Deliverance (19/?)
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 maj_zoidberg444 at LiveJournal and a special thanks to my lovely betas (I had so many ) but in particular whyoffry campmotha and tina_cat
PREVIOUS CHAPTERS
Prologue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Chapter 18
“Hey, wake up,” Bill heard a voice beckon him from his sleep. He opened his eyes to take in the surroundings of a room he clearly remembered as Laura’s dual office and bedroom. He glanced around taking in what was on the desk and on the walls, everything seemed normal. But how did he get here? “Hey?” Bill looked over the couch to see Laura clad in a white bathrobe. Her eyes were open and her glasses were in her hand. She looked so alive. She looked normal.
“Laura?” he questioned. “Where are we? How did we get here?”
“You’re dreaming Bill,” Laura said.
Bill let out an exasperated sigh, “You’re still in Life Station, and you’re still in your coma?” Laura nodded meekly. Bill let out an exasperated sigh as he took her hand, his eyes meeting hers as they displayed a deep concern. “Do you know what’s happening?”
“Yes,” Laura said. “I am very aware of it.” She saw Bill’s face fall and immediately opened her mouth to reassure him. “I have good days and bad days, but don’t look so worried, I’m not dying today.”
“I wasn’t worried,” Bill lied.
“What can I do for you?”
“Shouldn’t I be saying that to you? You’re the one that’s in a coma,” Bill stated.
“Bill, I’m serious. If you sought me out in your dreams then you need help.”
“I don’t know where to start,” Bill said unable to take his eyes off of Laura. An hour ago he wasn’t sure that he was going to able to see her smile or see her eyes glow with their usual brilliance. Now, though he knew it wasn’t the corporeal Laura he was getting a chance to see her again. He wanted to savor this moment. He wanted to make the most out of all the time he had left with her before he was shaken awake.
“Let me start for you,” Laura suggested. “Who is this Admiral Cain I keep hearing about?”
“We found another Battlestar a few days ago but the commanding officer has a real stick up her ass.” Bill watched as Laura leaned up and put on her glasses. He admired the beauty of her long and slender fingers and the grace she accomplished with such a simple notion. “She’s transferred Lee and Kara to the Pegasus, and she’s the one that ordered termination of your life support.”
“That explains why it’s been harder to move around and get things done,” Laura stated. “For a few moments there I thought it was just the cancer.”
“Well, she also ordered to have Helo and Tyrol executed and then I almost started a civil war between the two ships.”
“You what?” Laura exclaimed.
“It was an irrational decision,” Bill confessed. “But we defused it for now and we’re focusing on destroying a Cylon fleet.”
“What’s troubling you about that?” Laura asked. Her mind suddenly reverted to the way that Cain had spoken to him when she had wanted to turn off life support. How her tone sounded so sweet and amorous, almost like she was flirting rather than persuading. Taking a deep breath she asked, “Do you love her?”
“What?” Bill asked. “No Laura!”
“I heard the way she was talking to you.”
“Laura. I was fighting back tears the entire time. I didn’t want to pull your plug but Cain has some big guns and I’m afraid that if I don’t do what she says she’s gonna shoot me.”
“Surely a flag officer wouldn’t do a thing like that,” Laura insisted.
“This one would,” Bill mentioned. “Immediately after the Cylon attack she supposedly shot her first officer in the head.”
“Supposedly? As in you have no proof?”
“No, not unless you call Colonel Fisk liquored up proof.”
“Not a very reliable source commander.”
“You won’t like what I have to say next,” Bill stated. Laura looked at him with concern. “Scuttlebutt is that the Pegasus used to have civilian fleet with her. Fifteen ships. Cain stripped them, for parts, and people. She is said to have put military needs as priority one.”
“I wish I could say I was surprised,” Laura stated. “But it seems like who she is. She’s playing for keeps, you’ve got to do the same.”
“What’s gotten into you?” Bill asked. “You’ve become so bloody minded.”
“I know I haven’t been out in the waking world, but I can sense that as long as Cain lives, your survival is at risk.” Laura suddenly felt a pressure build in her chest and leaned forward and she started coughing. Bill quickly located the water on the nearby table and gently helped her take a sip while he supported the back of her head with one hand. She leaned back signifying that she’d had enough, letting her head rest on the pillows as Adama placed the water back on the table.
Adama knew that the tumors were growing, hindering her from making any progress. She needed life support to help her sustain herself, that much he could see. For a moment he contemplating overriding the Admiral’s orders and putting her back on the ventilator, anything to help her get back to him.
“What can I get you?” Bill asked.
“I new body,” Laura answered, her voice barely a whisper. “Perhaps one of those young Cylon models from your resurrection ship.”
“I can’t see you as a blonde.” His fingers stroking her thick brown hair. He loved her brown hair. It was very regal and authoritative, much like she was.
“You’d be surprised.”
He studied her for a minute, not wanted to forget her the way she was. Delicately he reached his hand out and she took it. He squeezed it lightly, not saying anything as he leaned forward and planted a gently kiss on her lips. Laura reciprocated with a delicate peck before he pulled away and she smiled at him.
“Can I hold you?” He asked. Laura nodded as she pushed herself up, making room for Bill on the couch. She watched him as he took off his boots and pulled the blanket down before he climbed under it with her. She turned on her side to face him and he gently let his hand rest on the small of her back, pulling her towards him so that he could feel her breath on his face.
Laura allowed one of her hands to rest on his shoulder, her fingers curling to the contour of his clavicle. She felt him plant another kiss on his forehead and she exhaled deeply. She would give anything to be in his arms like this for all of eternity. She knew that she should wake up and spend the rest of the time she had left with him, but at the moment she felt that this was as close as she was going to get.
“I love you,” Bill whispered in her ear.
Laura almost flinched when she heard the words. Could he really be saying that to her right now? She knew that when she woke up she wouldn’t remember those three words, in fact she wouldn’t even remember this meeting.
“I love you too,” Laura murmured. A long silence hung between them. “But she won’t hesitate to kill you Bill. Please don’t let her.”
***
“Our primary objective is a vessel named Ressurection by the Cylons. Its guarded by two basestars which have been following us throughout this sector,” Startbuck began.
“Our plan,” Lee jumped in, “Simply put is to let them find us. We will wait in this system here and appear to be conducting mining operations”
Lee watched as one of the pilots mapped out the plan on the table. Lee placed the two battlestars by one planet as a visual aide for the two senior most officers.
“When the Cylons launch their raiders, Galactica and most of the Civilian fleet will jump away. A small group of civilians will be left behind,” Starbuck continued.
“To the Cylons they will appear to having trouble with their FTL drives and attempting to escape at sublight speed.”
The looks on the Admiral and the Commander’s faces were stoic, incapable to showing any emotion. Kara had imagined that Cain would be on the edge of her seat, awaiting the details of how Pegasus would finally destroy the Cylon fleet they’d been chasing. But she seemed disinterested, distant. Adama’s face a mirror of hers.
“The Cylon raiders then attempt to destroy the decoys, pulling them as far away from the Cylon basestars as they can.”
“O¬nce the raiders have been drawn off by the decoys, Galactica and Pegasus will jump in and attack the base stars. While I jump in, in the blackbird stealth fighter and take out the FTL drives o¬n the resurrection ship, preventing it from jumping away.” Lee stated, placing the blackbird on the table.
“Why not have the stealth ship carry nukes and destroy it right at the start?” Tigh asked.
“We ran simulations on that and have determined that the Cylons would detect he nukes and destroy the stealth ship before it go within weapon’s range,” Kara justified. “When the FTL is destroyed, Galactica and Pegasus will take on the basestars, while our attack squadrons, go after the resurrection ship itself.”
“How many squadrons?” Tigh asked.
Kara slid the last piece onto the table, “All of them.”
Tension suddenly built up in the room as Cain and Adama looked at each as if they each had their own vendetta. Adama’s was full of scorn and hostility for what Cain had done to Laura. Cain’s was about power and control. For a while neither of them said a word, but of course Cain provoked a conversation.
“Is there a problem Commander?” Cain asked as she started to feel uneasy.
“I need time to study the operational details,” Adama stated. He couldn’t believe he was considering taking Laura’s advice. He has one dream about a beautiful woman that he loves very much and now he was willing to throw all his morals out the window so that he could protect the lives of the Civilian fleet. Maybe he should have his head examined.
“Suit yourself,” Cain replied. “I’ve gone over the details and I’m satisfied.” She began to walk away, her hands placed firmly on her belt, within reach of her sidearms.
Adama watched her as she made her exit, stopping her before she reached the door, “I would like your CAG to stay with me. Answer some of my questions.”
Cain was slightly suspicious and annoyed at the audacity of the infamous Commander. She held back a look of scorn and breathed into Kara’s ear, “One hour Thrace.”
“Yes sir,” Kara replied.
“Stay focused son,” Adama threw out to Lee as Lee began to pack up his notes and leave.
***
“I have a mission for you Kara,” Adama stated, he hands bracing him against Galactica’s briefing room table.
“Anything for you, you know that,” Kara stated as she turned towards the Old Man.
“Don’t accept too quickly,” Adama commanded. “You’re not going to like this one. I don’t like it. But I’ve decided it has to be done.” Adama could see Kara’s concern radiating from her eyes. He didn’t want to have to do this to her. He didn’t want her to have to be the one to pull the trigger. She was like a daughter to him. But taking a deep breath he continued talking. “After the attack has ended and you’ve accounting for your pilots, I want you to land your bird on the Pegasus and report directly to CIC. You’ll take Lee with you. He’ll watch your back.”
For a moment Adama realized the positive aspect that came out of Lee’s transfer to Galactica. Starbuck needed someone he could trust to watch her back and he needed someone that he knew would get the job done. He still didn’t feel comfortable having her do this, but he knew it needed to be done. He could see Kara growing uneasy as he continued detailing her mission but he pressed on anyway.
“There will be the usual chaos and emotional high after the attack. They’ll keep their guard down.” Kara’s eyes squinted in speculation. She knew this, but what mission would need to be completed in the Pegasus CIC? “I will ask for you over the wireless. When you hear me say ‘downfall’ I want you to pull you your weapon…”
One last chance Bill, he told himself. One last chance to save your soul. Did he dare finish what he wanted to say?
“…and shoot Admiral Cain in the head,” he stated.
Kara’s eyes widened with disbelief. He was asking her to betray an officer that had promoted her, had showed faith in her, had decided to go back to Caprica for her. He expected her just to pull out her weapon and stoically shoot Admiral her in the head without feeling a pang of emotion? Sure her job was to blast Cylons out of the mother frakking sky, but to her the Cylons didn’t have faces or souls, they didn’t have the ability to show affection. And yet the Commander wanted him to shoot the woman that had acted as her mother figure. Yet Kara pushed her emotions aside, remembering the job of an officer.
They say shoot, we shoot.
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 maj_zoidberg444 at LiveJournal and a special thanks to my lovely betas (I had so many ) but in particular whyoffry campmotha and tina_cat
PREVIOUS CHAPTERS
Prologue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Chapter 18
“Hey, wake up,” Bill heard a voice beckon him from his sleep. He opened his eyes to take in the surroundings of a room he clearly remembered as Laura’s dual office and bedroom. He glanced around taking in what was on the desk and on the walls, everything seemed normal. But how did he get here? “Hey?” Bill looked over the couch to see Laura clad in a white bathrobe. Her eyes were open and her glasses were in her hand. She looked so alive. She looked normal.
“Laura?” he questioned. “Where are we? How did we get here?”
“You’re dreaming Bill,” Laura said.
Bill let out an exasperated sigh, “You’re still in Life Station, and you’re still in your coma?” Laura nodded meekly. Bill let out an exasperated sigh as he took her hand, his eyes meeting hers as they displayed a deep concern. “Do you know what’s happening?”
“Yes,” Laura said. “I am very aware of it.” She saw Bill’s face fall and immediately opened her mouth to reassure him. “I have good days and bad days, but don’t look so worried, I’m not dying today.”
“I wasn’t worried,” Bill lied.
“What can I do for you?”
“Shouldn’t I be saying that to you? You’re the one that’s in a coma,” Bill stated.
“Bill, I’m serious. If you sought me out in your dreams then you need help.”
“I don’t know where to start,” Bill said unable to take his eyes off of Laura. An hour ago he wasn’t sure that he was going to able to see her smile or see her eyes glow with their usual brilliance. Now, though he knew it wasn’t the corporeal Laura he was getting a chance to see her again. He wanted to savor this moment. He wanted to make the most out of all the time he had left with her before he was shaken awake.
“Let me start for you,” Laura suggested. “Who is this Admiral Cain I keep hearing about?”
“We found another Battlestar a few days ago but the commanding officer has a real stick up her ass.” Bill watched as Laura leaned up and put on her glasses. He admired the beauty of her long and slender fingers and the grace she accomplished with such a simple notion. “She’s transferred Lee and Kara to the Pegasus, and she’s the one that ordered termination of your life support.”
“That explains why it’s been harder to move around and get things done,” Laura stated. “For a few moments there I thought it was just the cancer.”
“Well, she also ordered to have Helo and Tyrol executed and then I almost started a civil war between the two ships.”
“You what?” Laura exclaimed.
“It was an irrational decision,” Bill confessed. “But we defused it for now and we’re focusing on destroying a Cylon fleet.”
“What’s troubling you about that?” Laura asked. Her mind suddenly reverted to the way that Cain had spoken to him when she had wanted to turn off life support. How her tone sounded so sweet and amorous, almost like she was flirting rather than persuading. Taking a deep breath she asked, “Do you love her?”
“What?” Bill asked. “No Laura!”
“I heard the way she was talking to you.”
“Laura. I was fighting back tears the entire time. I didn’t want to pull your plug but Cain has some big guns and I’m afraid that if I don’t do what she says she’s gonna shoot me.”
“Surely a flag officer wouldn’t do a thing like that,” Laura insisted.
“This one would,” Bill mentioned. “Immediately after the Cylon attack she supposedly shot her first officer in the head.”
“Supposedly? As in you have no proof?”
“No, not unless you call Colonel Fisk liquored up proof.”
“Not a very reliable source commander.”
“You won’t like what I have to say next,” Bill stated. Laura looked at him with concern. “Scuttlebutt is that the Pegasus used to have civilian fleet with her. Fifteen ships. Cain stripped them, for parts, and people. She is said to have put military needs as priority one.”
“I wish I could say I was surprised,” Laura stated. “But it seems like who she is. She’s playing for keeps, you’ve got to do the same.”
“What’s gotten into you?” Bill asked. “You’ve become so bloody minded.”
“I know I haven’t been out in the waking world, but I can sense that as long as Cain lives, your survival is at risk.” Laura suddenly felt a pressure build in her chest and leaned forward and she started coughing. Bill quickly located the water on the nearby table and gently helped her take a sip while he supported the back of her head with one hand. She leaned back signifying that she’d had enough, letting her head rest on the pillows as Adama placed the water back on the table.
Adama knew that the tumors were growing, hindering her from making any progress. She needed life support to help her sustain herself, that much he could see. For a moment he contemplating overriding the Admiral’s orders and putting her back on the ventilator, anything to help her get back to him.
“What can I get you?” Bill asked.
“I new body,” Laura answered, her voice barely a whisper. “Perhaps one of those young Cylon models from your resurrection ship.”
“I can’t see you as a blonde.” His fingers stroking her thick brown hair. He loved her brown hair. It was very regal and authoritative, much like she was.
“You’d be surprised.”
He studied her for a minute, not wanted to forget her the way she was. Delicately he reached his hand out and she took it. He squeezed it lightly, not saying anything as he leaned forward and planted a gently kiss on her lips. Laura reciprocated with a delicate peck before he pulled away and she smiled at him.
“Can I hold you?” He asked. Laura nodded as she pushed herself up, making room for Bill on the couch. She watched him as he took off his boots and pulled the blanket down before he climbed under it with her. She turned on her side to face him and he gently let his hand rest on the small of her back, pulling her towards him so that he could feel her breath on his face.
Laura allowed one of her hands to rest on his shoulder, her fingers curling to the contour of his clavicle. She felt him plant another kiss on his forehead and she exhaled deeply. She would give anything to be in his arms like this for all of eternity. She knew that she should wake up and spend the rest of the time she had left with him, but at the moment she felt that this was as close as she was going to get.
“I love you,” Bill whispered in her ear.
Laura almost flinched when she heard the words. Could he really be saying that to her right now? She knew that when she woke up she wouldn’t remember those three words, in fact she wouldn’t even remember this meeting.
“I love you too,” Laura murmured. A long silence hung between them. “But she won’t hesitate to kill you Bill. Please don’t let her.”
***
“Our primary objective is a vessel named Ressurection by the Cylons. Its guarded by two basestars which have been following us throughout this sector,” Startbuck began.
“Our plan,” Lee jumped in, “Simply put is to let them find us. We will wait in this system here and appear to be conducting mining operations”
Lee watched as one of the pilots mapped out the plan on the table. Lee placed the two battlestars by one planet as a visual aide for the two senior most officers.
“When the Cylons launch their raiders, Galactica and most of the Civilian fleet will jump away. A small group of civilians will be left behind,” Starbuck continued.
“To the Cylons they will appear to having trouble with their FTL drives and attempting to escape at sublight speed.”
The looks on the Admiral and the Commander’s faces were stoic, incapable to showing any emotion. Kara had imagined that Cain would be on the edge of her seat, awaiting the details of how Pegasus would finally destroy the Cylon fleet they’d been chasing. But she seemed disinterested, distant. Adama’s face a mirror of hers.
“The Cylon raiders then attempt to destroy the decoys, pulling them as far away from the Cylon basestars as they can.”
“O¬nce the raiders have been drawn off by the decoys, Galactica and Pegasus will jump in and attack the base stars. While I jump in, in the blackbird stealth fighter and take out the FTL drives o¬n the resurrection ship, preventing it from jumping away.” Lee stated, placing the blackbird on the table.
“Why not have the stealth ship carry nukes and destroy it right at the start?” Tigh asked.
“We ran simulations on that and have determined that the Cylons would detect he nukes and destroy the stealth ship before it go within weapon’s range,” Kara justified. “When the FTL is destroyed, Galactica and Pegasus will take on the basestars, while our attack squadrons, go after the resurrection ship itself.”
“How many squadrons?” Tigh asked.
Kara slid the last piece onto the table, “All of them.”
Tension suddenly built up in the room as Cain and Adama looked at each as if they each had their own vendetta. Adama’s was full of scorn and hostility for what Cain had done to Laura. Cain’s was about power and control. For a while neither of them said a word, but of course Cain provoked a conversation.
“Is there a problem Commander?” Cain asked as she started to feel uneasy.
“I need time to study the operational details,” Adama stated. He couldn’t believe he was considering taking Laura’s advice. He has one dream about a beautiful woman that he loves very much and now he was willing to throw all his morals out the window so that he could protect the lives of the Civilian fleet. Maybe he should have his head examined.
“Suit yourself,” Cain replied. “I’ve gone over the details and I’m satisfied.” She began to walk away, her hands placed firmly on her belt, within reach of her sidearms.
Adama watched her as she made her exit, stopping her before she reached the door, “I would like your CAG to stay with me. Answer some of my questions.”
Cain was slightly suspicious and annoyed at the audacity of the infamous Commander. She held back a look of scorn and breathed into Kara’s ear, “One hour Thrace.”
“Yes sir,” Kara replied.
“Stay focused son,” Adama threw out to Lee as Lee began to pack up his notes and leave.
***
“I have a mission for you Kara,” Adama stated, he hands bracing him against Galactica’s briefing room table.
“Anything for you, you know that,” Kara stated as she turned towards the Old Man.
“Don’t accept too quickly,” Adama commanded. “You’re not going to like this one. I don’t like it. But I’ve decided it has to be done.” Adama could see Kara’s concern radiating from her eyes. He didn’t want to have to do this to her. He didn’t want her to have to be the one to pull the trigger. She was like a daughter to him. But taking a deep breath he continued talking. “After the attack has ended and you’ve accounting for your pilots, I want you to land your bird on the Pegasus and report directly to CIC. You’ll take Lee with you. He’ll watch your back.”
For a moment Adama realized the positive aspect that came out of Lee’s transfer to Galactica. Starbuck needed someone he could trust to watch her back and he needed someone that he knew would get the job done. He still didn’t feel comfortable having her do this, but he knew it needed to be done. He could see Kara growing uneasy as he continued detailing her mission but he pressed on anyway.
“There will be the usual chaos and emotional high after the attack. They’ll keep their guard down.” Kara’s eyes squinted in speculation. She knew this, but what mission would need to be completed in the Pegasus CIC? “I will ask for you over the wireless. When you hear me say ‘downfall’ I want you to pull you your weapon…”
One last chance Bill, he told himself. One last chance to save your soul. Did he dare finish what he wanted to say?
“…and shoot Admiral Cain in the head,” he stated.
Kara’s eyes widened with disbelief. He was asking her to betray an officer that had promoted her, had showed faith in her, had decided to go back to Caprica for her. He expected her just to pull out her weapon and stoically shoot Admiral her in the head without feeling a pang of emotion? Sure her job was to blast Cylons out of the mother frakking sky, but to her the Cylons didn’t have faces or souls, they didn’t have the ability to show affection. And yet the Commander wanted him to shoot the woman that had acted as her mother figure. Yet Kara pushed her emotions aside, remembering the job of an officer.
They say shoot, we shoot.