Battlestar Galactica: Encounters

Written By LockBox22

Obligatory Disclaimer: A usual, I don't own Battlestar Galactica or anything else you may recognize. I only own my original plot, story, or any original characters.

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Evenings on the Galactica were quieter now then they had been in the past. With the Cylons not attacking them every second, the nights were calmer, more relaxed. In some ways it was good; the crew was more relaxed; there were less fights. Less frayed nerves and tempers.

Galen Tyrol hated the nights. He'd much rather be working, yelling orders to the other specialists on the hanger deck then tossing and turning in his bunk. The sheets were all tangled and knotted; he was hot.

Ignoring the snores of two of his bunkmates, Tyrol finally gave up on sleeping and threw the blankets off. He swung his legs over the side of the bunk and scrubbed at his face. With a gentle sigh, he reached for his shirt and stood up, yanking it over his head.

The halls were still busy, although slightly less crowded. Tyrol nodded to a few of his colleagues as he walked towards the hanger deck. He rubbed a hand through his hair as he rounded the corner.

He walked onto the lighted hanger deck. All the ships were neatly nestled in their docks. He passed a hand over the nose of one of the ships before continuing on. He had decided to catch up on some work. At least someone would be able to benefit from his insomnia.

One of the Viper needed it's leaky fuel valve repaired and it was going to be tricky. Grabbing his tools from a bench as he pass, Tyrol sighed again as he made his way over to the viper. He stopped as he came around the nose, surprised to see a pair of boots sticking out of the underside of the Viper.

"Hey!" He snapped, angry that someone was taking over his work, angry that someone was trying to make him sleep. Besides, he had told the other specialists a thousand times to leave the tricky repairs to him.

A muffled thud came from under the Viper and someone swore quite violently. A pair of hands grasped the underside of the carriage and then the person slide out from under the fighter.

Tyrol was surprised to see that the pair of boots belonged to none other then the pilot of the Viper. The other pilot's had nicknamed her Sidekick for her close flying. She rubbed her head and gave him a scorching glare. "You couldn't have given a girl some warning?" She snapped back at him.

"Sorry, sir. Didn't know it was you under there." Tyrol apologized. One did not snap at senior officers.

"Look closer next time." She shot back, ignoring his apology. She got to her feet and then went around the back of the Viper. It looked like she had never gone to bed. Her green flight suit was still on and by the grease on her face, she looked like she had been working for a while.

Tyrol watched her check out the engines, then ducked underneath the fighter and started to double check her work on the fuel line. Checks and double checks were always preformed to make sure the Viper stayed in peak condition.

He heard boots walked towards him and then saw the flash of green out of the corner of his eye. "What are you doing?" Sidekick asked.

"Just double checking your work." Tyrol replied neutrally as he checked the line for cracks.

"I didn't ask you too." She told him.

Tyrol noticed that the fuel valve was loose. "Well, someone has to do it." He replied. "You missed tightening the fuel valve; it would have blown off in mid-flight."

"What?" She exclaimed in shock.

"Right here." Tyrol showed Sidekick as she ducked underneath to fighter as well. "The valve was loose." He said screwing it as tight as it would go.

"Frack!" She swore. "I can't believe I missed that."

"Things happen." Tyrol replied, brushing some imaginary dirt from the underside of the Viper. "I hate to say it, but it's way too quiet around here now."

That got him a grin. "I know what you mean."

He motioned to the Viper. "Is that why you're doing late night repairs without a technician?"

All of a sudden the situation got very awkward. "Couldn't sleep." She replied, ducking further under the fighter to avoid him.

"Want to talk about it?" Tyrol asked after a moment, following her. Maybe he wasn't the only one having trouble sleeping. Maybe it was something about the ship.

"Not really." She told him turning around and fiddling with her unzipped flight suit. They stood under the raised fighter, the undercarriage creating shadows on their faces. "Why?" She asked. "You a sleep therapist or something?"

"No." Tyrol replied. He decided to just be honest. "I can't sleep either. I know how exhausted all of us are and if when you can't sleep then there's something on your mind."

"That sounded very medical." She said with a small smile. "You sure you're not a doctor?"

"Couldn't have been one." Tyrol replied. "I don't have a head for all that latin."

At the same moment, they both realized that they were standing in each other's personal space. Maybe it was the mood lighting, maybe it was because they were both tired, or lonely. Whatever it was, they made a connection.

He took a step closer to Natalie. Her head tilted back to look up at him. His right hand gripped her left elbow. Gradually, their heads drifted closer together. The first kiss was gentle, exploring. The second was heated, hungry. Hands started to roam and a couple steps backward brought Sidekick against the ladder.

He started to move his attention to the side of her neck, fingers digging into the flight suit around her waist. He was stopped when she put a hand on his chest. Both of them took a breath.

"Let's not go down this road, Chief." She told him softly. "It just got quiet around here."

Tyrol smiled at the inside joke. "Ok. You're right."

Gently, they let go of each other. Clothing was adjusted and then Sidekick looked up at him. "Goodnight." She said and then started walking towards the hanger doors. The automatic timer on the lights kicked in and slowly the lights in the hanger started shutting themselves off.

"Good night, Lt." Tyrol replied even though he didn't know if she could hear him. He watched her walk away and hoped she would have an easier time getting to sleep now. And maybe it would have something to do with their late night encounter.

fini