"Two more squadrons?" said Cain. "That's impossible. I've attacked that base time and again and they don't have reserves. You're sure about this?"
"Positive."
"We've got to move out if we're going to intercept Baltar's ships away from Gomoray," said Tolen.
"Take us out of here, Colonel, full speed. Captain, if you wish to leave for the Galactica, this is your last chance."
"Sir, incoming message from Gomoray," said Tolen. "Our fighters are returning to the Pegasus. Galactica's fighters are flying escort for the tankers to the fleet."
"Belay that last command," said Cain. "Let's get our people aboard. What about those Cylon squadrons they were engaging?"
"Sir, you're not going to believe this," said Tolen.
"Put it on the screens."
Jolly's face appeared on the monitors.
"Your people are heading back, Commander," Jolly said. "Mission accomplished. But you're not going to believe this—"
"Believe what?" Cain scowled. "I don't have time for games. Mister, if you've got a report for me, make it."
"They weren't reserve fighters from Gomoray ground base," Jolly said. "They were from a base ship."
"A base ship! Where?"
"Gone now," said Jolly. "Our scanners picked him up just as he was pulling out from behind Gomoray, where he was hiding. They landed some fighters and pulled someone out of the main building, then about half of them took off at full speed, while the others remained to keep us back. The moment that base ship pulled out, all the Cylon fighters that were remaining took off after it. The way that base ship was moving, I doubt they'll be able to rendezvous. Those fighters were sacrificed, Commander. We didn't give pursuit."
"That's crazy," said Apollo. "If they had a base ship to throw at us, why did they keep it out of the battle? Why only send in the fighter squadrons? And why leave and sacrifice those ships?"
"Because the base ship commander was in a hurry, Captain," Cain said. "And the base ship couldn't lay down any fire for fear of killing whoever it was they were so anxious to protect. They needed their more maneuverable fighters to draw our Vipers away, keep them away from that main building. Jolly, did you see who was pulled out of there?"
"A Cylon, I assume," said Jolly. "He appeared to be wounded, but I couldn't get any closer to get a better look. But they lost almost half their ships to get him out of there."
"I'll be Goddamned," said Cain. "There's only one Cylon who's that irreplaceable. Congratulations, Jolly. You just had yourself a glimpse of Imperious Leader, himself."
"The Imperious Leader? On Gomoray?" Jolly was aghast. "You mean we had a crack at the supreme Cylon and we blew it?"
"Fortunes of war, Jolly," Cain said. "You couldn't have known. Besides, he saved your lives."
"I don't follow you, Commander."
"If it hadn't been for Imperious Leader being hurt, as he must have been for that base ship to pull out of there so fast, leaving behind half her squadrons, the moment he got back on board, that ship would have come after you. And if it hadn't been for his presence on the ground base when you attacked, those fighters would have engaged you fully, instead of just fighting a defensive action in order to enable them to get him out of there. You lucked out, Jolly. You got the fuel and managed to put a hurt on the number one Cylon. With any luck, he won't survive. Not bad for a day's work."
"Our squadrons are coming aboard, Commander," Tolen said.
"Good. We'll need that edge to take on those base ships."
"I wouldn't call it much of an edge," Apollo said. "You're still going to be outgunned."
"I know how to win wars, Captain," Cain said. "And how to take care of my warriors."
"Is that what you'll be thinking about when you take on those three base ships by yourself? Or will you be thinking about history . . . the legend of Commander Cain?"
"You're out of line, Captain."
"Maybe I am, sir," said Apollo. "But you're going to need all the help you can get."
He turned and left. Starbuck was waiting for him outside. Together they proceeded toward the launch bay.
"Apollo, tell me it isn't true," said Starbuck. "Three base ships? Head-on?"
"It's true."
"He's crazy."
"A little," said Apollo grimly, "but it's what gives him his advantage. Who'd think of anything like this but Cain?"
In the life station, Cassiopeia bent over a support cylinder in which Bojay rested. He was pale, but he was going to be all right.
"Thanks for getting me back alive," said Bojay weakly. "You're quite a lady."
"I was just doing my job, Bojay," she said. "Just like you were doing yours."
She turned to see Sheba standing in the entry way, listening to their conversation. Her face took on a guarded expression.
"He can talk," she told Sheba, "but not too long. He needs his rest."
Sheba moved over to Bojay's side. He looked up at her and smiled.
"I hear we closed them down good," he said.
"Yeah, we spoiled their party. And I have to go to another one. You're not invited though. Rest up, friend. I'll see you when I get back."
"I wish I was going with you," he said.
"I'll tell you all about it later." She patted his cheek and turned to Cassiopeia. At that moment, Cain entered the life station.
"Well," he said jauntily, "all my favorite people in one room."
Sheba glanced coldly at Cassiopeia and walked out, passing by her father without saying a word.
"Sheba . . ." Cain looked helplessly at Cassiopeia. "I want to talk things out, Cassi, but—"
"But now isn't a very good time," she finished for him. "I know. I've been there before, remember?"
He shook his head sadly and hurried to catch up to his daughter.
"Sheba, wait."
She paused by the elevator.
"I can't," she said. "We're launching against three to one odds, remember?"
"Sheba," Cain said, "I want you to take Bojay and shuttle him back to the fleet."
"Sorry, Father. What you plan for my squadron, you plan for me."
As she entered the elevator, the red alert klaxon began to sound.
"One more thing," she said. "About that lady . . . the one who seems to mean so much to you. I watched her save a life today. She risked her own to do it. I suppose maybe I don't know as much about people as I thought I did."
She hugged her father and her eyes were moist.
"I love you," Cain said, "and I want to see you again. So be careful."
"You too, Commander." The doors closed.
Humans fascinated Lucifer. Baltar had been the first human he had ever met. At first, Lucifer had regarded Baltar as little more than a tool that he was unfamiliar with, a tool that had its uses, but one about which Lucifer possessed only a rudimentary knowledge. Lucifer had at his disposal the sum total of all the information the Cylon Empire had gathered about the humans during their long war with them. He was thoroughly familiar with human anatomy, with their chemical composition, their circulatory and nervous systems, in short, Lucifer knew all that the Cylon scientists had been able to learn about humans from a purely pathological standpoint. He understood how they functioned, but he did not understand how they thought. That knowledge had not been programmed into him nor was it available from any of the computers to which he had access. The humans were as much a mystery to the Cylons as the Cylons were to humans. Yet Lucifer belonged to neither species, being an inorganic lifeform. He owed his allegiance to the Cylon race, to his creators, although in a very large sense Lucifer was an example of self-conception. The entity engineered by Cylon scientists was quite primitive compared to what Lucifer had become, what he had modified himself to be. The Cylons had programmed into Lucifer an imperative that gave him an insatiable thirst for knowledge. It was that which had resulted in his seeking out as much data as was available, in sorting and evaluating that information, in redesigning himself many times in order to better en
able him to handle more knowledge and evaluate it efficiently. It was Lucifer who had enabled the Cylon scientists to design the l.L. series, beings such as himself, a feat they might not have accomplished had not Lucifer shown them the way. In a sense, Lucifer was grateful to the race which had created him, but he did not hate the humans. He recognized that they were the enemies of the Empire, but he did not see the need to hate them. It was not necessary to hate an enemy in order to defeat him, rather it was necessary to learn as much about that enemy as possible.
Lucifer had learned to react in a way that would accommodate Imperious Leader, but not even the supreme Cylon fully understood the workings of Lucifer's "mind." In that sense, Lucifer was as alien to him as were the humans, only Lucifer knew not to let him feel that. Imperious Leader did not understand the humans, although he knew more about them than any other Cylon, and as a result, he hated them. Lucifer did not wish for Imperious Leader to realize how little he understood the first of the I.L. series. Lucifer had no desire to be disassembled.
Lucifer had saved Baltar from execution not so much because the man still had his uses, although that was certainly a factor in his reasoning, but because Baltar provided his first real opportunity to study a human. It was not an opportunity Lucifer intended to waste. Since the time that he had been assigned by Imperious Leader as Baltar's second-in-command, Lucifer's knowledge of human thought processes had grown enormously. Baltar was an interesting puzzle, a curiosity. But it was not until he had a chance to observe, albeit briefly, another human that Lucifer had become completely fascinated by the species.
For a brief while, the human called Starbuck had been a prisoner aboard their ship. Baltar had ordered him released as part of a gambit to gain Adama's trust, a ploy which had failed utterly, but in the time that the two of them had been together, Lucifer had learned much. The most important thing he learned was that there was a complexity to humans which he had underestimated.
Watching the interaction between Starbuck and Baltar, Lucifer had observed weaknesses in Baltar that he had not seen before because he had no basis for comparison. Thanks to Starbuck, Lucifer had learned subtle ways of manipulating his "superior." Lucifer had also learned something about what the humans called "gambling," something which Starbuck was obsessed with. Starbuck had taught Lucifer the Caprican game of pyramid, which was played for monetary stakes with cards. Lucifer's first impression had been that it was a game of chance and he considered it a waste of time and his abilities. It was a trivial matter for him to compute the odds, but in spite of his mathematical advantage, Starbuck had beaten him. In one particular round of play, Lucifer had quickly calculated the odds against Starbuck's winning the hand. They were astronomical. Yet Starbuck had somehow managed to have the exact cards necessary to win the hand, three-quarters of a perfect pyramid, lacking only the capstone.
Lucifer had considered the possibility that Starbuck had cheated, yet he had observed the play closely and had not caught Starbuck cheating. Starbuck had displayed none of the emotional signs that Lucifer had observed in Baltar at various times when Baltar attempted to deceive him for one reason or another. The signs were very subtle, a quickening of the respiration rate, a telltale difference in the heartbeat, which Lucifer's sensors were able to pick up, subtle muscular movements, especially around the eyes. Starbuck had displayed none of these signs. It seemed impossible for an organic entity to display such an amount of self-control. Certainly, Baltar was incapable of it.
Then Starbuck had told him something of a concept that the humans called "luck." It was luck which seemed to give Starbuck his sense of fascination with gambling. Evidently, there was more to it than the element of random chance. Lucifer did not completely understand it, but it seemed that if one possessed this thing called luck, it gave him an ability to overcome the odds with a mathematically impossible consistency. It made no sense, it was totally illogical and Lucifer had told Starbuck so. Starbuck had replied by pointing to his winnings and saying, "Then how do you explain that, Lucy?"
Lucifer had had to admit that he had no logical explanation. Starbuck then proceeded to explain to him the complexities of deviousness. The discussion seemed to amuse Starbuck and Lucifer had recognized that Starbuck was exercising what humans called their "sense of humor," which was not a sense in the conventional meaning of the word, although Lucifer had learned about it from watching Baltar. Starbuck's sense of humor, however, had been considerably more subtle and complex than Baltar's. He . . . did it better.
Lucifer had enjoyed Starbuck's company immensely. The human was a complexly stimulating challenge and Lucifer had been sorry when Baltar had insisted on releasing him. It had proved a mistake in more ways than one. Yet, Lucifer had learned something of being devious from Starbuck. And it made dealing with Baltar markedly easier.
Lucifer had received a communication from the commander of Imperious Leader's flagship. The base ship's fighter had managed to rescue the supreme Cylon, but not without cost, and in the process Imperious Leader had been wounded by a piece of falling wreckage. The injury was serious but not fatal. It necessitated his being placed into cryonic suspension and being taken to the home world where the Cylon scientists would repair the damage. However, this meant that the base ship would not be able to assist them in the assault and that the human forces were left on Gomoray to face little more than a token resistance now that the control center had been destroyed and the base commander killed, along with all the I.L. series Cylons on Gomoray and most of his executive officers. It was imperative that they proceed to Gomoray at once to neutralize that threat. However, Lucifer knew that if he told Baltar that Imperious Leader had been rescued and was on his way back to the home world, Baltar would not go to defend Gomoray. So obsessed was Baltar with destroying the human fleet that he would immediately change course and launch an assault against the undefended human ships. Strategically, it would be a sound move, since the loss of the ships he was responsible for would demoralize Adama and give them an added edge against him, but it was a move that they could not afford right now.
Gomoray was of vital importance to the Cylon Empire and it had to be defended at all costs. There was no telling how much damage the humans had already wrought upon that world. If the ground base was totally destroyed, it would be a devastating blow to the Empire. In addition to that, the humans would doubtless raid the fuel depot at the ground base. It would be an expensive loss, but worse, it would enable the human fleet to escape them, as it had already too many times in the past. Lucifer had to make certain that Baltar would continue on to defend the ground base and Gomoray itself. To accomplish that, Lucifer decided to practice what Starbuck had taught him about deviousness. He chose not to relay the flagship commander's message to Baltar. Baltar had to think that Imperious Leader was still on Gomoray and in danger. He entered Baltar's throne room.
The room was an almost exact replica of the Imperious Leader's throne room upon his flagship. Baltar had insisted on it; his vanity demanded it. Imperious Leader, knowing nothing of vanity, had thought it a simple enough request and granted it.
"You have something to report?" said Baltar officiously.
"A communication from our attack force," replied Lucifer. "One of the battlestars has been sent out to intercept them."
"A single battlestar," said Baltar, rubbing his hands together. "Wonderful. In fact, it's too good to be true."
"Do we engage or proceed to target to save our Imperious Leader and Gomoray?"
Lucifer hoped that the tone he had selected would be as successful as that which Starbuck had employed when he had "bluffed" him in a game of pyramid.
"Of course you engage it," Baltar snapped. "Destroy it, then continue on to Gomoray. It should take no time at all."
"By your command," said Lucifer. It had worked. He had learned yet something else from the humans. He filed it away for future reference.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The Pegasus hurtled through space on an intercept course with Baltar
's task force. All the members of her crew were at their battle stations, waiting tensely for the upcoming confrontation, which would be the greatest risk Commander Cain had ever undertaken. If he was successful, the legend of the Juggernaut would grow even greater, if not, they would all go out in a blaze of glory, and if any humans survived of the escaping fleet, none of them would ever be forgotten.
"Cylon force closing," said Tolen. "Twenty microns."
"Launch Viper squadrons," said Cain.
All the pilots were ready and waiting, seated in the cockpits of their Vipers, silent, steeling themselves for the fight to come. They all heard Tolen's crisp command over their helmet comcircuits.
"Stand by for launch."
Apollo licked his lips nervously as he made a final prelaunch check of his instruments. He recalled his earlier conversation with Starbuck in the corridor outside the bridge of the Pegasus.
"He's crazy."
"A little, but it's what gives him his advantage. Who'd think of anything like this but Cain?"
Who, indeed? A little crazy? How much was a little? And maybe I'm just as crazy to be part of it, Apollo thought. But it was where he belonged, where he was needed. If he lost his life as a result of Cain's mad plan, at least he'd know that he had done everything in his power to help save the fleet. If they escaped, it would be worth it.
When he was a child, growing up on stories of the exploits of the legendary Commander Cain, he had dreamed of becoming a warrior himself, just like his idol, the Juggernaut. Little did he suspect that the time would come when he would be aboard the Pegasus himself, flying under Cain's command, participating in the living legend's wildest mission. He wondered if he had known then what he knew now, if he would still have felt the same enthusiasm. He had discovered that the living legend had feet of clay and that instead of feeling wildly elated at the prospect of doing battle side by side with his childhood hero, he felt afraid. But that was good, he thought. Only a fool goes into battle unafraid. He wondered what Commander Cain was feeling.
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