunity to cry.

Everything was starting to come together in Bill's mind as he held the sobbing President against his chest. The way she had been acting when he had offered her his quarters as an outlet for work was strange, rigid, not like her usual relaxed self. When she had returned Dark Day to him he was deeply concerned. Due to the limited resources at their disposal, when someone died the military would distribute the decedent's possessions among the rest of the fleet. Now he wondered if she had wanted to protect the one gift that he had given to her by giving it back to him.

He remembered when she had asked to borrow a book; the sly smile that spread across her face when she told him of the guilty pleasure she had for mysteries. He had given her the book not just because he believed in never lending a book but because he wanted her to have something of his. At the time, when he was ignorant of her cancer, he wanted nothing more than to see the President smile and be happy. They had just managed to outrun days of rigorous Cylon attacks and he was sure that Laura wasn't used to the effort such a feet took. So when she had asked for the book he had greatly offered it to her. He knew that it would be in good hands. Her hands.

It was a few minutes before the President's cries stopped and her breathing leveled out into small and even tones. Bill reached for her hand to find it limp and realized that she had fallen asleep. He smiled slightly at the site and began stroking her hair with his fingers. Bill found himself wondering when she had last slept and decided against waking her until they had to be in the hangar deck to christen the blackbird.

He gently laid her down on the couch as he stood up. He watched as she stretched out, taking advantage of the length of the couch. Walking over to his rack, Bill retrieved a blanket and returned to cover her sleeping her form. He gently raked his hand through her hair as he watched her sleep.

It was several hours later before Laura began to stir. When he heard her move he glanced over and smiled at him. He smiled back before referring to the clock and realizing that they would be late to hangar deck if they didn't leave now.

"Sorry," Laura said as she began bracing herself to get up.

"Don't be," Bill said. "You probably needed it."

"How long until we have to be on the hangar deck?" Laura asked.

"Ten minutes. Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, let's go." Bill extended his arm and Laura accepted it before standing up.

"Commander on deck," one of the pilots shouted as Roslin and Adama entered the hangar deck.

"As you were," Adama ordered.

"Chief Tyrol," Roslin said shaking the Chief's hand. "This is the blackbird?"

"Yes ma'am. Madame President this is an honor," Tyrol stated to her.

"No the honor is mine," Laura said thinking that she was happy she was alive to see this moment. That she was glad that she could see the fleet find some happiness that wasn't in finding a planet.

"It's just a ship ma'am," Tyrol said.

Laura watched as the crew began signing the engine they helped build. She smiled at the sight thinking that it was good for their morale to have something to believe in that wasn't a war or a fight against the Cylons. She drew on Bill's words from earlier and began to give a short speech.

"Oh you are too modest. After what we've been through, it would be very easy to give up, to lose hope. But not here. Not today. This is more than a ship, Chief. This is an act of faith. It is proof that despite all we've lost, we keep trying. And we will get through this, all of us together. I promise."

"Commander," she heard Tyrol's voice say in the distance. "Uh, Madam President. This was supposed to be a surprise, but well…" Tyrol removed the sheet from the head of the blackbird revealing the name _Laura_ written in a clear script.

For the second time today Laura felt tears spring to her eyes as she looked at her name on the blackbird. Most people where put on pedestals, she…she got her name on a ship. She smiled to herself for a moment before speaking again.

"Thank you."

"If you'll do the honors, Madam President," Adama stated as he handed Laura a bottle of ambrosia.

"Of course." Laura said as she put on her glasses before accepting the ambrosia. Before opening it she read the label and smiled. "Oh," she said in reaction to the year. "Okay."

Laura took a few steps closer to the blackbird, still overwhelmed by everything that just happened. She was saddened by the fact that she was dying and that they had immortalized her in the form of a stealth ship. She pondered the irony that there was in having a stealth ship named after her. She recalled the time she had overdosed on Chamalla and Dr. Cottle had to come and give her a shot to help her regain her strength. _The time is going to come when you will not be able to hide what you are going through._ Feeling her inevitable demise approaching her, she raised the bottle over hear head as if she was going to break it over the hull…

"Whoa!" Tyrol exclaimed pulling her out of her thoughts.

She laughed for a brief moment. "Kidding," she stated as she positioned the bottle so that the cork would pop off. When the cork successfully ejected from the mouth of the bottle she handed it back to Tyrol and allowed the pilots to enjoy the party. She removed her glasses and she slipped away from the crowd, followed closely by Bill. "That was lovely."

"They wanted to do that for you," Adama said to her.

"Thank you," she said solemnly. "None of this would have been possible if you hadn't trusted the Cylon."

"I took your advice," Bill said. "Met on common ground."

"What was that?" Laura asked, her voice soft.

"We both wanted to live," Bill said.

No sooner than the words left Bill's mouth, a searing pain entered her abdomen and two more that entered her chest. Her breath caught in her throat at the sudden disturbance. She felt all the eyes in the room settle on her as her body began to shake.

"Laura?" Bill asked. She didn't respond to his voice but Bill watched as her hand moved to her abdomen and came away covered in scarlet blood. Her face continued to grow paler as she stood in front of him. Her body started to fall forward and he caught her in his arms. "Laura!" Bill exclaimed as he eased her down to the floor. He noticed that the white shirt that she wore under her blazer was turning a crimson red from the blood spilling onto it and felt a flurry of emotions enter his head as he realized there was a room of people standing around them. "Get Dr. Cottle! NOW!"

Once the crowd dispersed to the tasks of saving the President and locating Dr. Cottle, Bill turned his attention back to Laura. Her eyes were open but were displaying a look of fear as she stared back at him. Her shaking was increasing violently and her breathing was nothing more than a faint wheeze as she tried in vain to force air from her lungs.

"It's okay Laura," Bill said to her as he turned back to the crowd. "Grab an old rag or a uniform, something to put pressure on these wounds." A couple of pilots immediately rushed to the President and began applying pressure to her wounds. When Laura felt the pressure being applying to her chest her breathing faltered and she coughed as her already weakened lung capacity was further diminished.

Bill responded by tilting her head back and pinching her nose. He covered her mouth with his and breathed into her mouth. His peripheral vision noticed the rise in Laura's chest and he inhaled again to repeat the process. Laura was attempting to fight against him in a weak attempt to breath for herself.

"Don't fight me Laura," Bill told her between breaths. "Just take it easy." Bill knew that he had to keep oxygenated blood flowing through Laura's body to keep her from going into shock and since Laura wasn't breathing deeply enough to keep her blood oxygenated and he took on the task of a human ventilator with a vengeance. He wasn't willing to lose her yet, her life was already being cut short by her cancer and no one had any right to take her deadline into their own hands.

Laura complied as Bill continued breathing for her. If Bill remembered correctly he should give her twelve breaths every minute and he would continue to do so even as his ribcage screamed in agony. He focused on nothing but her and her survival. He wanted to spend every minute of the last weeks of her life before the cancer took control of her body, and he was willing to do anything to get that chance.

"Where the hell is Cottle?" he panted out of concern for Laura.

"He's on his way," one of the pilots announced. "He should be here shortly"

Commander Adama's attention was soon drawn back to the President as she began to cough violently and her body began to spasm. She attempted to roll onto her side as she coughed up a puddle of scarlet blood.

"Easy. Easy," Bill consoled her as he cradled her cheek in his hand. When her coughing fit had stopping he eased her onto her back and continued his breathing. The blood in her mouth tasted like copper but he didn't care, she was alive for now and that was all that mattered.

"Make a hole," Cottle's voice boomed as, the crowd parted as a gurney was wheeled into the hangar deck and Dr. Cottle took his place on the other side of the President. "Commander you don't have to do that anymore," he said as one of the nurses moved forward and placed an oxygen mask over the President's nose and mouth and attached it to an oxygen tank. "What the hell happened?"

"She was shot," Bill said. His eyes returned to Laura who's dilated pupils were shifting between her and Cottle as if she were trying to read their faces. "I don't know who or how. All I know is that we were standing there talking and suddenly she just fell over and couldn't breathe…I think she has a hemothorax. She was coughing up blood a few minutes ago."

"I appreciate the prediction Commander but please leave that diagnosis to me," said Cottle as he listened to Laura's heartbeat with his stethoscope. He wasn't sure what he had expected. After examining her on an almost weekly basis he had become used to a slow but steady heartbeat, but now the pace of her heart had been cranked up several notches and it seemed as if she was close to the point of a tachycardia or a ventricular fibrillation. "Get her to Life Station now! Call the nurse and tell her to set up for a rapid sequence intubation!" Cottle commanded.

Two nurses stepped in and gently lifted the limp President onto the gurney. Another nurse strapped her to the moving cot as the medical team proceeded out the door. Bill followed closely behind them as they shuttled her through the corridors in the direction of Life Station.

TBC  



	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Kara and Lee watched as the Old Man and the President conversed together. They couldn't hear the words they were saying to each other but they knew that it was somewhere along the lines of their usual heart to heart chats.

"They would make a good couple," Kara commented.

"They would," Lee said. "Though it isn't like I have a say in whom my stepmother is."

Kara smiled, "Are you sure about tha…" Kara was caught mid-sentence as three sharp shots rang through the air. "What the frak?"

"Laura!" they heard the commander exclaim, causing all eyes to turn to their superiors.

"Oh my gods?" Lee gasped as he and Kara moved towards the Commander and the President. As they moved closer they could hear Laura's wheezing as the spectators failed to act. It seemed as if time had frozen and they were moving in slow motion. They watched as Adama caught her as she fell, laid her down on the cold floor of the flight deck and began trying to assess her injuries.

"Get Dr. Cottle now!" Bill shouted as the crew

Lee and Kara where beside him a couple of minutes later. They took in the sight of the blood soaked suit and the paled expression on her face. Her shaking hand was still clutching her glasses and Lee gently removed them, knowing that such an accessory would get in the medics way, and tucked them in the pocket of his uniform for safe keeping.

"It's okay Laura," Bill whispered as her shaking began to intensify. Then he turned to the crowd and yelled, "Grab an old rag or a uniform, something to put pressure on these wounds."

A couple of other pilots slipped into the scene with some old clothes and began applying pressure to the President's wounds. Her back arched in response to the pain and she began to cough, startling the onlookers.

Bill's response was to begin rescue breathing in hopes of making her burden easier. Kara and Lee watched as he breathed for her only for her to resist, "Don't fight me Laura," he said between breaths. "Just take it easy."

Everything seemed to be going smoothly until Laura broke into a coughing fit and started hacking up blood. Kara and Lee helped the Old Man helped turn her onto her side as she continued coughing. One of the specialists produced an old rag and Kara accepted it as she began to gently dab away the blood from Laura's mouth. Laura struggled to roll herself over further but it ended fruitlessly as she lost strength and gave up.

"Easy. Easy," Bill whispered to her.

"It's okay Madame President," Kara said. "Cottle's on his way." She dabbed away the last few drops of blood from the outside of her mouth, shocked at how drastically the crimson blood looked next to her pale skin. She folded the hankerchef and tucked it into her pocket as Bill resumed his breathing.

Lee began to gently stroke the President's hair in an attempt to sooth the shaking and scared woman lying in front of them. Kara's hand reached for Laura's and she held it tightly as they waited for the med team.

"Make a hole," they heard Cottle's voice shout.

Lee let out an internal sigh of relief as he gave up his position near the President's head and led Kara away with him. Letting go of the President's hand Kara followed him as they continued to watch the action from a distance.

"How did this happen?" Kara asked.

"Someone took a gun and frakking shot her," Lee patronized.

"I can see that. I was inquiring as to where they were shooting from."

"I don't know. When Cottle has a report on the trajectory of the bullets we'll find out more."

"You mean to tell me that you can't think of a single place a sniper could hide? Come on Lee, this isn't Cloud Nine, this isn't Colonial Day. These are pilots and deck crew, on a flight deck. How the frakking hell did someone manage to shoot the President? You want to enlighten me on that?" Kara ranted.

It was true that Kara hadn't really known Laura well at first but since the President recruited her to retrieve the Arrow of Apollo she felt a deep kinship with her. When she'd taken the arrow out of the case and presented it to the President, her eyes said something that Kara had never read in anyone else's before. She was grateful, she appreciated the gesture. Something that no one else had ever shown her. Not her mother not Zak, not anyone.

Her attention turned back to Cottle and the medical team as they lifted the President's prone body off the stretcher and whisked her off to sick bay. Kara could feel the tears springing to her eyes. The woman that had in essence taken on the role of her second mother had been shot down and Kara was going to lose her.

"Hey," Lee said as he noticed her tears. "It's okay." He opened up his arms and welcomed her into them. She accepted the invitation and hugged him back. "She'll be okay. She's a fighter."

Once they reached Life Station Cottle and his team quickly set to work as they lifted Laura from the gurney onto the operating table. One of the nurses removed the oxygen mask and started to replace it with another that'd been laced with anesthetic. Just before they positioned the mask a weak whisper reached their ears.

"No…" whispered Roslin. Laura's eyes scanned the immediate area around LifeStation and when she realized that the person she wanted to see wasn't there she continued. "…Bill?"

"Madame President," Cottle said sternly. "We don't have time."

"Please…" Laura breathed.

Taking a breath Cottle looked over the table. "Commander!" Cottle beckoned. In an instant the Commander was standing next to Laura's bed. "Please keep it brief. We don't have that much time."

Bill nodded in response before turning his attention to Laura. "Madame President," Bill sighed as he knelt closer to her. He looked her in the eyes and lowered his voice. "Laura…" he began hoping no one had heard him use her first name. "It's okay; just hang in there a little while longer."

"…hurts." Laura stated.

"I know," Bill said as he remembered how it felt when he was shot. "But you have to hang in there. Everything will be okay, Laura."

He stood over her in silence for a moment gently stroking her hair as he tried to comfort her the best way that he could. Their interlude only lasted a short time when he saw Cottle approach them out of the corner of his eye. "Laura, I think Cottle needs to start the surgery.

"No," Laura begged as her bloodstained hand reached out and clasped his arm. Her delicately manicured nails dug into his skin as she looked at him with tears trickling down her cheeks. "Please, don't go Bill…I am…a…afraid."

Bill spoke in a soft whisper, "Laura, I don't want to go, but you know how Cottle when it comes to surgical protocol" Adama's mind reverted back to the their conversation earlier that day. He couldn't bare the thought of Laura being alone right now, but he knew that Cottle wouldn't let him stay in his operating theater. Bill's freehand reached to her forehead, gently sweeping her hair back as his finger ran over her soft skin. His fingers continued to comb through her hair as he watched her silently.

"If Cottle would let me I would be laying right next to you, I really wish that I could. Just hold on Laura. Don't give up." He let his hand cradle her cheek for a moment before he continued. "I won't leave. I'll just be behind the curtain," He gestured to the makeshift partition that would separate Laura from the rest of the sick bay.

Laura's tight grip on Bill's arm began to wane and she watched as Bill's figure faded into the background only to be replaced by Cottle's silhouette that immerged by her side. Laura fought to keep Bill in her line of sight. She needed to see him. She wanted him to hold her hand as the anesthetic was administered. Panic seized her as she saw him turn his back to her and she began to cry, "Bill! Bill!" He continued walking and didn't respond. "Bill!"

"Madame President," Cottle said. "We have to start the surgery now."

"Where's…B…Bill?" Laura questioned. "…Need…him…"

"I'm sorry, Madame President," Cottle said as he gently placed his hands on the side of her head and nodded to the nurse. She quickly attached the oxygen mask with the anesthetic to the President's nose and mouth.

The edges of her vision began to blur and she felt the darkness of unconsciousness began to sneak up on her. Her eyelids began to droop and she felt herself beginning to give into the anesthetic. Her eyes scanned for Bill once more before she finally closed her eyes and allowed the drug induced slumber to take over her.

"Prepare for an intubation, size eight E.T. tube, and be ready to maintain the anesthetic," Cottle ordered as he took out his stethoscope and placed it on both sides of her chest. He listened to her breath sounds on her right lung and then the left one. He held the stethoscope there for a minute before pulling it away and hanging it around his neck. "Prep for a pneumothorax."

TBC


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It felt like years had passed but in reality it had only been thirty minutes since Cottle had intubated Laura. Adama now stood on one side of the plastic partition that separated him from the sterilized field that served as a make-shift operating room. The scene before him seemed to be moving in slow motion as he watched Cottle ask for various surgical instruments as he attempted to locate the bullets in the President's body. Cottle had placed her on the ventilator and the nurses started cutting away Laura's bloodstained clothes, which now lay in a pile on the floor a few feet from the operating table. Bill looked at the destroyed garments with sympathy. One of Laura's only three suits have officially been decommissioned. He felt a pang of sorrow as he drew his eyes away from the suit and over to Laura's sheet-clad body.

Bill heard the hatch open and saw Billy step through the hatchway. The young aid walked over to the Commander and greeted him. "Sir I just heard," Billy said. "How is she?"

"Cottle took her into surgery about a half hour ago," Bill said. "He said it's going to take hours."

"How many bullets did she take?" Billy asked.

"Three," Adama replied. "Two to the chest and one to the abdomen and one of which caused her lung to collapse."

Billy took a deep breathe as he tried to suppress the bile rising in his throat. The site of his boss lying on the operating table with a hole cut into her chest distressed him. He knew that the President of the Twelve Colonies had been nearing the end of her life but he had never expected for her to get shot a few weeks prior to her death. He still remembered the first time he accompanied her to the Galactica after the attacks. She had made a comment about only having three outfits to last the rest of her life. Billy thought that she looked fine but she glanced at him and playfully accused him of being ignorant on the subject of women. To him she had always been the lively vivacious woman that was willing to do anything. Now she was frail, weak, and helpless.

Watching the operation was a bit like watching a mining accident on Arilon. Billy couldn't stand to watch Cottle operate on his motionless boss as a machine breathed for her but he couldn't leave either. Billy could make out only a few brief words that Cottle was saying to his nurses. Bullet? Close to her aorta? Fatal? It was all a hodge-podge of words to the public speaker.

"The press is demanding to know about the President's condition," Billy said. "What should I tell them?"

Bill breathed in for a moment and let out an exasperated breath. "Tell them that she was injured during a public appearance and that Cottle has her on the operating table right now. Let them know that there won't be any news for several hours at which point you'll talk to them again about her current condition. As of now all you can say is that she's still alive and in surgery."

"Commander Adama report to CIC," a voice announced over the intercom.

Adama looked at Laura's still form wearily. He didn't want to leave her when she needed him the most, but no matter what he knew somewhere in his subconscious if he lost the fleet then she would die of guilt. He took one last look at the President before turning to Billy and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Everything will be okay son. She's a fighter."

Billy nodded as Adama made his way out of the Life Station hatch and in the direction of CIC.

* * *

"What the hell is going on?" Adama said as he entered CIC to find Colonel Tigh and Lieutenant Gaeta standing around the center table going over some wireless printouts.

"Sorry to disturb you sir, but we thought that you would want to see this," Lieutenant Gaeta said as he handed the Admiral a transcript of the transmission.

Bill sighed as he read the document, his face growing redder with each word.

_TO: The Colonial Fleet_

_RE: The Assassination of President Roslin_

_Do not fear us for we are here to bring you salvation. The Pythian prophecy foretells us of a dying leader that will lead us to salvation but will not live to set foot into the new land. While some might say that President Roslin has not showed us the path to salvation yet it can be argued that when she arrived back on Galactica from Kobol with the general direction of Earth she completed her role in the Pythian prophecy._

_We do not mean to scare you or to cause the Colonial fleet to have reservations about our current form of government. It was a collective decision that Laura Roslin had to die. Her death should onset a faster discovery of Earth and allows us to get off these ships a little bit faster. Enclosed are passages from the Pythian prophecy that justify our decision. .._

Bill couldn't read another word of this religious dribble. Bill denied the fact that Laura was the dying leader. He wasn't willing to let her go as easily as they thought. "These people, whoever they are, are going to pay for their sins."

"Who sent this?" Bill inquired.

"It came off the wireless about ten minutes ago. The origin was scrambled. We don't know who sent it," Lieutenant Gaeta replied.

"What do you make of it?" Tigh asked.

"These people need better fact checkers," Bill muttered. He looked up to see the baffled faces of his colleagues.

"Aside from that Bill? Who do you think sent this out?" Tigh asked.

"We can rule out any atheists among the fleet, they seem to be religious in nature. I would also rule out children and teenagers but I would interview people on the Astral Queen. See if there's a religious zealot there that might be involved with this," Bill said.

"Alright, we'll check," Tigh said.

"Take Starbuck and Apollo with you," Bill said.

"Of course sir," Lieutenant Gaeta said. "If you don't mind me asking, with this knowledge broadcasted over the fleet, how will we know when we've caught the right suspect?"

"We'll know," Bill assured before turning to Dee. "Send a message to the fleet," he waited while Dee prepared to take down his dictation. "Message reads: Disregard that last transmition."

TBC


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The reports from the wireless where streaming in like a river running through the forests on Picon. _Laura Roslin, President of the Twelve Colonies was gunned down while attending a ceremony on Galactica. There have been conflicting reports as to the extent of her injuries but the latest report suggests that there are three gunshot wounds. We've tried to get in touch with Dr. Cottle but he has yet to give us a statement as to the President's prognosis…_

Gaius shut off the wireless as he paced the length of Colonial One. He hyperventilated as he considered the ramifications of Roslin's death. He knew that she was going to die eventually, the whole bloody fleet knew, but he wasn't prepared for it now. He thought that maybe he would have a month or two at the most to get ready to take on the role of the President. But time was a luxury he didn't have anymore.

"God has decided to do this Gaius," another voice entered the conversation.

"You!" Gaius said. "Why are you doing this?"

"The Cylons haven't done anything Gauis."

"Are you sure about that?" Gaius said. "Let me recount everything that you've done. First, you nuke the colonies, then you feed me full of this psychotic religious dribble, and now, now you are terminating the current presidency."

Six stared at him for a moment before slapping him across the face. Gauis allowed his head to hang to the side as he suffered the sting of Six's forceful fist. "As hard as it may be to believe Gaius, Cylons didn't cause President Roslin's cancer and the Cylon's didn't make you become Vice President. Not as far as the Colonial government is concerned."

"And now your god is killing her," Gaius pleading. "Why? Why are you doing this?"

"Doctor-" a voice interjected. Baltar looked away from Six to see Lt. Gaeta standing in the doorway to Colonial One. "Admiral Adama is requesting to see you on Galactica."

"Yes, yes of course Lieutenant," Baltar said. "I will be there in a moment."

"Gaius," Six said. "Roslin is dying and you better be ready."

It wasn't too long before Adama made his way back to Life Station where a teary-eyed Billy had pulled up a chair so that he could watch the surgery through the plastic curtain. Bill approached Laura's aide and taped him on the shoulder. The young man practically jumped out of his seat at the sensation.

"Sorry…" Bill said. "I didn't mean to startle you. How's she doing in there?"

"It's bad," Billy said. "I heard Cottle say something about her ventricle. It can't be good."

"Has he said anything else?" Adama asked.

"No, I think they're too focused on saving her," Billy commented.

"Finally found one of the frakking things," came Cottle's voice. The spectators' attention immediately turned to the operation in time to watch Dr. Cottles bloodstained hand place a bullet in a metal bin that a nurse held out. "Little bastard."

The site of the bullet that had harmed the President made Billy's stomach churn. Suddenly a wave of nausea overcame him and he vomited on the floor of Life Station. He looked at his boss's face which was becoming paler by the minute. The doctors' scrubs where covered in blood, Laura's blood, as they continued to work in a silent panic to save her.

"Who did this?" Billy asked. Laura had become like a mother to him ever since they had first heard about the nuclear attacks on the colonies. She had guided him, made him her press secretary, she had done everything possible for him and now she was dying.

When Laura had admitted that she was dying, he couldn't say that he was surprised. She had been acting strange that day. She seemed disinterested, distant. He had wanted to ask her but he knew that it wasn't his place. That the answer would come in its own time. When she had told him, he was somewhat relieved, he had an answer, a name, for her strange behavior.

When she was locked in the brig a few months ago he tended to her as if her life depended on it. When she started having withdrawals from the Chamalla he watched as she started to lose her mind and he had fought with the officials to get her a supply of Chamalla extract. It broke his heart to hear her mutter these nonsensical phrases. When the corporal offered to get her some Chamalla he could have kissed him.

It wasn't right for her to die, not like this. Not when her life was already being cut short. She didn't ask for this. She didn't ask to be the dying leader in the prophecies, but she indulged them and look where that had gotten her. Of course she had gained strength in her faith but now she was dying for no other reason than people wanting bloodshed.

"We're going to find who is responsible for this," Adama said as he looked back at Laura. It was clear that she had several more hours of surgery ahead of her. The machines were continuing to breathe for her and the heart monitors still showed an erratic heartbeat, yet he took comfort in the knowledge that she was alive. He never wanted to see her when she was this bad. He didn't want his last vision of Laura to be of her connected to machines. He wanted to remember her as the vivacious person that had insisted that they run away from the Cylons on the day of the attack.

He closed his eyes and pictured her when they had danced on Colonial Day. Laura smiled at him with a girlish flare as he offered her a dance that she willingly accepted. They danced slowly to the music, together. They smiled at each other and for a moment the world of fleet politics stood still. She was no longer President of the Colonies and he wasn't Commander of Galactica. They were just two people sharing a dance.

"We'll find them," he promised Billy. "I swear we will."

* * *

Adama wasn't sure how long he had stayed in LifeStation with Billy and the President. An hour? Two? Enough time had passed for Cottle to find one of the two remaining bullets and repair some of the damage done to Laura's heart. He tried to calculate some of the time in his head but it didn't matter, his vigil had been interrupted when he was called away to a meeting with Dr. Baltar in one of the rooms commonly reserved for debriefings. He entered to find Dr. Baltar nervously tapping his pen against his notepad and Bill eyed the man with a certain suspicion.

This was the man that was supposed to run the fleet if Laura was out of office. For a moment his mind wandered as to whether or not Zarek would have been a better choice for Vice President. Granted the man was a terrorist but at least he had a sense of self and a view in politics, where as Baltar, well was there a word more insulting than clueless?

"Dr. Baltar," the Admiral greeted politely as the Vice President shook off his uneasiness and stood up to greet the Commander.

"Commander," he said. "I am so sorry to hear about the President. Please, tell me, how is she doing?"

"She's still in surgery," Adama said.

"Oh," Gaius said. "I was hoping that her condition would have changed by now."

"We're not really here to discuss the President right now," Adama said as he gestured for the Vice President to take a seat. He sat in the seat across from him and looked at the Vice President with concerned eyes. "We need to talk about who's going to man her administration while she's incapacitated…"

Gaius' mind began to drift off as Adama began explaining the importance of implementing a temporary government. Suddenly Gaius could feel a hand on his shoulder and another head enter his personal space.

"Don't listen to him," the voice said. He immediately recognized it as the voice of the Cylon model that he had been dating. "He'll try to talk you out of it. Get you to resign. Don't let him. You're supposed to be in office. It's part of God's plan."

Gaius didn't answer just turned his attention back to Adama as he continued to explain his point, "By Colonial Law you would be the one to have that power on a temporary basis. At least, until the President recovers."

"Commander, you can't keep kidding yourself. The President is dying of cancer. How much longer do you expect her to live?"

Bill was taken aback by the comment. "I don't expect her to live forever if that's what you're asking, but she's come this far and until she dies the way the Gods deemed she would I'm not going to let anyone else make the decision for her."

"Commander, would you rather she spend the rest of her life in a coma? Unable to communicate? What kind of life would you be giving her?"

"We don't know if it's going to come to that," Bill said.

"But if it does."

"Let's not speculate."

"What do you plan on doing?" Gaius said. "If it comes to that, what are you going to do? Are you going to sit there and watch her suffer?"

The Commander didn't have time to answer before the wireless in the room started ringing. He picked the wireless off the wall and put it to his ear. "Commander Adama…" he listened to the speaker on the other side for a minute before he answered. "Okay, Dr. Cottle, we'll be right there." He hung up the wireless and turned his attention back to Baltar. "That was Cottle, he just finished the surgery, and he wants to see us in LifeStation."

TBC  



	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Cottle looked at Laura's sleeping form in the LifeStation bed in front of him. Her petite body was swallowed by the ventilator and the surrounding machines. The blood smeared clothes she was clothed with when she came in had been replaced by one of the yellow-colored LifeStation dressing gowns. His eyes began scanning the machines around her bed, looking for any signs of change. When he deemed that there was none he took one of Laura's hands and clutched it in his own.

He forgot about the young aide that was sitting next at his boss' bedside and spoke to her. "Don't scare me like that again young lady," Cottle scolded her before turning to Billy. "I wish I could have done more."

"When will she wake up?" Billy asked.

"I can't predict that," Cottle said.

After hours in surgery the medics had finally finished after they had repaired the damage done to her right ventricle. When they'd completed the operation, Cottle ordered that the anesthetic be discontinued and that she remain on the ventilator. He ordered the nurses to continue her blood transfusions through an IV line until her vitals stabilized.

"Dr. Cottle?" he heard someone call him.

Cottle turned to see that one of his nurses was standing in the doorway. "Yes."

"The Vice President and the Commander are here to see you."

"Okay…thank you," Cottle said as he let go of Laura's hand and moved into the center of LifeStation. The Vice President and the Commander stood there waiting for them.

"Dr. Cottle, how's the President?" asked Adama.

"She's alive," Cottle said. "There was damage done to one of her lungs and her heart but we've repaired it in time. She's…um…" He took a deep breath before continuing. "This is hard for me to say, but President Roslin is in a coma. Billy's with her now."

"Have you told him?" Bill asked.

"Yes, right after I finished the surgery," said Cottle. "He refuses to leave. I told him to go get something to eat and he just dismissed me."

"Can we see her?" Gaius asked politely.

"Yeah, but only for a short time," Cottle answered. "She's right behind here." He gestured to the privacy curtain and the two men walked towards it, pulling back the fabric to find a broken woman lying on the hospital bed. Billy was sitting next to her bed as Cottle had said. Adama could see the concern clearly written on the young man's face. He remembered the way that Laura would talk about him. How she believed that given the right encouragement this boy would go far.

Adama's attention then turned to Laura. Her face was obscured but the color was beginning to return to her cheeks. Bill approached the bed and reached his arm out to find Laura's hand. Her skin was cold and for a moment Bill thought that the monitors where lying to him and that Laura was dead.

"She's cold," Bill stated.

"She lost a lot of blood during the surgery. It's perfectly normal. Her body's redirecting her blood from non essential organs, like the skin; in order to up the oxygen supply to the parts of her body that truly need it. She's on a blood bag so it should be okay in a few hours. But there's another matter that we need to discuss."

"What's that?" Baltar asked the doctor.

"Lets talk outside," Cottle said as he led the Vice President and the Commander out of the President's makeshift room and into the center of LifeStation. He moved over to his desk and gestured to the two men to sit down. "Please…have a seat." Gaius and Bill obeyed the doctor and sat opposite of Cottle's desk. Cottle retrieved a folder from his desk and opened it. "Billy bought this from Colonial One. It appears that the President drafted a living will shortly after the attack and entrusted it to Billy. She has another formal will to be implemented upon her death."

He handed the two documents to the men across from him. Bill tried to take in the print on the living will. The sheet of paper lying before him stated that in the event that Laura was incapacitated and there was nothing more that could be done for her she wanted to be pulled from the machines. He thumbed the squared corners of the octagonal paper as he studied the three signatures that belonged to her, Billy, and the deceased Elosha. He wondered how Laura had gotten them to witness the will, if they felt awkward when she had asked them to sign it.

"What does this mean?" he asked handing the paper back to the doctor. "You said the surgery was a success. You've repaired all the internal damage."

"I wouldn't be concerned about this if the gunshot wounds were the only aspect to weigh but the President's cancer is not going to rest while she's in a coma. Her tumor has already metastasized into her lymphatic system and has begun to spread to her lungs. My fear is that cancer's going to spread to her brain."

"If that happens?" Baltar asked.

"I can't be sure. Despite all the research done on the brain it still remains a mystery in many aspects. Depending on where it spread some motor and cognitive functions will be affected. There's no guarantee that she'll be able to communicate with us if she wakes up again. Not to mention the tumors will make it very hard for me to keep her pain at an acceptable level. Commander, I don't thinks she told you but you have medical power of attorney in this case."

Bill took a deep breath. _Damn you Laura._ Why had she left such an important decision to him? He didn't want her to suffer but he at least wanted her to be able to say goodbye. "Euthanizing her seems a little premature."

"On the contrary," Gaius said. "If she won't be able to function I think the least you can do is let her die peacefully."

"Who's to say she's at peace now?" Bill asked.

"I am just offering a suggestion. I don't mean to be rude but if the cancer takes over her brain you aren't giving her much of an existence are you? You'd seriously let her live on as a vegetable just so she could experience the pain of her cancer?"

The Commander opened his mouth to speak but before he could get any words out Dr. Cottle interjected. "You don't have to decide now," Cottle said. "Think about it for a while before you decide to implement it."

"Thank you Dr. Cottle," Bill said.

"Good…now if the two of you are going to continue this argument, get out of my sickbay. You'll disturb the patients."

TBC


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"I've contacted the new Geminese Quorum member. They'll be here shortly," Bill informed Baltar.

"I don't know why we are involving the Geminese with this," Baltar said. "Isn't a group of Geminese responsible for her assassination?"

"They are," Bill began. "But we aren't just dealing with Laura the person. We are dealing with Laura the political figure and Laura the political figure is also the Pythian prophet so if she dies its going to affect the lives of anyone believing in the Pythian prophecy."

Baltar just looked at Adama with grave concern. "Have you read the Pythian prophecy? Because if I remember correctly it states that the dying leader doesn't live to enter the new land."

"True…but it didn't say anything about another having a hand in her death either," Bill said. "The leader's supposed to suffer from wasting disease. A disease! Not a bullet!"

"What frakking difference does it make? In the end the prophet ends up dead either way," Baltar scolded.

The door to the briefing room opened and a Geminese Quorum member walked in. knew that Sarah was part of the Quorum since they'd been sworn in. She knew that she and Laura had met on several occasions and had conversations with her on several occasions. Bill was ashamed to say that he had never met the woman.

"Mr. Vice President, Sir," he greeted the two officers. "I am Sarah Porter. My sincere condolences about the President. Has there been any change?"

"That's what we called you here to discuss," Bill said. "President Roslin's surgery concluded some time ago but she's in a coma."

"Oh Gods," Sarah said. "I am sorry. I didn't know."

"The news bulletins won't go out until later today," Gaius interjected.

"Anyway…" Bill said glaring at Baltar. "A living will has turned up stating that the President would like to be pulled off life support if nothing more can be done for her. We wanted to consult you about how it might affect the prophecy."

"I'm not a priest I don't have in depth knowledge of the scriptures," Sarah said. "But I would suggest not interfering. The scriptures will play themselves out in their own time."

"Even if that means the prophet has to endure intense pain?" Baltar says.

"The scriptures don't say anything about any pain the prophet will feel or how it should be relieved, but the scriptures are specific about the prophet's health and the majority of your fleet believes that prophet is President Roslin."

"What does it say the dying leader needs to accomplish specifically?" Bill asked.

"The prophet's purpose in the scripture is to give humanity enough information so that they may find the road to earth."

"Which arguably, the President has already done," said Baltar.

"The Arrow of Apollo opened the Tomb of Athena and gave us some hints about the space surrounding Earth but we haven't found any distinct markers that even remotely suggest that we're going in the right direction."

"And you're going to keep her on machines until we do?" Baltar asked. "That's just ludicrous. If she really is a prophet from the Gods then let her pass on. Let the Gods take her into their arms."

"What if we're missing something? What if she wakes up and has another star pattern we should check for? Another visual cue? Something of value to offer us?"

"Gentlemen," Sarah interjected the argument. "You have a difficult decision to make but I highly suggest you just let the prophecy takes its course?"

"Thank you Ms . Porter? You're dismissed," Adama said.

* * *

Sarah entered Life Station under the notion that she was going to see President Roslin to offer her some prayers. But as she passed through the curtain to the cornered off area of Life Station his intentions changed. Se reached into her pocket and produced a needle and vile of clear fluid. Taking the cap off the needle she quietly filled it till there was no space left as he glanced at the comatose President.

"I'm sorry," Sarah said to her. "I know that it shouldn't have ended this way. But I have to do this." Then speaking to a metaphysical presence in the room she stated, "Lords of Kobol, please forgive me for what I am about to do."

She silently found Laura's IV line and inserted the needle into the port occupying the plastic tubing attached to her hand. She emptied the syringe and recapped it before placing it back into her pocket. Feeling a sense of remorse she took the President's hand. "Lords of Kobol, please accept this sacrifice and take the soul of this prophet into your hands. Take care of her and give her the peace she couldn't have in life."

The next few minutes where the longest of Sarah's life. She glanced at the President one last time and smiled sadly, "Thank you."

Sarah's passed through the curtain as Laura's vital signs started to go haywire. Out of the corner of her eye he could see Laura's delicate body going into fits as the drug she had given her coursed through her system. He left Life Station with his head down, unable to fathom what she had just done.

TBC...Oh how you loathe me


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Bill was uncertain of why he had been called down to Life Station. The nurse that had called him on the wireless just told him that there had been a medical emergency and that he should get down to Life Station quickly. Immediately, Bill's mind darted to Laura. All the things that he hadn't told her and all the time he'd lost dancing around those facts.

When he'd arrived in Life Station he saw a group of nurses standing around Laura's bed. The voice of Dr. Cottle sliced through the air as he ordered the nurses to inject different drugs into Laura's IV. Bill could vaguely see the way Laura was convulsing as the nurses held her down, and his ears barely made out the chaotic buzzing of the monitors. He couldn't be losing her. Not now.

Eventually, the buzzing turned to a monotone scream and Bill could feel his heart start to break as he watched as Cottle ordered a crash cart and shocked Laura with the paddles. Her body jerked with the surge of electricity and her heartbeat returned to a slow, steady rhythm. Cottle ordered a nurse to give Laura another drug and left the curtained area to see the Commander.

"What just happened Jack?" Bill asked.

"I'm not sure yet. One of the nurses reported that a Quorum member came to see the President and shortly after she left she started convulsing."

"Dammit. What did she do?"

"It looks like she might have injected her with something. From what the nurse described it looks like a very high dose of a concentration of Chamalla. I am running a blood test just to be sure."

"How the hell did this happen?" Bill questioned. "How could you just let someone march in here and see the President at a time like this? Especially after someone tried to assassinate her?"

"We weren't expecting anyone—"

"Where the hell is Billy? Where was he when it happened?"

"I sent him to the mess hall. The poor kid hadn't eaten in almost ten hours and I wasn't about to feed him any of this Life Station crap."

Bill rolled his eyes at Dr. Cottle. "Does he know?"

"No." Cottle answered plainly.

"Call the mess hall and make sure he comes down here as soon as possible."

"What should I tell him?"

"Just tell him that he's needed in Life Station."

"And what if he panics and thinks the President's died? It'll crush him."

"Don't tell him anything more. I don't want any of this getting to the fleet. Not yet." Adama said before changing the subject. "I'm posting a security detail to guard her. Only select personnel are to see the President until we apprehend whoever is responsible for her assassination."

"Commander, I am more than qualified too."

"It's a precaution Major. I don't want something like this to happen again. They're made their point. We've seen how serious they are about killing her. Now we have to make it as hard for them as possible to finish what they've started.

TBC


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

_It was foggy. Laura wasn't exactly sure why, but this place reminded her of the dreams she before they'd found Leoban on the Rising Star. She squinted as she trudged further into the fog, her feet crunching over broken glass. __There were people here? She thought to herself as she continued to forge her path._

_She detected the distinct sound of canvas flapping in the wind. She took a step forward and allowed herself to step insider the tent. The end of her stiletto heel getting on a rock as she did. Looking inside Laura saw a half-eaten meal on the table a few cots that had been slept in. She stepped further into the tent and over to a makeshift dresser as she began to examine the personal effects._

_Sorting through the debris she managed to find a picture. The edges were curled and the image was folded, but Laura could see the faces in the picture so clearly. It was Starbuck. The woman's hair was longer and she was with a gentleman that Laura had never seen before but the woman in the photo was Kara Thrace. A smiling Kara Thrace._

_What was it that Kara had told her back on Kobol? There was a resistance movement. She'd wanted to go back and save them. For a moment Laura wondered if it was a sign from the gods, telling her that she should let Kara lead a mission to rescue the resistance. Laura shook it off, unsure of what to make of the environment around her._

_Laura had to wonder what planet she had woken up on. This wasn't Caprica, or any other colony, it wasn't Kobol, and Laura didn't see any other human so it couldn't possibly be Earth. She wondered how they'd ended up settling on this smog written planet. Was this what she was supposed to lead them too? Was she supposed to lead them to this cold and desolate wasteland?_

_She replaced the picture on the nightstand before attempting to protect herself from the warmth Laura pulled her arms around herself, hoping that she could stop her chattering teeth. She glanced around again unable to fathom the life that the 13th Colony had lived if this was were they had settled. She couldn't believe that this was where they supposed to live for the rest of their lives._

_Quickly, Laura exited the tent and continued walking down the street when she began to hear the all too familiar buzzing that she had come to dread. In her peripheral vision she could see a red light illuminating the dirt road she was walking on as it scanned from side to side. She felt fear begin to creep up her spine as she quickened her pace, only for the Centurion to match hers._

_Her breathing became heavy as her nerves began to act up. Cold sweat began to drip from her forehead as she started to run. The Centurion picked up on her action and started running after her. She heard the clang of its metal feet connect with the pavement and she hoped that she had the energy to keep the space between them._

_All was easier said than done as Laura felt one her heels break and she fell onto the ground. Struggling to get back to her feet she hastily discarded her shoes as she continued to make a run for it. Her bare feet picking up shards of broken glass._

* * *

Sarah Porter sat in Galactica's brig counting the ceiling tiles as she anxiously awaited the arrival of her interrogators. She cringed as the hatch to the brig opened and Starbuck and Apollo came into the room. Apollo gestured to the Corporal as they entered and the obedient inferior opened the door to Sarah's cell, letting the two officers in. 

"Well Sarah? Are you feeling more cooperative now?" Lee asked.

"What do you think?" Sarah asked rhetorically.

"Oh…good to see you haven't lost your sense of attitude," Starbuck commented.

"You know what we want," Lee said. "How long have you been working with the Geminese zealots?"

"I haven't been working with them," Sarah insisted.

"Sure," Kara said. "I suspect you are going to tell us that attempting to kill the President with an overdose of chamalla was just your way of providing mercy."

"She's a servant of the gods, she deserves a peaceful end," Sarah said. "She was injured while in the public eye, the Gods will take her to the Elysian Fields and she will be safe for all eternity."

"The Commander isn't interested in letting her go to her Elysian glory, he's concerned with how the President of the colonies is fairing. Particularly after people attempted to kill her twice in one day," Lee yelled.

"Your father is letting his feelings for the President cloud his judgement," Sarah said.

"Excuse me?" Lee asked.

"I don't know why the Quorum didn't react after they'd danced at Colonial Day. It was obvious that they were fraternizing with one another and Gods only knows where that could lead."

"The military and civilian government are closer than ever because of the kinship that they have together. If you can't see that then you must be frakking blind," Starbuck defended.

Sarah eyed the pair as she continued to maker her point. "It's not just that. Some of the President's judgement's had a profound effect on the Commander. When she jumped to Kobol for example and the Commander went after her. The President is a danger to this fleet. Do you think that she would get away with this if she wasn't the dying leader? No…of course not."

Lee could feel a fire of emotion flow through his veins as he lunched at the Quorum leader and grasped her by the neck, grasping her by the throat. Sarah gagged she was slammed into the wall and Lee's hand tightened around her neck.

"You have no right to criticize the President," Lee said. "She's doing the best she can to fulfill your prophecy and this is the thanks she is getting. If I were her I would have left you to the Cylons a long time ago." He waited a few seconds before letting her go and then letting her collapse on the floor. "You know what we want. When you're ready to give it up let us know."

* * *

Staring at the water in front of him Gaius choked down a nervous hiccup. He had just received word from Doctor Cottle about the President's overdose and the press was beginning to demand another press conference. Gaius' brow was sweating as he peered out of makeshift partition that separated President's office from the rest of Colonial One. The members of the press were sitting in their seats waiting anxiously for the him to come out and give his report on the President's condition. 

"They're waiting for you," a familiar voice said.

"I can't do this," Gaius muttered when the distinct touch of Six's hand appeared on his shoulder.

"What you mean you can't do this?" Six asked.

"I was never meant to be the Vice President. If it wasn't for you and the frakking Quorum I wouldn't even be in this position"

"Well you are...and that's how God wants it. You love the spotlight. Now get out there and get in it."

Baltar made a distinct squeal of protest as Six shoved him through the curtain and in front of the press. There was a collective noise as the journalists leaned in to listen to him. His eyes darted from side to side as he cleared his throat. The press leaned in further only to hear him clear his throat again.

"You idiot," he heard Six say. "They're waiting…get with it."

Baltar coughed once again as Six's stiletto heel connected with his ass. He stifled another cough as he began to speak. "Um…Good evening. As I am sure you're all aware, President Roslin was shot this afternoon while attending a military ceremony on Galactica. She was rushed to Life Station, where Cottle operated on her for several hours before extracting the three bullets from the President's system and repairing the damage to her organs. However, I am sorry to report that while President Roslin did come through the surgery…she is currently in a coma."

There was a moment of frenzy as the press began to hastily ask their questions. "Please…" he begged. "Please quiet down." The scientist had suddenly found a new appreciation for the President's way of handling a crowd. He wondered how she managed to quiet them with a simple raise of her hand and had suddenly wished that he had taken time to learn more from the woman.

"Yes," he gestured to one reporter.

"Mr. Vice President," she addressed. "What changes can the civilian fleet expect while the President is comatose?"

"We're following the Articles of Colonization. The civilian government plans to maintain the regular chain of command, which means that I will serve in her place until she is able to do so again. Next question."

"Mr. Vice President! Mr. Vice President!" the reporters bellowed. Baltar hastily pointed to one of the reporters for the next question.

"Mr. Vice President, can you comment about the letter that was sent earlier today in regards to the assassination, and what's your take on it?"

"I have no opinion on the subject, but I can tell you that the letter is being dealt with a calm and timely manner. I can't release anything conclusive at this point but I assure you that the military is leading the investigation and I have confidence that they will apprehend whoever is responsible for this."

When the reporter sat down another riot broke out. Once again Baltar selected another random journalist. "Mr. Vice President, while we on the subject of the zealots, is it true that one of them injected the President with an overdose of chamalla?"

"I can't say that it is true, because we don't know the culprits affiliation with the said zealots. But sadly it is true that that the President was injected with an overdose of chamalla, but she has now stabilized and the Commander Adama has taken steps to make sure that it will not happen again."

"On that note," the journalist continued. "How does the government see President Roslin's cancer affecting her recovery?"

Baltar suddenly lost all his words as he contemplated Laura's living will. Should he tell them? Would that give the zealots more ammunition towards her demise? Could they justify that she wanted to die herself?

"Tell them Gaius," Six said as if she were reading his mind. "They should know."

"What legal action she's taken is her business," Gaius spoke out loud, immediately realizing that he shouldn't have said anything while he was in front of the press.

"Excuse me?" the reporter said. "Are you saying that President Roslin has a living will?"

"Yes," Baltar confessed. "It appears she drafted it just before we found Kobol. It has very specific circumstances that would justify pulling her off life support but until it gets to that point, the Commander isn't entertaining the subject."

"So she's given the Commander legal power of attorney?"

"Yes," Baltar answered. "Yes, she has."

"What is the President's prognosis at this point?"

"I am not aware of that," Baltar lied. "You'll have to ask Dr. Cottle." Quickly blowing off the press he raised his hand in the air and waved. "Thank you everyone. Have a good evening."

TBC


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Action Stations! Action Stations! Set Condition One throughout the ship!" Adama heard over the wireless. "This is not a drill! I repeat! Action Stations! Action Stations!"

He glanced at the President's comatose body and whispered to her, "Well Madame President seems like I picked a hell of a day for a visit." He abandoned his place by her side and picked up the wireless. "This is the Commander."

"Dradis Contact," came Tigh's voice. "From the size of it its probably a Cylon baseship. It's on its way to intercept."

"Alert the fleet and prepare for an emergency jump. I'm on my way."

Bill hurried to CIC, his mind wandering back to Laura. She's been in a coma for three days with no change and he was beginning to worry. He knew that it was just her body's way of doing repair work for when she wakes up, but he couldn't rid himself of the worry that came with knowing she was lying there unconscious.

"Sit rep," Adama ordered.

"Alert fighter launched," Tigh reported.

"New Dradis contact, they're launching raiders," Gaeta shouted.

"How long till we jump?" Adama asked.

"Two minutes," Tigh reported.

"Sir, I'm picking up a Colonial Transponder," Gaeta mentioned.

"Colonial?" Adama asked.

"Frak, now they're using our own signals against us," Tigh replied with a little bit of skepticism.

"Maybe," Adama began. "Weapons hold. Hold at jump two."

"All ships this is Galactica, hold jump," Dee said. "I repeat hold jump."

"Ship to ship," Adama told Dee. "Priority one channel. Send hostile challenge and ID. Then push the reply through one of the speakers."

"Attention unknown vessel. This is the Battlestar Galactica. Identify yourself and we will fire upon you," Dee reported through the wireless.

"Range now 1700 sir," Gaeta reported.

"_This the Battlestar Pegasus to the ship claiming to be the Galactica. Please respond."_

"Pegasus?" Tigh asked, still in disbelief. "How could that be? The entire fleet was destroyed."

Bill didn't respond. He just glanced at Dee. "Give me direct contact," he requested as he picked up the wireless. "Pegasus this is Galactica Actual. Authenticate identity with recognition codes immediately."

"Sir," Dee began. "I'm receiving Colonial recognition codes." There was a slight pause as Dee examined the numbers on screen. Unsure of whether or not to trust the computer. "They're authentic."

"_Galactica this is Pegasus Actual,"_ said the voice on the other end of the line. _"Adama is that you?"_

"Admiral Cain," Adama began. "It's good to hear your voice."

"_Commander, I don't know what to say…"_ Cain began_. "This is a miracle."_

Adama suppressed a sob when he heard her say miracle. It might be a miracle for the Pegasus traveling alone but for Galactica and her civilian fleet it was still a time of sorrow. They were waiting for their leader to rise again and resume her role as the dying prophet. For them, the glass was half-full.

"You took the words right out of my mouth," Adama replied politely before turned to Dee. "Step down to Condition One throughout the fleet."

* * *

"Get it in gear people! Look sharp!" Tigh barked as the raptor with the Pegasus landing party docked on the flight deck. "This isn't recess."

"Come on!" Lee yelled. "The landing party's here! Dress and cover."

"I'm not exactly sure what to do?" Baltar said to Adama as they fell into formation.

"Follow my lead," Adama said. He had no patience to explain military matters to the Vice President at the moment. "Stand at attention."

The room went quiet as the door to the raptor opened and the landing party stepped out with skepticism. Adama inventoried each one that stepped out. Each took a spot in front of the crowd, standing in an unwavering attention. He watched as a man that Adama identified as the XO of the ship came out and stood right in front of Baltar. He was followed by a brunette woman of average build who stepped out of the raptor and stood on the landing ramp, studying the crowd. After a minute she moved towards the edge and hopped down, walking towards Adama with an authoritative cadence to her walk. He raised his right arm and saluted his superior as required by military protocol. She raised her right arm and mirrored his action in a military salute.

"Admiral Cain," Bill began. "Welcome aboard the Galactica."

"Commander Adama," she replied with admiration as she reached out hand for a friendly handshake. He offered his hand in return and she gripped it tightly. "It's an honor."

"Allow me to present to you, the Vice President of the Colonies, Gaius Baltar," Bill began.

Cain eyed the four-eyed man in front of her curiously as Adama gestured for him to shake the Admiral's hand.

"I'm sorry the President wasn't able to make it," Baltar said. Cain continued to eye him quizzically. "It's a long story. Welcome aboard." He reached out his hand in a friendly gesture and she accepted it.

"Mr. Vice President," she acknowledged.

"On behalf of the officers and crew of the Pegasus," Cain began. "It's a pleasure to see all of you. Welcome back to the Colonial Fleet." A slight smile graced the Admiral's lips as the crowd erupted in cheers.

As they broke their stiff military facades she extended her hand for a less formal handshake with the Commander. He accepted it once again and smiled. He placed a hand on her arm welcoming her back into the fleet. Letting her know that they were willing to accept them. Yet, somehow the meeting still felt cold to him. It was missing a presence. He thought of what Laura would do and imagined her shaking Admiral Cain's hand with a warm smile. Anxiously wanting to hear about what the Pegasus had been through and how it had survived. He imagined her hugging this new woman, ready to welcome a new officer and grateful for the help they would provide the fleet.

As the crowd continued to rejoice Bill invited Cain back to his quarters for a meeting with the Vice President so that they could talk in private. In a place that wasn't so rambunctious.

TBC


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Scotch?" Bill asked Cain and Baltar as they entered his quarters.

"Yes please," Cain replied.

Bill retrieved a bottle from his kitchenette and poured three glasses, one for Cain, one fore the Vice President, and one for himself. He distributed the glasses and gestured for his two guests to sit down.

"Thank you," Cain said as she accepted the drink.

"Admiral, I'm sorry this all seems so surreal. I have a lot of questions do you mind if I just get to them?" Baltar said awkwardly.

"Please," Cain whispered.

"How did you find us?" Baltar asked unsure of how to act. Roslin had always been good at presidential duties like this. She had a way of making politicians fall over her, even though she claimed that she was never meant to politics. Baltar wasn't either but he didn't have the grace that she possessed when it came to things like this.

"Well, we were tracking a Cylon fleet. We tried predicting their movements, which seems rather random, initially. Until we realized that they were just jumping to systems with natural resources, so we began scouting those systems ourselves, hoping to carry out hit and run attacks on their fleet. But instead of finding the Cylons…" Cain narrated. "We found you."

"You've been attacking their fleet?" Bill aquired.

"You know what they say about the best defense," Cain mentioned plainly.

"How did you avoid the initial Cylon attack on the Colonies?" Bill asked.

Cain's face paled and she bit her lip. "I'll have another if you don't mind." She mentioned, gesturing to her glass." Adama willingly poured her another glass of life-giving alcohol. "We were docking at Scorpion Fleet Ship Yard. We were getting ready for a three month overhaul. Most of the crew was getting ready for extending shoreleave, family reunions, XO had the deck. I was down in my quarters, wrapping up some paperwork and getting ready to go home to Tauron."

Bill studied her as she paused. Her demeanor looked as if she was hiding something. Her eyes read as if she was going to snap at any moment and her hand clenched around the glass until her knuckles turned white. He saw her draw a deep breath in through her nose before she continued.

"And that's when the Cylon's attacked," Cain continued. "They hit the shipyard with…three…maybe four nukes. Five ships….two of them Battlestars…they were destroyed right there."

Bill noted the change in cadence as she started talking about the attack. She'd seen it. Lived through it. Not like everyone else who was simply imagining what it was like for those on the Colonies. He recalled Boomer's recollection of Caprica. How people were running for their lives, taking whatever they could save of civilization with them. Bill doubted that the people that escaped on Pegasus had such a luxury.

"…and by the time I got back to CIC…I'd discovered I had lost over 700 men. We were completely defenseless so I ordered a jump."

"To where?"

"Wherever…" Cain stated with the same body language an actress reciting ancient poetry. "Nowhere. Just jump."

"A blind jump," Bill stated, more for Baltar's benefit than Cain's. "You could have ended up anywhere. Gutsy call."

"Nah…" Cain dismissed. "Desperate move, but I didn't see any other choice." Baltar sat in silence trying to take the story that the Admiral had just told them. "I'm sure you have quite a story to tell yourself, but I won't make you go through it right this very minute." She turned to Bill and resumed command mode. "You can send over your logs, when you get the chance."

Baltar glanced at the Commander with concern. He couldn't be leaving her with this woman? Not when Roslin was still incapacitated. She had the political charm, she was the one that could keep order. Not him.

"Something wrong?" Cain asked noticing the look on Baltar's face.

"You'll have to forgive me," Baltar said. "I sometimes forget about the rules of military protocol."

"Admiral Cain is my superior officer," Bill said, silently smiting the Vice President. "She will take complete command of the entire fleet."

"I was wondering how to brooch that topic," Cain confessed to Bill. "Trust me when I say that while the chain of command is strict it is not heartless. And neither am I. This is your ship and I have no desire to interfere with Galactica's internal affairs.

"I appreciate it Admiral," Bill said.

"Um, would you excuse me?" Baltar asked as he stood up exited the commander's quarters through the hatch. Before he exited he turned around and cleared his throat. "Admiral, let me say that we are glad to have you on board. Thank you for finding us." He held out his hand to her again and she took it and shook it kindly before Baltar turned to leave.

"The Vice President?" Cain asked once Baltar had left the room. Her tone gave was condescending and Bill could tell that his superior was insulted.

"I am very sorry," Bill said. "The President, was the victim of an assassination attempt a few days ago, she's in sickbay recovering."

"I'm sure," Cain nodded as she headed for the door.

Cain turned to thank him for his company but was cut short when Adama started speaking again. "Admiral Cain," Bill began. "We have a Cylon prisoner on board our ship."

"Really?" Cain questioned, somewhat surprised. "We have one on ours as well."

"Ours has proven to be an excellent source of intelligence," Bill stated. "She's been very cooperative. Vice President Dr. Baltar has been working with her."

Cain nodded before changing the subject. "It gives me no pleasure to have to take command Bill. I want you to know that."

"Don't give it a moment's thought Admiral."

With a curt nod Cain turned and stepped through the hatch. Bill around and eyed the bottle of scotch. He contemplated drinking himself into oblivion for the night before Laura's voice entered his mind. It told him not to. That he had a fleet to take care of. Closing his eyes he tried to picture the last time she was in his quarters. How she had been smiling, how her glasses complimented her hair, the cadence of her speech. He wished he could preserve that memory of her. Stepping closer to the table he capped the bottle of scotch and put it away.

* * *

"They made me head of the Cylon branch and my main focus is on Cylon detection-" Baltar informed Cain as they walked through the halls of the Pegasus.

"We have our own Cylon prisoner," Cain cut off as they came to complete stop in front of one of a hatch. "I would like you to examine her as soon as possible see if you can glean anything from it."

"I wonder who the Cylon will turn out to be-stranger, familiar face, trusted friend who turns out to be the enemy," Six ventured as he fingers tickled Baltar's hand. He turned to her with a slight look of annoyance, not realizing that he wasn't paying any attention to the Admiral.

"Did you hear what I just said?" Cain asked.

"Yes, yes, I'd be really-I'd be more than happy to examine the prisoner." They waited while of Ensigns opened the hatch. In a gentlemanly gesture he allowed her to go first. "Commander."

"Admiral," Cain corrected as she stepped through the hatch.

"Oh yes! Admiral!" Baltar said as he mentally kicked himself. "I'm so sorry."

* * *

They walked to the corridors before Cain was greeted by a man Baltar identified as a Lieutenant. She introduced him as Lieutenant Thorne before stating that she had a meeting to get to, leaving him and his imaginary girlfriend with the Lieutenant. They walked down some more corridors and Baltar could feel the anticipation rising as he passed several armed guards. 

"Don't get to close," Thorne warned. "It killed seven of my crew." Baltar felt a sense of dread. Six, Sharon, and Leoban has been the only Cylons he'd encountered and none of them had seemed that hostile. Well not if you eliminated the Sharon that shot the Commander. "Do you want my guards to come in with you?"

"Feeling scared Gaius?" Six taunted as she stepped into his personal space. "Want the big bad soldiers to protect you from the mean old Cylon prisoner?"

"No, I think we'll be just fine thank you," Baltar responded. The sliding doors in front of them opened and Six stepped in front of him, leading him into a room with a glass partition. As they looked through the glass Gaius could hear Six's breathe catch her throat.

"Oh my god!" Six brought her hand up to her mouth in shock as Gaius took in the site of a chained Six laying before him. Bruises were on every visible part of her body and she was restrained in three places, leaving her in what looked like a very uncomfortable position. "Oh my god Gaius! It's me. Look what they've done to her."

"Open the door," Gaius ordered. "Now please."

Thorne swiped his card and the computer responded with a positive identification. The door opened and Gaius's nose was greeted with the stench of death. He didn't notice that Six was staring daggers at Thorne, as if she wanted to kill him for hurting her. Baltar stepped inside, Six following closely behind him as the door closed. Gaius knelt down next to the bruised form and studied the marks on her body.

"She must have struggled," Baltar concluded. "She must have fought back."

"It doesn't justify this," Six raised her voice, the tears building up as she spoke.

Baltar held one finger in the air, signaling her to calm down. "Stop it," he told her as he turned his attention back to the prisoner. "Hello? Can you hear me?"

The sound of Six's heels echoed in t he room as she stepped around Gina's body. "She's obviously been abused," Six commented. "Tortured."

"Yes, but there's no obvious sign of head trauma," Baltar stated as she retrieved a penlight out of his jacket pocket. "Oh…" he reacted as he saw her pupils begin to dart back and forth. "Voluntary eye movement suggests conscious thought." He turned off the light and put it away.

"Can you stop being a scientist for one moment and look at the poor abused woman lying in front of you," Six pleaded, her voice growing overly emotional as she took Gaius' arm and helped him stand up. Gaius led her a few feet away from the prisoner's body."

"Listen," Gaius prompted. "I know this must be difficult for you."

"Don't patronize me," Six interjected, but Gaius could see the redness in her eyes.

"I'm not patronizing you. I am trying to reason with you. If I'm going to help her I am going to have to understand her first."

"Will you help her Gaius?" Six asked, her eyes pleaded for the truth. A Cylon-friendly face.

"I'll do everything I can," Gaius said. "After all-she is remarkable similar to someone I care about a great deal," A smile spread across Six's face at his promise. "I think it would be best if you left us alone for a time."

Six nodded, taking one last look at the prisoner, before she disappeared, leaving Baltar alone with her.

* * *

"It suffered no serious head injuries and therefore no physical damage to its neural pathways or cognitive reasoning centers," Baltar reported to Cain quickly. He wasn't sure what unnerved him about the woman but the eerie silence she kept between them wasn't helping him. "But it's quite clearly traumatized, which would suggest that its current condition is psychological in nature. Had you thought of that? No. It shows that the Cylon consciousness is just as susceptible to same pressures and cleavages as the human psyche, and can be manipulated in the same fashion. Simply put Admiral, you've already used the stick, it's time to use a carrot."

Cain had a strange way of holding eye contact for a period of time like she was waiting for the other party in the conversation to add to their thoughs. For a minute, Gaius thought that he had talked himself into a hole and that she wouldn't allow him to study Gina as a subject for his work on the Cylon sub-species. Frak! First he accidently addresses her as Commander and now this. What the frak could possible to wrong He tried to read what her eyes were saying but just as he was getting someone her lips curled into a small half smile and she made a series of small nods before turning to her XO.

"Please give the doctor whatever he needs," she ordered.

"Aye sir," Fisk said.

TBC


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"Admiral," Doctor Cottle greeted as he pulled the curtain closed to the exam room. The Admiral was sitting in the table in one of the unfashionable sick bay gowns. Cottle got a distinct feeling of déjà vu as he pictured Laura when she's first come to him about her cancer. He shook it off, realizing that it wasn't Laura sitting in front of him.

"Doctor Cottle," Cain asked, her voice uneasy.

"Can you tell me why you waited so long to report that your back pain was worse?" Cottle inquired

"Yes, I would mind. It's none of your business."

"Well that pinched nerve is doing you more harm then good. You said that the pain is more intense now?"

"Yes," Cain nodded.

"Well I don't to have to say this, but I don't know how much longer you can put off surgery," Cottle admitted. "I would normally recommend it to relieve the pain but given the location and how deeply the nerve is compressed, I can't recommend it. If we manage to repair the damage, there is an eighty percent chance that you will end up paralyzed."

"Those aren't good odds."

"Says the officer that ordered a blind jump."

"I can't do this," Cain said. "I can't afford to take leave for an operation and possibly more if my spine gets damaged."

"I'm not saying you have to do it right away Admiral," Cottle said. "But your back is getting worse. To be completely honest I am surprised your doctor on Tauron didn't recommend surgery immediately after the accident."

"He thought it would go away on its own in a few days, when I went back after a week, he prescribed some corticosteroids, which I have been taking since but they aren't helping anymore."

"There's really no other alternative that I can offer you, accept a back brace to help alleviate the pain. But I wish you would consider the surgery."

She was starting to remind him of Roslin. When he had told her that she had six months left, he advocated putting her on diloxin, but she'd refused. Just what he needed, another stubborn woman to replace the one they were losing.

"Thank you Doctor," Cain dismissed. "You've given me a lot to think about."

"Get dressed Admiral," he ordered as he stepped back through the curtain, closing it behind him to allow her some privacy.

Cain nodded as she retrieved her uniform form one the Life Station chair and began to dress herself. When she finished cladding herself in her uniform she stepped out from behind the curtain to see two marines standing in front of another curtain across the room.

"Excuse me," she inquired. "What's behind that curtain?"

"The President of the Colonies, sir," one of the guards volunteered.

"Really? Can I see her?"

"The Commander has given us strict orders only to let authorized personnel see her," one of the marines reported.

"I am the commanding officer of this fleet," the Admiral said. "I am sure those regulations don't apply to me."

"She is the highest ranked officer in the fleet," the other marine mentioned.

"Okay," the second marine nodded as he stepped aside. "Only for a few minutes sir."

"Thank you," Cain agreed as she stepped through the curtain. The pain in her back was returning and she doubled over slightly as she walked into the President's makeshift hospital room. She glanced at the form lying in the bed as she stood upright and walked to the foot of the bed.

This is what Adama calls "taken ill," she thought as she took in the ventilator and monitors surrounding the small body. For a moment she wondered what he thought near death looked like. Wearily she looked at the chart at the foot of the bed, she identified the patient as Laura Roslin and quickly scanned the medical history for any other pertinent information. Seeing all that she needed to see, Cain put the chart back in its proper place just in time for another wave of pain to hit her. As the muscles around her back began to spasm she fell forward, clutching the foot of the President's bed for support.

"Sir?" she heard one of the guards ask.

"I'm alrig…" Cain began as her knee gave out. One of the guards was immediately at her side taking her arm in an attempt to keep her upright.

"Get a wheelchair," he said to the other guard.

"It's really alright Lieutenant."

"Just taking precautions sir."

The other guard returned with a wheelchair and the Lieutenant helped Cain into it. As he was backing away Dr. Cottle came bursting through the curtain.

"What the hell happened?" Cottle said as he realized that the Admiral was sitting in the chair that had just been whisked away by one of the guards.

"Major Cottle, I'm fine," Cain insisted. "My back just acted up again."

"Can you give us a moment," Cottle requested. The guards left him and the Admiral with President Roslin. "I really wish you would consider the surgery. If your back gives out like this when you're in CIC…"

"I appreciate the thought Major," Cain said. "And I'll think about it. But right now I have a battlestar to acclimate into a new environment." She slowly began to push herself out of the chair feeling it roll back as she placed her feet on the ground. "I will take your statements under advisement."

She exited the curtained area, leaving Cottle alone with the President. Letting out an exasperated sigh Cottle turned to the President and smiled at her. "You better wake up soon," Cottle said. "I think you are a more bearable patient than the Admiral."

TBC  



	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Commander having read your logs, it appears you've been through quite an ordeal," Cain states from her position at the table. The surroundings of Cain's quarters where darker than Adama's. For a moment he wondered if he should request some more lights but decided against it.

"We had our moments," Adama began.

"Well you did yourselves proud," Cain commented.

"Thank you Admiral."

"As I told you we were tracking a Cylon fleet when we found Galactica and now that I've had a chance to compare their route to your ships logs, its quite clear that they've been following you." She moved from her place at the end of the table to stand next to Adama. She placed a few photos in front of them as she began to narrate. "Our recon so far tells us that the fleet is composed of two base ships, about a dozen or so support ships, and one large vessel that we are still unable to identify. It's this large ship here that I'm interested in," she gestured to a blurry spot along the photo. "What's its function? Is it a command control ship?"

"A raider factory?" Adama offered.

"Possibly, whatever it is, the Cylons are protecting it.

"This is what I call, a tempting target."

"Hmmm," Cain hummed relieved that she and Adama were on the same terms when it came to Cylons. "And here I was getting ready to do a whole song and dance about combining resources for a joint strike mission."

"Any chance of hitting the Cylons where it hurts? My pleasure. I'll have Apollo coordinate with your CAG."

"Which leads me to the next subject commander," Cain began. "I am going to integrate the crews, and I am starting by assigning Captain Adama to the Pegasus Airway."

"I have a team that works very well together," Adama insisted.

"Lets just cut through it shall we?" Cain's tone suddenly took on an oppressive quality. "After reviewing your logs, it has become my judgment that having your son as Galactica CAG has been a grave mistake. He's been subordinate…even mutinous, and these are direct quotes from your logs by the way…" she took out a file and began referencing it. For a moment she reminded him of his father back when he was a lawyer and would practice his closing arguments in his office before court. "And I dare say he's not he only one with disciplinary problems, there's a Kara Thrace that habitually strikes fellow officers and disobeys orders. This Lieutenant Agathon has fraternized and evidently impregnated an enemy agent." Adama couldn't look at her cold stare, it felt like knives where jabbing through his skin. "Must we even discuss your XO? So…," she handed him a sheet of paper. "There is a complete list of all the transfers."

"I thought you said you had no desire to interfere with my command?" Adama quoted as he cited the conversation they'd had when she's first came on board.

"I'm not finished yet," Cain began. "I know about the President. Taken ill?"

"I wasn't sure when to bring that up."

"Well, I found out yesterday when I was in your sickbay. She has cancer? She's was already dying at the time she was shot and you are keeping her alive via life support?"

"What would you have had us do?" Adama asked. "Let her bleed out on the flight deck?"

"Yes. You're out here with limited supplies and resources, some of the medicine you're using on the President would be put to better use if saved for another crewmember or civilian that had a better chance of surviving the journey."

"I couldn't just let her die."

"Commander it has come to my attention that you are too close with both your officers and the President. It's making you blind to their weaknesses and what's best for the fleet. Not mention cohesion and to morale."

"I don't agree," Adama stated.

Cain's gaze held his for a while before she spoke again. "Well that is certainly within your right. I didn't want it to come to this. I know the President has a living will, I'm afraid to say I'm going to have to override your power of attorney and pull the plug on her life support."

"You can't do that!" Adama's voice began to rise. "She's a civilian! The military can't interfere with a civilian's decision."

"She's also the President of the Colonies. Believe me, I don't want to lose anyone else either but you need to see that there is no point in keeping Laura alive when she'll die in a few weeks."

"Admiral, you can't be doing this? This doesn't involve you?"

"If it involves the future of the fleet, it involves me."

"But you can't terminate her life like this. You said you had no desire to interfere with my command. The President is on my ship…"

"The President's a public figure," Cain stated. "And I am not interfering with your command, I'm saving it." She pushed another paper towards him. "You have your orders."

Wearily Adama took the pieces of paper and stared at them blankly. The words blurred together. Part of him wanted to tear the one that concerned Laura up and throw it in her face. He wanted to tell her to go frak herself because there was no way that he was going to allow Laura to die any other way, than by her cancer. He shot her a dirty look as he took the orders and headed for the door.

Adama's eyes kept going between the orders and the two pilots standing before him. He silently handed each of their orders for transfer and waited as they read the document.

Lee was the first to speak. "Transfer to Pegasus?"

"Why the frak should we do that?" Starbuck asked.

"Because those are your orders," Adama answered plainly only to be met with a mix of two voices insulting Pegasus. While Adama couldn't say that he didn't blame them he couldn't stand hearing about CAGs and Cylon operations when all he wanted to do was get down to sickbay to meet with Cain and Dr. Cottle. "That's enough!" he shouted. "You're officers, act like it. She's given you an order you will carry it out."

"Permission to speak freely?" Starbuck requested.

"You may not!" Adama answered. "We've all gotten used to bending the rules, having our way, letting things slide. Well that's over. You wear the uniform you will accept the rules that go with it. You've been transferred. Pack your gear and report to the Pegasus CAG, dismissed."

"Taking the President off the respirator does not necessarily mean ending her life," Cottle said. "There were cases in the Colonies where a person survived for years without life support. But I don't this is the case with the President."

"Major, how much of your oxygen supply do you think the President has used already?" Cain asked, trying to make a point to the Commander standing next to her.

"Hard to say," Cottle said.

"An estimate," Cain began.

Had this woman ever met Laura? Bill started thinking about the time they'd vented all their water into space and Laura has asked Gaeta to guess. He remembered how he'd told her that he told his men not to guess. That he preferred to rely on fact. Sitting here listening to Cain reminded him so much of his meeting with Laura at the beginning of her presidency, before he knew about the cancer.

"About an sixteenth," Cottle guessed.

"And how much do you believe she would use if she remained in a coma for another three weeks?"

"An eighth," Cottle said. "And we'd still have plenty for the rest of the journey if used when needed."

"Commander?" Cain inquired, her voice sounding kind of sing-songy as she addressed him.

Taking a deep breath Bill began to speak. "I don't agree with the decision. Laura has a very specific living will where the conditions have yet to be met."

"Bill, trust me, you're relieving her from the pain of the physical world."

"I never pegged you as the religious type," Bill considered that statement for a moment, wondering if he ever would have seen the religious side of Laura if she hadn't been dying. Would he believe that the Gods would take her into their arms and allow her to rest with them? Would he ever meet her after he passed on?

Cain ignored the statement and continued to press onwards. "Let her go to the Elysian Fields," Cain insisted. "Let her be at peace. This is just as much for her as it is for the fleet."

Bill nodded as he pictured Laura covered with tubes and wires, sustained by the ventilator breathing for her. He couldn't imagine watching her die like that; it would be one thing if she woke up. Another if she just existed.

"Alright," Adama began. "Do it."

TBC


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14 

"The assault happened here," Adama pointed out to Cain as he stood in the middle of Life Station. Cain had informed him about Lieutenant Agathon and Chief Tyrol protecting the Cylon in the brig when Lieutenant Thorne had tried to rape her. He felt the need to applauded them for their action but something about Admiral Cain's voice made him rethink that notion. "They should face court martial on Galactica."

"Commander I am the senior convening authority present and they will be tried on Pegasus," Cain's voice came through the static.

"They're my men," Bill argued.

"One of my men is dead," Cain pointed out.

"Fine. We both have strong feelings about the case. That only underlines the need for an impartial trial."

"Oh you mean an independent tribunal? Because according to your logs Commander, you dissolved the independent tribunal when you didn't like the verdict, and if I'm not mistaken, Chief Tyrol was on trial there as well."

Adama hated how Cain was using all his past mistakes against him. He wondered if she had a photographic memory or tape recorded everything people said in order to recall it later. "That was a different time."

"Yes…it was…I'll be in touch commander, thank you."

Bill heard the familiar sounds of the wireless disconnecting and he held the speaker to his unit in his hand…wanting to break it. Throw it against a wall, anything to get his rage at Admiral Cain out. Annoyed he hung up the wireless and returned to Laura's bedside.

Taking a seat by Laura's bed he watched as her chest rose and fell. Its movement was shallower than it had been with the ventilator, but Bill was happy to see that she was breathing for herself. Bill looked at her face, so peaceful and undisturbed after they'd removed the ventilator.

"I know it's hard," he said taking her hand. "But you have to keep fighting. Please, Laura. Just keep fighting." He brought the back of her hand to his mouth and kissed it. He let out a deep breath as he fought the tears that threatened to fall down his face. Reaching up with his free hand he stroked her hair, making sure that it framed her face correctly. His hand flinched as Dr. Cottle came in with a syringe. Adama watched him intently as he moved towards Laura's IV, ready to inject her. "What is that?" he asked calmly.

"It's serazone," he reported. "I'm going to make an effort to slip her a dosage every few hours. It's my hope that chemical help might be as effective as mechanical." Adama nodded in response, "Don't tell Cain or she'll have my ass."

"I really didn't want to do this?" Adama confessed. "I don't think I can stand watching her die like this."

"The end has been coming for a long time," Cottle reminded him.

"I know, but that doesn't make this easier to deal with. I wish she would wake up so I could say goodbye."

"She's still strong. There's a good chance she will survive without the ventilator. We just have to keep a close eye on her respiration."

"Dammit, I can't believe the Admiral, she told me we should have let her die on the flight deck," Adama said, his eyes starting to tear. "I couldn't have done that. I couldn't have just let her die in my arms. What does that say about me?"

"You did all you could," Cottle said. "You love her, even I can see that."

"Then how can I just let her go?" Adama questioned.

"You aren't just letting her go," Cottle said. "You're here for her. You haven't gone into hiding. That says something."

"It hurts so much for me to see her like this."

"I know…I think you can use some rest commander…"

Bill nodded as he settled his hand on top of Laura's hand. He breathed as the warm skin of his forehead connection with her knuckles. Closing is eyes he allowed himself to drift away, holding onto her like a lifeline.

The chains clinked as the guards unhooked the Cylon from her restraints. Gaius watched as they set the restraints aside and stood up, looking to him for further instructions.

"Thank you," Baltar said. "Now get out!"

He watched as the door slid shut and the guards took their positions outside the door. He turned and looked back at the broken woman laying on the floor and the plate of food laying a few feet away from her. Taking off his coat he dropped it on the floor as he moved towards the wall. He crouched down so that he was in her line of site before he began speaking.

"The food is yours," Gaius stated. Immediately he noticed anxiety washing over her as she eyed the food. Poor thing probably hadn't eaten in weeks. "It's not a trick, I'm not gonna take it away at the last second." Sitting against the wall, he watched her wanted her to trust him. "I'm um…I'm just going to talk, right now. I don't expect you to say anything."

Taking a deep breath Gaius began to talk. "Back on Caprica, before the attack, and sometimes I forget there was a world before the attack. I knew someone. A woman, unlike any other woman that I had ever known. She was unique; beautiful, clever, intensely sexual. When she wasn't in my bed she was in my thoughts. She was a Cylon and she changed my life in a very real, very fundamental way. And quite literally I never stop thinking about her, because I love her. Till this very day I love her. And she looks exactly like you." The Cylon was still. Unmoving, at the sound of Baltar's voice. "My name is Gaius Baltar and I'm here to help you."

It was only when the Cylon didn't think that he was looking anymore did the Cylon move her hand from behind her back to reach for the fruit on the plate. Weakly pulling it towards her she moved the piece of fruit into her mouth and began to nibble on it. Gaius watched her out of the corner of his eye as his ears were greeted with a sniff. Was she crying? He could see her eyes were closed as she savored the flavors of the fruit and her face was turning towards the floor.

Gauis closed his eyes, letting his own anguish wash over him as he let his tears fall.

"Commander Adama, contact CIC asap."

The noise coming from the intercom shook Adama from his sleep. He glanced at Laura quickly, hoping she had the strength to hand on through whatever was about to come their way. Running to the wall he picked up the wireless.

"Adama."

"I just talked to Fisk," he heard his XO say. "The court martial is over."

"Over? When did it start?"

"I don't know, but they've been found guilty on all counts, she's gonna execute them both for murder and treason."

Anger flowed through Bills veins. First she forced several of his men to transfer, then she asked him to take Laura off the respirator, and now she was going to execute his men without a fair trial. Glancing down at the ground he fought back a scream. "I want a marine strike team in a raptor in five minutes. Prepare to launch alert fighters."

He returned the handset to its proper place and darted out the door. He walked briskly to CIC, pacing several crewman who wordlessly created holes for him. When he finally reached the CIC he ordered Dee to get him a secure channel. Steam was about to come through his ears if he didn't do something about this woman's oppressiveness right now.

"Pegasus this is Galactica, please secure channel, Commander Adama would like to speak to Admiral Cain," Dee reported to the Pegasus. Once it was confirmed that Admiral Cain was on the line Adama picked up the wireless and began venting his controlled rage.

"You told me they'd get a fair trail. What kind of trial could they have possibly gotten?"

"I assure you I heard them out. I weighed their statements against those of the guards and I took into consideration their service records and commendations. It was a difficult decision Commander, but I dare say it was a fair one."

"They have the right to have their case heard by a jury."

"I am a flag officer, in a detached service during a time of war. Regulations give me broad authority in this matter," Cain informed him.

That was it! That was the absolute last straw! He could not take this woman's arrogance one more minute. Covering the mouthpiece with his hand he turned to Dee, "Launch the fighters!" he ordered before uncovering the mouthpiece. "You can quote me any regulation you'd like. I'm not gonna let you execute my men."

"I highly suggest you rethink that statement," Cain advised. There was a brief lull in the conversation and Adama knew that Fisk had discovered the raptor and vipers on dradis. "Commander…" her voice once again took on that matronly tone that he hated to the pit of his core. He was a Commander in the Colonial Fleet. He didn't need his mother telling him what to do. "Why are you launching vipers?"

"Please arrange for Chief Tyrol and Lieutenant Agathon to be handed over to my marines as soon as they arrive."

"I don't take orders from you!" Cain hissed.

"Call it whatever you'd like, I'm getting my men."

"You are making such a mistake."

"I'm getting my men." Adama said. He waited a few seconds for her to start replying, but when no response came he slammed the phone down. He'd had enough of this woman and her power hungry attitude. Something needed to be done about her. He stood still ready to give the next order, should Cain challenge their vipers.

A minute later he had his answer. "Sir," Dee began. "Pegasus just launched her vipers."

TBC 


End file.
