04x08 - Sine Qua Non

[bunniefuu]

Previously on battlestar galactica...

Thus shall it come to pass.

The dying leader shall know the truth of the opera house.

Where did you hear that? Who told you that?

The hybrid on the baseship before they unplugged it.

I've gotta find out about these visions.

Plug it in.

It's time to get some answers.

Can I see what you drew?

Hera!

Get away from my child!

You are never gonna take hera.

Jump!

Heavenly father...

Give me the strength, the wisdom, and above all...

Quickly. All right, on three.

Three, two, one, move!

Keep some pressure on that wound until I can get to the artery.

Put some mask on.

Kidnapped? The president's been kidnapped?

I heard baltar was with her.

Are you saying he's responsible?

I heard it was the cylons.

No, my people say she was sh*t.

What are you talking about... Roslin?

No, one of adama's marines sh*t a cylon, and that is how this entire thing has begun.

Sir, vice president zarek is still waiting to talk to you.

What should I tell him? Sir!

Deck crew says they just shipped over the last of the vipers.

Means we're down 40 birds. Almost as many jocks.

We're gonna have to reconfigure the cap.

Rethink our defense posture.

Where is she?

Clamp.

Marines are holding her.

My quarters.

All right, everybody, calm down.

Mr. Vice president!

Thank you. Just calm down, please.

Everybody...

Everybody just calm down, please!

Mr. Vice president, it's really important that we know.

Is the president dead?

We... We have no information...

I heard she was assassinated by the cylons.

No, there's no truth to that at least as far as we know.

Then what the hell do we know?

Clearly our first priority is to get out as much verifiable information as we can to avoid a general panic.

To that end, I asked admiral adama to come and answer our questions directly.

Unfortunately, he wouldn't take my call.

However...

However...

Please, please, just a moment.

Heavenly father...

President roslin was apparently aboard the cylon baseship along with gaius baltar and many of galactica's pilots when it jumped away.

After one of their own leaders was sh*t aboard galactica.

We have no idea when or if they will return, or if the president or the other captives will be subject to reprisals.

Oh...

Heavenly...

For now, under the powers granted me by law, I have taken over as president.

Hear hear!

By refusing even to meet with zarek, you're simply helping him fan the quorum's suspicions.

Their suspicions don't concern me.

Look, maybe he's not the man we hoped for, but he is next in line.

And the fleet needs reassurance and stability and frankly the kind that only its m*llitary commander can offer.

If this fleet needs reassurance, than you reassure them.

That's your job now.

You can tell zarek he can go to hell.

Why?

Sir...

Do you hate your people so much, did you look for any excuse to k*ll one, or did you deliberately try to sabotage this truce?

No, sir, of course not.

Then you tell me why.

You make me understand why you did this.

They were gonna take her.

The six.

She was gonna take my child.

There were too many witnesses.

They all said the same thing.

Your daughter was lost.

The cylon merely kneeled down and was talking to her.

Maybe that's what it looked like to the others, sir, but I know...

Oh, you knew better.

I had a vision.

A vision where the six and baltar were taking hera away from me.

A vision.

It was more than just a vision, sir.

When I saw them together, I knew that they would take her.

That they would take away my child!

You m*rder*d an unarmed woman, and by doing so you put the lives of every single person in this fleet at risk.

And quite possibly cost the lives of the president and your husband.

You disobeyed the direct orders of superior officer.

But more importantly...

You betrayed a promise to me.

I trusted you.

Sir, I will accept any form of punishment that you think I deserve.

I just ask that you please don't take away hera.

I'm afraid the brig is no place for a little girl.

Guards!

Get her out of my sight.

At one time, admiral adama supported gaius baltar's administration.

Isn't there a chance he'd support yours?

I'm afraid only admiral adama can answer that.

Then I will address this question to delegate adama.

Do you honestly think that your father will hand over power to this administration?

No.

Because he has no respect for government.

Initiate search pattern delta.

Yeah.

Recon raptor just reported back.

The resurrection hub's gone.

And there's no sign of the baseship which was carrying the president.

Assuming that's where they were headed.

They were determined to resurrect the three.

The one we used to call d'anna.

To do that, they gotta go to the hub.

You find it and we'll find them.

Easier said than done.

Maybe.

We've got other problems.

Starbuck's having trouble fielding enough planes to fly a standard cap.

Wants us to consider having the fleet bunch up tighter so it's easier to defend.

Means counting on a bunch of civvies flying close formation.

Yeah.

Organize it.

I got you appointed to this job.

Pulled strings. Called in favors.

All because I thought you might do some good.

Now you're advising me to step aside from a position that by law is mine.

A position I was elected to.

But you were never elected president.

But I was elected to office!

Which is more than roslin can claim.

Why do you think she kept me on in the first place?

To thank me for rolling over?

No.

No, to help legitimize her coup.

In the m*llitary...

We used to talk about facts on the ground.

Well, the facts on the ground are these.

Right or wrong, adama will never recognize you as president and we need someone he will.

Now the quorum has the legal authority to appoint an interim president in a time of crisis.

And I suppose you have someone in mind.

No.

No, not yet.

Which is why we need to form a search committee and start looking for a candidate as soon as possible.

Well... Good luck with that.

So vice president zarek, do you really believe that this government's in danger?

Let's face facts, jim.

What we've had these past five years isn't a true government, but a tacit agreement between a m*llitary strongman and a political strongwoman to rule together by fiat.

I heard you asked the quorum to authorize the creation of a civil defense force.

After what happened during the last m*llitary coup, we don't want to depend on galactica's marines to guarantee our safety...

You see the problem.

Lampkin's first rule of legal dynamics.

When an irresistible force...

Meets immovable object...

Stand aside...

And wait for the class action suit.

Except I'm not sure if it's to anyone's benefit if we just sit around waiting to pick up the pieces.

This thing's heading for a showdown.

There's gonna be bloodshed, unless...

Unless you can find someone else.

Someone your father won't reject.

Someone the quorum will approve of.

Someone to take tom zarek's place as interim president until the next round of elections.

Don't take the case, counselor.

It's a loser.

I have to.

Wehave to.

No one on the quorum is going to lift a finger.

Zarek's got them inhaling fear and exhaling anger.

But you have taken the pulse of the fleet, and you know character.

And frankly, you need a reason to get out of this room.

Unless you want to start discussing what's been keeping you here.

So you won't be dissuaded, will you?

Not even when you hear my fee?

Fee?

Appearances to the contrary, I'm actually in this for the money.

I have a reputation to maintain after all.

Okay, so what did roslin offer you to defend baltar?

Room with a view.

Well, I'm not sure I can improve on that.

Then pro bono it is, counselor.

A word to the wise.

Sometimes it's better to settle for what you've already got.

Colonel tigh.

I understand you've developed a relationship with the cylon prisoner.

That's not the word I'd use, but she had been more cooperative.

See if she'll tell you anything about the hub.

Bill.

We'll find her.

We'll find all of them.

The resurrection hub. How do we find it?

I'm sure the others have told you.

Youtell me.

Only our hybrids can locate it.

And then only after it completes a jump.

Even they can't anticipate where it's going.

You're holding back something.

I know it.

You're lying.

I have never lied to you, saul.

Why don't you trust me now?

Because there are too many lives at stake, lady.

Your buddies took off with half an air wing, not to mention the president of the frakkin' colonies herself.

She's the real reason you're so angry.

So worried. I can hear it in your voice.

Why?

Why is a dying woman so important to you?

Not to me, gods damn it. To the old man!

Admiral adama?

Saul.

Do you love me? What?!

Be honest with me. I've been honest with you.

I don't believe this.

You're asking me if...

Attention!

Set condition one throughout the ship.

This is not a drill. This has gone too frakkin' far.

I don't know what kind of mind games you are playing with me, lady, but it ends here!

What do we got?

One of our missing raptors jumped into dradis range.

You sure it's ours?

Transponder checks out.

It's one of the raptors that boarded the missing baseship.

No radiological signature.

Racetrack and skulls are on their way to intercept.

Actual, racetrack.

I'm eyeballing our bird now.

Looks sh*t to hell.

Venting fuel and o2.

Still no response to hails.

Someone had to jump that bird.

I can't see a frakking thing from here.

Skulls, take the wheel. I'm going for a walk.

Decompression check okay. Opening hatch.

Safety line secure. Moving toward the raptor.

I'm seeing major damage to the canopy.

Looks empty inside.

I've got the hatch open, but it's stuck.

Unh!

Grav field's off.

It's pike.

He's dead.

This is the shuttle she took over to the baseship.

Laird was able to salvage the flight data recorder.

Puts the originating jump point deep in sector delta nine.

President zarek called again.

He heard about the raptor and he's waiting to be briefed.

Recall the cap.

Spin up the ftls.

What about the fleet? Let's go.

We are essentially looking for an understudy.

The quandary is one doesn't generally get the chance to wield political power without the ambition to actively seek it.

Are you okay in there, lance?

That same ambition often compromises the unselfish motives that begat the quest.

In other words, a battle of id versus ego that ego rarely wins.

Roslin never sought power.

Exception that proves the rule.

One could argue that laura roslin is a study in repressed ambition.

Just like you, mr. Adama.

Never seeking out a job until it's handed to you.

Flight leader, battlestar commander, quorum delegate.

A man doesn't carve out a path like that through life without...

All right, enough of the psychoanalysis.

Let's get back to the job in hand.

Does your father have some other place he wants to go?

What?

Where the hell did they go?

And why didn't they tell us?

Galactica, racetrack.

We've located the source of the transponder.

It's sandman's viper all right.

But no sandman.

Affirmative. Keep searching.

We're getting radiation signatures from multiple nukes.

Baseship fragments, other debris indicative of resurrection technology.

I'm afraid it paints a pretty clear picture.

They found the hub and they destroyed it.

Looks like our pilots helped.

Question is, where'd they go from here?

Bill, you are way too close to this.

The president's baseship was destroyed.

It's a different baseship.

And we'll search every square inch of this debris field until we come up with a clue.

What, and leave the rest of the fleet back there with their asses hanging in the wind?

Detail four raptors to stay behind.

They keep searching until they find something concrete.

Give my order.

Good people, listen up. What are we gonna do here?

They've left 35,000 lives...

All right, everybody, gather around, please.

Gather around.

Please, please!

I'm sorry, admiral adama will not be coming to answer your questions.

I did learn, however, that he contacted the fleet's captains to inform them that several of their ships will be requisitioned to expand the search for laura roslin and the missing baseship.

While all tylium shipments will be diverted to support that mission.

But he's bypassing us completely!

I understand. I understand.

We're doing the best... I understand...

That is nothing short of a m*llitary coup!

Captain franks?

I was impressed by her gravitas during her turn as judge in the baltar trial.

That and her vote, naturally.

No, she's already been approached to run for office.

No interest in politics.

Sadly, now she really impresses me.

Gods.

You ever feed that animal?

Where is he, anyway?

Come on, romo, let's put our heads together.

We can do better than this.

Who would adama respect as president?

Good question.

What does this search for paragons net us anyway except greater guilt at our own failings?

Or worse, the idiot's illusion of the clean slate.

A fresh start.

Whoa, whoa!

We haven't ruled out all these names yet.

This one's a loser.

An exercise in futility.

Lawyers.

How's this gonna affect the president...

The break in her treatment?

Assuming no other changes in her circumstances?

Yes.

Well, doloxan really kicks your ass, so she actually might feel better at first.

But any break gives the cancer a chance to regroup.

Makes it that much harder to b*at it back.

Plus she's taken a hit to her immune system so she'll be vulnerable to infections.

How long?

Well, let's just say that the sooner you get her back here, the better her chances are.

And while you're digesting that, I have some other news.

I ran some tests on your cylon prisoner.

Guess what I found.

Raptors are due back in a few hours.

Granted, if they'd have found anything, we would have heard from them by now.

Still, once we correlate their reports...

I'm not interested in the search.

You're not?

I know that you've been spending a lot of time interrogating the six.

But now the brig guards tell me that every time you order them out that you turn off the cameras.

I'm not torturing her, if that's what you're worried about.

I'm not.

That I could almost understand.

This I can't.

Cottle tells me she's pregnant.

What the frak have you been thinking, colonel?

Do you deny it?

You don't.

You can't!

What the hell have you been thinking?

Who was interrogating who?

How many of our secrets have you told this thing?

How can you even ask me that?

Question my loyalty?

Your loyalty?

I need more than your loyalty.

You're my first officer.

I need judgment. I need your competence.

I'm through jeopardizing this ship, putting it at risk because of your weakness.

My weakness? Yeah, your weakness!

You're risking all our lives for what?

Our missing pilots? No, for a woman!

For a frakkin' woman!

You watch what you frakkin' say about that woman.

She's the president.

Not some frakkin' skinjob that I've been banging.

What do you think ellen would say about this?

You leave ellen out of this.

What do you think ellen would say about her husband impregnating a frakkin' cylon prisoner.

You mother-frakker!

Unh!

You know how many times I've had to repair this thing?

Unh!

Unh.

Oh.

What are you gonna do with that woman?

What are you gonna do about laura if you ever find her?

I don't know.

Have the raptors and the civilian ships begin their search from phantom's last known position.

Is that a problem?

Sir, respectfully, I've already got two missing pilots and hardly enough birds left to protect this fleet.

Now you're asking me to send the remainder of the raptors out on a blind search looking for a ship that very well may be destroyed.

My people are gonna feel like their being asked to go on su1c1de missions.

I'm not asking.

You're dismissed, captain.

Admiral adama.

Mr. Lampkin, what are you doing here?

Writs of forfeiture for the ships you're borrowing.

The captains want to be absolved of any blame should anything untoward happen.

One of the less ennobling consequences of a legal culture.

No one wants responsibility.

Lee said you once gave him something before a mission.

A lighter, was it?

Belonged to my father.

Foolish to think a hunk of metal could keep him safe.

And yet, that's what we do, isn't it?

Hang onto hope in every hopelessly irrational way that we can.

But not like those poor bastards giving away their luck just when they need it most.

It's like they've given up.

If you've never been in combat, you have no idea what they're thinking.

I always imagined you a realist, admiral.

Not one to indulge a vain hope at the cost of lives.

But then...

Everyone has his limits.

"Sine qua non," as they say.

"Without which not."

Yes.

Those things we deem essential without which we cannot bear living.

Without which life in general loses its specific value.

Becomes abstract.

You may have a point, counselor.

Then while I'm on a roll...

Tom zarek may not be an ideal president, but we could do worse.

You're right.

There are limits to my realism.

Good-bye, counselor.

I can't give up on her.

I can't let her go.

I've lost my objectivity.

And now that I see that, I have no choice.

Tell the quorum that I'm relinquishing command effective immediately.

No man is perfect.

No man is less perfect than a candidate for high office.

And thus...

The ranks of likely suspects is winnowed to none.

What if we're going about this backwards?

Hey, lance?

What if instead of...

Picking names and finding fault that we ask ourselves the qualities that we... That we want...

No.

No, what we need in a new chief executive and see who fits that bill.

Honesty, of course.

The wisdom to recognize the correct from popular choice.

As well the courage to see it through.

Experience.

When the wrong choices cost lives and the right ones save.

Tall order.

We might as well spell out one name.

Ah!

Just one.

One we knew from the start.

Sometimes you take on a losing case and you make yourself a believer.

Other times, no matter what you tell yourself...

In your heart...

You know the outcome is fixed.

The verdict inevitable.

Lance, defense rests.

Come on.

Apologies.

I couldn't wait to tell you.

Tell me what? We found our candidate.

Someone the quorum won't hesitate to approve even over zarek's objections.

Someone the admiral can't help but accept.

Yeah? Who?

Congratulations, mr. President.

My name was never on that list.

Of course not.

That would be too blatant.

But it is everything you always wanted, isn't it?

Why you had me cross 47 names off that list.

Come on.

Admit it.

Savor your victory, mr. Adama.

'Cause you'll never get the chance to serve.

What are you doing? Why?

'Cause you're perfect for the job, of course.

'Cause after the vicious aberration that was baltar's presidency, and the bitter disappointment that was roslin's, you are... A shining beacon of hope.

Only hope is the last thing we need.

We're a doomed race.

And it's time that we made our peace with that essential truth.

Romo, what the hell are you talking about?

Why? You want to know why?

Open it!

Okay.

Lance.

That's right.

They k*lled my cat!

They? They!

Those debased dregs of humanity out there.

Our lost tribe in search of a new home so they can roost and rot again.

Romo, how long has the cat been dead?

How long?!

It's irrelevant! It's immaterial!

Since it wasn't even my cat.

Romo, he's been dead for weeks.

It belonged to my wife.

I just retrieved him from a vet on gemenon when the bombs started to fall, and fate presented me with a choice.

I could get back on that shuttle or...

I could run home and...

Try to save my family.

How do you think I chose?

Romo, we've all had to make difficult choices.

You don't think I know?

Your wife's name was faye.

You had two daughters, jennifer and katie.

There were over 200 passengers on that shuttle.

Only a handful chose to stay behind.

Yeah, that's right.

It was in your file when you were handed the job as baltar's counsel.

But no one blamed you, romo.

Because at a certain point, we all made decisions that saved our lives at the cost of others.

You think you're unique, romo?

Think your sins are so special?

Is that it, counselor?

You're gonna rest your entire case on that pathetic little bit of insight?

No... On this.

The clean slate, the fresh start, maybe they are illusions like you said.

But at a certain point, faith in ourselves in our right to survive as a species, as a people, that's not a given...

That's a choice.

Well, I've made mine.

And if you can't stomach that, then you had damn well better squeeze that trigger right now.

Go on.

What are you waiting for?

Or you can make a choice.

Put your past behind you...

Put the g*n down...

And help me.

Because I'm telling you, I'm gonna make a difference in this fleet.

Is that your final word?

That's up to you.

Then swear it.

I, leland joseph adama, do now avow and affirm...

That I take the office of president of the 12 colonies of kobol without any moral reservation or mental evasion.

That I take the office of president of the 12 colonies of kobol without any moral reservation or mental evasion.

This is a frakkin' joke.

You're the only man I can trust to command this ship.

Maybe you're crazy enough to pull a stunt like this, but you can't be crazy enough to leave me in charge.

In case you forgot, my last term at the helm was a complete disaster.

That was a long time ago.

You're not the same man that you were.

You're not even the same man who came back from new caprica.

You found out a lot about yourself.

Been tested in ways I can barely begin to imagine.

You're ready.

Besides...

Don't count on this being permanent.

What if it is?

Put these on.

And you lead the people to earth the best way you can.

The fleet has stayed here too long already.

Any other last orders?

Just one.

Give athena back her daughter.

She needs her family.

We all need our family.

Take care of this one.

All right, let me see the changes before you get this out to the press.

All right. Thank you.

Mr. Lampkin.

Romo.

One day in office and you're already got a first pet.

Jake here is a genuine hero of the resistance.

Aren't you, jake?

Unfortunately, his previous owners had to let him go.

Jake, meet romo.

Romo, meet jake.

Your new best friend.

If there's one thing I hate more than cats, it's dogs.

See, a new pet for you to loathe.

I knew it would be the perfect gift.

Good luck, jake.

I hear you're keeping zarek as vice president.

I can use the advice.

And as long as he knows he's heard, I think I can trust him.

I don't know if I agree with your thinking.

Well, I could say the same thing about yours.

The only difference is you're gonna be president.

I'm just getting in a plane.

Waiting alone in a raptor while the rest of the fleet jumps away.

That's not just getting in a plane.

That sounds a lot like...

Well, it sounds a lot like su1c1de, dad.

At least this time I'm only risking my own neck.

So I guess it won't matter if as president I order you not to do this?

I don't know if I ever told you this, but one of my first missions was a solo recon.

Me alone in a raptor in enemy space.

I'm not gonna lie to you. I was scared.

Told myself that I was doing my duty, and ultimately I faced my fear.

That's a good memory.

Why are you doing this?

Because I can't live without her.

And laura's gonna get to the rendezvous point.

I have to believe that.

Admiral.

Admiral.

What do you hear, starbuck?

Nothing but the rain, sir.

Grab your g*n and bring the cat in.

Yes, sir.

Keep a light on. I'll be back.

You can count on it.

Galactica, this is husker. I'm in position.

Affirmative, husker.

All fleet ships, this is galactica actual.

Sh aw, how cute.