The Missing Link Part 2: Occupation
Summary: An angst filled New Caprican romance with a sprinkling of mystery and malice…oh and Cylons!
Please read The Missing Link Part 1: Colonisation first; part 2 will make sod all sense if you don't!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters below; I am only borrowing them and will not be financially benefitting from the story in anyway. No copyright infringement is intended
Author Notes: Hi *waves*
Sorry about the long sabbatical – I have a VERY hectic real life at the moment! (I actually wrote this chapter on a plane, which is the only time I have had to myself since Christmas!)
Good news though - I have the 2nd half of this story planned and plotted. The gap between chapters should be shorter next time - hurrah!
The first chapter is set directly after part 1 and is bit of a scene setter - it kicks off just before the Occupation. The story (which will be much shorter than the first half) will run until Laura and Bill reunite on Galactica – and all loose ends will be tied
I hope you like it, and as always - feedback (both good and constructive) is always craved!
Rating: Starts out as a T…but the rating will be increasing in later chapters.
Word count: 3800 approx.
Chapter 1
It was the morning after the night before and as usual, the familiar hustle and bustle of the settlement awoke Laura from her slumber – but this morning the noise from outside her tent seemed considerably louder than normal.
Laura moaned as she gingerly opened one eye – clamping it shut in an instant when the offensive daylight scorched her sensitive eyeball. 'How much did I drink last night?'
She pulled the blue fleece blanket back over her head and looked at her wrist watch in the dim light, snuggling back into the heat of the mattress when she realised she had at least another 15 minutes in bed before she had to get up for school.
'The school…' Laura's eyes flew open. In a sudden rush of visuals her minds-eye recalled her argument with Bill, her drinks with Ellen…her meeting with Vice President Zarek…
"Oh Gods!" She sat bolt upright in bed; the movement causing her head to pound uncontrollably and nausea to set in, forcing her to fall back onto the mattress for solace.
"Oh Gods…" She groaned again, 'What the hell have I done?' She threw her right arm over her face – hiding her embarrassment from the empty tent.
'No, no…it's alright. Tom said we should just forget it ever happened...' Laura reasoned with herself. '…nobody has to know...' She anxiously nibbled on her dry, lower lip and frowned. 'Gods I'm thirsty.'
She reached out blindly with her left arm, knocking over the stack of books she kept on the floor by her bed, before finally finding the cup of water she'd apparently had the peace of mind to place there last night. Laura grumbled at the effort it took to simply lift her head and quench her thirst – but once her lips connected with the metal cup she unceremoniously gulped the cold liquid down; a few droplets trickling down her chin and landing on her night-sweater.
She drained the beaker and flopped back down onto the mattress "I feel like crap." She spoke aloud – internally chastising herself for ever thinking that a trip to Joe's bar would make her feel better about the argument with Bill.
'Bill…' A sinking feeling accompanied the nausea in the pit of her stomach as Laura thought of how Bill might react to what had happened with Zarek. 'He'd be crushed.' She plucked absently at the fleecy material of the blanket as she reasoned with herself - 'there is no reason for Bill to find out. It was a momentary lapse on my part. It certainly won't be happening again.'
It wasn't the fact she had almost slept with Zarek that made Laura feel guilty – after all it was Bill's decision to end their relationship. What currently gnawed at her insides was the awareness that she had done it partly to spite Bill. Drunk or not, Laura knew how much Bill hated Tom Zarek – a truth she had been acutely aware of last night when she was straddling the Vice Presidents lap.
She would need to search out Tom today to ensure that what happened between them, remained only between them.
"Ergh…" Laura rolled over onto her side, wrapping the blanket tighter around her body and bunching it in her fist at her chest. 'Just a few more minutes sleep and then I'll get up'. Her eye lids fluttered closed. 'Maybe I'll call in sick,' Laura smirked sleepily at the irony. 'Can't do that without a phone Laura…'
And who would she tell anyway? Maya had her hands full with Isis and she couldn't expect Tory to cover for her. Tory may have been a great aide, but there had been sheer panic in the young woman's eyes when Laura had once asked her to cover a class. No, Tory Foster was most certainly not a natural with children.
Laura sighed into her pillow. She could just imagine the look of true horror on Tory's face if she was ever asked to take classes for a whole day. 'Now wait a minute…'
"Oh Gods!"Laura repeated, for the third time that morning. Her eyes snapped open as the memory of Tory catching her and Tom at the school returned. "Tory knows!"
xXx
After suffering yet another restless night's sleep, Bill had hauled himself out of bed shortly after 5am hoping to work some stress out in the gym.
It came as no surprise to the Admiral that worry had starved him of his sleep; he often struggled to switch off when something distasteful impended - and the day ahead was shaping up to be a doozy.
Saul was leaving for New Caprica, Helo was starting his first solo shift as XO and Bill had to spend time in the company of Baltar and Zarek – and all of this was happening before lunch.
"Frakkin' Zarek…" Bill grunted under his breath as his gloved fist connected again and again with the swinging, red leather punch bag. Imagining that each powerful blow was landing on the sneaky Vice President's face was at least helping a little to sooth Bill's rage. Experience had taught the aged Admiral that it was best he expelled that aggression now, rather than risk his fist connecting with the real article at the meeting.
Thwack!
Bill danced expertly on the balls of his feet as he laid into the bag like a professional. 'That bastard recruited Wilson.'
Thwack!
'He was spying on Laura.'
Thwack!
'He recorded us…' Bill slumped forward against the punch bag for support; a bead of sweat trickled from his brow, down his nose and splashed onto the training matt below.
He needed a clear head for the meeting – the desire for revenge would only work to distract him from his ultimate goal; amassing enough evidence to warrant flushing Tom Zarek's ass out of an airlock.
Seeing as tossing traitors into space was a favoured technique of the former president, Bill hoped that the irony of his fate wouldn't be lost on Tom Zarek when he stood awaiting his execution on the wrong side of an airlock.
With a sigh, Bill swung the bag away from his body and resumed his workout.
Thwack!
xXx
Tom Zarek ran his tongue slowly over his teeth as he studied himself appreciatively in a tall, cracked mirror that was wall-mounted next to the shower. Several more wrinkles had appeared around his eyes since his arrival on New Caprica, but the supercilious Vice President thought that they quite became him; thought they made him look more dignified.
He drew his lips into a thin line and narrowed his eyes. "Right." He said with finality and nodded to his reflection before turning on his heel and striding quickly from the head and into his office. "I'm heading over to Colonial One now," he addressed his aide Anna, who hovered in the entrance way – clutching a black clipboard to her side. "As our President will undoubtedly be late, I'm going to use that time to see if I can't lessen the Quorum's fears on this Union uprising."
"Felix Gaeta called last night, Mr Vice President."
"Did he?" Tom spoke absently as he searched the small office for his scarf – successfully finding it draped over the back of his chair.
"He said that Admiral Adama has requested an audience with yourself and President Baltar."
"Adama?" Zarek's head snapped up from where he was arranging the woollen material around his neck. "What does he want?"
"I'm not entirely sure sir." Anna shrugged, her barely restrained breasts straining against the tight fabric of her pinstriped shirt. "Mr Gaeta would only divulge as much as to say that it was confidential." She pushed an errant strand of blonde hair back into her up-do and ran her gaze down the cornerless sheet of paper attached to the clipboard. "It's scheduled to take place right after your meeting with the Quorum today – around 11. So I have cleared your schedule until late afternoon."
A tightness began to form in The Vice President's chest; it was always only a matter of time, before the finger was finally pointed at him. Zarek was actually surprised that it had taken The Admiral so long to connect the dots.
'Adama has no proof,' the only person linking Zarek to the recording device was already dead.
Adama could speculate all he wanted; without hard evidence Zarek knew that the Admiral wouldn't risk exposing his part in covering up Laura's attempt to throw the election - especially with Baltar in the room.
As he said his good byes to Anna and collected a stack of files from his desk, Zarek smiled to himself. A meeting with Bill Adama and President Baltar; 'this could actually be quite fun…'
xXx
Hung-over or not - Laura couldn't spend another second in bed.
The realisation that another human being knew she had spent last night 'almost' sleeping with Tom Zarek, was an instantly sobering one. The fact that it was Tory, the one person who had warned Laura about such behaviour, just added insult to injury.
"And you're concerned that my spending time with The Vice President will, what? Look like I'm 'sleeping with the enemy'?" Laura recalled how angered she had been by Tory's insinuation at the school yesterday – thinking the idea preposterous.
"Something like that."
"Well, as you are no longer my political aide, my reputation is no longer your concern Tory." She had snapped. "And quite frankly I am appalled that you would consider me to be so short sighted."
Laura cringed internally at the irony as she soaked a washcloth in a bowl of water that had been freshly warmed on her stove.
xXx
After a gruelling session in the gym and a hot shower, the Admiral felt substantially more level headed as he marched purposefully into the CIC.
"Admiral." He was greeted by a proud looking Captain Agathon.
"Good Morning Captain," Bill offered Helo a tight smile. "What's the sit-rep?"
Bill tried to listen as his new XO, who was clearly eager to please, rattled off the condition of various sectors of the Battlestar – but in the back of his mind, the Admiral could only think of Zarek.
Without a shadow of a doubt, the smarmy politician had recruited Officer Wilson to spy on Laura – but to what ends? The recording of their night together contained enough information to do some serious damage to both Bill and Laura's reputation. If that was Zarek's intention - why would he send a copy of the recording to Bill, but not show his hand? What would be the point?
In all of this, the Admiral was only certain of one thing; Vice President Zarek was one sneaky son of a bitch.
xXx
Laura had gotten ready in lighting speed, with the intent of reaching the school early and catching Tory before class. But despite her timely arrival, the entrance to the school was already open; which meant that Tory had beaten her to it.
Laura paused by the doorway and took a deep cleansing breath; her intention had been to catch Tory off guard. She knew that she owed the younger woman an apology for what she had witnessed - Laura acknowledged that the classroom might not have been the best place to…relieve her frustrations.
However, now she'd had time to think it over, Tory's lecture about Laura protecting her political reputation 'just in case' she was once again in the running for the Presidency, had really gotten under her skin.
Although she had fought to remain President; being freed from the constraints of power had allowed Laura to live life the way she wanted. She was no longer accountable to anyone and wouldn't live her life on New Caprica protecting her reputation, just on the off chance that she might, one day, get another chance at office.
Even though there was no denying the regret Laura felt about using Zarek to relieve her frustration at Bill, she had no intention of apologising for it.
Pulling back her shoulders, Laura stepped over the threshold to the school – only to be met with a frosty glare from Tory that instantly dented her false bravado.
As casually as she could, she placed her bag on the corner of the desk and smiled thinly. "You're here early this morning," she observed as the younger woman placed stationary on the desks. "Have you been here long?"
"A while." Tory dropped her gaze to the pencil that she was placing on a desk, before sparing Laura another glance. "I thought you could use the help setting up this morning".
Laura narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms at her chest; wrapping her thick grey sweater tighter around her body. As usual, Tory's words were spoken without an ounce of emotion – leaving the older woman unsure as to whether she was being nice or just plain sarcastic.
Laura glanced down at her wrist watch; it was 06:30 – Maya and the children would be arriving soon.
Due to the sheer amount of pupils attending the school, lessons on New Caprica began earlier than those on the 12 Colonies. The little ones came early and were gone by 10, those of ages nine through to thirteen were schooled between the hours of 10:30 and 13:30, and the teenagers had their lessons from 14:00 onwards.
Teaching students in three hour instalments wasn't ideal, but with the limited facilities on offer; they did the best that they could do with what they had.
Conscious of the time, Laura decided to bite the bullet. "Tory, about last night…"
"Ma'am," Tory halted distributing the pencils and stared intently at Laura. "You made it perfectly clear after school yesterday - what you do in your free time is none of my business." Her tone was bitter; Laura hadn't realised quite how much her response yesterday had hurt Tory. She was taken aback; it appeared that the ever impassive Miss Foster had a softer side.
"That's right Tory," Laura nodded firmly and after a few beats dropped her arms to her side and took a step towards the younger woman, keeping her tone light and calm. "You are no longer my aide; your concern for my reputation as a politician is completely unnecessary."
Tory flared her nostrils defensively and huffed like a spoilt teenager. She moved sharply, continuing to lay out the stationary, but when Laura laid a hand lightly on her forearm - Tory halted her movements at the unexpected contact.
At the younger woman's questioning gaze, Laura continued; "however your concern as a friend - is always appreciated."
As Tory's scowl slowly melted and understanding touched her features, Laura smiled and gave her arm an affectionate squeeze before releasing it and walking back to her desk. "Besides," she twisted, glancing over her shoulder with a wicked glint in her eyes, "I could certainly choose where I decide to spend my 'free time' more wisely."
As Laura started to unpack her bag in preparation for the class, she was sure she saw a hint of a smile grace Tory's lips – but the younger woman's expression quickly cooled and she wrinkled her nose, "Tom Zarek?"
"I know," Laura rolled her eyes and sighed, slowly sinking onto her chair. "A temporary loss of sanity, brought on by a cocktail of moonshine and being pissed at…" Laura paused and at Tory's look of confusion, she realised that there was still so much she hadn't told her former aide.
Tory knew little about what had transpired with Officer Wilson and nothing of the recordings.
A sickening feeling formed in Laura's gut as she thought about the device and what private moments the listener would have been privy to. Yesterday, her anger at Bill had stopped her reflecting on such concerns – however, in the clear light of day, the violation of her privacy made Laura's skin crawl.
Not knowing for sure who had been listening, made it worse.
Laura opened her mouth to speak, but as the sound of childish chatter approached the tent - she knew that now wasn't the time. "We'll talk later," she said sincerely, as she hoisted herself to her feet.
xXx
It was only one hour into the meeting and as always, bone-idle President Baltar had already made his excuses and sloped back to his quarters – leaving Tom Zarek in charge.
"There's a union meeting in the settlement as we speak Mr Vice President," Marshall Bagot, the recently appointed Secretary of Labour spoke up. "I don't think President Baltar fully appreciates the seriousness of the situation."
'That's because your President doesn't give a shit,' Zarek internalised, however he maintained a stoic expression. "The President and I are aware of Galen Tyrol and the demands he is making on the union's behalf - but at this stage any negotiation is out of the question," he said firmly.
"But Mr Vice President, there's talk of strike action and…"Zarek clenched his jaw as he attempted to tune out the former Virgon delegate. Tom had felt such relief the day The President had decided to change the Quorum of 12. However it turned out that change simply meant reshuffling, and giving current delegates new titles.
'A united New Caprica' Baltar had called it, 'there is now no need for planetary segregation.'
There had been the addition of a few new faces of course; several of the original Quorum delegates had perished in the explosion on Cloud Nine. As Zarek looked on apathetically at Marshall flapping his gums, he gloomily wondered why the former Virgon representative hadn't been one of them.
"No negotiations, Mr Bagot," the Vice President cut the Secretary of Labour off midsentence - irritation evident in his tone. "Why don't we all take a quick comfort break?" He addressed the other attendees, "I want you all back in the room in 10."
A look of relief washed over the faces of all but one of the rooms other occupants and they promptly filed out into a nearby break room.
"Mr Vice President, please..." Of course, the ever persistent Marshall remained.
"Later Marshall, alright?" Zarek held up his hand and glowered at the balding politician, having lost his patience with the man entirely. "Just leave it." With that he walked out of the room, past the other members of the Quorum and opened the hatch; the crisp New Caprican air hitting him instantly and leaving him temporarily breathless.
'I should have brought my jacket.' He mentally kicked himself as he shoved his hands under his armpits to keep them warm; he couldn't bring himself to go back into the room.
From his position on the metal stairway that led from Colonial One, he looked out onto the settlements. The colonials scurried around below; carrying out their miserable routines on the dreary, godsforsaken planet.
He looked to his right - towards the landing area where another transport raptor from Galactica had recently arrived.
"Hmm," Zarek harrumphed as Colonel Saul Tigh walked towards the settlements – luggage in one hand, and his overly familiar wife Ellen, hanging off the other. On his way from the surveillance tent last night, Tom had spotted Ellen drunkenly draping herself over two young miners. He imagined that her blatant infidelity may be one reason the aged Colonel had finally decided to settle.
When the couple embraced and their kissing got heated, Zarek inwardly cringed and looked away - only to realise that from his vantage point, he could clearly see the tip of Laura's school tent. He wondered what she might be thinking at that moment.
'Maybe I'll pay her a visit later, to apologise for my behaviour last night.' He smirked at the prospect; he wasn't sorry at all – far from it. His only regret was not acting sooner or pushing things further – his tall tale about a dead daughter had certainly made Laura more acquiescent to his advances.
'Or maybe it was just the moonshine?' He shrugged. It wasn't as if it mattered; whether she regretted what they had done or not – he now had an 'in'. Laura may be embarrassed, she may be apologetic – but if Zarek handled the situation like a gentleman, he could remain in her good graces until she was reinstated as President.
The hatch opening behind him interrupted his thoughts and he spun to see Felix Gaeta poking his head around the corner. "The delegates are waiting for you, Mr Vice President."
"Thank you Felix." 'Has it been 10 minutes already?'
Zarek sighed and moved to re-enter Colonial One, but the sound of something large entering the atmosphere overhead stopped him dead in his tracks.
xXx
Maya and Isis had left for the day and Tory was on a break; leaving Laura alone with a handful of the younger children to work on their project. 'The Wall of Dreams' was now complete and filled with young hopes; the group were making the finishing touches to present the work to their parents.
Amy Rawlin was among them.
"Miss Roslin?" The young girl asked as she attempted to unstick her fingers from the two pieces of paper she was gluing together.
"Yes, Amy?" Laura enquired over her shoulder, whilst hanging the final piece of artwork on the wall.
"Can Mr Zarek come to the presentation tomorrow?"
"What?" Laura faltered and stopped what she was doing; carefully turning around on the chair she was standing on so that she was facing the young girl. "Why would The Vice President come tomorrow Amy? It's a presentation for your parents, remember?"
"Oh yeah!" Amy responded enthusiastically, as if the thought had just occurred to her.
Laura clambered down from the chair, silently hoping that Amy hadn't already mentioned the presentation to the Vice President. She wasn't ready to face Tom just yet - but when she was, she definitely didn't want it to be at the scene of the crime.
Truthfully, Laura hadn't had enough time to digest any of it. Everything that happened yesterday was an emotional blur; moving from love to disgust – then from anger to drunken lust.
'What is this to you Laura, really? You just caught up in the excitement of sneaking around again?'
It was all too much - it hurt to recall Bill's words, to remember the coldness behind his eyes.
'How could he even think that? I have to tell him how I feel.'
"I've finished, see?" Amy exclaimed, dragging Laura from her thoughts. The young girl thrust her mangled paper creation in Laura's direction and it appeared that for now, the Vice President's attendance at the presentation had been forgotten. "Can we put it up now, Miss Roslin?"
"Yes we can, Amy." Laura smiled warmly, taking the sticky paper chain from the girl. "If you could please fetch me the string and…"
It was in that moment the sky rumbled and the walls of their tent shook; the thin canvass offering little protection from the unforgettable, whine of Cylon raiders in flight.
Panic gripped at Laura's chest – the inevitable had happened.
'They've found us.'