BSG fic - Promises 12 / 17
Chapter Twelve
They returned to the caves in silence. Kara felt more and more embarrassed with every step. Had she really cried in front of Lee? And told him she needed him? She cringed inwardly, almost wishing the ground would open and swallow her up. She was glad he was leading the way and not looking at her.
She only hoped she’d got through to him. If she had, any embarrassment was worth it.
She thought she might have done. His words hadn’t been very encouraging, but the look on his face when she’d said he was more important to her than anyone else-
For a moment his face had been warm, soft, open. For a moment she’d seen the old Lee, the Lee from before New Caprica.
Maybe she just needed to keep on pushing.
----
She fully intended to do just that when they arrived back at the caves, drag him off to a private spot and hash it out with him.
Demand to know what some of his comments had meant. What pregnant girlfriend? And why did he seem to think Dee’s death was his fault?
But they arrived back as dawn was breaking, and the smell of breakfast being prepared wafted temptingly through the air. Kara was forcibly reminded that she hadn’t eaten since the previous day. Her eyes met Lee’s and in silent agreement they headed for the main cavern to scrounge some food.
As they entered the cavern, Kara stopped dead, staring. Sitting at the long table talking to Racetrack was the last person she’d expected to see.
“Karl?”
He turned and waved a piece of bread at her.
“Kara! Finally!”
She walked over to the table, a broad smile spreading across her face. After the last few days, Karl was just the person she needed to see.
“What are you doing here?” she asked. “The Old Man finally decide he’d had enough of you?”
“Yep. Sent me to beg you to come back.”
“Better get on your knees then.” She reached down and stole the rest of the bread off his plate, ignoring his protests.
“I need it more than you do, Karl. It’s been a tough night.”
“Where the frak have you been anyway?” asked Helo, frowning. “They dropped me in as soon as it was dark, so I’ve been waiting all night for you to turn up. All Racetrack would tell me was that you were off with Apollo somewhere, and that she didn’t know when you’d be back.” He turned to Lee, who was hovering silently behind Kara, and grinned at him. “Hi Apollo, by the way. Good to see you again.”
“You too.” Lee turned to Kara. “Want me to get you some breakfast?”
The offer surprised Kara, but seeing the awkward look on his face, she realised this was his attempt at an apology, so she nodded.
“Thanks.”
“No problem,” said Lee stiffly, and went over to the kitchen area.
Kara sat down next to Helo, who was looking after Lee curiously. “What’s up with him?”
Kara didn’t quite know how to reply to that. “Dee died,” she said finally. That was the root of it, after all.
“Oh.” Helo closed his eyes briefly, a shadow passing over his face. “I’m sorry to hear that. She was a nice girl.”
Kara mumbled an assent through a mouthful of bread.
“So are you lending him a shoulder to cry on?”
Kara almost choked on a breadcrumb. She glared at Helo, with a pointed glance in Racetrack’s direction. She didn’t mind him teasing her about Lee - much - but not in front of someone else.
“Shut up, Karl.”
Of course he ignored her. “I guess not, from the vibes you were giving off when you walked in. I thought you wanted to patch things up with him?” Racetrack was watching him with faint horror at his daring.
“Karl.” Kara wished for the thousandth time she’d never got drunk last Colonial Day, just after her break up with Sam. That she’d not ended up alone in the rec room with Helo just at the stage when she was maudlin enough and talkative enough to spill out all her troubles to him.
Well, not quite all. But she’d definitely said more than she should, particularly concerning how she felt about Lee. She should have known to keep her mouth shut.
“What have you fallen out about now?” Helo asked, with a sly look she wanted to smack off his face. She was a major now, though, and he was a captain. She couldn’t hit him in front of everyone, however much she wanted to.
“We haven’t fallen out,” Kara replied through gritted teeth.
“Sure looked like it to me,” commented Helo lazily, poking at his bowl of soup with a spoon.
“We haven’t. It’s just-”
“Don’t tell me.” Helo grinned smugly. “Let me guess. It’s complicated.”
Kara nearly did hit him then, but fortunately at that moment Lee put a bowl of soup and a steaming mug of coffee - or something vaguely resembling coffee - down in front of her.
“Thanks,” she said awkwardly, hoping he hadn’t overheard.
She couldn’t tell from his face if he had. That remote mask had descended again. “Bread’s on its way,” he said, and disappeared.
“So you caught up with him then,” said Racetrack, once he was out of earshot. “Was everything all right?”
Oh gods. Where to start?
“It is now,” she said, though she wasn’t sure it was true. “I’ll tell you about it later.” She wasn’t up to telling the story on an empty stomach, especially with Helo pricking up his ears and looking at her curiously.
Racetrack didn’t look satisfied, but Lee came back with his own meal, so she didn’t say anything more.
----
“So why are you here, Karl?” asked Kara when she’d cleared her plate and felt able to concentrate on something other than food. “I was scheduled to return to the ship tonight anyway.”
Helo shrugged. “Change of plan.”
“I spoke to the Old Man briefly yesterday and he didn’t mention anything,” said Kara, puzzled. “What happened?”
Helo grimaced. “The Cylons expanded their air patrols. Looks as if they might know we’re out there.”
Kara swore. “How? We’ve been so careful-”
“My communicator.”
They both turned to look at Lee. “What?”
“The communicator Dad gave me. The Cylons must have taken it when Dee and I were arrested. Dad triggered it when he was first trying to contact us - they must have picked up the signal.”
“Well, if it’s that at least it means all they know is that there’s something out there. They don’t know what, or how many, or what we’re planning to do,” said Kara, trying to look on the bright side.
“All the same, the Old Man wants to move the timetable up,” said Helo. “So he adjusted the plans using the information you’d already given him and sent me down to finalise everything. I’ll go back tonight and the evacuation will begin at dusk the following day-”
He was interrupted by a familiar bellow.
“Starbuck! Apollo! Where the hell have you two been?”
Tigh stalked across the cavern towards them, scowling.
Kara bristled instinctively. “Out.”
“For nearly twenty-four hours? Without saying where you were going?” Tigh’s face got redder as his voice rose in volume. “What do you think this is, a holiday camp?”
“We were on military business,” said Kara, giving him the exact insolent grin she knew infuriated him the most.
“Really?” said Tigh with utter scepticism. “What kind of military business?”
“Can’t tell you,” said Kara sweetly. “Orders. Need to know basis only.” She could see Lee watching her with the expression that meant he was desperately trying not to laugh.
It disappeared as Tigh turned on him. “And he needs to know? He can barely cope with sentry duty, never mind military secrets.”
Kara’s temper sparked. How dare he talk to Lee like that? At least when Lee had been put in command of a battlestar he hadn’t frakked it up because he was half drunk most of the time. She was about to make a nasty comment to that effect when Roslin’s calm voice intervened.
“Now that you’ve finally returned, Major Thrace, we can have the meeting Captain Agathon has been waiting so patiently for.” There was an edge to her words that made Kara wince as all Tigh’s anger had not. “Will the two of you and Saul join me in my office?”
“Of course.” Kara drained the last of her coffee and stood up, closely followed by Helo.
“Laura.”
Roslin turned to Lee, looking slightly surprised. “Yes?”
“I just wanted to say-” Lee broke off, looking uncomfortable. “That is - would you like me to attend the meeting? If it would be useful-”
Roslin stared at him for a moment, a small smile on her lips. Tigh looked grimly satisfied. Helo looked confused, obviously wondering why Lee wasn’t attending the meeting as a matter of course.
“It would,” said Roslin finally. “I would value your input, Lee.”
Lee nodded and followed them out of the cavern.
Kara suddenly felt lighter, as if a weight had lifted from her shoulders.
Lee seemed to be finally taking an interest in things again, taking a step back towards his old self.
Maybe her pushing hadn’t been in vain.
----
Laura kept the meeting moving a brisk pace, obviously determined not to waste any more time. In fact, there wasn’t much to discuss - the plan had been hammered out in earlier meetings and this was just finalising locations, people and times.
Lee listened carefully, being the only one there not already familiar with the details. He’d realised on the way back to the caves that Kara had been right in what she’d said the other night. He was letting people down by not participating fully in planning the evacuation. He owed it to all the people who’d followed him into the resistance to do everything he could.
That became even clearer as the meeting progressed and he found himself pointing out locations for raptor landing sites and suggesting people to lead evacuation teams that none of the others had thought of. It appeared that the experience of those early months setting up the resistance still counted for a lot despite his recent isolation. He felt abruptly guilty that he had cut himself off from the centre of things for so long, and was glad Kara’s words had finally pushed him back into it.
The plan for the mission was basically simple. Three resistance strike teams - consisting mainly of ex-military people - would attack three Cylon guard posts in the town as a diversion while the rest of the resistance led the colonists out of the town to pre-arranged rendezvous points with the raptors that would take them back to the fleet. Once all the civilians were safely away, the strike teams would follow.
It was a good plan in theory; Lee just hoped it would work out in practice. However well you planned any mission, something unexpected could always happen to mess everything up. He also hoped the strike teams would make it out safely. They had the most dangerous part to play - although the plan he and Felix had hatched between them might help to give them more of a chance.
“Who’s going to lead the strike teams?” asked Helo.
“Tyrol and Racetrack will take one,” said Tigh. “I’ll take another, with Venner as my second.”
“Good choice,” said Laura. “Venner’s a sound man.” She sent Lee a reminiscent smile.
“And the third?”
“I’m leading it,” said Kara.
Lee stiffened. He hadn’t expected that. “Aren’t you needed up in the fleet?”
“I think you need me here more,” said Kara, carefully casual. She looked at Helo. “Don’t worry, I’ve already cleared it with the Admiral.”
Lee frowned. He had an uncomfortable feeling that she was staying here because she was worried about him. He wished she wouldn’t. He’d never forgive himself if something happened to her because of him.
“I’m sure they need you more up there-” he began, trying to think how to persuade her.
“Lee, I’m staying,” she interrupted, glaring at him. “That’s final.”
Lee looked at her face, set in those familiar stubborn lines, and sighed. He knew better than to try to argue with her in this mood.
“Then I’ll join your team as your second,” he said.
He thought Kara looked pleased by the idea, but Laura smoothly intervened, shaking her head.
“I’m sorry, Lee, but I need you with me at the co-ordination point. I need an advisor with command experience and you’re the best person available. Costanza can go with Kara.”
Lee looked at her, his mouth twisting wryly. He knew what was really behind that remark. Laura didn’t trust him to keep out of trouble, and she wanted him close to her where she could keep an eye on him.
He bristled inwardly. He didn’t need special treatment, and he was severely tempted to tell her where to stick her orders and do what the hell he liked. If Kara was determined to do this, he wanted to be there to watch her back if he could.
But he didn’t. Laura wouldn’t back down easily, certainly not in public. Besides, he hadn’t forgotten his promise to Cally. Depending on how things turned out, he might not be there to help either Kara or Laura.
So he just nodded in agreement. Laura looked pleased, Kara looked annoyed, and they both looked suspicious at his easy capitulation.
“I just hope the three diversion raids are enough,” muttered Tigh, frowning. “But we don’t have enough people for another strike force.”
Lee took a deep breath. Time to speak up. He’d kept quiet long enough; they needed to know this now.
“Well, actually,” he said, “Felix and I have arranged another diversion.”
They all turned to stare at him.
“What?”
Lee smiled to himself. “We’re going to blow up the Cylon government building.”
There was an instant of stunned silence and then they all began speaking at once, exclaiming or firing questions at him.
Eventually Laura banged her fist several times on her desk and managed to make herself heard.
“What did you say, Lee?”
“Felix is going to blow up the Cylon government building,” repeated Lee patiently. “We arranged that you would send up a flare when the strike forces are in place, and then he’ll set off the bomb. With any luck a lot of Cylons will be in the building, and it’ll certainly cause chaos.”
“Felix?” growled Tigh. “Felix Gaeta? What does he know about explosives? He’ll probably mess the whole thing up.”
“No, he won’t,” said Lee firmly, glaring at Tigh. “I’ve shown him what to do. He’ll be fine. I’ve already laid the charges and attached the detonators - all he has to do is trigger the explosion.”
“You laid the charges?” Laura was staring at him, her mouth set in a thin line. “When?”
Lee shrugged. “Over the last few months. Felix has access to the building, he let me in after dark.”
“You’ve been sneaking into the Cylon headquarters after dark? To set explosives?” Laura’s voice rose with each question. “What if the Cylons had caught you?”
“They didn’t.” Lee didn’t understand why she was so angry. Sure, it had been risky, but the risk had been worthwhile, particularly now the fleet was back and the explosion could help make the evacuation successful.
“Where did you get the explosives from, anyway?” asked Tigh.
“Stole them from the Cylons.” Felix had helped with that too.
“Without telling us?” Laura fixed him with a stare. “I don’t appreciate being kept in the dark about this, Lee.”
Lee shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. She was one of the few people he’d met who could stare his father down.
“I just thought the fewer people who knew the better.”
“Well, I should have been one of those people. I’m in charge here, Lee.” Her voice was quiet, but the edge in the words cut sharply.
“You’re right,” he admitted. “I’m sorry. It’s just-”
“You were afraid I’d stop you.”
“Yes,” he said, meeting her eyes fully.
Laura looked grim. “I probably would have.” She sighed. “You took an incredible risk, but it’s done now, and if it pays off-”
“It’ll really improve our chances,” said Helo. He grinned at Lee. “Nice work, Apollo.”
Lee’s eyes drifted to Kara. She was grinning at him, eyes shining. “Glad to see you’ve been doing more with your time than brooding,” she said with a wink.
Lee found himself grinning back.
-----
Kara tried several times that day to get Lee alone, but luck wasn’t with her. After the meeting finished, Tigh dragged him off to get the exact details of his explosion plan.
Kara couldn’t help smiling whenever she thought of that. Looked like Lee hadn’t given up entirely after all.
By the time he finished with Tigh, Kara was busy finalising details with Helo before he went back to Galactica. Lee had disappeared, and when she finally tracked him down, he was deep in conversation with Cally.
Kara didn’t want to disturb them. Cally looked upset, and she could guess what about. She’d overheard Cally and Tyrol having an argument earlier - well, she’d hardly been able to avoid it, as they’d been screaming at each other in the middle of the main cavern. Everyone had sat there in stunned silence; the couple were both usually so easy-going no-one had been able to believe they were having a public fight.
From what Kara had heard it sounded like it had begun because Tyrol wanted Cally to go back to Galactica with Helo, and Cally was having none of it. She screamed that she wasn’t leaving without her baby, and Tyrol shouted back that he wasn’t going to risk losing her again. Cally snapped that she’d make her own decisions, and Tyrol told her she wasn’t thinking straight at the moment.
Kara had felt acutely embarrassed at overhearing such a private argument, and she had been relieved when Cally finally stalked off. It looked as if she was finding relief by pouring out all her woes to Lee, so Kara decided that it was best to leave them to it.
She went back to Helo, and ended up escorting him to meet his raptor. As he climbed on board, Kara wished for a moment she was going with him, that she could fight this out in the air where she belonged rather than on the ground.
But if she did go back to the fleet she would be stuck in CIC rather than out in a viper anyway. She’d get more action here, and it was true what she’d said in the meeting - the resistance did need her. They needed all the experienced soldiers they could get.
So she saw Helo off, and trudged back to the caves. The gods were finally smiling on her, because the first person she saw was Lee. She made straight for him, not giving him time to back away.
But before she could open her mouth, Hot Dog interrupted them.
“Roslin wants to see you, Lee,” he said, stepping back a pace at Kara’s glare. “And from the look on her face I wouldn’t keep her waiting. There’s trouble.”
Kara swore inwardly, but she knew Laura wouldn’t summon him unless it was important. She could talk to Lee afterwards.
Lee left, and after a moment she decided to follow him. She could wait outside and make sure he didn’t slip away again.
Arriving outside Laura’s office, she could hear the other woman’s voice clearly through the curtain, and realised what Hot Dog had meant. She’d never heard Laura sound so angry.
“I’ve just received a message from the town,” Laura was saying, clipped and furious. “It seems Gaius Baltar has been murdered. I don’t suppose you’d know anything about that, Lee?”
----------------
I hope this chapter reads okay because when I was writing it, it felt like I was just ticking off a list of plot points I had to cover. It also provides a bit of an emotional breather - when you read the next chapter you’ll see that one was necessary.
Hope you like Helo’s guest appearance, he wasn’t supposed to be in this story at all, but he just nagged at me until I wrote him in, and I did need a messenger from Galactica. I just can’t resist writing scenes where he winds Kara up about Lee.
They returned to the caves in silence. Kara felt more and more embarrassed with every step. Had she really cried in front of Lee? And told him she needed him? She cringed inwardly, almost wishing the ground would open and swallow her up. She was glad he was leading the way and not looking at her.
She only hoped she’d got through to him. If she had, any embarrassment was worth it.
She thought she might have done. His words hadn’t been very encouraging, but the look on his face when she’d said he was more important to her than anyone else-
For a moment his face had been warm, soft, open. For a moment she’d seen the old Lee, the Lee from before New Caprica.
Maybe she just needed to keep on pushing.
----
She fully intended to do just that when they arrived back at the caves, drag him off to a private spot and hash it out with him.
Demand to know what some of his comments had meant. What pregnant girlfriend? And why did he seem to think Dee’s death was his fault?
But they arrived back as dawn was breaking, and the smell of breakfast being prepared wafted temptingly through the air. Kara was forcibly reminded that she hadn’t eaten since the previous day. Her eyes met Lee’s and in silent agreement they headed for the main cavern to scrounge some food.
As they entered the cavern, Kara stopped dead, staring. Sitting at the long table talking to Racetrack was the last person she’d expected to see.
“Karl?”
He turned and waved a piece of bread at her.
“Kara! Finally!”
She walked over to the table, a broad smile spreading across her face. After the last few days, Karl was just the person she needed to see.
“What are you doing here?” she asked. “The Old Man finally decide he’d had enough of you?”
“Yep. Sent me to beg you to come back.”
“Better get on your knees then.” She reached down and stole the rest of the bread off his plate, ignoring his protests.
“I need it more than you do, Karl. It’s been a tough night.”
“Where the frak have you been anyway?” asked Helo, frowning. “They dropped me in as soon as it was dark, so I’ve been waiting all night for you to turn up. All Racetrack would tell me was that you were off with Apollo somewhere, and that she didn’t know when you’d be back.” He turned to Lee, who was hovering silently behind Kara, and grinned at him. “Hi Apollo, by the way. Good to see you again.”
“You too.” Lee turned to Kara. “Want me to get you some breakfast?”
The offer surprised Kara, but seeing the awkward look on his face, she realised this was his attempt at an apology, so she nodded.
“Thanks.”
“No problem,” said Lee stiffly, and went over to the kitchen area.
Kara sat down next to Helo, who was looking after Lee curiously. “What’s up with him?”
Kara didn’t quite know how to reply to that. “Dee died,” she said finally. That was the root of it, after all.
“Oh.” Helo closed his eyes briefly, a shadow passing over his face. “I’m sorry to hear that. She was a nice girl.”
Kara mumbled an assent through a mouthful of bread.
“So are you lending him a shoulder to cry on?”
Kara almost choked on a breadcrumb. She glared at Helo, with a pointed glance in Racetrack’s direction. She didn’t mind him teasing her about Lee - much - but not in front of someone else.
“Shut up, Karl.”
Of course he ignored her. “I guess not, from the vibes you were giving off when you walked in. I thought you wanted to patch things up with him?” Racetrack was watching him with faint horror at his daring.
“Karl.” Kara wished for the thousandth time she’d never got drunk last Colonial Day, just after her break up with Sam. That she’d not ended up alone in the rec room with Helo just at the stage when she was maudlin enough and talkative enough to spill out all her troubles to him.
Well, not quite all. But she’d definitely said more than she should, particularly concerning how she felt about Lee. She should have known to keep her mouth shut.
“What have you fallen out about now?” Helo asked, with a sly look she wanted to smack off his face. She was a major now, though, and he was a captain. She couldn’t hit him in front of everyone, however much she wanted to.
“We haven’t fallen out,” Kara replied through gritted teeth.
“Sure looked like it to me,” commented Helo lazily, poking at his bowl of soup with a spoon.
“We haven’t. It’s just-”
“Don’t tell me.” Helo grinned smugly. “Let me guess. It’s complicated.”
Kara nearly did hit him then, but fortunately at that moment Lee put a bowl of soup and a steaming mug of coffee - or something vaguely resembling coffee - down in front of her.
“Thanks,” she said awkwardly, hoping he hadn’t overheard.
She couldn’t tell from his face if he had. That remote mask had descended again. “Bread’s on its way,” he said, and disappeared.
“So you caught up with him then,” said Racetrack, once he was out of earshot. “Was everything all right?”
Oh gods. Where to start?
“It is now,” she said, though she wasn’t sure it was true. “I’ll tell you about it later.” She wasn’t up to telling the story on an empty stomach, especially with Helo pricking up his ears and looking at her curiously.
Racetrack didn’t look satisfied, but Lee came back with his own meal, so she didn’t say anything more.
----
“So why are you here, Karl?” asked Kara when she’d cleared her plate and felt able to concentrate on something other than food. “I was scheduled to return to the ship tonight anyway.”
Helo shrugged. “Change of plan.”
“I spoke to the Old Man briefly yesterday and he didn’t mention anything,” said Kara, puzzled. “What happened?”
Helo grimaced. “The Cylons expanded their air patrols. Looks as if they might know we’re out there.”
Kara swore. “How? We’ve been so careful-”
“My communicator.”
They both turned to look at Lee. “What?”
“The communicator Dad gave me. The Cylons must have taken it when Dee and I were arrested. Dad triggered it when he was first trying to contact us - they must have picked up the signal.”
“Well, if it’s that at least it means all they know is that there’s something out there. They don’t know what, or how many, or what we’re planning to do,” said Kara, trying to look on the bright side.
“All the same, the Old Man wants to move the timetable up,” said Helo. “So he adjusted the plans using the information you’d already given him and sent me down to finalise everything. I’ll go back tonight and the evacuation will begin at dusk the following day-”
He was interrupted by a familiar bellow.
“Starbuck! Apollo! Where the hell have you two been?”
Tigh stalked across the cavern towards them, scowling.
Kara bristled instinctively. “Out.”
“For nearly twenty-four hours? Without saying where you were going?” Tigh’s face got redder as his voice rose in volume. “What do you think this is, a holiday camp?”
“We were on military business,” said Kara, giving him the exact insolent grin she knew infuriated him the most.
“Really?” said Tigh with utter scepticism. “What kind of military business?”
“Can’t tell you,” said Kara sweetly. “Orders. Need to know basis only.” She could see Lee watching her with the expression that meant he was desperately trying not to laugh.
It disappeared as Tigh turned on him. “And he needs to know? He can barely cope with sentry duty, never mind military secrets.”
Kara’s temper sparked. How dare he talk to Lee like that? At least when Lee had been put in command of a battlestar he hadn’t frakked it up because he was half drunk most of the time. She was about to make a nasty comment to that effect when Roslin’s calm voice intervened.
“Now that you’ve finally returned, Major Thrace, we can have the meeting Captain Agathon has been waiting so patiently for.” There was an edge to her words that made Kara wince as all Tigh’s anger had not. “Will the two of you and Saul join me in my office?”
“Of course.” Kara drained the last of her coffee and stood up, closely followed by Helo.
“Laura.”
Roslin turned to Lee, looking slightly surprised. “Yes?”
“I just wanted to say-” Lee broke off, looking uncomfortable. “That is - would you like me to attend the meeting? If it would be useful-”
Roslin stared at him for a moment, a small smile on her lips. Tigh looked grimly satisfied. Helo looked confused, obviously wondering why Lee wasn’t attending the meeting as a matter of course.
“It would,” said Roslin finally. “I would value your input, Lee.”
Lee nodded and followed them out of the cavern.
Kara suddenly felt lighter, as if a weight had lifted from her shoulders.
Lee seemed to be finally taking an interest in things again, taking a step back towards his old self.
Maybe her pushing hadn’t been in vain.
----
Laura kept the meeting moving a brisk pace, obviously determined not to waste any more time. In fact, there wasn’t much to discuss - the plan had been hammered out in earlier meetings and this was just finalising locations, people and times.
Lee listened carefully, being the only one there not already familiar with the details. He’d realised on the way back to the caves that Kara had been right in what she’d said the other night. He was letting people down by not participating fully in planning the evacuation. He owed it to all the people who’d followed him into the resistance to do everything he could.
That became even clearer as the meeting progressed and he found himself pointing out locations for raptor landing sites and suggesting people to lead evacuation teams that none of the others had thought of. It appeared that the experience of those early months setting up the resistance still counted for a lot despite his recent isolation. He felt abruptly guilty that he had cut himself off from the centre of things for so long, and was glad Kara’s words had finally pushed him back into it.
The plan for the mission was basically simple. Three resistance strike teams - consisting mainly of ex-military people - would attack three Cylon guard posts in the town as a diversion while the rest of the resistance led the colonists out of the town to pre-arranged rendezvous points with the raptors that would take them back to the fleet. Once all the civilians were safely away, the strike teams would follow.
It was a good plan in theory; Lee just hoped it would work out in practice. However well you planned any mission, something unexpected could always happen to mess everything up. He also hoped the strike teams would make it out safely. They had the most dangerous part to play - although the plan he and Felix had hatched between them might help to give them more of a chance.
“Who’s going to lead the strike teams?” asked Helo.
“Tyrol and Racetrack will take one,” said Tigh. “I’ll take another, with Venner as my second.”
“Good choice,” said Laura. “Venner’s a sound man.” She sent Lee a reminiscent smile.
“And the third?”
“I’m leading it,” said Kara.
Lee stiffened. He hadn’t expected that. “Aren’t you needed up in the fleet?”
“I think you need me here more,” said Kara, carefully casual. She looked at Helo. “Don’t worry, I’ve already cleared it with the Admiral.”
Lee frowned. He had an uncomfortable feeling that she was staying here because she was worried about him. He wished she wouldn’t. He’d never forgive himself if something happened to her because of him.
“I’m sure they need you more up there-” he began, trying to think how to persuade her.
“Lee, I’m staying,” she interrupted, glaring at him. “That’s final.”
Lee looked at her face, set in those familiar stubborn lines, and sighed. He knew better than to try to argue with her in this mood.
“Then I’ll join your team as your second,” he said.
He thought Kara looked pleased by the idea, but Laura smoothly intervened, shaking her head.
“I’m sorry, Lee, but I need you with me at the co-ordination point. I need an advisor with command experience and you’re the best person available. Costanza can go with Kara.”
Lee looked at her, his mouth twisting wryly. He knew what was really behind that remark. Laura didn’t trust him to keep out of trouble, and she wanted him close to her where she could keep an eye on him.
He bristled inwardly. He didn’t need special treatment, and he was severely tempted to tell her where to stick her orders and do what the hell he liked. If Kara was determined to do this, he wanted to be there to watch her back if he could.
But he didn’t. Laura wouldn’t back down easily, certainly not in public. Besides, he hadn’t forgotten his promise to Cally. Depending on how things turned out, he might not be there to help either Kara or Laura.
So he just nodded in agreement. Laura looked pleased, Kara looked annoyed, and they both looked suspicious at his easy capitulation.
“I just hope the three diversion raids are enough,” muttered Tigh, frowning. “But we don’t have enough people for another strike force.”
Lee took a deep breath. Time to speak up. He’d kept quiet long enough; they needed to know this now.
“Well, actually,” he said, “Felix and I have arranged another diversion.”
They all turned to stare at him.
“What?”
Lee smiled to himself. “We’re going to blow up the Cylon government building.”
There was an instant of stunned silence and then they all began speaking at once, exclaiming or firing questions at him.
Eventually Laura banged her fist several times on her desk and managed to make herself heard.
“What did you say, Lee?”
“Felix is going to blow up the Cylon government building,” repeated Lee patiently. “We arranged that you would send up a flare when the strike forces are in place, and then he’ll set off the bomb. With any luck a lot of Cylons will be in the building, and it’ll certainly cause chaos.”
“Felix?” growled Tigh. “Felix Gaeta? What does he know about explosives? He’ll probably mess the whole thing up.”
“No, he won’t,” said Lee firmly, glaring at Tigh. “I’ve shown him what to do. He’ll be fine. I’ve already laid the charges and attached the detonators - all he has to do is trigger the explosion.”
“You laid the charges?” Laura was staring at him, her mouth set in a thin line. “When?”
Lee shrugged. “Over the last few months. Felix has access to the building, he let me in after dark.”
“You’ve been sneaking into the Cylon headquarters after dark? To set explosives?” Laura’s voice rose with each question. “What if the Cylons had caught you?”
“They didn’t.” Lee didn’t understand why she was so angry. Sure, it had been risky, but the risk had been worthwhile, particularly now the fleet was back and the explosion could help make the evacuation successful.
“Where did you get the explosives from, anyway?” asked Tigh.
“Stole them from the Cylons.” Felix had helped with that too.
“Without telling us?” Laura fixed him with a stare. “I don’t appreciate being kept in the dark about this, Lee.”
Lee shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. She was one of the few people he’d met who could stare his father down.
“I just thought the fewer people who knew the better.”
“Well, I should have been one of those people. I’m in charge here, Lee.” Her voice was quiet, but the edge in the words cut sharply.
“You’re right,” he admitted. “I’m sorry. It’s just-”
“You were afraid I’d stop you.”
“Yes,” he said, meeting her eyes fully.
Laura looked grim. “I probably would have.” She sighed. “You took an incredible risk, but it’s done now, and if it pays off-”
“It’ll really improve our chances,” said Helo. He grinned at Lee. “Nice work, Apollo.”
Lee’s eyes drifted to Kara. She was grinning at him, eyes shining. “Glad to see you’ve been doing more with your time than brooding,” she said with a wink.
Lee found himself grinning back.
-----
Kara tried several times that day to get Lee alone, but luck wasn’t with her. After the meeting finished, Tigh dragged him off to get the exact details of his explosion plan.
Kara couldn’t help smiling whenever she thought of that. Looked like Lee hadn’t given up entirely after all.
By the time he finished with Tigh, Kara was busy finalising details with Helo before he went back to Galactica. Lee had disappeared, and when she finally tracked him down, he was deep in conversation with Cally.
Kara didn’t want to disturb them. Cally looked upset, and she could guess what about. She’d overheard Cally and Tyrol having an argument earlier - well, she’d hardly been able to avoid it, as they’d been screaming at each other in the middle of the main cavern. Everyone had sat there in stunned silence; the couple were both usually so easy-going no-one had been able to believe they were having a public fight.
From what Kara had heard it sounded like it had begun because Tyrol wanted Cally to go back to Galactica with Helo, and Cally was having none of it. She screamed that she wasn’t leaving without her baby, and Tyrol shouted back that he wasn’t going to risk losing her again. Cally snapped that she’d make her own decisions, and Tyrol told her she wasn’t thinking straight at the moment.
Kara had felt acutely embarrassed at overhearing such a private argument, and she had been relieved when Cally finally stalked off. It looked as if she was finding relief by pouring out all her woes to Lee, so Kara decided that it was best to leave them to it.
She went back to Helo, and ended up escorting him to meet his raptor. As he climbed on board, Kara wished for a moment she was going with him, that she could fight this out in the air where she belonged rather than on the ground.
But if she did go back to the fleet she would be stuck in CIC rather than out in a viper anyway. She’d get more action here, and it was true what she’d said in the meeting - the resistance did need her. They needed all the experienced soldiers they could get.
So she saw Helo off, and trudged back to the caves. The gods were finally smiling on her, because the first person she saw was Lee. She made straight for him, not giving him time to back away.
But before she could open her mouth, Hot Dog interrupted them.
“Roslin wants to see you, Lee,” he said, stepping back a pace at Kara’s glare. “And from the look on her face I wouldn’t keep her waiting. There’s trouble.”
Kara swore inwardly, but she knew Laura wouldn’t summon him unless it was important. She could talk to Lee afterwards.
Lee left, and after a moment she decided to follow him. She could wait outside and make sure he didn’t slip away again.
Arriving outside Laura’s office, she could hear the other woman’s voice clearly through the curtain, and realised what Hot Dog had meant. She’d never heard Laura sound so angry.
“I’ve just received a message from the town,” Laura was saying, clipped and furious. “It seems Gaius Baltar has been murdered. I don’t suppose you’d know anything about that, Lee?”
----------------
I hope this chapter reads okay because when I was writing it, it felt like I was just ticking off a list of plot points I had to cover. It also provides a bit of an emotional breather - when you read the next chapter you’ll see that one was necessary.
Hope you like Helo’s guest appearance, he wasn’t supposed to be in this story at all, but he just nagged at me until I wrote him in, and I did need a messenger from Galactica. I just can’t resist writing scenes where he winds Kara up about Lee.