Look-In Magazine: Storyline 3

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[[File:{{{image}}}|250px|Storyline #3]]
Storyline #3 An issue of the Look-In Magazine Press series.
Issue No.	#17 (1980) to #29 (1980)
Writer(s)	Angus P. Allan
Illustrator(s)	{{{illustrator}}}
Penciller(s)	Martin Asbury
Inker(s)	Martin Asbury
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Published	26 April 1980 - 19 July 1980
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Population	0 Survivors
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Storyline 2	Storyline #3	Storyline 4
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Plot

An outbreak of a contagious fever aboard the transport Orestes forces a quarantine and a crew swap, but the situation is complicated by a devastating Cylon attack that leaves the transport crippled, adrift, and facing the Cylon fleet alone.

Summary

Strip #1

• A case of Parahelial Fever is reported on the transport vessel Orestes, which carries 42 children. The fever is terribly contagious and deadly to adults, but not to youngsters.
• Ten crew are aboard, two of whom are immune. Adama orders the eight non-immune crew members to be ferried to Galactica for quarantine and tells Athena to have Captain Apollo report to him.

Strip #2

• Adama tasks Apollo, who is immune, with taking temporary command of Orestes. Boxey, also immune, volunteers to go along, and Adama permits it.
• As Apollo's shuttle heads to Orestes, a Cylon fighter force is detected approaching the Fleet.

Strip #3

• Adama launches Green Squadron to intercept the Cylon Raiders.
• The Cylons begin their attack on the convoy's rearmost vessels, destroying the freighter Laurentic.

Strip #4

• The Cylon attack continues, with one Raider peeling off to attack the hospital ferry returning from Orestes.
• Green Squadron engages the Cylons to stop the destruction.

Strip #5

• Green Leader intercepts and destroys the Raider attacking Apollo's shuttle.
• Green Two is not so lucky, colliding with wreckage and then careening into another enemy fighter, destroying both.

Strip #6

• The remaining two Cylons retreat. Adama calls for damage reports, learning that four ships, one shuttle, and one Viper were destroyed, with 280 lives lost.
• Apollo reports that his shuttle has safely docked with Orestes.

Strip #7

• Apollo takes command of Orestes and learns from the ship's doctor, Sperrin, that one child is a definite case, with two more suspected.
• He discovers the ship's only armament is a rudimentary Mark Three impulse beam. He makes an open transmission to Adama requesting a mobile phaser unit.

Strip #8

• Apollo's request causes an uproar among other captains in the Fleet, who also feel defenseless. Apollo retracts the request and settles for Viper cover.
• Unseen, a Cylon mothership prepares a full-scale assault, aiming for the total destruction of the human fleet.

Strip #9

• Aboard Orestes, Boxey expresses his faith that Starbuck and the other Viper pilots will protect them.
• Far beyond, the Imperious Leader gives the order to launch the assault.

Strip #10

• As Vipers patrol the convoy, some of the civilian captains complain about being ordered around by Starbuck.
• The Cylon attack force appears, with Orestes directly in their line of attack.

Strip #11

• Orestes is rocked by a near miss. Apollo fires the ship's lone impulse beam and manages to destroy a Raider.

Strip #12

• The ship is badly damaged. Thruster response and radio are gone, and the master circuits are blown, leaving them adrift and out of control.
• Orestes drifts far away from the battle, and Apollo tells Boxey that unless a miracle occurs, they are condemned to wander aimlessly until they die.

Strip #13

• Aboard the drifting ship, Apollo learns from Dr. Sperrin that the children are recovering and there are no new cases.
• Boxey, tasked with keeping the children's spirits up, tells them heroic stories of how his "dad" will fight their way back to the convoy.

Strip #14

• Back on Galactica, Adama grieves, believing Orestes and everyone aboard—including Apollo and the 42 children—were vaporized in the battle.
• He vows to name their future colony after his son.

Strip #15

• The crew on Orestes manages to get the long-range video equipment working again.
• They are horrified to discover that their elliptical course has taken them directly to the Cylon mothership.

Strip #16

• The Imperious Leader orders the helpless ship captured rather than destroyed, hoping to find a use for the humans within.
• With no way to fight back, Apollo decides they have no choice but to surrender.

Strip #17

• As a Cylon shuttle approaches, Apollo formulates a desperate bluff. He tells Boxey not to reveal that he is Adama's son.

Strip #18

• Using the short-range radio, Apollo warns the approaching Cylons that Orestes is stricken with a highly infective plague.
• The Centurions, knowing they are vulnerable to human illnesses, are alarmed and relay the information to the Imperious Leader, who orders them to prepare a "transference bubble."

Strip #19

• The Cylons demand that the ship's captain come aboard their mothership alone, inside a protective suit they provide.
• Apollo, giving his name as "Captain Carter," agrees to go, leaving Dr. Sperrin in command.

Strip #20

• Aboard the Cylon mothership, Apollo is taken before the Imperious Leader. He tells the Leader he will use the crew and children of Orestes as bargaining chips to force the surrender and destruction of Galactica.
• Apollo retorts that the Fleet would never fall for such a trick, knowing the Cylons would slaughter them anyway. He is then taken to a cell.

Strip #21

• The Imperious Leader transmits his ultimatum to Adama, revealing that he holds Orestes and its occupants captive.
• Adama is stunned to learn his son is alive.

Strip #22

• Adama asks for time to convene a council. Meanwhile, the Imperious Leader demands further interrogation of his prisoner.
• When Centurions open Apollo's cell, he has removed his protective suit. Believing he is now contagious, the Centurions panic. One guard shoots another it believes is "contaminated," then flees, sealing the bulkhead behind it.

Strip #23

• The Imperious Leader, fearing for his own safety, orders the entire area barred and tells his forces to find and kill Apollo, even if it means sacrificing themselves.
• On Orestes, Boxey devises a "suicide mission" to rescue his father, inspiring ten other children to join him using size-one spacesuits and jet-packs from the cargo hold.

Strip #24

• Apollo finds a ventilation grille and escapes into the ship's maintenance shafts.
• Boxey and his child-army leave Orestes undetected.

Strip #25

• Apollo emerges from the shafts and, using the Cylons' fear of contamination against them, overpowers several guards and arms himself.
• Boxey's rescue squad finds an empty Cylon shuttle docked at an airlock and is about to board when they run into Apollo.

Strip #26

• Reunited, Apollo and the children commandeer the Cylon shuttle. They fly back to Orestes, evacuate everyone, and make their escape.
• Blue Squadron makes rendezvous to escort the shuttle back to Galactica, where they are welcomed as heroes. Boxey asks what the Imperious Leader is saying now, and Apollo replies that he's not old enough to learn such bad language.

Notes

• The story introduces "Parahelial Fever," a disease that is only deadly to adults, creating a unique quarantine situation.
• The civilian fleet captains are shown to be cantankerous and independent, challenging the military command structure when they feel their own ships are at risk.
• The Cylons' cybernetic nature is presented as a key vulnerability; their logical minds are easily panicked by the illogical threat of a biological plague they cannot compute.
• Boxey once again plays a pivotal, heroic role, this time leading his own rescue mission comprised of other children.
• The story ends with the Fleet acquiring a Cylon shuttle.

Analysis

"Storyline #3" is a tense survival thriller that combines a medical crisis with a military disaster. The plot effectively isolates a small group of main characters, stripping them of their usual technological superiority and forcing them to rely on wits and courage alone. The "plague ship" gambit is a classic trope, but it is used here to great effect to exploit a specific, established weakness of the Cylons: their fear and lack of understanding of biological processes.

The story provides significant character development for both Apollo and Boxey. Apollo demonstrates his leadership and capacity for cunning by orchestrating the bluff that saves everyone. His false identity of "Captain Carter" shows quick thinking under pressure. Boxey graduates from a child in need of protection to a proactive leader in his own right, mirroring his father's courage by launching a seemingly impossible rescue mission. The image of ten children in tiny spacesuits jetting across to a Cylon mothership is both whimsical and incredibly brave, highlighting the resilience of the human spirit.

The narrative also explores the fragile politics of the Fleet. The open dissent from the civilian captains in response to Apollo's request for special protection adds a layer of realism to the challenges Adama faces in keeping the diverse and frightened group of survivors together. Ultimately, the story is a testament to ingenuity in the face of overwhelming odds, celebrating the idea that the human mind can be a more powerful weapon than any laser.

Questions

• What is the origin of Parahelial Fever? Is it a known Colonial illness, or something they encountered in their travels?
• What became of the crippled transport Orestes after it was evacuated? Was it destroyed or left adrift?
• How did a group of ten children manage to leave Orestes in spacesuits and travel to the Cylon mothership without being detected by either the remaining crew on the freighter or the Cylons?
• What happened to the captured Cylon shuttle? Was it studied for intelligence? Was it used in later operations?
• Will the Imperious Leader's personal fear of contamination be a recurring weakness that the Colonials can exploit in the future?