Apollo’s trip to Kobol seemed like heaven in his memory, but the events following his departure made him feel as if his soul had dropped into the deepest pits of hell. Once away from the surface of Kobol, Apollo’s senses were once again useless to him as his disembodied spirit blindly wondered through space. The nearest object that Apollo’s consciousness was able to locate seemed to be quite a distance away. He wasn’t even sure of whether he was heading in the right direction to find the fleet or if he was wondering back toward the colonies. Then again, he was afraid that he might be taking a course altogether different.

The trip to the first planet he was able to locate made Apollo feel as though he may never reach it at all. He could not judge how much time passed as he pulled himself onward, but he knew that a great deal of time had indeed passed since he was left with nothing to do except think to himself the entire time. There was never a moment when he could take a break from his thoughts since his consciousness apparently didn’t need any kind of rest or sleep. Apollo was glad when he sensed that he was very near to his destination, because he was beginning to exhaust his subjects for thought.

Just as had been the case when he arrived at Kobol, Apollo’s body materialized just as he came into contact with the surface of the planet. He almost felt like bending down and kissing the ground after such a long time spent drifting through space. He took a moment to breath in the fresh air the planet offered. He had identified the planet as one that the fleet had passed early on in the voyage when his sight had returned as he neared the planet. They had encountered a small agricultural community on the planet before, so Apollo began to stretch out his consciousness in an attempt to locate it. Disappointment enveloped him as his consciousness wrapped itself around the entire planet without detecting any signs of civilization.

Realization struck Apollo like a shot from a Cylon laser rifle, taking most of his air with it. He realized that he had found the way to project his consciousness from one place to another, but he had neglected to learn how to control a shift through time. He sat down on the ground and tried to think of how he could accomplish such a thing, but the effort of thought after what he had just been through exhausted him. So much so that he stretched out right there on the ground and fell into a deep sleep.

When Apollo finally awoke, he briefly hoped that everything he had been through was a dream. However, one look around him told him that it was not to be. He was going to begin trying to move through time right away, but a more immediate need made itself known. He stood and stretched before heading off in the direction of a stream he had located while searching for signs of life the day before. His experiments with time travel would have to wait until his body got the food and water it was demanding.

Apollo lost count of how many days had passed since he began his experiments. After a while it ceased to matter to him. Nothing he had tried seemed to work at all. The results had weakened his spirits, but still he tried. Over and over again he tried. Once his determination had given out, still he continued driven by instinct alone. His humanity had given way to the animal that was Apollo, an animal pushed to attain what it was programmed to search for in order to survive.

Nearly a yahren had passed and still the creature Apollo had become searched for what it needed. On and on it went, the humanity that he still had being slowly destroyed. It continued until a day more than one and a half yahren after his arrival on the planet, when something reminded him of just how human he was.

The voices in Apollo’s head had started suddenly and without warning. They laughed at him and mocked his efforts to attain something which was so obviously beyond his grasp. He tried to shut them off, but the voices would not be denied their fun. Apollo began to argue out loud with the voices, but they never allowed him to win even one argument. He never gained a moment of freedom as the voices constantly berated him and pointed out even the smallest of his shortcomings.

The voices Apollo heard didn’t even cease while he slept, which made his dreams disturbing and caused him never to awaken feeling rested. Apollo was being stripped bare. He was the only major life form on the entire planet and yet he found no moment of privacy unto himself.

Two yahren after his arrival on the planet, Apollo ran madly across the landscape as if he were trying to outrun the voices that spoke to him. Exhaustion finally claimed him and he fell to his knees just short of a stream. His body screamed for water even as the voices urged him to do the universe a favor and stop trying to sustain himself. He was not yet ready to give up the fight entirely, so he used ever bit of strength he had left to drag himself over to the bank of the stream. His hand dipped into the cool water and captured a small bit of it before raising it to his mouth. He repeated the action several times until his need was saturated. Still exhausted, Apollo looked down at the stream and was stopped so suddenly that even the constant voices were silent.

Apollo looked down at the water and the reflection of the wild haired beast he had become stared back at him. For the first time in what seemed like forever, it was his own voice Apollo heard in his head as it asked, How did it come to this? Then the voices reasserted themselves as the laughter of the universe filled his head, and Apollo, his brief moment of clarity gone, once again resumed his attempt to escape the reach of the voices.

Apollo had run for an entire day before his body revolted against him and collapsed in a heap with his lungs struggling to suck in enough oxygen to keep him alive. With the level of exhaustion that Apollo had forced upon his body, it was not long after his collapse that he drifted off to yet another fitful sleep.

Apollo dreams were a replay of what he had gone through during the day. He was running across the land while the voices tortured him with every stride when he fell to the ground once again and crawled to the same stream he had visited earlier in the day. This time however, as he stared at his own reflection in the water, it was not the usual voices he heard speaking to him. Looking up, he saw Sheba looking down at him, but the thing that shocked him the most was that she had Count Iblis on her arm. They both looked at him and shook their heads with disappointment at him.

"You see what he is really like now, don’t you?" Iblis asked her.

"To think that I could have ever thought of loving something like him," Sheba said. "He is barely even human any more."

"Quite frankly," Iblis said, "even I didn’t think a man could manage to sink so low. You should be ashamed of yourself, Apollo. To think that you would dare present yourself to the woman you claimed to love while looking and acting the way you are."

"Well," Sheba said, "I’m glad I found out about you before we actually went through with that sealing ceremony."

"Come Sheba," Count Iblis said with a sour look at Apollo. "Let us leave the presence of this animal and resume our relationship together."

"I would be happy to do that," Sheba said as they turned to go. "I have seen quite enough of him."

As they began to walk away together, Apollo wanted to get up and ran toward them to save Sheba from Iblis’ evil, but he found that he was unable to move his legs. The voices came back to him, though much softer than they normally were, and began to laugh at Apollo’s inability to save Sheba.

Apollo was able to ignore the voices as his concern for Sheba dominated his attention. Apollo watched and just as the two were beginning to fade into the mist on the horizon, he saw Iblis change into his true form and embrace Sheba. Apollo could do nothing but stretch his hands out toward her and scream, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

A familiar voice filled Apollo’s head as he struggled to fight through the cloud that seemed to fill his mind. In addition to the voice, Apollo began to feel a gentle shaking of his body.

"Apollo," Sheba said softly, "are you ever going to wake up enough to report for duty again?"

Apollo’s eyes sprang open as the realization hit him that it was Sheba he was hearing. The surprised look on his face and the way he shot up to a sitting position made Sheba recoil slightly.

"Sheba!" Apollo said, still surprised.

"Expecting someone else?" Sheba asked knowing that Apollo was still trying to clear away the fog of the dream he had been having.

"What time is it?" Apollo asked as things began to clear.

"Time for a certain commander to wake up and retake responsibility for the fleet," Sheba said with a smile. "Your one day of vacation is over, and you are late for your duty shift."

"Someone should have called me over the com system and woken me up," Apollo said.

"I tried," Sheba said. "Whatever it was you were dreaming about must have really been something to keep you asleep through the noise the com alert makes."

Apollo rubbed his eyes and said, "It sure was. It seemed so real I actually believed it was."

"Well, you’ll have to tell me about it sometime," Sheba said, "but right now you have to get dressed and I have to get back to the bridge before they send someone to look for the both of us."

Sheba gave Apollo a light kiss and stood and walked out of the room. Apollo watched her go as the last of the fog departed from his mind. He got out of bed and walked to the bathroom to wash his face, and he shook his head still not believing how real his dream had seemed.

Apollo stood before the mirror and took a good look at himself. A few splashes of cold water refreshed his skin much as it had the last time he had stood at the sink. Remembering that made Apollo think about his father and what he had read about his younger days as a cadet at the academy. It made him wish that his father were still with him, since he thought Adama would get a real laugh out of the dream he had just had.

Apollo decided that, since he was already late for duty, he could afford to take the time for a quick shower. Grabbing the bottom of his bed shirt, Apollo lifted it over his head. Apollo felt his breath catch as he noticed the distinct feeling of something hanging around his neck and falling back against his chest when the bed shirt loosened its grip on it.

Apollo looked down at the object that he had no memory of putting on and a chill of recognition ran straight down his spine. Hanging there from a thin piece of leather was the tiny container holding the Maiden Flower seed that Tamura had given to him in his dream. Yet, unless he was still dreaming, the container was unmistakably real. Apollo’s legs almost buckled as the realization hit him. It hadn’t been a dream at all. He had actually been to Kobol and discovered a part of his family he had never known. But, if that part of what he had thought to be a dream was true, then the rest must have been true as well. A chill ran down Apollo’s back as he remembered the madness he had sank into. He braced himself expecting the voices to begin torturing him once again, but the microns passed and silence persisted in his head. In fact, Apollo began to feel a soothing peacefulness wash over him.

Uncounted microns passed as Apollo stared at himself in the mirror with wonderment at the serenity he felt. Within his mind were two yahren worth of memories of intense mental horror, but they affected him no more than if he were reading them from a computer file. Every weakness and fear that he had within him had been brought to the surface during those two yahren. Apollo had battled with them all, and finally conquered each of them to find his way back to his humanity. It was an experience that Apollo hoped he would not have to repeat.

Apollo couldn’t wait to tell Sheba the whole story about what had happened to him, but as he strolled onto the bridge he knew he would have to contain his excitement until they were both off duty and in private. He walked to the command deck and asked Sheba for a status report.

Sheba was just telling Apollo about a shuttle that had to be taken off of the duty roster for repairs when Rigel suddenly said, "Commander, I have an incoming message. It isn’t coming from within the fleet sir."

A hush fell over the bridge as everyone wondered who it could be. A transmission from one of the viper patrols would have passed through the flight controller, so it had to be a message from someone outside of the fleet. They had been following the course dictated by the recordings from the communications bubble, so it was possible the transmission had come from earth or someone who knew where it was.

Apollo was full of that hope as well, though he tried not to show it. The last thing he wanted to do was contribute to raising the hopes of his crew only to have them dashed.

Apollo hesitated as long as he dared before motioning for Rigel to put the message through to his monitor. The instant the face of the person sending the message appeared, Apollo knew that it was a message he wished he didn't have to receive.

"Baltar!" Apollo exclaimed.

"Are you really that surprised to see me?" Baltar countered. "Surely you didn't think that stranding me on that desolate planet would be the last you ever saw of me. Now, go and get Adama so that I can see the look on his face when he realizes that the time of my revenge is at hand."

"That is one pleasure you will never have," Apollo said.

"Just get him and we'll see about that," Baltar said with a sneer.

"You don't understand, Baltar," Apollo said flatly. "My father died more than two yahren ago."

Baltar's face suddenly contorted into a look of mixed surprise and pain. His mouth moved as if to speak, but no words escaped. Then, after partially regaining his composure, he said, "That can't be true. He can't be dead."

"Funny that you should think him to be immortal when you have spent so much time trying to kill him," Apollo retorted. "I'm in command here now so if you have something to say, you can say it to me. Otherwise you can stop wasting my time."

Baltar regained control of himself after hearing that Apollo was the new commander. His usual sinister smile spread across his face once again as he said, "You? Well, I must admit I thought I would be facing a more worthy opponent, but I suppose my victory will be sweet enough anyway."

"Those are big words coming from someone who has yet to prove he's more than a second rate commander in command of third rate soldiers," Apollo said knowing that it would only serve to anger Baltar.

The look on Baltar's face showed that the comment had indeed produced the effect that Apollo had intended. The other effect Apollo was hoping for was to make Baltar get to the point of his call sooner, and it did that as well.

"We'll see who gets the last laugh, Apollo," Baltar seethed. "I know where you are, and there will soon be a sufficient Cylon force in this sector to insure that your entire precious fleet is turned to dust."

"You had better throw the entire Cylon war machine at us if you want to do that," Apollo said. "Surely you must have been informed of how badly your Cylon friends were routed the last time they tried to tangle with us. By the time you get here, you’ll be facing four entire squadrons of those types of ships."

"I read he report of the last battle," Baltar said. "Frankly, I think it’s all a bunch of felgercarb. It wouldn’t be the first time a baseship commander exaggerated the strength of the opposition in order to make a loss seem more understandable."

"Then by all means," Apollo said with a sinister smile of his own, "feel free to get in you own ship and come out to meet us. I think we can make a believer out of you."

"I think not, Apollo," Baltar said. "I’m not going to waste my time with a minor skirmish when I will soon be able to destroy the entire fleet in one blow with the power of six baseships at my command."

"Well, I promise to leave at least one intact after the battle," Apollo said. "After all, someone has to report your failure back to Cylon. Maybe then they’ll give up their pursuit and leave us alone."

"We shall see my friend," Baltar said smiling. "We shall see."

Baltar’s image disappeared from the screen as the transmission was terminated. Everyone on the bridge remained still, wondering how Apollo was going to get them through a battle with six baseships alive. They were also wondering where he was going to get four squadrons worth of the new viper.

Apollo took a moment to catch his breath before taking command of the situation and saying, "Rigel, put the fleet on alert for an imminent attack. Tell Commander Omega to get the Viper prototype ready for another battle test. Get Starbuck over to the science ship and ready to launch at a moments notice."

"You’re not thinking of doing what I think you are, are you?" Sheba asked.

"I’m afraid so," Apollo responded.

"If they attack in force," Sheba said, "Starbuck may be outgunned fifty to one if not more."

"We don’t have any choice," Apollo said. "Right now, Baltar doesn’t have any respect for the power of the new viper. I have to give him a demonstration to insure that he’ll wait for the remainder of his forces before trying another attack. I just gave him the idea that we may have four squadrons equipped with the new viper, but since I really only have one to work with it will have to do for now. Besides, think of Starbuck’s ego when he returns from taking on the Cylons alone."

"If he returns," Sheba said a bit skeptical that even the new viper could get him through unscathed.

"Relax," Apollo said confidently. "That viper may not be the only trick I have up my sleeve. If it would make you feel any better though, have Blue Squadron in the launch bay on standby."

"How do you know that they will attack now," Rigel asked after making the calls Apollo had asked he to.

"Because Baltar said they wouldn’t," Apollo responded. "When it comes to Baltar, it’s best to believe the exact opposite of just about everything he says. Besides, he says he knows where we are. That means he’s close by, and he wouldn’t let us know that unless he was going to try to destroy the fleet on his own. Baltar never was one who liked to share credit with anyone else unless he has to. He just sent that transmission in an attempt to gloat before what he’s hoping is his moment of glory."

"Still, I don't know if it's such a good idea to underestimate him," Sheba said.

"Trust me," Apollo said with a knowing smile that made Sheba curious as to what it meant. "I'm going to enter this all into my journal now, so have Starbuck call me as soon as he gets to the science ship."

Apollo then turned and left everyone on the bridge hoping that he did indeed have a good plan that they had yet to hear.

Lucifer studied Baltar’s face intently as the communication with the colonials ended. On it, he could see the familiar arrogant smirk of confidence. What interested him more was the look that had replaced it momentarily as he spoke with Apollo. He could have sworn that it had been a look of sorrow and disappointment. A Cylon would have considered it good fortune to learn of the death of an enemy, but Lucifer knew that Baltar was not a Cylon, and therefore had different motivations.

"Lucifer," Baltar said taking him away from his thoughts. "How long before we can be in range of the fleet?"

"About a senton if they do not make any major course adjustments that we are unable to track," Lucifer responded.

"Good," Baltar said with a wicked grin. "Have two squadrons of raiders ready for an attack on the fleet. The remaining raiders will launch shortly after the first wave to attack the vipers when they have used up most of their fuel engaging the first two squadrons."

"Then you plan to attack the fleet before the other baseships arrive?" Lucifer asked.

"Apollo now thinks he has time to prepare as we wait for reinforcements," Baltar said. "An attack now will catch them off guard and force them to believe that we have already been reinforced."

"And what happens when our raiders encounter four squadrons of ships like the one in the report?" Lucifer asked.

"To be quite honest, I have a hard time believing the truthfulness of that report," Baltar said.

"A Cylon baseship commander would not have falsified a battle report," Lucifer said.

"I think you underestimate what lengths even a Cylon commander will go to in order to cover up such an embarrassing defeat," Baltar said smugly. "Even if the colonials have designed a new ship, I seriously doubt it can come anywhere close to that report. Consider this attack a probe of their defenses. If we manage to destroy the Galactica in the process then so be it."

"Is it not logical to believe that Commander Apollo will be expecting an attack?" Lucifer asked.

"I doubt it," Baltar said. "Even if he is, he is certainly not Adama. It should be no problem to coordinate an attack to defeat him."

"Hmmm," Lucifer said to himself more than anyone else.

"What was that, Lucifer?" Baltar asked.

"By your command," Lucifer responded as he turned to go. He had just learned why the look of disappointment had crossed Baltar’s face. For Baltar, the destruction of the fleet had always been a secondary concern. His real aim had always been to defeat Adama in battle. Having found the fleet once again, he believed he would get another opportunity to try to prove he was a better commander. However, it was Adama that had scored the final victory. In a way, Lucifer was glad Adama had been the one to win that final battle. He hated to see Baltar gain more favor within the empire than was necessary.

Apollo sat at the desk in his office waiting for the call from Starbuck. What he was planning would have to be carried out with the greatest of care. In past yahren, some might have wondered if Starbuck was the proper choice for such a mission. In fact, at that time even Apollo might have questioned the decision to hand so much responsibility over to a fly by the seat of his pants hot shot like Starbuck. Apollo knew better though. Since becoming the strike wing commander, Starbuck had developed a much more conscientious attitude while still hanging on to an incredible amount of skill and inventiveness in his flying.

The monitor on Apollo’s desk sounded, letting him know that there was an incoming transmission for him. Hitting the button to accept the message, Apollo saw Starbuck’s face appear in front of him. Apollo had to admit that he didn’t have the same look of confidence he usually carried with him.

"I just got to the science ship," Starbuck said. "I hope you’re going to tell me this is all some kind of drill."

"No such luck old friend," Apollo said.

"Listen, Apollo," Starbuck said seeming a bit nervous, "I know I’ve said many times that I felt like I could take on the whole of the Cylon war machine, but I hope you understand that was just an expression."

"I know," Apollo said with a slight grin. "That’s why I’m only asking you to take on one baseship."

"Now look, Apollo," Starbuck said, "Sheba says you told Baltar he would be facing four full squadrons of these vipers. You have to know he’ll send everything he has against us."

"It should really put the fear of the Lords into him when his entire force is destroyed by only one viper then," Apollo said. "Showing such strength is the only thing that may keep the rest of the baseships from attacking. We have to make them believe that such an attack would result in defeat."

"Great idea," Starbuck said. "The only thing that you don’t seem to have factored in is that we actually have to defeat this group first."

"Nevertheless," Apollo said, "It has to be done."

"Great," Starbuck said. "I hadn’t planned on becoming a martyr today is all."

"Relax," Apollo said, "you’ll be fine."

"I wish I could believe that," Starbuck said, the strain plainly evident on his face.

"It may seem like it," Apollo said, "but you’ll never be alone during this battle. I’ll be with you always, Starbuck."

Starbuck knew that Apollo was only speaking figuratively about being with him during the fight, but looking at the calm on Apollo’s face was strangely reassuring to him. Apollo’s calm washed over Starbuck and made him believe that, somehow, Apollo would indeed be watching over him.

"Well," Starbuck said finally, "you had better have a drink waiting for me when I get back."

"I sure will," Apollo responded. "After that maybe we can take a trip over to the rising star and unwind for a few sentons. My treat."

"Careful, Commander," Starbuck said with a grin. "I’m going to hold you to that."

"I look forward to it," Apollo said. "See you then."

Starbuck’s grin widened into a smile as the connection between them was severed. There was work to be done. Starbuck headed to his viper, and Apollo headed for his place on the bridge.

Apollo walked onto the bridge and could feel the crew's tension hanging in the air like a morning mist. He knew that they were all doubtful of his plan to send Starbuck out alone against the Cylons. He would have liked to share the full scope of his plan with them all, but the second half of the battle plan was not something he wanted to reveal to anyone just yet.

"Status?" Apollo asked Sheba as he mounted the command platform.

"We just picked up what we believe to be a Cylon baseship at the edge of one of our long range scans," Sheba said.

"Is Blue squadron ready to launch if needed," Apollo asked.

"Yes," Sheba said. "And every member of every other squadron has also reported and are standing by at their vipers if needed."

Apollo looked at Sheba with a questioning look and Sheba responded by saying, "None of them were ordered to, but when they found out what Starbuck was going against there was no stopping them."

A smile spread across Apollo's face and he said, "It's good to see that sense of loyalty. I'm sure Starbuck will appreciate the sentiment."

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind the help either," Sheba put in.

"Relax," Apollo said. "I've already talked to Starbuck and he understands why it has to be this way."

"He's the only one then," Sheba said before she could catch herself.

"I take it you don't agree with the decision to send him out alone then," Apollo said.

"If my current position didn't tie me to the bridge, you can bet I would be standing next to my viper waiting for the call to come down," Sheba said.

"So would I," Apollo said. "But I know Starbuck can handle this with the help of the new viper. If he can't, I'll fly out to meet the Cylons myself."

"Don't think you're going to leave me behind here while you get to have all the fun," Sheba said.

"Commander," Rigel said, "scanners report that the contact is definitely a Cylon baseship. It appears to be moving in at top speed."

"That will be Baltar," Apollo said. "He still thinks this attack will take us by surprise, so he wants to give us as little time to prepare as possible. Send a message over to the science ship and tell Starbuck to get ready to launch."

Rigel sent the message to the science ship as Apollo had instructed. After that was done, the bridge got so quiet that the quiet hum of the electronic circuits became audible to everyone.

"Now," Apollo said, breaking the silence, "connect me with that baseship. I want to have a word with Baltar."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Sheba asked.

"It's time to start the mind games from our end," Apollo said.

"Connection made, Commander," Rigel said.

Apollo reached over and activated his view screen. Baltar's image instantly sprang to life in front of him.

"I thought you were going to wait for your friends to arrive, Baltar," Apollo said. "Could it be that they've joined you already?"

"I don't think I need their help to take care of you, Apollo," Baltar said with a confident grin.

"I warned you that it would be difficult if not impossible for you to defeat four squadrons of our new vipers," Apollo said. "And that was when you were going to bring help with you. I should warn you that you are about to enter into a battle that you can't possibly win."

"Your concern for me is touching," Baltar said.

"I'll tell you what," Apollo said. "To make it a little more fair, I'll only send one out against you."

"You may send as many squadrons out as you wish, Apollo," Baltar said. "It will make no difference."

"You misunderstand me, Baltar," Apollo said. "I'm not going to send one squadron against you. I'm going to send one viper."

"One viper?" Baltar asked. "You must be mad. You won't stand a chance."

"One viper," Apollo said. "And I assure you that I'm quite sane. Prepare yourself, Baltar. You are about to feel the new power of the colonies."

Apollo flipped the switch that severed the connection between them before Baltar could have a chance to respond. Apollo sat back in his chair and prayed that his message had put the intended thoughts into Baltar’s mind.

Lucifer looked at Baltar’s face intently. Fear was what he expected to see, but instead Baltar was strangely calm. His expression seemed to be more of one who was trying to unravel a complex puzzle.

"Do you think that we should wait for the other baseships now, Baltar?" Lucifer asked.

"Of course not," Baltar was quick to respond. "I am mearly attempting to figure out what trick Apollo is waiting to spring on us."

"It would appear that our attack was not as much of a surprise as we were hoping for," Lucifer said.

"I didn’t think he had it in him," Baltar said. "He did manage to act as if he was expecting the attack. More than likely, I think he formed a plan in the event that the attack did come. I just need to think about what options he has in order to counter them."

"Then you do not believe he was being truthful when he said he would send only one viper?" Lucifer asked.

"Of course not," Baltar said, surprised that the thought had even occurred to Lucifer until he remembered that he was a Cylon. "Oh he may try to make it look as though he is only sending one, but I can assure you that he has his entire compliment of vipers waiting to ambush us somewhere."

"We have yet to detect any launches from within the fleet," Lucifer said.

"According to the record of the last baseship to encounter the colonial fleet," Baltar said, "they have no record of detecting the new viper either launching or landing. For that matter, there is nothing in any of their records that would indicate they ever had anything but a visual detection. If the colonial scientists have indeed found a way to make the vipers invisible to our scanners, then we wouldn’t be picking up anything if they were flying right beside us right now."

"I thought you didn’t believe the reports were truthful about that encounter," Lucifer said.

"I don’t think the fighting ability comes anywhere close to what was described," Baltar said. "However, the possibility that they could have found a way to make their ships undetectable to our scanners by some means is entirely possible."

"Then if we are not going to withdraw," Baltar said, "what are you going to suggest to overcome such an event?"

"Put myself in Apollo’s place and try to think as he would in this situation," Baltar said as if he were having to explain the most elementary of actions. "If Apollo has indeed laid a trap for us of some kind, he would undoubtedly wait to spring it until all of our raiders were engaged against whatever force he sends out from the Galactica. Then he would have the remainder of his vipers ambush this baseship in hopes of destroying it before our raiders could return to defend us."

"Hmmm," Lucifer said to himself not sure whether to believe Baltar’s reasoning or not. He admitted that it was possible that Apollo might have a plan of which they knew nothing, but he was more inclined to rely on the reports from the other baseship than Baltar. Besides, though he would expect such a maneuver from a human such as Baltar, such a thing just seemed too out of character for someone like Apollo. If Apollo was so ready to send out only one of his vipers, then a bit more caution seemed prudent.

"I wouldn’t even put it past him to really send out one viper as a decoy," Baltar said. "But he won’t lure me into his trap that easily. Change the attack plan, Lucifer. I want half of our raiders to stay behind."

"Are you sure that only half of our raiders will be enough to defeat the colonials?" Lucifer asked.

"I expect that it would be if Apollo intends to be so foolish as to only send one warrior out against us," Baltar said. "If he should come to his senses at the last minute and launch a few squadrons of them, then we will still have enough time to launch the remainder of our forces to meet them."

"Unless the reports were right," Lucifer said very softly.

"What was that, Lucifer?" Baltar asked.

"By your command," Lucifer said as he bowed and turned to issue the new orders.

"Enemy fighters now launching, Commander," Rigel said.

"Starbuck is cleared to launch," Apollo said in return.

After issuing the order for Starbuck to launch, Rigel began to count the number of raiders on her scanner. "It looks as though they’re sending about half of their fighters, Commander," she said.

"I was betting he would do that," Apollo said with a grin.

"Well I’m glad to see that you’re so happy about it," Sheba said, "but that still means Starbuck has too many for one person to handle."

"Have a little faith, Sheba," Apollo said. "Everything has been worked out and is proceeding according to plan."

"So, even if Starbuck somehow manages to make it through the first wave," Sheba began, "what’s to stop Baltar from launching the other half of his force to take him by surprise?"

"Because Baltar has been caught off guard in battles with us before," Apollo said. "Even as reckless as he is, he would never send out his entire force and leave himself vulnerable to attack the way he did at Gamoray. I would say he may even be a bit paranoid about it. By telling him that I was only sending one viper against him, it made him wonder if Starbuck was only a decoy. He probably expects that I was trying to draw out his entire force to launch an ambush and destroy his baseship."

"Maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad idea," Sheba said.

"It wouldn’t be," Apollo responded, "if I wanted to destroy his baseship."

"Don’t you?" Sheba asked.

"Not just yet," Apollo said. "Someone has to send a report of this battle back to Cylon. Maybe it will make them think twice before sending any more baseships against us. We could use the breathing room."

"Well, there had better be more to your plan than you’ve told me, Apollo," Sheba said. "It would be a heavy price to pay otherwise."

Sheba looked back at Apollo and saw that his eyes were closed. Taking it as the first sign that he was not supremely confident in his plan, Sheba reasoned that he was likely praying for help from a higher power. She thought it best not to disturb him any further since Starbuck would need all the help he could get.

Unknown and unseen by anyone else on the bridge, Apollo centered his concentration and reached out with his mind. This was the first time he had done such a thing since his visit to Kobol. He was hoping that his ability would serve him equally as well. It was what he was betting on to get Starbuck through the battle alive.

Starbuck sat in his viper as it sped toward the wall of Cylon raiders. As they began to come into visual range, made even closer thanks to his eye level scanner displays, the calm that Apollo had instilled in him earlier started to slip away. Starbuck could feel his nerves begin to come alive, but it wasn’t the feeling of excitement that usually kept him sharp during a battle. He knew that what he felt would only magnify as the battle loomed closer. That was something he could ill afford.

Just as Starbuck unconsciously checked his rear display for the third time to see if any other vipers were going to join him, the first shred of panic shot through his mind and he briefly thought of turning around. However, before the thought could take a firm hold, Starbuck felt a light pressure on his right shoulder that distracted him from his thoughts. It was impossible he knew, but he had the distinct feeling that a hand had just been placed on his shoulder as if to assure him. In his mind, as clearly as if he was hearing it again, Apollo’s earlier words rang clearly saying, I’ll be with you always, Starbuck.

Starbuck once again felt his earlier calm wash over him as his senses became alert to all of the data his displays were feeding him. Even as complete as his concentration was, he still noticed when the pressure he had felt on his shoulder had disappeared. Starbuck brought all of his weapons systems online and said, "All right old buddy. Lets go get ‘em."
The Cylons were not detecting the new class of viper on their scanners, but it was definitely within visual range. The command centurian gave the order for the raiders to arm their weapons. Little did they know that an unseen force was tampering with their systems. There was nothing that was significant enough to set off any warning alarms, but the potential of the manipulation to their systems would show itself soon enough.

The Cylons were just beginning to get into their final attack formation before they came into firing range when flashes of light lanced out and pierced the hulls of four raiders. Soon after, another four exploded from a second series of fire. The raiders were already taking heavy casualties and they had not even come into the range where their weapons would be effective. Trying to save as many raiders as possible from the attack, the command centurion sent out an order for the raiders to break formation and try to flank the new viper. The attempt was futile for many of them as the fire began to spew from all sides of the viper. However, the Cylons did not break off the attack. Though they were taking unusually high losses, they reasoned that, due to their sheer numbers, it was only a matter of time before one of them got the viper in the middle of their targeting scanner.

As it happened, their reasoning was correct. Though the viper was destroying them with incredible speed, there were just too many raiders for the pilot to keep track of them all. A pair of raiders snuck in behind the viper and lined up their shot perfectly and pressed the button that would see the end of the pesky new viper.

The result though was much less than they had hoped for. The shot from the first raider missed the target by such a distance that made it seem that the viper had never been targeted to begin with. That, however, was better than the shot from the second raider, which never got out of the barrel before a malfunction in the firing system caused the power of the blast to be unleashed on the raider itself. The first raider never got a chance to try another shot as a rearward blast from the viper sealed its fate.

"Well, Lucifer?" Baltar asked. "What is happening out there?"

"I’m afraid you may not want to hear it Baltar," Lucifer said. "All of our raiders have been destroyed."

"What?" Baltar asked. "That’s impossible!"

"It would seem that the new viper is just as powerful as was first reported," Lucifer said enjoying pointing out that Baltar had been wrong to discount the earlier report. "If not more so."

"But six baseships could surely stand up against them," Baltar said.

"Perhaps," Lucifer said, "but if the viper does not change its course, there may only be five baseships left."

"What do you mean?" Baltar asked.

"The lone viper is speeding toward us," Lucifer said.

"Order the rest of the crews to their raiders," Baltar said. "Send them out to defend us."

"Do you really think they will stand any more chance against the viper than the first set did?" Lucifer asked.

"I don’t care," Baltar said. "They should at least keep it busy enough for us to slip back if we need to."

"I don’t think you will have time for that, Baltar," Lucifer said. "The new viper is much faster than we had calculated."

"So?" Baltar asked.

"It is here," Lucifer said.

Before Baltar could respond, the baseship shook as explosions rocked it momentarily.

"What was that?" Baltar asked as the rumble subsided.

"That was our external defensive lasers I do believe," Lucifer said.

Everyone on the baseship braced themselves for a further attack, but none came.

"Hmmm," Lucifer said as he looked at the video display outside the ship. "Curious."

"What?" Baltar asked.

"The viper is no longer advancing," Lucifer said. "It is not retreating either though. It is just sitting there. Do you think it is possible that it has run out of fuel?"

"No, Lucifer," Baltar said in defeat. "That pilot knows we only sent out half of our raiders. He’s sitting there inviting the rest of them to join him."

"And if we refuse?" Lucifer asked.

"Can we?" Baltar replied. "Our defensive lasers are gone. The raiders are the only means of defense we have left."

"But if the colonials want to destroy us," Lucifer began, "why are they not attacking this baseship right now?"

"Because they’re human, Lucifer," Baltar replied. "I thought you would understand by now the human need for revenge. Apollo knows he can destroy us at any time, but he wants to make it as slow and as painful as possible."

"Fascinating," Lucifer said, making Baltar look at him questioningly. "Although that is something I would have expected from you, it is not something that I thought to be in Apollo’s character."

"Never underestimate what effect a sense of power can have on a human’s character," Baltar said.

Baltar had barely gotten the words out when another series of explosions rocked the baseship.

Turning to he screen and surveying the damage, Lucifer said, "Our shield generator is now inoperable."

"Our friend out there is getting impatient," Baltar said. "Give him what he wants before we lose something else."

Starbuck was beginning to believe he might have to blow the baseship up before they would send the other vipers out after him. Of course, he had to restrain himself from doing that. For some reason Apollo had expressly forbid him to completely destroy the baseship. So, he was trying to think of what small target to hit next when he suddenly got what he had been waiting for.

Raiders began to file out of two launching bays. It was no problem for Starbuck. His new weapons system targeted them as soon as they emerged and turned them to dust four at a time before they had the chance to move into a firing position. Those poor Cylons never had a chance. And that was the way Starbuck liked it.

"Report," Baltar said half heartily.

"All raiders have been destroyed," Lucifer said.

"Did any of them even get off one shot?" Baltar asked gloomily.

"No, Baltar," Lucifer responded. "They never had a chance."

"So we’re completely defenseless now," Baltar said. "Is there any chance we could out run the viper?"

"Hmmm," Lucifer said as he looked at the outside monitor. "It would appear that we won’t have to."

"Why," Baltar asked.

"Because the viper has turned and appears to be heading back to the colonial fleet," Lucifer responded.

"What?" Baltar asked not believing what he was hearing. "What are you up to now, Apollo?"

"I think you are about to find out, Baltar," Lucifer said. "There is a transmission coming through from the Galactica."

Apollo’s face appeared on the view screen, and without a greeting he said, "Well, Baltar? Are you convinced yet?"

"Don’t tell me you had your viper pull away just so you could gloat," Baltar said. "I would rather you go ahead and send it back to finish the job then to have to listen to you any more."

"No such luck I’m afraid," Apollo said with a grin. "Destroying your baseship was never the objective of this battle. We once extended our hand and asked for peace from the Cylons. In exchange we were doomed to wonder the universe forever fearful that we would be wiped out at any moment. Today we have sent another message to the Cylons. Live in peace with us, or else. I’m sure the Cylon leader doesn’t want to find himself looking at the view on his screen that you had to watch today. If it comes to that it won’t be something so insignificant as a baseship that we go after next time. And you can be sure that the vipers won’t turn away before the job is done. Call it a boast if you like, but you have just seen that I have the power at my disposal to back up my words. We are the hunted no longer."

Before Baltar could make any response, the transmission was cut off from Apollo’s end. Instead, Baltar was left to digest Apollo’s warning to the Cylons. More intensely than ever before, Baltar thought that he had perhaps backed the wrong side. He knew that his future relationship with the Cylons depended on exactly what the Cylon Leader’s reaction would be to the warning Apollo had delivered. And having been so soundly whipped in battle by only one colonial viper, his tenure as a baseship commander was almost certainly at an end.