MONDO EXTRAS

Adama and Roslin agree that Lee and the Pegasus will find and destroy this old, sad Basestar; Adama has decided to transfer his flag for the operation, citing a "personal stake" in the mission. Lee will still be in command, but Adama has to be there, to pay for the sins of his survival. "A mission based on a Cylon legend," Apollo scoffs, but Adama, the atheist, the unbeliever, the Liar of Earth, knows it's no such thing. While the Cylon have forgotten the Guardian, forgotten the nativity of their God, Adama has been there, has seen it all happening. "I saw what they did to make it. We're not gonna let this happen again. Not to our own people." Lee ten-huts to the mission and heads out to plan the attack with Shaw; Roslin holds him back a moment: "I'm afraid that brings us to another matter. Commander."

Shaw explains her plan: Pegasus will jump into the Guardian swarm, drawing them away at sublight speeds like a bird with a broken wing. Then her strike team jumps in, feet on the ground, with Starbuck flying the Raptor -- "No other pilot I can trust to pull this off," Shaw says, not begrudgingly -- which will then be destroyed. After wiping up the Basestar with a nuke, they'll send for extraction. Lee sees the value, and the Cainness of the plan, but brings up Roslin's concern from the last scene: "The President believes that under Admiral Cain you were involved in an incident aboard a civilian transport called Scylla. An incident in which ten people were executed. It is true?" Of course she was there, she was there for all of it. She's the Razor. Kendra remembers the Scylla again, without the drugs to push it away: how she came to in the midst of terror, people scrambling away from the Pegasus team, Laird staring at her, watching his life get burned away one friend and fellow at a time. "I was there. Guessing that's enough to indict me."

Lee wonders why she didn't list Scylla among her sins, and she looks him in the eye: "You said you wanted to send a message to this ship's crew, about respecting Cain's legacy? I am Cain's legacy. I'm alive because of the choices she made. So is everyone else on this ship. Tell you something else? Cain wouldn't have blinked twice at this plan. She knew that you don't win battles, never mind wars, without risking lives." She offers her resignation, and he shakes his head. "It'd be easier, wouldn't it? Then you can go back to peeling potatoes, wallowing in self-pity, because poor Kendra Shaw is the only officer in the Fleet who's ever had to make a hard call. Well, it's not gonna fly, Major. Not while I'm in command. The plan's risky, but right now you're the only game in town. So complete your mission, Major. Your plan's approved." It would be easier, to go back to the kitchens, spend every day laboring to keep her compatriots fed, sticking oblivion in her neck at every opportunity, but that's not the easiest thing she can think of. The easiest thing she can think of is even less than that.