Deliverance (1/?)
After debating with myself and a few of the people at roslin_adama I decided I would post the first few chapters of Deliverance and see how it goes since I can't guarantee that I will finish this fic before things get too hectic in life.

Title: Deliverance
Author: coexist_love
Rating: MA
Fandom: Battlestar Galactica 2003
Character: General with Roslin/Adama emphasis
Summary: A normal day on among the fleet is disturbed when an unidentified assailant attempts to assassinate President Roslin.
Disclaimer: Not written for money and if I owned Galactica this would have already happened.
Spoilers: Flight of the Pheonix through Epiphanies
Author’s Note: I thought about this while watching Colonial Day and though my setting is very different to begin with it was given further substance by whyoffry and major_zoidberg at LiveJournal and a special thanks to my lovely betas (I had so many ) but in particular whyoffry campmotha and tina_cat

Prologue

Laura yearned to go back to the beach. Funny thing was that she had never really appreciated beaches until she was stuck on a ship all day breathing recycled air and looking out at continually dark spaces all day. It felt almost life affirming when she took off her shoes and the grains of sand ran between her toes. She was at peace.

For a moment she wondered if the cancer had spread to her brain as Dr. Cottle had predicted it would. She wondered if she was even here at all or if it was just some elaborate fantasy world that her mind had created as a result of the cancerous cells invading her precious brain.

But she assured herself that the cancer wouldn’t spread that far in just one morning. She remembered the prognosis that he had given her right before they found Kobol, about how aggressively the cancer had moved into her lymphatic system, but even with the cancer at such an advanced stage the invasion to other systems had taken weeks and Laura was sure that she would be able to dodge the bullet of a brain tumor for a little while longer.

Laura watched the sunset as the water splash against her feet. It felt good, refreshing. For a moment Laura wondered when she last dipped her feet in a tub of water. Her mind drifted to the time she spent at the Riverwalk Section of Caprica City where she sat with her foot dangling in the pool of water created by the fountain. She remembered how good it had felt after being given the news that she had terminal breast cancer. It was almost like bathing her feet would wash away the diagnosis, make the illness go away. But it didn’t go away. It continued to progress to the point where there was nothing she could do.

Dilloxin had never been an option for her. She hated watching the side effects it had on her mother as she faded away over the course of two years. Now she faced a similar demise but turned to the Chamalla. In the beginning it had appeared to be having some effect but over the course of time the benefits seemed to dwindle. Billy had tried to convince her that Diloxin was a good option for her. That she should take it and attempt to live a week or month longer. But Laura wouldn’t hear of it.

As the sky changed to brilliant shades of yellow and orange, Laura began to wonder if this was what heaven was like. An eternity of beautiful sunsets on the beach. Such an idea would make her the happiest person in the world. She could sit back, read a book, and just watch the sunset day in and day out. A small smile graced Laura’s lips at the thought. It was perfect. Absolutely perfect.

Suddenly a violent wave splashed against Laura’s leg and she stepped backward to see a mound of seaweed that had gathered in the current. Laura watched as the wave drew it back out and then back in. Carefully reordering the pieces of kelp so that it formed a distinct shape. When the waves appeared to stop Laura moved closer and looked at the formation with a gasp.

Written on the wet sand was her name in an almost infallible script, Laura.

TBC


Comments and feedback greatly appreciated.