DISCLAIMER: Battlestar Galactica is the
property of Glen A. Larson, Sci-Fi Channel, R & D TV, Sky and NBC
Universal.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
SPOILERS: Set half way thru 1st season.
As Dust
By Celievamp
She had no name, only a designation. Women such as she was designed
to emulate needed no name. They
were `baby', `honey', `sweetheart', `doll' to the men they were
designed to attract. Such was her success. She was as she had been
made, to do God's will in the world.
Gaius was such a man. Intelligent beyond question but otherwise
curiously unformed. As her control over him grew he became even
more childlike. It could only be a matter of time before his
usefulness came to an end. Already others watched him. Wondered.
There were others she could mould. Some in positions of power were
neither suitable nor susceptible but others... there was much she
could offer to some.
The President. Laura Roslin, for example. She was dying. Cancer
ate into her flesh, her blood, her bones. Her remaining lifespan
could be measured in a few months only. So little time, especially
to one such as she that measured their lifespan in eternity.
Humans sought comfort at such a time. They sought to reconcile
themselves with their God.
She could understand that. She had a very intimate relationship
with God herself.
But as his instrument she could offer the President a choice. The
Cylons did not know death. They walked through eternity. She could
give Laura Roslin hope, allow her to make that walk as well. Frail
humanity vs eternity. Was it such a hard bargain to make?
President Laura Roslin stirred, opening her eyes. She was sleeping
more lately and yet had rarely felt more exhausted. The doctor had
told her... she had days rather than weeks. Without a clear
succession control over the fleet, over the remnant of humanity
would fall to the military mind. Adama was a good man but there
were others.
She feared the future even though she would never see it.
Her assistant Billy was over on the Galactica, supposedly making
arrangements for a series of meetings to arrange the hand-over. He
was probably trying to steal a few minutes with the girl he had
fallen in love with, the one with the beautiful eyes. Dualla...
beautiful name too. She could not begrudge him that. Who knew how
much time any of them had left?
"Madame President?"
A young woman was bending over her. She was unfamiliar, which was
in itself strange. Laura was the President after all, not just
anyone could walk into her quarters, her presence.
"Madame President?"
"Yes? What do you want? Who are you?"
"Who I am is not important. As for what I want, well. I have come
to make you a proposition, Laura."
She gazed up at the striking blonde. If she had seen this woman
before she would have remembered. She did not exactly blend in with
the crowd. And since the census had been taken she had stared at
every face in the database, every last survivor. This woman had not
been one of them. Which led her to some very interesting
conclusions.
"All right, I'm listening."
Gaius was still working on the test. There was really no way of
knowing apart from exposing them to a strong source of radiation.
But something in her told her that this woman was not as she
appeared to be. That elusive connection that one human being always
had with another was missing. She looked into this woman's eyes and
saw nothing, felt nothing.
This was a humanform Cylon.
"I know you are dying, Laura. That cancer has ravaged your body
because you left it too long before getting treatment - why was
that? You have days, perhaps weeks left to you. You will die and
your achievements will be as dust. You are an intelligent woman. I
know that you know what I am, what I represent. I have come to
offer you a solution to all of your problems. For you, the gift of
eternal life, for your people continued existence. With you to
oversee and instruct them - as directed by Cylon intelligence, of
course."
"Of course," Roslin said drily. "You know my name - am I permitted
to know yours?"
"I do not require a name," the woman smiled. "But I am known to
some as Sixth, those whose minds and hearts I have touched."
"You realise I can't make a decision like this straight away. I
need time to think," Roslin said.
The woman smiled. "You humans and your shades of grey. You lie
even to yourself. You have made your decision, you merely need to
justify it now. This is why we will prevail."
"I will give you your answer soon, I promise. As you said, I don't
have much time. So, how do I find you?"
The woman leant closer, looking deep into Laura's eyes. "Well,
that's not how it works, Madame President." She touched Laura's
cheek with her long cool fingers, lightly caressing her. "I will
find you." Laura closed her eyes. It was a long time since anyone
had touched her like that. She realised how alone she had been,
separated from her fellow humanity by her nature and her position.
She realised how afraid she was of dying alone. Cold lips touched
hers and Laura realised that there were far worse things in this
creation than dying alone.
Her eyes flew open. "No!"
Sweat sheened her skin. She was alone. There was a discreet knock
at the door. "Ma'am?"
"I'm all right, Billy," she called out. "Just a bad dream."
`Just a bad dream,' she thought, sinking back against the pillow.
"I will find you, Laura."
The End