Fic: Last Rites

[embolalia]

Title: Last Rites
Characters: Kara, Gina, Gaius, others
Rating: R for mentions of torture/rape
Words: 1,034
Summary: In the middle of the Resurrection Ship arc, Kara goes to find out if the Cylon she's heard about is Leoben.
A/N: So this was *actually* my first BSG story, posted to ff.net before I ever found LJ. Finally posting it here! Also, maybe my interest in Leoben started earlier than I thought?

Last Rites

Kara stares, her pulse racing as the floor seems to fall away under her. This is so much worse than what she imagined.

The pilots in the shooting range had told her she should check out the brig, Pegasus' one and only pleasurable pass-time. Even remembering the words makes her want to throw up.

And Starbuck, wanting to impress since she was about to be named their new CAG, said cavalierly that she was responsible for interrogating Galactica's first cylon, that she'd taken one down bare-handed on Caprica. And then she shot eight perfect bull's eyes.

As she left, though, Kara's stomach had tightened slowly. She recognized the cruelty in the men, and she couldn't help wondering if she'd find Leoben here. Even after five months, there are nights she dreams of him flying out the airlock, times she still includes him in her prayers. She was afraid she'd find him laying beaten again, this time for no purpose except the enjoyment of men she doesn't know or like.

But this is so much worse.

On the other side of the glass is the cylon, crouched and trembling like an abused animal. As Kara's eyes run over her body, she recognizes her with a jolt. They've left her only barely recognizable. The woman's eyes raise slowly up to hers, and Kara is caught. Beneath the deadness, there is fear. Fear that transports Kara back to Caprica, to a locked room and the sickening knowledge that the cylons were going to use her body for whatever they wanted. They barely touched her compared to this.

The woman's gaze drops away again, but Kara can't look away. Finally she speaks. "Hello." She pauses. "I'm..." Her instinct is to apologize but part of her, the part steeped in military training, knows that in the beginning, this had a purpose. Torture is a tactic. And the cylons violate human women in their farms. She remembers Sue-shawn, hooked into machines, begging for death. It is because of cylons identical to this one that Kara had to whisper her the last rites and kill her.

But in spite of all of that, looking at what has been done to this woman makes her feel sick.

"Lords of Kobol, hear my prayer," Kara whispers.

The woman's eyes flicker to hers in recognition.

She fumbles for the archaic language of the oracles. "As Persephone was allowed to escape her hell, take this your daughter up out of darkness and into light." The words are close enough. "Relieve her suffering and take her soul unto you and give her peace."

A tear eases its way down the cylon's cheek, dropping soundlessly onto the floor, and Kara feels her own eyes suddenly flooding.

"Lieutenant Thrace," Gaius says behind her.

Kara turns quickly, blinking hard. She stares at him warily. "Captain," she says after a moment.

"Really...congratulations," Gaius says awkwardly, shifting as if to hide the bundle of clothes he's carrying.

"I'm the CAG now," she adds, gesturing toward the cell as if the title grants her permission to be here.

"Working over Apollo, I'm sure he'll like that," Gaius replies sardonically. Then he adopts his usual forced manner. "The Admiral should be looking for you," he says. "I was just filling her in--Gina told us what the special ship is and she'll need you to help plan the attack."

Starbuck frowns for a moment before she realizes Gina is the woman in the cell.

"It's a resurrection hub," Gaius continues, slipping around her to position himself between Kara and the door to the cell.

She nods slowly, relieved as she understands that Gaius is trying to protect Gina even from her. Then she glances toward the cylon, who's watching them now. "You should kill her before we take it out," Kara says softly.

Gaius nearly drops his things in surprise. He stares at her for a long moment.

"No," Gina says roughly from inside the cell.

A shiver goes through Kara at how broken her voice sounds.

"After."

Kara feels again the chilling fear of being under Simon's power. "Alright," she promises.

"What? No!" Gaius protests.

Starbuck turns back to him, reprimand in her eyes. "She gets to decide," she says firmly.

Gaius flinches for no apparent reason. "I can protect her!" he protests after a long pause.

Starbuck looks at him queerly. Baltar has always been odd. And then she processes his words. Protection. "Boomer!" she bursts, already in motion toward the door.

"You're too late," Gaius cuts her off.

She turns slowly, suddenly cold.

"Chief Tyrol and Lieutenant Agathon stopped them from attacking her. It's why they're in the brig, why fighting nearly broke out earlier."

Kara blinks hard, wondering how she could have waited so long to find out what the conflict was. She nods once. Adama will protect Sharon, too, in spite of everything. She glances back at Gina. The cylon studies her in return. Kara wonders what she makes of the fact that Kara was ready to defend Sharon. Or that Kara has promised to kill her. And she wonders how someone could be so destroyed if they didn't have a soul.

"I have to get to work on the op," she says to Gina, to Gaius.

"Good then," Gaius says, eager to be rid of her.

Gina follows Kara with her eyes as she heads for the hatch. Kara turns back once and raises her hand in farewell.

She leaves, heading to the office Stinger has hopefully vacated by now. There shouldn't be any room in this horror for her own heartbreak but Kara finds she's deeply disappointed that Cain has turned out to be just like her mother: a woman of unexpected praise and hidden brutality. Later, when Adama gives her the order, Kara won't question it.

And so she gets to work, wielding the first real authority of her life to bring an end to the suffering of her people and one other besides. She can't explain it to Lee, who doesn't believe the way she does, but planning out the attack, preparing to give Gina what she needs, feels like pressing her hand to a window. Right to left, identical and inverse, only glass between.