Fanfic: Homeworld 1/4
Title: Homeworld Part 1 of 4
Author: C.Taylor
Word Count: 3154
Rating: PG13
Characters: Boomer, Tyrol, Cally, Tigh, Kara
Date Posted: 8/10/06
Category: Characters
Story Timeline: Shortly after the end of the last episode of the 2nd
season
With brisk, purposeful strides and a clipboard in her hand Sharon
strode down a worn dirt street of New Caprica. Raiders screamed
through the atmosphere overhead as humans scurried to their tents and
Centurion squads began taking up positions at strategic intersections
in the primitive town. The air was filled with smells of cooking
fires, raw sewage, and human beings crammed in close proximity.
Sharon wondered how long it would take her to get used to the odor.
She pulled her coat tighter against the chilly, thin air and turned
down a side street. As she walked she dodged mud puddles and
counted tents until she arrived at one with the name "Tyrol"
stenciled on the side with white capital letters.
Sharon ran her left hand quickly through her hair, took a deep
breath, then picked up a crude bell from a hook on the tentpole and
rang it vigorously.
"Yes, I'm..." Chief Tyrol's voice boomed from inside. He pulled back
the tent flap and stopped in mid-sentence when he saw Sharon standing
outside. "Sharon?" he asked quietly after a second's pause, while
stepping out of his tent towards her.
"Yes, Chief." She replied smiling.
"Honey, is that the Colonel?" Cally said as she pulled back the tent
flap and stepped out into the sunshine. The load roar of a Heavy
Raider flying low overhead drowned out all other sounds as Sharon,
Chief Tyrol, and Cally looked back and forth at each other. "... the
frack is that Cylon doing here?" Cally exclaimed.
"It's Boomer," Chief Tyrol said, as Cally and Sharon stared at each
other.
"No frackin' kidding," Cally replied harshly, as she shielded her
swollen belly with her hands. "Go back to your fellow toasters,"
Cally exclaimed, "There's nothing for you here."
"This isn't a personal visit," Sharon responded, "I need the Chief's
help."
"We're not helping you, traitor." Cally spat.
"I'm sorry," Chief Tyrol replied frowning as he pushed Cally gently
into the tent. "I'm sorry, please go," he repeated as he turned away
to step back inside.
"I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice, Chief." Sharon said
unemotionally, as she held out the clipboard to her former
lover. "You need to look at this."
Chief Tyrol hesitated, then took the clipboard from her hand.
"This is a list of equipment and supplies we have available for
humanitarian and development work here on New Caprica." Sharon
explained, "Based on my cursory examination I would have expected
that sanitation and housing are urgent needs, but the items
highlighted in blue are the ones that President Baltar has requested
we give priority to bringing down.
"An armored presidential groundcar?" Chief Tyrol asked as he flipped
through the pages. "A hot-tub?"
"I'm sure you can imagine why I'm not inclined to trust Baltar,"
Sharon said plainly. As Tyrol nodded silently she continued, "and
this list just proves that he is completely out of touch with reality
here. Our engineering units should have a large enough landing zone
cleared to start bringing down medium transports in less than two
hours, but I need a real priority list of New Caprica's needs to
decide what items should be shipped down first. I heard that you
were elected the head of the technical union, so I thought you would
know better than anyone else what your people need."
Chief Tyrol stopped flipping though the clipboard for a few seconds
and looked into Sharon's eyes. Sharon stared back, but betrayed no
sign of emotion. "Do you have a field hospital we could have?"
Chief Tyrol asked.
"Yes, of course." Sharon replied.
"Why don't you come inside," Tyrol said as he stepped to the side and
held the tent flap open.
When they got inside Cally grabbed Chief Tyrol's arm and pulled him
aside, "What are you doing?" she asked.
"I think Boomer wants to help," Tyrol answered. "It will be
alright." he said and then kissed Cally lightly. "Trust me on this,
sweetie."
Cally looked at Sharon, who stood just inside the tent watching them
with a blank, disinterested expression. "Fine." Cally said
curtly. "I'll get some drinks for our guest," and then headed
towards the other end of the tent.
By the time Cally returned Chief Tyrol and Sharon were having an
animated conversation while filling in a crudely drawn sketch of New
Caprica's outline and major features. "It looks like the long lead
items are going to be the power and water purification equipment, so
those parts need to come down first." Tyrol was saying.
"Here is a little of our special reserve," Cally said, handing Sharon
a small open jar filled with a clear, potent liquid. She handed
another to Tyrol, then raised a glass of brightly colored
juice. "None for me though, of course," Cally stated with emphasis
as she patted her swollen belly and carefully eyed Sharon's reaction.
Tyrol flashed a quick frown at his wife, but Sharon did not give any
indication of feelings as she nodded and replied "Oh yes, I see you
two are breeding now." Sharon then turned to Tyrol again and
added "I'll find out from Doc Cottle where he wants his new facility
and get our engineering unit to lay a slab for it while your men get
the utilities set up. That way we'll be ready to erect the building
immediately after it arrives."
"Godsdamnit, Chief! They're all over the place. Where have you..."
Col. Tigh's voice boomed as he and Kara Thrace stormed into the tent.
"Colonel." Chief Tyrol and Sharon said in unison, as Sharon stood and
snapped a quick salute.
Tigh's hand went reflexively to his temple, but then he immediately
repeated "Godsdamnit! What is this thing doing here?"
"This is my home," Chief Tyrol started, but Sharon interrupted him.
"That's okay, Chief," she said as she picked up her clipboard. "I'm
sure your new guests are anxious to plan some trouble, and it would
be rude of me to stay and eavesdrop." As she walked past Kara,
Sharon handed her the clipboard and broke the uncomfortable
silence. "After you've decided what you're going to blow up, perhaps
you all can find some time to think about what we're going to need to
make this mudhole into a decent place to live."
After Sharon had exited, Tigh stuck his head outside the tent to make
certain that she was leaving. "What was she here about?" he asked
after Sharon was out of earshot.
"She brought us the Cylon cargo manifest," Tyrol responded. "She
wanted to know what items we needed."
As Tigh, Tyrol, and Cally debated whether Sharon's offer was genuine
or just an attempt to gather information, Kara stood quietly to the
side and flipped through the pages on the clipboard. "Oh Gods," Kara
said suddenly. "Where was Sharon going?"
"I think she was going to see Doc Cottle next." Tyrol answered. "Why?"
"I've got to find her," Kara answered as she tore one of the pages
from the clipboard. She then bolted out of the tent without further
explanation.
Kara ran down the length of the main residential street in the
direction of Doc Cottle's tent, looking up and down the side streets
as she went. Finally she spotted Sharon, outside the edge of town
and walking briskly across an open field towards the nearby woods.
"Sharon!" Kara called out, but Sharon entered the woods without
turning around. Kara pushed her way through the chaotic crowd to the
end of the street. She paused for a moment as a squad of Cylon
Centurions walked passed without giving her any attention. After the
Centurions turned a corner to head into town, Kara sprinted across
the open field, up a gentle hillside, and into the woods where Sharon
had gone.
As Kara pushed into the woods, the trees muffled the noise from the
nearby town and soon all that she could hear was the periodic scream
of a Raider engine overhead and the constant wind through the
treetops that sounded disturbingly like voices whispering in the
distance all around her. A shiver went down Kara's spine and she
reached behind her to pull her old service pistol from the holster at
the small of her back. She walked slowly through the woods in the
direction Sharon had been going, searched the ground for obvious
signs of Sharon's passage, and tried in vain to recall something of
the basics of tracking that she was supposed to have learned during
her Colonial escape and evasion training. Kara soon became aware of
a new sound besides the pine boughs and the Cylon engines. She
turned off her path and followed it to its source, where she
discovered Sharon sitting on the forest floor and sobbing
uncontrollably.
Kara quietly slipped her pistol's safety off. "Sharon, are you
alright?" she called out as she approached.
"Go away, Kara" Sharon replied as she turned to hide her
face. "Leave me alone... You shouldn't be here." She added while
trying to regain her composure.
"I can't do that, Sharon."
Sharon looked up to see Kara standing beside her with a pistol in
hand. "Did you come to kill me?" She asked. "To get back at me for
shooting The Old Man?"
"No." Kara answered, but before she could say anything else Sharon's
hand lashed out inhumanly fast to grab the pistol's slide and twist
it out of Kara's grip.
Kara stood carefully still as Sharon turned the gun over in her hand
and stared down the barrel. "It won't work," Sharon said. "I'd
just wake up back in the resurrection vat."
"Sharon, I think you should give me the gun back." Kara said slowly.
Sharon did not look up, she just stoked the side of the slide with
her thumb as she stared into the barrel. "I don't understand," She
said quietly. "He said he loved me. How could he be with her if he
loved me? She shot me, and now..."
"Boomer!" Kara yelled, "Snap out of it, soldier."
Sharon looked up and blinked her eyes. "I'm sorry, Starbuck." She
said as she lowered the gun to her lap. "I just wasn't... I...
You're right. I'm sorry." She took a deep breath and then swallowed
hard. "Please don't tell them." she said, pleading with
Kara. "Please don't tell them you saw me like this. I... I don't
want them to know I'm..."
"I won't tell anyone. It will be our secret." Kara assured her as
she sat down across from Sharon. "Now, I think you need to give me
my gun back."
"I didn't want to shoot him," Sharon said as she handed the pistol
back butt first. "I wasn't going to do anything."
"I know." Kara said as she put the pistol on 'safe' and slipped it
behind her back. "Sharon, I need to ask you for a favor."
"Sure," Sharon replied while wiping her hand across her tear-stained
cheeks, "anything. You know that."
Kara pulled a folded sheet of paper from her coat pocket and pointed
to one of the items on a long list of cargo. "Antibiotics," Kara
said. "I have to get some of these antibiotics right away."
"The first transport should be landing in about an hour. There are
half a dozen medkits onboard. I can grab a bottle of antibiotics
from one of them and bring it straight to you. Will that be soon
enough?"
"Yes." Kara said smiling as she reached out and squeezed Sharon's
hand. "Thank you, yes."
"Who's sick?" Sharon asked.
Kara studied Sharon's face for a few seconds before answering, "My
husband."
"Oh. My. God." Sharon exclaimed, "Starbuck... The Starbuck... is
married?! Who is he? Please, tell me it isn't Lee."
"No, it isn't Lee." Kara assured her. "You will never guess who it
is."
For the first time since Kara had seen her again, Sharon
smiled. "He'd have to be handsome."
"Of course."
"He'd have to be athletic, and a notorious party animal..." Kara
nodded as Sharon continued, "... but still a complete loser."
"Hey, careful now." Kara warned.
"Who was the over-rated forward that the C-bucks traded two prime
draft picks for a couple of years ago that cost us the championship
because he couldn't stop fouling?" Sharon said as she rubbed her
chin. "He's exactly the sort I imagine you winding up with."
"Samuel Anders. Yes, that's him." Kara said frowning. "How did you
know? We are completely infiltrated by Cylon agents, aren't we?"
Kara asked.
"That's not it at all, Kara," Sharon responded. "I met him back on
Caprica. Do you remember that beautiful apartment I had?"
"The split level one? Yeah, I can't believe that was rent-
controlled. What does that have to do with him?"
"Your foul-happy husband blew it up. My wardrobe, my record
collection, all my photographs and mementos. I got trapped in the
parking garage with him after the cave-in."
"That was you? He told me he met another one of the Sharon Cylons,
but I just thought it was the same model. Or do you somehow
share..." Kara motioned at her head as she paused to search for the
right word.
"Nooo." Sharon said as she made a face that crinkled her
forehead. "I'm an individual the same as everybody else. That was
me in the flesh."
"I'm sorry about your apartment." Kara offered.
"Don't worry about it," Sharon said quietly as she looked down at the
forest floor, "The other Cylons took a lot more than that from me...
I managed to forgive them. One more building is nothing." Sharon
looked up at Kara again and added with a wry smile, "But when you
give him the antibiotics, tell Mr. Thrace that I expect him to repay
me the hundred cubits I lost betting on that championship game."
"I'll tell him," Kara said. "Thanks again for helping me get some."
"That's what friends are for." Sharon replied. "I really feel like
I should be the one thanking you."
"Why?" Kara asked.
"For this." Sharon answered. "For... just talking. Remembering.
Not... being all weird." She looked away for a moment and wiped her
eyes. "That means a lot to me right now. I really needed this
after... you know."
"I know." Kara answered, and then she looked away and was silent for
several seconds. She turned back to face Sharon and added
quietly, "That's what friends are for."
Sharon nodded and smiled. "We should be getting back to town," she
announced. "I have to find Doc Cottle and see where he wants his new
hospital before the transports start coming in." Sharon stood and
offered a hand to help Kara up. "I never expected you would be the
one to get married first. Is Margaret..."
"No, she's still on the prowl." Kara answered as the pair began
walking.
"I don't guess she'd want to going out carousing like old times
though."
"No," Kara confirmed, "but there isn't much nightlife in New Caprica
anyway."
"With Starbuck married, I would have guessed that. Maybe I can do
something about that once the basic infrastructure around here is
running." Sharon offered.
"Sharon," Kara said, "You can't just... We aren't going to just roll
over and give in to Cylon tyranny because you build us a new hospital
and a disco. You know that. The Old Man said you were the one who
convinced them to call off the occupation of the Colonies. Can't you
get them to leave here, too? Talk to them or..." Kara gestured
towards her head again as she spoke, "... what ever it is you do.
Can't you make them understand? You know this can't end well if they
stay."
"Maybe I could do that, if it's what you really want."
"It is"
"You want us to just pack up and leave right now? Just fly away and
leave you here alone?" Sharon asked.
"Yes"
"Before you've gotten your antibiotics?" Sharon added.
Kara stared at the ground as the pair walked in silence for several
seconds. "No." Kara finally said.
"So we give you the antibiotics and then we leave?" Sharon
asked. "But don't you think Doc Cottle, and a lot of other sick
people, are going to want us to stay a little longer to offload that
field hospital? The Chief says he's running out of equipment to
cannibalize to keep the basic utilities running. I bet he's going to
want us to stay long enough to set up a way for him to manufacture
replacement parts. What was it like getting through the winter in
those tents?"
"We managed." Kara said
"Did anybody freeze to death?" Sharon asked.
Kara did not answer.
"We have a whole cargo bay full of modularized housing. I think a
lot of people are going to want us to stay long enough to set those
up for them, don't you?"
Kara bit her lower lip and looked at Sharon with a worried expression.
"Kara, we didn't bring any tyranny with us. We just brought
antibiotics," Sharon assured her, "If there's any tyranny here then
it is one you built for yourselves."
"Maybe," Kara answered, "Maybe you're right. But it doesn't matter.
This still isn't going to end well."
"It doesn't have to turn out bad," Sharon said, "As long as people
don't do anything stupid, this could be a great thing for both our
races." After a second of silence Sharon frowned and asked "You're
going to do something stupid, aren't you?"
"You aren't the only one who is a prisoner to your nature, Sharon."
Kara replied as they reached the edge of the open field between the
woods and the developed area of New Caprica.
"Do you want us to split up, so people won't think you're
collaborating with a Cylon?" Sharon asked.
"I haven't cared what anybody else thought before," Kara said with a
grin. "What makes you think I'd start now?"
"I don't know what I was thinking." Sharon answered as they stepped
out of the shade and into the bright sunlight. "So where do you want
me to bring the antibiotics?"
"Our tent is on the third street north of the market, right in the
middle."
"So is it The Thraces' or The Anders'?"
"Neither," Kara answered. "It's The Starbucks'."
Sharon stopped walking and began giggling. "So I just ask where The
Starbucks' is?" she said between laughs.
"What's so funny about that?"
"It's a coffeehouse chain!" Sharon replied with a wide smile. "On
the Cylon Homeworld..." She explained. "There's, like, one on every
city block. Frack, if we don't hurry there's likely to be one in New
Caprica by the time we get back."
"Seriously? There's a coffeehouse chain named after me on the Cylon
Homeworld?" Kara asked.
"No. I don't think they named it after you." Sharon answered. "But
you should get a franchise for one. That would be too cool. Oh...
they have these espresso brownie deserts that are just to die for."
Author: C.Taylor
Word Count: 3154
Rating: PG13
Characters: Boomer, Tyrol, Cally, Tigh, Kara
Date Posted: 8/10/06
Category: Characters
Story Timeline: Shortly after the end of the last episode of the 2nd
season
With brisk, purposeful strides and a clipboard in her hand Sharon
strode down a worn dirt street of New Caprica. Raiders screamed
through the atmosphere overhead as humans scurried to their tents and
Centurion squads began taking up positions at strategic intersections
in the primitive town. The air was filled with smells of cooking
fires, raw sewage, and human beings crammed in close proximity.
Sharon wondered how long it would take her to get used to the odor.
She pulled her coat tighter against the chilly, thin air and turned
down a side street. As she walked she dodged mud puddles and
counted tents until she arrived at one with the name "Tyrol"
stenciled on the side with white capital letters.
Sharon ran her left hand quickly through her hair, took a deep
breath, then picked up a crude bell from a hook on the tentpole and
rang it vigorously.
"Yes, I'm..." Chief Tyrol's voice boomed from inside. He pulled back
the tent flap and stopped in mid-sentence when he saw Sharon standing
outside. "Sharon?" he asked quietly after a second's pause, while
stepping out of his tent towards her.
"Yes, Chief." She replied smiling.
"Honey, is that the Colonel?" Cally said as she pulled back the tent
flap and stepped out into the sunshine. The load roar of a Heavy
Raider flying low overhead drowned out all other sounds as Sharon,
Chief Tyrol, and Cally looked back and forth at each other. "... the
frack is that Cylon doing here?" Cally exclaimed.
"It's Boomer," Chief Tyrol said, as Cally and Sharon stared at each
other.
"No frackin' kidding," Cally replied harshly, as she shielded her
swollen belly with her hands. "Go back to your fellow toasters,"
Cally exclaimed, "There's nothing for you here."
"This isn't a personal visit," Sharon responded, "I need the Chief's
help."
"We're not helping you, traitor." Cally spat.
"I'm sorry," Chief Tyrol replied frowning as he pushed Cally gently
into the tent. "I'm sorry, please go," he repeated as he turned away
to step back inside.
"I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice, Chief." Sharon said
unemotionally, as she held out the clipboard to her former
lover. "You need to look at this."
Chief Tyrol hesitated, then took the clipboard from her hand.
"This is a list of equipment and supplies we have available for
humanitarian and development work here on New Caprica." Sharon
explained, "Based on my cursory examination I would have expected
that sanitation and housing are urgent needs, but the items
highlighted in blue are the ones that President Baltar has requested
we give priority to bringing down.
"An armored presidential groundcar?" Chief Tyrol asked as he flipped
through the pages. "A hot-tub?"
"I'm sure you can imagine why I'm not inclined to trust Baltar,"
Sharon said plainly. As Tyrol nodded silently she continued, "and
this list just proves that he is completely out of touch with reality
here. Our engineering units should have a large enough landing zone
cleared to start bringing down medium transports in less than two
hours, but I need a real priority list of New Caprica's needs to
decide what items should be shipped down first. I heard that you
were elected the head of the technical union, so I thought you would
know better than anyone else what your people need."
Chief Tyrol stopped flipping though the clipboard for a few seconds
and looked into Sharon's eyes. Sharon stared back, but betrayed no
sign of emotion. "Do you have a field hospital we could have?"
Chief Tyrol asked.
"Yes, of course." Sharon replied.
"Why don't you come inside," Tyrol said as he stepped to the side and
held the tent flap open.
When they got inside Cally grabbed Chief Tyrol's arm and pulled him
aside, "What are you doing?" she asked.
"I think Boomer wants to help," Tyrol answered. "It will be
alright." he said and then kissed Cally lightly. "Trust me on this,
sweetie."
Cally looked at Sharon, who stood just inside the tent watching them
with a blank, disinterested expression. "Fine." Cally said
curtly. "I'll get some drinks for our guest," and then headed
towards the other end of the tent.
By the time Cally returned Chief Tyrol and Sharon were having an
animated conversation while filling in a crudely drawn sketch of New
Caprica's outline and major features. "It looks like the long lead
items are going to be the power and water purification equipment, so
those parts need to come down first." Tyrol was saying.
"Here is a little of our special reserve," Cally said, handing Sharon
a small open jar filled with a clear, potent liquid. She handed
another to Tyrol, then raised a glass of brightly colored
juice. "None for me though, of course," Cally stated with emphasis
as she patted her swollen belly and carefully eyed Sharon's reaction.
Tyrol flashed a quick frown at his wife, but Sharon did not give any
indication of feelings as she nodded and replied "Oh yes, I see you
two are breeding now." Sharon then turned to Tyrol again and
added "I'll find out from Doc Cottle where he wants his new facility
and get our engineering unit to lay a slab for it while your men get
the utilities set up. That way we'll be ready to erect the building
immediately after it arrives."
"Godsdamnit, Chief! They're all over the place. Where have you..."
Col. Tigh's voice boomed as he and Kara Thrace stormed into the tent.
"Colonel." Chief Tyrol and Sharon said in unison, as Sharon stood and
snapped a quick salute.
Tigh's hand went reflexively to his temple, but then he immediately
repeated "Godsdamnit! What is this thing doing here?"
"This is my home," Chief Tyrol started, but Sharon interrupted him.
"That's okay, Chief," she said as she picked up her clipboard. "I'm
sure your new guests are anxious to plan some trouble, and it would
be rude of me to stay and eavesdrop." As she walked past Kara,
Sharon handed her the clipboard and broke the uncomfortable
silence. "After you've decided what you're going to blow up, perhaps
you all can find some time to think about what we're going to need to
make this mudhole into a decent place to live."
After Sharon had exited, Tigh stuck his head outside the tent to make
certain that she was leaving. "What was she here about?" he asked
after Sharon was out of earshot.
"She brought us the Cylon cargo manifest," Tyrol responded. "She
wanted to know what items we needed."
As Tigh, Tyrol, and Cally debated whether Sharon's offer was genuine
or just an attempt to gather information, Kara stood quietly to the
side and flipped through the pages on the clipboard. "Oh Gods," Kara
said suddenly. "Where was Sharon going?"
"I think she was going to see Doc Cottle next." Tyrol answered. "Why?"
"I've got to find her," Kara answered as she tore one of the pages
from the clipboard. She then bolted out of the tent without further
explanation.
Kara ran down the length of the main residential street in the
direction of Doc Cottle's tent, looking up and down the side streets
as she went. Finally she spotted Sharon, outside the edge of town
and walking briskly across an open field towards the nearby woods.
"Sharon!" Kara called out, but Sharon entered the woods without
turning around. Kara pushed her way through the chaotic crowd to the
end of the street. She paused for a moment as a squad of Cylon
Centurions walked passed without giving her any attention. After the
Centurions turned a corner to head into town, Kara sprinted across
the open field, up a gentle hillside, and into the woods where Sharon
had gone.
As Kara pushed into the woods, the trees muffled the noise from the
nearby town and soon all that she could hear was the periodic scream
of a Raider engine overhead and the constant wind through the
treetops that sounded disturbingly like voices whispering in the
distance all around her. A shiver went down Kara's spine and she
reached behind her to pull her old service pistol from the holster at
the small of her back. She walked slowly through the woods in the
direction Sharon had been going, searched the ground for obvious
signs of Sharon's passage, and tried in vain to recall something of
the basics of tracking that she was supposed to have learned during
her Colonial escape and evasion training. Kara soon became aware of
a new sound besides the pine boughs and the Cylon engines. She
turned off her path and followed it to its source, where she
discovered Sharon sitting on the forest floor and sobbing
uncontrollably.
Kara quietly slipped her pistol's safety off. "Sharon, are you
alright?" she called out as she approached.
"Go away, Kara" Sharon replied as she turned to hide her
face. "Leave me alone... You shouldn't be here." She added while
trying to regain her composure.
"I can't do that, Sharon."
Sharon looked up to see Kara standing beside her with a pistol in
hand. "Did you come to kill me?" She asked. "To get back at me for
shooting The Old Man?"
"No." Kara answered, but before she could say anything else Sharon's
hand lashed out inhumanly fast to grab the pistol's slide and twist
it out of Kara's grip.
Kara stood carefully still as Sharon turned the gun over in her hand
and stared down the barrel. "It won't work," Sharon said. "I'd
just wake up back in the resurrection vat."
"Sharon, I think you should give me the gun back." Kara said slowly.
Sharon did not look up, she just stoked the side of the slide with
her thumb as she stared into the barrel. "I don't understand," She
said quietly. "He said he loved me. How could he be with her if he
loved me? She shot me, and now..."
"Boomer!" Kara yelled, "Snap out of it, soldier."
Sharon looked up and blinked her eyes. "I'm sorry, Starbuck." She
said as she lowered the gun to her lap. "I just wasn't... I...
You're right. I'm sorry." She took a deep breath and then swallowed
hard. "Please don't tell them." she said, pleading with
Kara. "Please don't tell them you saw me like this. I... I don't
want them to know I'm..."
"I won't tell anyone. It will be our secret." Kara assured her as
she sat down across from Sharon. "Now, I think you need to give me
my gun back."
"I didn't want to shoot him," Sharon said as she handed the pistol
back butt first. "I wasn't going to do anything."
"I know." Kara said as she put the pistol on 'safe' and slipped it
behind her back. "Sharon, I need to ask you for a favor."
"Sure," Sharon replied while wiping her hand across her tear-stained
cheeks, "anything. You know that."
Kara pulled a folded sheet of paper from her coat pocket and pointed
to one of the items on a long list of cargo. "Antibiotics," Kara
said. "I have to get some of these antibiotics right away."
"The first transport should be landing in about an hour. There are
half a dozen medkits onboard. I can grab a bottle of antibiotics
from one of them and bring it straight to you. Will that be soon
enough?"
"Yes." Kara said smiling as she reached out and squeezed Sharon's
hand. "Thank you, yes."
"Who's sick?" Sharon asked.
Kara studied Sharon's face for a few seconds before answering, "My
husband."
"Oh. My. God." Sharon exclaimed, "Starbuck... The Starbuck... is
married?! Who is he? Please, tell me it isn't Lee."
"No, it isn't Lee." Kara assured her. "You will never guess who it
is."
For the first time since Kara had seen her again, Sharon
smiled. "He'd have to be handsome."
"Of course."
"He'd have to be athletic, and a notorious party animal..." Kara
nodded as Sharon continued, "... but still a complete loser."
"Hey, careful now." Kara warned.
"Who was the over-rated forward that the C-bucks traded two prime
draft picks for a couple of years ago that cost us the championship
because he couldn't stop fouling?" Sharon said as she rubbed her
chin. "He's exactly the sort I imagine you winding up with."
"Samuel Anders. Yes, that's him." Kara said frowning. "How did you
know? We are completely infiltrated by Cylon agents, aren't we?"
Kara asked.
"That's not it at all, Kara," Sharon responded. "I met him back on
Caprica. Do you remember that beautiful apartment I had?"
"The split level one? Yeah, I can't believe that was rent-
controlled. What does that have to do with him?"
"Your foul-happy husband blew it up. My wardrobe, my record
collection, all my photographs and mementos. I got trapped in the
parking garage with him after the cave-in."
"That was you? He told me he met another one of the Sharon Cylons,
but I just thought it was the same model. Or do you somehow
share..." Kara motioned at her head as she paused to search for the
right word.
"Nooo." Sharon said as she made a face that crinkled her
forehead. "I'm an individual the same as everybody else. That was
me in the flesh."
"I'm sorry about your apartment." Kara offered.
"Don't worry about it," Sharon said quietly as she looked down at the
forest floor, "The other Cylons took a lot more than that from me...
I managed to forgive them. One more building is nothing." Sharon
looked up at Kara again and added with a wry smile, "But when you
give him the antibiotics, tell Mr. Thrace that I expect him to repay
me the hundred cubits I lost betting on that championship game."
"I'll tell him," Kara said. "Thanks again for helping me get some."
"That's what friends are for." Sharon replied. "I really feel like
I should be the one thanking you."
"Why?" Kara asked.
"For this." Sharon answered. "For... just talking. Remembering.
Not... being all weird." She looked away for a moment and wiped her
eyes. "That means a lot to me right now. I really needed this
after... you know."
"I know." Kara answered, and then she looked away and was silent for
several seconds. She turned back to face Sharon and added
quietly, "That's what friends are for."
Sharon nodded and smiled. "We should be getting back to town," she
announced. "I have to find Doc Cottle and see where he wants his new
hospital before the transports start coming in." Sharon stood and
offered a hand to help Kara up. "I never expected you would be the
one to get married first. Is Margaret..."
"No, she's still on the prowl." Kara answered as the pair began
walking.
"I don't guess she'd want to going out carousing like old times
though."
"No," Kara confirmed, "but there isn't much nightlife in New Caprica
anyway."
"With Starbuck married, I would have guessed that. Maybe I can do
something about that once the basic infrastructure around here is
running." Sharon offered.
"Sharon," Kara said, "You can't just... We aren't going to just roll
over and give in to Cylon tyranny because you build us a new hospital
and a disco. You know that. The Old Man said you were the one who
convinced them to call off the occupation of the Colonies. Can't you
get them to leave here, too? Talk to them or..." Kara gestured
towards her head again as she spoke, "... what ever it is you do.
Can't you make them understand? You know this can't end well if they
stay."
"Maybe I could do that, if it's what you really want."
"It is"
"You want us to just pack up and leave right now? Just fly away and
leave you here alone?" Sharon asked.
"Yes"
"Before you've gotten your antibiotics?" Sharon added.
Kara stared at the ground as the pair walked in silence for several
seconds. "No." Kara finally said.
"So we give you the antibiotics and then we leave?" Sharon
asked. "But don't you think Doc Cottle, and a lot of other sick
people, are going to want us to stay a little longer to offload that
field hospital? The Chief says he's running out of equipment to
cannibalize to keep the basic utilities running. I bet he's going to
want us to stay long enough to set up a way for him to manufacture
replacement parts. What was it like getting through the winter in
those tents?"
"We managed." Kara said
"Did anybody freeze to death?" Sharon asked.
Kara did not answer.
"We have a whole cargo bay full of modularized housing. I think a
lot of people are going to want us to stay long enough to set those
up for them, don't you?"
Kara bit her lower lip and looked at Sharon with a worried expression.
"Kara, we didn't bring any tyranny with us. We just brought
antibiotics," Sharon assured her, "If there's any tyranny here then
it is one you built for yourselves."
"Maybe," Kara answered, "Maybe you're right. But it doesn't matter.
This still isn't going to end well."
"It doesn't have to turn out bad," Sharon said, "As long as people
don't do anything stupid, this could be a great thing for both our
races." After a second of silence Sharon frowned and asked "You're
going to do something stupid, aren't you?"
"You aren't the only one who is a prisoner to your nature, Sharon."
Kara replied as they reached the edge of the open field between the
woods and the developed area of New Caprica.
"Do you want us to split up, so people won't think you're
collaborating with a Cylon?" Sharon asked.
"I haven't cared what anybody else thought before," Kara said with a
grin. "What makes you think I'd start now?"
"I don't know what I was thinking." Sharon answered as they stepped
out of the shade and into the bright sunlight. "So where do you want
me to bring the antibiotics?"
"Our tent is on the third street north of the market, right in the
middle."
"So is it The Thraces' or The Anders'?"
"Neither," Kara answered. "It's The Starbucks'."
Sharon stopped walking and began giggling. "So I just ask where The
Starbucks' is?" she said between laughs.
"What's so funny about that?"
"It's a coffeehouse chain!" Sharon replied with a wide smile. "On
the Cylon Homeworld..." She explained. "There's, like, one on every
city block. Frack, if we don't hurry there's likely to be one in New
Caprica by the time we get back."
"Seriously? There's a coffeehouse chain named after me on the Cylon
Homeworld?" Kara asked.
"No. I don't think they named it after you." Sharon answered. "But
you should get a franchise for one. That would be too cool. Oh...
they have these espresso brownie deserts that are just to die for."