Battlestar Galactica - Destiny, page 21
The two warrior women hurried down the corridor on a mission of life. The unspoken bond between them was that rioters or looters would do well to steer clear of them. They were in no mood to put up with any crap from anyone.
All that mattered was the truth beating in the heart of a brave woman: The blood is the life.
20
Apollo sensed the call deep within him. This was the force he’d been unable to explain to Salik. It gave the universe meaning.
He felt sorry for those not attuned to the vibrations that kept life in harmony between the universe outside the head and the one within. They might go through the motions of various religions and philosophies, but ultimately did not believe in purposes beyond themselves. Then there were the other tragic cases who heard the music of the spheres—but instead of sweet music it was only a cacophony ripping apart their nerves. They sought to impose their own specious version of order on forces ordered at a level beyond their wildest imaginings. They were the dark mystics who confused their inner darkness for an inner light.
Apollo counted himself fortunate that when he made his intuitive leaps he usually didn’t disappear into pitfalls of his own making. It all came down to a question of balance.
If Sire Uri had acted more decisively, then the big gamble would have failed. It wouldn’t have helped that Apollo accurately gauged the psychology of the other conspirators. He had taken the chance because his intuition nudged him in the right direction. The bet was that the cowardice of the many would neutralize any suicidal courage of the few.
As he watched the conspirators rounded up courtesy of a warrior on the spot with an S-cube unit, he said a silent prayer of thanks to the example set by his father. Even as a child Apollo realized that the most important gambling was not done in a game of pyramid. He never enjoyed games the way that Starbuck did.
Games were not an end in themselves but practice for the challenges that try men’s souls. He learned how to gamble the serious way from the example set by Adama.
Thoughts of his father drew him back to the star chamber as saligium would be drawn by a magnet. If Cassie met him there, all well and good. If this was to be time alone, that was also good.
There were times when the only person Apollo really needed was Adama. When Sire Uri made his move, Apollo silently kicked himself that fleet security had been asleep at the switch. If they did not face the immediate peril, heads would roll. But under the circumstances, Apollo neither had the time nor the will to punish anyone.
His leadership style was based on sharing information with his closest confidants. But he’d kept from Athena and Tigh one fear when he made the decision to call Sire Uri’s bluff. If the conspirators had really had it together, one of them would have rigged the gyro-capacitors to instantly transfer the destructive force of unleashed tylium to every other engine system in the fleet and there would have been no survivors.
Baltar would have thought of that. Apollo was glad that Baltar wasn’t part of this scheme. It wasn’t necessary to check on all the conspirators to see if Baltar was among them. Uri’s plan was so bone-headed that Apollo knew from the start that Baltar couldn’t be part of it. Whatever was going on with his old foe remained a mystery for now.
As Apollo entered the star chamber, he marveled at something he’d seen countless times, but which now seemed brand new. What had he been missing all these years?
The place was beautiful. And it provided a great eye by which to observe the beauties of the heavens.
In the middle of chaos he’d found a profound quiet. This place was a momentary sanctuary from the gathering storm. Why was the eye of the storm the most tranquil location?
Looking up at the stars, he wondered what his forefathers would have thought of all this? Space ships were marvelous inventions, weren’t they? And humanity had a supreme destiny, didn’t it? If the colonials had been left unmolested on the home worlds they never would have inherited the stars.
How many times had human beings reached this point in their evolution? How many had abused the powers that could carry them in chariots of fire to the sky? Those same fires could burn a world to ash. At least the colonials had one reason for pride. They did not burn their own worlds. The Cylons did.
And what of Earth? Had other humans been in the situation of the colonials and made it there? Had the situation ever been reversed with those born on Earth searching for a haven elsewhere? Were there people out there who never forgot anything they learned? Could they be found?
The questions were as many as the stars. The older he got, the more Apollo was content with a few answers. Just a few.
In the most ancient room in the fleet, hidden away in the vastness of the Galactica, Apollo sat in his father’s chair. It always struck him as strange that he could be so at peace when surrounded by hatred and cruelty. Maybe that was the secret to peace.
He closed his eyes and tried to put away all the madness where it couldn’t touch him. It was good to be here and know who he was.
When he opened his eyes, Adama was standing in front of him. It had been such a very long time.
“All things eventually work together to serve the highest good,” said Adama in the voice that had chased away the demons from Apollo when he was only six and frightened of imaginary goblins that could never compete with the Cylons for ferocity.
The welcome image of solemn wisdom continued: “Trust your knowing which is not exactly the same as knowledge. Observe the sequence of events unfolding with both your mind and heart.”
Apollo couldn’t waste this opportunity. “Father, I’ve never understood how these recordings of yours are cued to our circumstances here in the future, after your death. There must be something more to your visitations.”
“Your quest is not over,” said Adama.
“Our enemies are both inside and outside the fleet.”
“You have carried on where I left off, my son.”
Suddenly Apollo felt that this long desired dialogue contained too many generalities. His next remark was precise: “What I’ve never been able to understand is why a race would pursue humanity across the universe just to destroy us.”
“They are afraid of humanity,” said Adama. “Hatred and fear are twins inside the core matrix.”
That was plenty specific! Apollo went on. “But why this endless war?”
“Count Iblis!” answered his father. “When the original race killed his body they did not end the danger of his tremendous intelligence. All they succeeded in doing was to transform him into a god capable of projecting his ethereal body into any form he chose.”
“I believe it’s all coming to an end,” said Apollo. “The Cylons war among themselves but they agree on destroying us. Will we face two separate Cylon armadas?”
“You ask about future events,” said Adama.
“I’m sorry if that is an error. May I ask a question about yourself?”
“No.”
That surprised Apollo. This was the first completely satisfying exchange he’d had with the sum total of his father’s knowledge. He was dying to know how this was possible. It wasn’t the same as when he’d had the telepathic communications with living Gamon. It wasn’t like his brief but intense communications with higher spirits emanating from the Lords of Kobol. He wanted to know something of the mechanism in use.
Then Apollo had a horrible thought. It was the most disturbing moment of his life, but it was a possible explanation.
“It can’t be,” he whispered.
“What can’t be?” asked the figure.
“Would you dare?” demanded Apollo, rising to his feet. “Are you Count Iblis pretending to be my father?”
The figure seemed to flicker for a moment as if the force of Apollo’s rage released the energy of a pulse rifle. When the voice spoke, it had lost none of its authority.
“My son, only you can answer that question. Would Count Iblis tell you what I have told you? You must trust your own inner light and have faith in what you find there.”
Apollo lurched forward and did something rare for him. He lost his footing and came crashing down. When he regained his footing the image of his father was gone. But Apollo wasn’t alone.
“Are you all right?” asked Cassie.
“I think so. I just had a scare.”
“Can you tell me about it?” she asked, coming over and holding him by the waist.
“No, it’s all right. I just followed some good advice and I’m all right. Tell me, do I look like someone who could mistake someone I love with a monster from hell?”
Cassie was taken aback. “You sure know how to put a girl at ease. Since you ask, you’re the last man in this galaxy anyone should try to trick.”
“Thanks,” he said. “So why are you here?”
She couldn’t stop laughing. “You asked me, silly.”
“Oh, that’s right,” he replied, mortified.
She placed her hand against his forehead and he asked why she was doing that. “To see if you have a fever!”
“Do I?”
“No, but I wouldn’t be surprised after what you’ve been doing to yourself lately. I heard about the run-in with the council.”
“Rumors are running wild. I’ll tell everyone what actually happened when I make my speech. We had a close call and everyone’s nerves are frayed.”
“Like yours! Come on, let’s sit down. The star chamber is one of my favorite places.”
She led him to the same place where she and Starbuck had done such a fine job of communicating.
“You’re very beautiful,” he said out of the blue.
“Why, Apollo, I can’t remember the last time you gave me a compliment like that.”
He took her hand. “This is one of my favorite places, too. Here I can see things clearly. I want to tell you how much I miss you.”
He could sense the emotions surging underneath her gentle and tender exterior. “I miss you,” she said in a less flirtatious tone of voice. Something was moving inside her.
“Would you mind holding me again?” he asked.
This time she did not merely place her hands on his waist. She wrapped herself around him and said, “Lean back.”
It was at times like this that he really appreciated the law of gravity. He looked deeply into Cassie’s unfathomable eyes.
Whatever was happening was too intense for her. She looked away even as she continued holding onto him.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. “Or maybe I should ask what’s right? You seem different somehow.”
He felt that there was a profound sadness inside her and yet it somehow co-existed with joy and a sense of peace. She felt his spirit probing into her secret places.
“Apollo, you have the gift of seeing. What can a girl do with you?”
The tension was broken, but they also moved apart and sat up, still deliberately close together as if they had just made love instead of encountering a barrier.
“You know that Starbuck is on the list to stay behind,” she said.
“I know every name on the list,” he said quietly. Apollo tenderly touched her face and wiped away a tear. She turned away and he said, “Something else is wrong. What more do you need to tell me?”
“The truth,” she said. “Starbuck and I made love, right here where we are sitting.”
Apollo took a deep breath and gathered himself. “Go on,” he said.
She did. “You know how a number of older, single people are volunteering to take the place of unlucky mothers and children who made the first cut of the list. I know you support that.”
“Of course. That was one more reason the council went crazy because they knew no one would volunteer to take them off.”
“I’ve made a decision about Starbuck,” she said, choking.
“Go on.”
After swallowing hard, she produced a torrent of words. He let her get it out of her system.
"Apollo, my making love to Starbuck again wasn’t planned. It just happened. I never meant to hurt you. No one has been more fair than you about the crazy triangle we’re in. But I was feeling alone and helpless and I needed someone. No, that’s not exactly true. I’m lying to myself. Something within me wanted it to happen. I still love him, even with all his flaws and. . .and those agendas of his! I’ve tried so hard to move on with my life, but I always seem to leave him behind. I’m exhausted trying to. I need to be with him now, more than ever. He’s going to need me. So I’ve decided to stay behind with him even though I have a way out. Please forgive me. If the worst happens and he’s going to die, then I want to be with him.”
She sobbed out the last few words and then started crying. Apollo waited several beats to make certain that she had said it all.
“I admire you, Cassie. But what about the child?”
"I want him to stay with me and the nurse.”
“Yes, of course.”
She stood first. “Please understand that I love you more than any other man in my life except Starbuck. I finally realized that no one could ever take his place in my heart. Please forgive me.”
"There’s nothing to forgive,” he said, rising to join her.
She kissed him once with just a touch from the tip of her tongue and then hurriedly left the chamber. He could tell that she couldn’t keep the tears bottled up much longer.
He watched her leave without ever telling her the personal news he’d received from Gar’Tokk right before the council tried its grandstand play. Koren was also staying behind even though his name was not on the list. The pride Apollo felt was hard to express.
As Apollo gazed up at the magnificent starfield, he realized that the last thing in the universe that he wanted to do was work on another damned speech. Life had to be more than just stringing words together.
There was something wet on his face. That discovery broke open his reservoir and he wept from the depths of his soul.
Duty was Apollo’s taskmaster and truest lover. He arrived on schedule for the speech. The Council of Twelve was being held under arrest, along with their fellow criminals who assisted them. The portion of the council’s armed escort that refused to join in the mutiny against the fleet was still in uniform and had been absorbed into other police functions.
Apollo enjoyed entering the council chamber for the first time in his life because every council member was tied up and gagged. Although the civilians in attendance were agitated, they enjoyed the spectacle of the bound aristocrats and that helped maintain order. Apollo insisted that there would be no more closed meetings. The newly elected officials were also there, full of respect and healthy fear for the commander of the fleet who had saved them all yet again. They appreciated how Apollo handled the latest crisis.
In short order, Apollo told everyone present and all those listening over TransVids what Sire Uri and his goons had tried to get away with. By the time he was finished, the crowd had something else to think about than the lottery.
“Space the fracking mugjapes,” shouted one angry grandmother. “That is if you can get their fat asses into the airlocks!”
Apollo held up his hand and restored order more quickly than usual. There was nothing like a bout of heroics to make the people take notice.
“I’ve done Sire Uri the favor of keeping his mouth shut,” said Apollo. “I’m doing him and the Council of Twelve a favor because if they spew forth any kind of defense of their actions I don’t believe we have enough warriors and police to protect them from all of youl” The crowd went wild with cheers.
Apollo summed it up: “Their attempt to hold us hostage and blow up the fleet is the last time they will cause trouble.”
“Are you going to execute them?” screamed a voice from the back of the room.
He’d thought long and hard on that subject. “I leave that to all of you. But I suggest you calm down before you decide. As for my position, martial law saved us from an internal attack that would have destroyed us as completely as an attack by the Cylons. We survived. Now we must move on.”
“What about the lottery?” asked a young girl.
“I assure you that your lottery decisions will be honored. I salute those of you who are volunteering to stay behind so that others may be removed from the loser’s list. I also salute those of you who are choosing to stay behind because of love and loyalty to others. You have proven by your example that democracy can work.”
He looked disdainfully at the sweating faces of the council members straining against their bonds and mumbling behind their gags. “These men didn’t believe you could measure up,” said Apollo. “They thought that most of you are dumb animals ready to tear apart society if you don’t get your way. You have proven them wrong. Only a minority of you rioted. When it came down to the crunch it was they who acted in a truly uncivilized fashion. They threatened everyone, which the rioters didn’t.”
The applause was loud and sustained.
Apollo looked around to see if Cassie was in the crowd but didn’t see her. No matter. Wherever she was in the fleet, she would hear what he said next.
“Now I come to my main announcement. I have decided to stay behind as well.” The crowd had been through a lot lately but still could come up with a collective gasp.
Tigh said, “Oh, no.” Apollo heard that loud and clear because his old friend was sitting next to him.
“Apollo!” a small voice cried out over the noise of the crowd. There she was at last, Cassie waving and crying. But now there was a different quality to her tears.
Suddenly Apollo felt a hand on his shoulder. It was as if Starbuck appeared at his side by magic.
“You’re a hero,” he said.
“Look who’s talking!” said Apollo.
Starbuck laughed and hugged his best friend. “We’re probably out of our minds,” he said, “but facing death with you is my idea of a happy ending.”
Apollo had a little more information for his bud: “Take good care of her, Starbuck. You two deserve a chance for real happiness.”
The joy on Starbuck’s face began to fade like a light going out. “What are you driving at?”
