Author's Note:

Alright, here we go. I was debating for a quite some time about whether or not I should start posting this. I kind of wanted to write more first, but I don't want to sit on this any longer. I'll just post as I go, and hopefully it works out. If not, I'll just fix it later.

As stated in the summary, this is based off of the "Battleship Galac-Tina" AU from the comics (issue #2 of the miniseries, to be exact). You probably don't have to have read that first to get the gist, but it might help. This is basically a continuation from where that story left off. Though please note, I don't know anything at all about Battlestar Galactica, which was what the comic itself was based off of, so don't expect this fic to follow anything from that show. Also, I'm going to go ahead and say that the characters are all a few years older in this than they are in the show.

Please enjoy!

Chapter One

It was getting late and the First Annual Robot/Human dance was drawing to a close. The dance floor was clear, save for one couple still swaying together to the strains of a slow song playing from the speakers. It was the same couple that started the dancing in the first place. The remaining crew watched Admiral Tina and her robot companion as they moved across the floor. Her head was rested against the robot's chest and their arms were wrapped around each other, holding one another close.

Louise scowled from her position against the wall as she looked on. She had half-heartedly partaken in the day's festivities, but spent most of the time keeping to herself. Gene walked up to her with Andy and Ollie in tow.

"The ship's secure for the night," he reported. Andy and Ollie both gave a thumbs up. The celebration wasn't over when it came time to do the nightly lockdown routine, but Louise persuaded him to go through with it anyway. She saw no reason for them to break the rules they had followed for so long while out in space, even if their part in the war was indeed over. If anything, they had to stay vigilant now more than ever. Trouble would always wait for their guard to be down before it would strike. Security measures had to be upheld.

"I'll tell the Admiral," she said, and she started walking over to her before they had a chance to respond. Once she was close enough, she only hesitated for the briefest second before tapping on her sister's shoulder. Tina's head rose slowly, and as she turned around she blinked as if she had been asleep.

"The ship is in lockdown and secure for the night," she informed her. "I will stay up on night watch. Is there anything else you need?"

"You don't have to keep a watch anymore," Admiral Tina told her. "The peace treaty was signed, the war is over."

"I want to, just to be safe," she said. It was hard, but she forced herself to keep her eyes on her sister and not drift to glance at the robot still in her embrace. "You never know what can happen out here."

Tina blinked again, but then just shrugged.

"If you want," she acquiesced. "That will be all, thank you." And with that, she rested her head back down on the metal chassis once again.

Even though she knew Tina wasn't watching, she still gave a polite nod before turning away, returning back to where Gene, Andy, and Ollie were standing.

"I think we're good here," she told them. "I volunteered for the night watch. You guys head to bed."

"Did you want to share some nachos before you go?" Gene asked. "I've got a bag of tortilla chips in the kitchen with my name on them." Louise just shook her head.

"I'm good," she told him, and she ignored his disapproving hum to add, "But do you know if Darryl is still up?"

Louise barely knocked on the door to the control panel before just barging in. Darryl was inside, singing along to the music in his headphones before shrieking at her sudden entrance.

"I need you to tell me everything you know about dance bots."

"You could ask nicer, you know," he frowned. "You could knock louder, too."

"We'll try that next time, maybe. So what do you know?"

Darryl sighed and rubbed his eyes before continuing. "Why are you asking me this?"

"Because you're the expert."

"But why, really?" he pressed. "Don't trust your sister's new friend?"

Louise hated being questioned. If she was in charge of this ship, she would have made sure the crew knew how to respond to an order. But she wasn't in charge. Her eyes narrowed.

"Of course I don't trust him, we only just met him," she finally answered. "If you can call it a 'him.'"

"You can," Darryl confirmed. "Robots were created by humans, and since humans get uncomfortable whenever anyone doesn't fit the gender binary, they were crafted with the intention of being male or female." Louise rolled her eyes at the explanation.

"You can spare me those details."

"But right, the dance bots . . ." Darryl turned in his chair and started typing at the keyboard in front of him. On the large screen display, various charts and diagrams popped up. The various dance bots that appeared in the search all looked somewhat similar to one another, but none of them really looked all that close to the one they currently had inhabiting their ship.

"I don't know what model the Admiral's new companion is, it seemed rude to ask," Darryl continued, clicking through some different search results. Louise watched the screen flash as he quickly shuffled through several options. "As far as I can tell, he's nothing like the dance bots people were creating on Earth towards the start of the war."

"So what does that mean?"

"It could mean lots of things. Most likely, it means that new models were created even after the war began, and one of them found their way out here."

"Or?"

Darryl frowned. "Or, it could mean that the robots themselves started making new models to strengthen their army."

"But if they were going to do that, why would they make a new dance bot?" Louise asked. Darryl sighed.

"I don't know, Louise. Maybe that's all they have designs for."

"But you're saying this dance bot that the Admiral is letting walk freely around our ship, he could have been created with the sole purpose of defeating us?" she pressed.

"No, he was created to dance," Darryl said. "Clearly that's what he was programmed for. But he was also taught to fight in the robot army. Pretty well, too, if he was leading this bunch."

"I don't like the sound of this," Louise said. "I don't like the sound of this at all."

"Look, the robots did not create brand new war machines out here," Darryl said. "My theory is, one of them got ahold of the designs for a dance bot somewhere along the way, they scraped together whatever spare parts they could, and they made him. He is still a dance bot, just a sort of unconventional one. His creation wasn't regulated by humans, but it was still based on human design. Nothing terribly sinister."

"I guess," she allowed, not sounding very convinced.

"Look, I know you won't just say it, so I won't try to make you ask," Darryl continued. "You're worried about your sister."

"I am worried about the safety of this entire ship," she corrected, though Darryl took no notice.

"You're worried she's in danger by getting so close to the robots," he plowed on. Louise frowned heavily and grumbled but didn't try to interrupt again. "And I'm here to tell you that, in my professional opinion, the risk here is pretty low."

"How can you know?"

"Well, if you're going to get friendly with a robot, a dance bot is probably one of the best ones to pick," he explained. "You wouldn't think it, but they're actually quite sophisticated machines. They are all programmed to dance with a human partner, so they're actually aware of their own strength. There are measures in place so they won't, say, throw their partner up through the ceiling while executing a lift, or spin them with enough force to dislodge a brain."

"This doesn't sound terribly comforting, Darryl."

"Okay, I made it sound bad," he said. "But think about it. They have a sort of rudimentary sense of touch. It's not fine tuned, but they can feel pressure, and even the difference between textures to a certain extent."

"So what you're trying to say is, the robot won't accidentally crush the Admiral if he gives her a hug, or rip her arm off while they hold hands?"

"Exactly."

Louise sighed. "And you know that the robots who built him didn't just take out these sensors?"

"I wouldn't know for sure without opening him up, Louise," Darryl said. He started to close down all the search windows he had pulled up. "But, judging just by observation, it doesn't look like they did."

"Okay." Louise looked over all the monitors in front of them. Each screen contained different information about the different systems of the ship. Darryl was one of the few people on the ship that knew how to read them all. Louise had tried to learn, but she could only remember some of them.

"Does everything look okay here?" she asked, effectively changing the subject.

"Everything is running smoothly," Darryl reported.

"How's our fuel?" she asked.

"The ship is good to run for the rest of the week, we won't need to add more for at least five more days," he told her. She nodded.

"Good. I've got the night watch tonight, are you staying here?"

"For a while," he answered vaguely. She didn't press for more.

"Fine. I'm going to start my rounds." Whoever served the night watch was required to make at least three walking trips around the ship during the night, checking for any anomalies. In the past, anomalies usually meant enemy ship activity, but now Louise wasn't sure what it meant. Still, it seemed like a good process to keep up.

"Louise?" Darryl called to her as she was almost out the control room door. She froze and turned back to him, trying not to look annoyed.

"I know you're the lieutenant and this really isn't my place, and I also know that you're probably not going to listen to me anyway," he started. "But I trust Admiral Tina's judgment. She honest, and her heart has always been in the right place. I don't think she would do anything that would put the rest of us in danger. And I don't believe that she has now. But if you have concerns, you should just talk to her about them, not me."

Louise's eyes flashed, but inwardly her stomach knotted in fear. Would Darryl talk to Tina himself if she didn't? She didn't want word to get out that she was asking questions. She did not want the Admiral thinking she was being disloyal. Her loyalty did still very much lay with her sister, but as her sister she also knew that sometimes Tina's heart spoke louder than her head. She trusted Tina, but only up to a point. If she was as smitten with this robot leader as Louise suspected she was, then she wasn't going to take any chances. A lapse in judgment was not something they could afford. A treaty was just a piece of paper when it came right down to it. Did the robots have the honor and integrity to uphold it?

"Your advice is duly noted," Louise stated coldly. Darryl frowned, but he was not surprised by the response. "I'm going to continue on my way now."

"Very well."

"And Darryl," she paused again after she pulled the door open. "Needless to say, but this conversation should stay between you and me."

"Goodnight, Louise," Darryl replied. Louise had been hoping for something a little more reassuring than that answer, but she also knew that she was unlikely to get anything more out of him without pushing harder.

"Goodnight."