Alpha and Omega part 81 - "Good Hunting"
Woo! Part 81 of my big damn table fic! Kara/Gaeta of all things! AU after season two episode "Epiphanies"! Read the table in order or else it makes no sense! :) Here's the table!
http://rapfic.livejournal.com/8449.html#cutid1
Title - "Good Hunting"
Word count - 1193
Prompt - How - 081
Summary - Felix is on his way to rescue Kara from Kat!
Author's note - I genuinely feel this part is a lil talky and slow but I think its good stuff. But talky and slow :)
The problem, Felix thought as he walked through the corridors, was that there were too many options to consider, and not enough people to work with. He had to be the one to make the meeting, so he had to leave most of the decisions to the Admiral and the Admiral didn’t have the background, or the people. Not trained people, anyway. It was Kat, of course. Kat was the only one who made sense. Admiral Adama agreed with his view, at least to a point.
He wasn’t fool enough to follow Kat’s instructions. Not involving the authorities was what Kat wanted, and it was the exact wrong thing to do. Adama had agreed. He was pleased that the older man had been willing to listen to his strategy. It was ironic, he thought suddenly, that forcing himself into the role of the gentle ship coward made it more difficult for people to accept that he knew what he was talking about.
The Admiral had understood the plan, and conceded that the most obvious culprit was Kat. It didn’t matter, one way or the other because the plan changed only slightly if it wasn’t Kat. Whoever was watching him would not know that he had left his quarters and informed the Admiral of Kara’s abduction. He would follow the instructions he had been given. Kat assumed that he wasn’t willing to do what was necessary. She also was willing to completely destroy any chance she had to live well. She was a top pilot. Bill Adama would forgive just about anything from a top pilot. But Kara was special to the old man in a way that hardly anyone else on the ship was.
He doubted that Kat was going to survive the next few hours, but if she did, Admiral Adama would see to her punishment personally. He didn’t feel sorry for her in the slightest. In the mean time, the admiral had promised to get things moving, as discretely as possible. Truthfully, Felix didn’t like having others involved but there was no way around it. The Galactica was huge. Kara could be anywhere. She was resourceful, he knew that if she was alive, she was doing everything she could to escape. And to get Kat, of course. The problem was that Kat wasn’t a dummy by any means. And Kara wasn’t weak or stupid. There was a good chance that Kat had simply killed Kara. It was the smarter plan. He hadn’t mentioned that possibility to Adama, he doubted the old man would have taken him seriously. Adama thought of Kara as some sort of indomitable force. Unstoppable.
It just wasn’t true. Everyone made mistakes, he certainly did, and Kara wasn't some unbeatable warrior. She tended to buy into the fantasy that people built around her, that she was unbeatable, and that made her ignore threats.
Threats like Kat, who was crazy to pick a fight like this, especially with him. Kat knew his background, and that it wasn’t some made up bar fantasy. Some reporter, Dina or Deanna, had gotten his records somehow and done a piece for the Colonial Gang while he had been on a respirator in sickbay. The reporter had skipped the psychiatric stay, no doubt at the request of the Admiral, but the piece had made it clear that he was an SRT veteran, and what SRT units were all about.
Of course, Kat was a lot like Kara, crazy brave and completely driven to be the best. He had wondered, long ago, when Kara started turning up in his quarters to drink, why Kara didn't find new friends with the new pilots, and he had realized that she was too driven to opt out of the ranking game. So was Kat. Kat was worse, because she couldn't figure out that she was alienating everyone.
Not that he was especially concerned about making Kat become a better person. He ignored the odd looks he got as he walked. He had duty greens for uniforms, just like everyone else. He rarely wore them because he was a deck officer, but he was going to a fight and he wasn't going to give Kat every advantage. The duty greens were looser, easier to fight in. It was a risk though, a change in his routine and while he suspected she wasn't capable of tracking his every move, he was fairly certain he was being watched.
His skin was crawling, after all.
He turned the corner to the main access point of the unused flight pod when Lee Adama appeared in the corridor. "Lt. Gaeta, I was looking for you," he said, smiling easily as he approached. "I know you're still recovering from your injuries but I was hoping you would be available soon to teach some of my marines on the Pegasus your techniques. The Admiral said he discussed it with you?"
The Admiral had done nothing like that at all. And Lee was in his commander blues, with a stylish sidearm. The style on the Pegasus, but not Lee Adama's style. "He mentioned your interest, yes sir."
"Good." Lee's eyes narrowed just a little though the smile stayed on his face. "The way that Cylon disappeared into the ship was completely unacceptable. I want my people able to find a damn Cylon, you know?"
"I do, sir." Lee was better at the game than Felix would have suspected. The admiral was having the ship searched discreetly, no doubt by trusted officers and a handpicked team of tactical marines that Felix knew the Pegasus had on hand. Not SRT, but good people. Good. The admiral had agreed, with a lot of reservations, that simply locking down the Galactica and throwing Kat and the few other possible suspects into an interrogation room, was a bad idea.
Everyone broke in interrogation eventually, but if Kat was as clever and as crazy as he thought, then she would hold out long enough for Kara to die. If Kara wasn't already dead. Which he was not going to think about until it was true.
Lee nodded. "I'm on board the Galactica for the next twenty fours, to go over some supply and personnel issues. I'll keep an out for you so when you have a spare moment, we'll discuss it. Where are you off to?"
"Just the gym, sir." Felix said, nodding to Lee's unstated message. Lee was likely going to keep tabs on him and track the situation. Be the back up. "I was going to beat up the punching bag for a little while. You know."
"Maybe I'll join you later. Good hunting." Felix nodded again as Lee walked past. Good, he thought with some relief. Lee would never have made it through the training to the teams, but he was reliable.
Felix stopped at the hatch to the pod and took a deep breath. He hated the dance, that was the truth and there were too many times where he wished he could be like Lee Adama. Not able to get through the training necessary to be a killer. But Kat wanted to dance, and it was time for the dance to begin.
He just hoped it wasn’t for nothing.
http://rapfic.livejournal.com/8449.html#cutid1
Title - "Good Hunting"
Word count - 1193
Prompt - How - 081
Summary - Felix is on his way to rescue Kara from Kat!
Author's note - I genuinely feel this part is a lil talky and slow but I think its good stuff. But talky and slow :)
The problem, Felix thought as he walked through the corridors, was that there were too many options to consider, and not enough people to work with. He had to be the one to make the meeting, so he had to leave most of the decisions to the Admiral and the Admiral didn’t have the background, or the people. Not trained people, anyway. It was Kat, of course. Kat was the only one who made sense. Admiral Adama agreed with his view, at least to a point.
He wasn’t fool enough to follow Kat’s instructions. Not involving the authorities was what Kat wanted, and it was the exact wrong thing to do. Adama had agreed. He was pleased that the older man had been willing to listen to his strategy. It was ironic, he thought suddenly, that forcing himself into the role of the gentle ship coward made it more difficult for people to accept that he knew what he was talking about.
The Admiral had understood the plan, and conceded that the most obvious culprit was Kat. It didn’t matter, one way or the other because the plan changed only slightly if it wasn’t Kat. Whoever was watching him would not know that he had left his quarters and informed the Admiral of Kara’s abduction. He would follow the instructions he had been given. Kat assumed that he wasn’t willing to do what was necessary. She also was willing to completely destroy any chance she had to live well. She was a top pilot. Bill Adama would forgive just about anything from a top pilot. But Kara was special to the old man in a way that hardly anyone else on the ship was.
He doubted that Kat was going to survive the next few hours, but if she did, Admiral Adama would see to her punishment personally. He didn’t feel sorry for her in the slightest. In the mean time, the admiral had promised to get things moving, as discretely as possible. Truthfully, Felix didn’t like having others involved but there was no way around it. The Galactica was huge. Kara could be anywhere. She was resourceful, he knew that if she was alive, she was doing everything she could to escape. And to get Kat, of course. The problem was that Kat wasn’t a dummy by any means. And Kara wasn’t weak or stupid. There was a good chance that Kat had simply killed Kara. It was the smarter plan. He hadn’t mentioned that possibility to Adama, he doubted the old man would have taken him seriously. Adama thought of Kara as some sort of indomitable force. Unstoppable.
It just wasn’t true. Everyone made mistakes, he certainly did, and Kara wasn't some unbeatable warrior. She tended to buy into the fantasy that people built around her, that she was unbeatable, and that made her ignore threats.
Threats like Kat, who was crazy to pick a fight like this, especially with him. Kat knew his background, and that it wasn’t some made up bar fantasy. Some reporter, Dina or Deanna, had gotten his records somehow and done a piece for the Colonial Gang while he had been on a respirator in sickbay. The reporter had skipped the psychiatric stay, no doubt at the request of the Admiral, but the piece had made it clear that he was an SRT veteran, and what SRT units were all about.
Of course, Kat was a lot like Kara, crazy brave and completely driven to be the best. He had wondered, long ago, when Kara started turning up in his quarters to drink, why Kara didn't find new friends with the new pilots, and he had realized that she was too driven to opt out of the ranking game. So was Kat. Kat was worse, because she couldn't figure out that she was alienating everyone.
Not that he was especially concerned about making Kat become a better person. He ignored the odd looks he got as he walked. He had duty greens for uniforms, just like everyone else. He rarely wore them because he was a deck officer, but he was going to a fight and he wasn't going to give Kat every advantage. The duty greens were looser, easier to fight in. It was a risk though, a change in his routine and while he suspected she wasn't capable of tracking his every move, he was fairly certain he was being watched.
His skin was crawling, after all.
He turned the corner to the main access point of the unused flight pod when Lee Adama appeared in the corridor. "Lt. Gaeta, I was looking for you," he said, smiling easily as he approached. "I know you're still recovering from your injuries but I was hoping you would be available soon to teach some of my marines on the Pegasus your techniques. The Admiral said he discussed it with you?"
The Admiral had done nothing like that at all. And Lee was in his commander blues, with a stylish sidearm. The style on the Pegasus, but not Lee Adama's style. "He mentioned your interest, yes sir."
"Good." Lee's eyes narrowed just a little though the smile stayed on his face. "The way that Cylon disappeared into the ship was completely unacceptable. I want my people able to find a damn Cylon, you know?"
"I do, sir." Lee was better at the game than Felix would have suspected. The admiral was having the ship searched discreetly, no doubt by trusted officers and a handpicked team of tactical marines that Felix knew the Pegasus had on hand. Not SRT, but good people. Good. The admiral had agreed, with a lot of reservations, that simply locking down the Galactica and throwing Kat and the few other possible suspects into an interrogation room, was a bad idea.
Everyone broke in interrogation eventually, but if Kat was as clever and as crazy as he thought, then she would hold out long enough for Kara to die. If Kara wasn't already dead. Which he was not going to think about until it was true.
Lee nodded. "I'm on board the Galactica for the next twenty fours, to go over some supply and personnel issues. I'll keep an out for you so when you have a spare moment, we'll discuss it. Where are you off to?"
"Just the gym, sir." Felix said, nodding to Lee's unstated message. Lee was likely going to keep tabs on him and track the situation. Be the back up. "I was going to beat up the punching bag for a little while. You know."
"Maybe I'll join you later. Good hunting." Felix nodded again as Lee walked past. Good, he thought with some relief. Lee would never have made it through the training to the teams, but he was reliable.
Felix stopped at the hatch to the pod and took a deep breath. He hated the dance, that was the truth and there were too many times where he wished he could be like Lee Adama. Not able to get through the training necessary to be a killer. But Kat wanted to dance, and it was time for the dance to begin.
He just hoped it wasn’t for nothing.