Final Judgement
Introduction

I can't seem to stop having ideas, I would have liked to finish another story before starting something else but I think it's now or never for this story. Originally posted in the gap in the middle of Season 4 of BSG and the end of Season 1 of Sarah Conner Chronicles now both shows have ended I'm looking back over my notes and piecing it together a little stronger than before.

I know this is completely a different direction from the course the second half of season four went so call this an AU for Battlestar, and the show it's crossed over with.

Disclaimer
I do not own any of the characters used in this fan fiction and do not intend to make any profit from their use.

Teaser

Kara didn't think anyone would strike a tent. It had been about two weeks since they had made it. The end of their journey, after years of searching and hardship here it was, Earth.

A burnt radioactive cinder covered in ruins and rubble. Some new home, it had suffered the same fate as the Colonies. Blasted into a nuclear waste land.

So far a few people had come down from the fleet. Mostly Baltar's followers making the best of it. Using the rubble to build some sort of fraked up temple. The thing that weirded her out was seeing Baltar roll up his sleeves and get to work. Sure the soft scientist gave up quickly, but the fact he was willing to do as much as he did freaked her. He couldn't really believe the crap he was preaching could he?

As for her.... As for her, Kara had done what the hybrid said she would. She had lead the human race to destruction so what now? What would, what could, she do now? How could she frak up everyone's life even more?

Right now the best Kara could think of doing was sitting down. She was high on the bluff facing the devastated city, legs dangling over the edge and looking down into the reflection in mirky water far below. In a way it was beautiful, if she squinted Kara could almost pretend that it wasn't gone. More half built, just waiting for people to come along and finish it. For a moment she could almost pretend that was the case.

During their long quest the fleet had never asked one question aloud. They'd asked is there an Earth? Would they ever find it? Had the Cylons found it first? Would they make it? But no one had asked who was there. No one had thought to ask was there people still there.

Now it was the only thing anyone thought of. What happened to the Thirteenth Tribe?

Kara had an answer, the only answer that mattered. They were gone and the fleet had to start again. That was why they were here and the trials of the fleet was just a way to prepare them all. At least that was what she thought. Then Baltar used the same argument to bring his followers down here. The fact she was thinking like that fraking traitor scared her.

The fleet had all but split in to camps. Those that were willing to try again, to work with the Cylons to carve out a new future for all of them stayed on the fleet. There were those who came down here to start again and finally there were those that had given up. Kara didn't know which she was. Those that tried to work with the cylons had their own troubles, who could say what the toasters were thinking. No one really trusted each other up there. Rebuilding Earth was just too much, like pushing a rock up hill for miles only to find it was a pebble and you were really pushing the hill up a mountain side.

Giving up was tempting. Just to rest here and do nothing. Let death come, take her away from responsibility and blame. As much as she wanted to there were too many unanswered questions driving her on.

So now she was just sitting, thinking it all over for the thousandth time with the world before her. Lost in thought Kara was surprised when someone whistled for her attention. Unthinking Kara turned and her head met the hard metal butt of a rifle.

Kara wasn't sure what woke her up, but the metal pole on the back of her shoulders didn't help. Her elbows were locked behind the pole and a strong rope held her wrists.

The same type of rope was wrapped around her feet, she wasn't walking anywhere like this. Even worse whoever had grabbed her was dragging Kara around like a sack of grain, heals bouncing off steps as they carried her down them. If that wasn't enough the paranoid frakers had gagged and blindfolded her.

Struggling Kara did her best to fight back until someone put cold metal to the side of her head. There was the unmistakable sound of a heavy pistol being cocked 'He want's you alive. I don't know why but he does.' a gruff voice told her. Almost caprican but there was some accent mixed in that Kara had never heard before. 'Though if you make one more sign I'll blow your brains away and tell him you took the chicken way out.'

Kara nodded, the best thing she could do was bide her time. Sooner or later these yahoos would slip up, then she could get out of this mess. She guessed it was some cabal or secret group blaming her for all their troubles. Just perfect. Lifting her feet so they didn't bash on every single step. She put up with being carried for the time being.

Good thing it wasn't much later whoever they were pulled the pole out from behind her head and roughly threw her to the ground. Tearing the blindfold off she was just in time to see a big and heavy door slam shut with a clang. Kara quickly pulled the rope from her hands and feet before removing the gag. Getting up she tried the door. 'Fan-fraking-tastic.' she hissed, it had to be locked and bared from the other side.

The cell they had tossed her in was dark, dank with one half rotten yellow light bulb mounted on the wall. Just under it a cracked concrete bench had a couple of mouldy pillows and a thread bare blanket. It looked like hell, if she was honest she wouldn't keep a dog in this place.

'Not the best.' A gravely, cold, voice came from the shadows. 'It was built as a fallout shelter in the nineteen seventies. It's on record as being filled in and buried.'

'Who the frak are you?' She demanded in the direction the voice had come from.

A tallish man stepped into the light. He had a limp in his right leg and scar running down the side of his face, just over his eye. 'A friend Kara.'

Kara had never met the man before and lunged at him. After being kidnapped and thrown into a crap hole she wasn't up to trusting a stranger right now. The guy had good reaction times and snatched her right hand out of the air and spun. Jumping at some one was usually a good way to knock them off balance but he'd had training and spun at the right moment. Using her own momentum he turned and threw her against the wall.

Striking her with the back of his hand scar-face caught the bruise left by the rifle butt. Gritting her teeth Kara slid down the wall, head pounding with what had to be a concussion.

Shaking the stars from her eyes Kara rubbed the side of her jaw. That was going to hurt for awhile. Scar-face almost chuckled, his voice dry and cracked. It sounded like he'd forgotten how to laugh somewhere along the line. 'It's good to know you will mellow in your old age Kara.'

'Who are you?' she asked again, wincing at the twinge her jaw gave.

'Like I said, I'm a friend. And for the sake of your fleet I need you help.'

End teaser