Chapter 25
Lunch with the President
1. In the second year of fighting the great city of Corinth in the region of the Twelfth tribe fell to the forces of the Tenth Tribe.
2. The household of General Ulixes was taken and all who dwelled therein were slain.
3. On the eve of the fall of the city, Azurra prayed to the Lord and he sent a vision to her that she should leave the house of her husband and journey to the land of her birth.
4. She clothed herself as a serving woman and put plain robes upon the six sisters that none should know them as daughters of a great man.
5. And they stole out of the city with her son and traveled to the valley of Nineveh where they dwelled with the shepherds and farmers.
6. Azurra taught the six of the one true God even as she taught her son.
7. And the Lord opened their ears to His word and their eyes to the understanding of His ways.
The Cylon Scriptures, Book of Azurra, Chapter 7:1-7
.
The elevator doors opened on the seventh floor and John stepped off. The hall was quiet and yet something felt wrong to him. The door to 7-C was open an inch. Fearful of what he was going to find, he slowly pushed it inward and walked into the small foyer.
The stench hit him immediately, the smell he and his fellow pilots had called blood and guts. He had first smelled it during his days flying a Viper off the Solaria during the First War as he had helped lift the blood-covered body of a pilot from the floor of a recovery Raptor. It was a smell he had never forgotten. He knew now why Leoben hadn't been to see Rika that morning.
He quickly closed the door and walked into the living room. It looked almost identical to Sonja's…a few pieces of furniture, a heavy couch, an end table with a lamp and a chair arranged on a patterned rug. It was austere almost to the point of sterility just like D'Anna's place. John walked around the couch.
He was no stranger to seeing death, but the sight that greeted him in Leoben's living room was the worst thing he'd ever seen. The Cylon was on his back on the floor. His wrists had been pulled over his head and tied to the legs of the couch. His shirt had been ripped open. The word RAPIST was carved into his chest. His eyes had also been cut out or gouged out. But that wasn't the worst part. His trousers were down around his knees. His genitals had been cut off and stuffed into his mouth. From the amount of blood pooled on the rug around his hips, he had bled to death from the wound.
The young man, Yusef, sat cross-legged on the other side of the living room. He was shirtless and even with the blood spatter on his chest and arms John saw the blue tattoos on the upper part of his body and his neck. He was so still that at first John thought he was also dead. As he walked over to check, however, Yusef's head came up and John saw that he held blood-stained prayer beads that had originally been white. He realized that the young man had been praying.
Yusef looked startled. "Who are you?"
"I'm John. I just came from seeing Rika. I thought I might talk Leoben into staying away from her for a couple of days."
"You're the one Doolittle talks about, the pilot he knew years ago when you were killing Cylons instead of making babies with them."
"Why the hell did you do this?"
A thin smile of satisfaction curved Yusef's lips. "I did it for my family, my mother and father and my sisters. Their deaths are avenged now. Their souls are no longer caught between this world and the next. They're free to enter Elysium. But mainly I did it because of what he did to Rika."
"Don't you understand that as soon as this bastard downloads, he'll be back with centurions? You'll be executed."
Yusef's chin came up defiantly. "I don't fear death."
"This could have been handled a different way."
"I don't expect you to understand," Yusef sneered. "You're Caprican. You know nothing of our ways. This is the Tauron way."
"The Ha'la'tha way, don't you mean? And I wasn't born on Caprica. I'm from Virgon, just like Rika."
"On my planet he would have suffered much longer. He deserves far worse than what I did to him."
"I don't disagree with you. But Rika deserves better. When he downloads, he'll make the connection between the two of you. You don't know what he'll do to her."
"He can't do any worse to her than he's already done."
"He can do a hell of a lot worse to her than he's already done!" John said angrily. "You should have thought about her and the baby before you did something this stupid."
"I should have done it to him months ago. I knew the baby wasn't mine. I knew it was a half-breed. That's why I never asked Mr. Doolittle what it looked like. I knew."
"How did you know?"
"It took a long time before Rika wanted my touch because of the way he had hurt her. I love her. I would never force myself on her the way he did so I was patient. The first time we made love was six months ago. She was already pregnant. She knew the baby was his, but she lives in her dreams and her dreams are not of this monster. She wanted the child to be ours and I let her pretend because it made her happy. I talked to her of a place we could be free together because it made her happy. I'm not crazy. I know there's no such place…not in this world. Now there are no more dreams for either of us."
"You're both so young. Way too young to talk about giving up your dreams. What are you…twenty-two, twenty-three?"
"I'm twenty-six. On Tauron I became a man on my thirteenth birthday. That day I got my first tattoo. If the baby was mine, I'd get another tattoo for her." He pointed to a strange blue symbol on his chest, "Rika is here over my heart."
"Rika has rejected the baby. She won't even hold her. The other women are nursing her."
"They should let her starve."
"How can you say that? That little baby is innocent!" John said furiously.
Yusef lifted his black eyes and John saw the hatred glittering there. "Nothing that's part of a skinjob is innocent. She's the spawn of their evil. Better she dies now than grows up to be a monster like her father."
John's anger almost overwhelmed him. He wanted to shake Yusef. "Of all the stupid and asinine things to say."
"Go! Get out of here! I let you live because Mr. Doolittle told me you helped Rika yesterday. The Cylons took everything from me. I had no one until I met her! Now he'll take her away. Life without her is not worth living for me. Go and leave me to whatever they do to me. I'll kill him again if I get the chance."
"You don't know what he'll do to her. If he thinks she's been sleeping with you, he might send her to the prison. Believe me. You do not want her sent to that prison."
"Whatever he does, I'll never see her again."
"Let me go talk to my handler. Maybe she can do something to help."
Yusef raised his voice in anger. "Don't you understand I don't want a Cylon's help…or a Cylon lover's. You're like Petra and Gianne. Bedded down with evil. You're as bad as they are, as bad as the Cylons. Go before I change my mind."
He got to his feet and brandished a bloody butcher knife. It wasn't the special weapon of the Ha'la'tha, but the way Yusef held it and what he had done to Leoben was evidence enough for John that he was skilled at using this mundane and deadly kitchen utensil.
He didn't want to end up on the floor looking like Leoben. He backed away. "All right, Yusef. I'm going."
When he got to the door, Yusef called to him. "Tell Rika that I'll always love her. Elysium awaits us both. The gods will reward me for what I did today as they will reward her for killing him the first time."
Shaking his head in defeat, John walked into the hall, closed the door and sadly entered the elevator where he pushed the button for the eleventh floor.
Sonja was in her apartment as he knew she probably would be on a rainy, windy day. The surprise was evident on her face when she opened the door.
"I didn't think I would see you today."
He walked inside and looked around. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"
She was barefoot and dressed in a light blue warm-up suit. Even though she was wearing no makeup and her hair was pulled back, she was still incredibly beautiful.
She gave him a seductive smile. "I wouldn't have come to the door if I was entertaining someone…or someone was entertaining me."
"Okay. Stupid question."
He walked to the sliding glass door and looked out at the rain. Down below the streets were glistening. A centurion stood a wet and lone sentinel at the entrance to the park. John was trying to decide what to say to her when she came up behind him and slid her arms around his waist.
"What's wrong?"
He removed her arms and turned to face her. "Have you got something to drink?"
"You mean something alcoholic?"
"Yes."
"I don't like you when you drink alcohol."
"Look, I was…frak…you'll never be able to understand the kind of mood I was in yesterday. Just let me apologize for whatever I said or did that offended you and let it go at that."
She studied his face then turned abruptly and walked into the kitchen. He followed her. She pointed to a cabinet and he opened it. There were a number of different kinds of alcoholic beverages.
"Take your pick."
"For someone who doesn't drink, you've got a well-stocked liquor cabinet."
"Some of the men who used to come here enjoyed a drink. They say it relaxes them."
John smiled. "There's nothing like reminding me how you entertain the troops, Sonja."
"I haven't entertained anyone lately."
Their eyes met. She finally looked away. He took a bottle of bourbon and twisted the cap, breaking the seal. Sonja handed him a glass and he poured a small amount. He put the bottle in the cabinet and walked back into the living room. She followed and stood while he sat in an armchair.
"This really doesn't feel like a social visit. Do you want to tell me why you're here?"
John took a sip of the drink. "What do Cylons do to a human who kills one of you?"
Her face didn't show the slightest bit of concern. In an amused tone she said, "If you're going to kill me, please take me to bed first. I'd like to die a satisfied woman."
He smiled again. "That's a good one. You might be developing a sense of humor."
"I wasn't joking."
"Do you know who Rika is?"
"Of course I do. She's married to the Leoben on the seventh floor. She had his baby yesterday. I hear you helped."
"All I did was hold her hand. She and Petra did all the work."
"I've never seen the birth of a child. What is it like?"
"I didn't really see it. I did hold the baby when she was a couple of seconds old, though. How did you hear about Rika?"
"Simon made the announcement at breakfast this morning. It was the talk of the dining room. It seems she foolishly went for a walk while she was in labor and then couldn't get back without help. We waited for Leoben to show up so we could congratulate him, but he never made it. I'm sure he was with his wife and child."
"I'll get to the reason he didn't show up in a minute. Did you know Rika killed him once and that after he downloaded, he came back and raped her? That's how her child was conceived."
Sonja's tone was cool. "I don't interfere in the private lives of my brothers and sisters."
"That's bullshit. You're all over each other's private lives. You knew what he was doing. You just chose to turn a blind eye…"
"You should be more careful about what you choose to involve yourself in, John. Your position here may not be as secure as you obviously think it is. Stay out of it."
"It's a little late for that now. Leoben is dead."
"You didn't…"
"No. I went to talk to him about leaving Rika alone for a few days because she's very depressed. She's rejected the child. He was dead when I got there."
"How?"
"A young man who's in love with her. He's in Leoben's apartment right now waiting for him to download and come back. He's prepared to die. Is that what's going to happen to him?"
"I should go see…"
"I'm not sure you want to do that. Leoben's killer used a knife. Leoben is not a pretty sight right now. All I want to know is after he downloads, what's he going to do to the young man?"
"That's up to him. He obviously forgave Rika for killing him."
"If repeatedly raping her afterward is what you call forgiving her."
Sonja got up and walked over to the sliding door. "You don't understand."
"What don't I understand? Explain it to me. What about a beautiful young girl being forced into a sham of a marriage and forced to have sex with a man she despises don't I understand?"
"According to our scriptures it's God's will that we be fruitful and…"
"No!" John angrily interrupted her. "Don't you dare try to justify what he did to her by saying your God put His stamp of approval on it. No religion sanctions what was done to Rika. You've twisted your God's words to try to make them fit your own agenda. I've read your scriptures. Nowhere in any of the books is it okay to rape a young woman for any reason. You cannot rationalize Leoben's actions by saying that God told you it was okay to do it in order to make children. If you can get beyond that blind loyalty you have to your fellow skinjobs, you'll admit I'm right about this."
Sonja stood looking out at the rain for a long time while John sat in the chair and tried to calm down. This was getting them nowhere and he knew it. She finally turned.
"If Rika has rejected the child, what's going to happen to it?"
"Petra and Gianne are feeding her. She's being well cared for. Petra said the other mothers would help, too. These women share a bond. They care about each other. I just want Leoben to leave Rika alone. Given time she may accept the child but with him in the picture, I doubt it. I don't think you understand how much she hates him…or how much she loves Yusef."
"How do you know his name?" She asked quickly.
"I talked to him for a few minutes after I found Leoben."
Sonja looked at him for a long time. "The res facility is on one of the basestars. It will take several hours for Leoben to download and be brought back to the city."
John was surprised. "You don't have one of those facilities here on the planet?"
"There's a small one at the lab, but only the first few copies of each model can download there. His copy is not one of them. It's for the creators…for their experiments. After all the copies of Daniel's model were killed by the virus, the main res facility was moved to a basestar where there was no chance one of their experiments could cause that kind of damage."
"Leoben could be back anytime. From the looks of it he'd been dead for a while, an hour or two at least."
"I'll go wait for Leoben to come back and talk to him."
John tossed back the rest of the bourbon. "I'll go with you."
Sonja slipped her feet into a pair of sandals and walked to the door with him. "Why do you care so much about these humans? You barely know them."
"You mean besides the fact that what was done to them is wrong on so many levels?"
"Yes."
"Rika reminds me of Kara. She's young and she's in love with someone just like my daughter is."
"You believe what Leoben did is wrong but you think what Rika's lover did is right?"
John took a deep breath. "No. For one person to become judge, jury and executioner is never right, but given the situation, I understand why he did it. If Leoben had done something like that to Kara, I'd probably have done the same thing. Well, maybe not exactly the same thing, but that doesn't make it right. When you don't protect your people, even your slaves, from predators like that copy of Leoben, you invite vigilante justice. In the Colonies a man who did something like Leoben did would have been arrested, put on trial and sent to prison. For any society to succeed laws have to exist that protect women and children from men like him. Without laws you have complete anarchy. Maybe you should open up that prison of yours to Cylons, too. Or better yet, just box that copy of Leoben until somebody can work on his programming they way they did D'Anna's fanaticism. Maybe somebody can give him a conscience."
Sonja lowered her eyes for a moment and sighed. "And who would that be since you say our creators are dead? Cavil?"
"You've got a point. That's like the fox making the rules for the henhouse. Cavil may not participate in what's being done to some of the humans, but he obviously isn't going to interfere with what the rest of you do as long as it keeps you out of his hair and keeps you from finding out the truth about him being a murderer."
"You must understand why Leoben did it. Our future is at stake. Without children…we…"
"That's enough! I don't want to hear you try to excuse what that bastard did to Rika for any reason. Let's go. I want you to see what turning a blind eye has caused."
Meekly Sonja followed him down the hall to the elevator. "I don't think I can do anything to help the young man. Leoben will kill him or send him to the prison."
"Then stop what happened to Rika from happening to another young woman."
"How?"
"Take it to your council. Get them to enact a law that says a woman can't be brought here against her will and forced into marriage with someone she hates. While you're at it, get them to quit bringing unwilling men here, too, so you won't have to use that drug on them."
"You'd rather have stayed in the prison?" She asked incredulously.
"No. I'd rather have gone to a settlement even if it meant being a slave and working in the fields."
"I told you that the people in the settlements aren't slaves. We don't…"
"Spare me the lecture about how good you've been to them. I heard about your policy of no work, no food."
They stood in silence until the elevator arrived and the door opened. Sonja sighed again. "Why do you think the council will listen to me? I'm just one person."
"Sometimes, Sonja, that's all it takes. Just one person who stands up and says, Enough. What we're doing is wrong. Maybe others feel the same way you do and just don't have the courage to be the first to say it."
"I don't know…"
"Since I met you, you've tried to convince me that you skinjobs have feelings, that your God gave you souls just like humans. Try to put yourself in Rika's place. It's called empathy. Try to imagine how you would feel if a man you hated had done to you what Leoben did to her."
Sonja didn't say anything else, but for the first time since they had met, John thought he might have finally gotten through to her.
...
The agent, a woman named Gatwick, who had spent the night at the apartment with Kara and Hunter was as cold and impersonal as Agent Burke had been warm and outgoing. She was also wearing a wedding ring and Kara could tell that Agent Gatwick wanted to be home instead of babysitting a couple of young people that she believed were confidential informants.
Gatwick had been waiting for them when they'd gotten back from eating the night before so Major Parker had gone home. Lee had stayed and they had watched the Buccaneers beat the Hydras in the second round of the pyramid tournament. That meant they would play the Dominos for the championship the following Saturday just like Kara had predicted.
Gatwick had been awake at dawn. First Kara had heard the shower running and then the television. It wasn't loud, but it had kept Kara from going back to sleep. She now lay in bed listening to the muffled voices of a commentator and two men who were arguing about the best way to deal with the situation in Sovana as if there was a best way to deal with the situation in Sovana. Kara supposed Zak was still there with his Marine unit. Lee hadn't mentioned him and with everything else that had happened, Kara had forgotten to ask about him.
Kara got out of bed and stretched before she put on sweatpants and sweatshirt and went into the kitchen, speaking briefly to Agent Gatwick and getting a cursory good morning in reply. Kara started a pot of coffee. It had been dripping for less than a minute when Hunter walked into the kitchen.
He yawned and sat down at the table across from her. "I've decided that coffee smells better than it tastes."
"Is that how you knew I was up?"
"I didn't get to ask you last night. What did Lee's father tell you or can you not talk about it?"
"He didn't tell me to keep it quiet so I guess I can tell you. The good news is that I'm not going to prison. The bad news is…I guess there's not too much bad news. I've still got to go through a court-martial which is like a trial and plead guilty to mishandling of government property. Lee helped talk his dad into the reduced charge. It'll go on my record, but it's a misdemeanor so I won't go to prison. Afterward, I'll be able to fly my Viper."
"That's a good thing, right?"
"A very good thing. Of course Admiral Adama might have another motive with keeping me in the cockpit. It's not like we've got an overabundance of Viper pilots. If we go to your planet anytime soon, there won't be enough time to train many more."
Hunter grinned. "You're really that good?"
She snorted. "It's not like my record is spotless anyway. I've been in trouble before. I argued with one of my Flight School instructors about a check ride score which was not a smart thing to do. Instructors are like the gods. That's probably in my record somewhere. When I was at the Academy, I got into a fight with another cadet and had to march off twenty-five demerits on the quad. I was confined to campus for a month and missed the spring dance. That's definitely in my record."
"What was the fight about?"
"She accused me of cheating. My dad taught at the Academy. Maggie said my dad told me ahead of time what was going to be on the mid-term sim test. So she really accused both of us of cheating. But that would have defeated the whole purpose of him teaching me. He was tougher on me than he was on anybody else because he wanted me to know everything I could learn about flying a Viper. Some cadets never believed I did it on my own. So this isn't the first time I've been in trouble. It probably won't be the last."
Hunter smiled. "You were quick enough to mouth off to me the day we caught you and Narcho."
"And you busted my chops for it."
"All part of my plan."
"Liar," she laughed. "You didn't have a plan. You said so. You were making it up as you went along."
Hunter suddenly turned serious. "I hope I don't embarrass you today."
"How would you embarrass me?"
"I've figured out by the way everybody is acting that lunch with the President is something you call a big deal. You know my background. Emmalyn's table is the fanciest place I'd ever eaten until last night at that restaurant."
"The restaurant where we ate last night wasn't all that fancy. You'll do fine, Hunter. Just watch Lee or me if you're not sure about something or better yet, watch Laura. And we can't talk about Nereid. Admiral Adama told me last night your planet is off limits for conversation. Right now its existence is classified."
"From the President?"
"Not from her but from her staff. Admiral Adama can't take the chance that something would be overheard by anybody. Maya might know, but nobody else."
"Who is Maya?"
"She's Braedon's nanny."
"Which means?"
"She takes care of him while Laura is busy running the Colony."
Hunter grinned. "Is Maya like Emmalyn?"
"I'll let you decided for yourself."
"How old is she?"
Kara had to stop and think. "Thirty. She doesn't look it, though."
"Are you two friends?"
"We were both in a refugee camp. Not the same one, but…we bonded because of it. She was married and had a little girl when the Cylons bombed the town she lived in. Her husband was killed. Her little girl died in the camp from an infection when she was six months old. Maya's been through a lot, but she's tough."
"Like you, Wildcat?"
"Like me."
"And now you're a pilot and she takes care of other people's kids?"
"Just Braedon. She goes to the university one night a week. She's wants to be a teacher."
"Am I going to get to meet her today?"
"You won't be able to avoid it."
"Good."
"Wow. I haven't heard that much enthusiasm from you in a long time."
Hunter grinned again. "Meeting new people is something to be enthusiastic about, especially someone tough like you. You've got to admit that sitting in a little room answering questions all day is boring."
"The first thing I'm going to do when they let us out of here is go for a ride on my motorcycle. I know it's something you won't understand, but I have a thing about speed. I like the rush I get from taking the bike out on the I-6 and opening it up. I like the rush I get from launching in a Viper, too."
"What's an eye six?"
"The I-6 Motorway. It's the road the jeeps took from the boneyard to where we were in jail."
Hunter got up and poured them both a cup of coffee. "See, I waited until it stopped dripping. I'm learning. So tell me a little more about today."
"Lee's going to bring me a dress and bring you a tie so we can look good to have lunch with Laura. We can't go to Marble House looking like slobs. Lunch with the Pres is a big deal."
"A tie?"
"I'll let Lee show you about it. You wear it around your neck."
He frowned. "Like a noose?"
She grinned, "No. Not like a noose."
"I was kidding. I've seen pictures in our history books so I know what a tie is. I even saw a few at the restaurant last night."
They heard the doorbell chime. Kara leaned back in the chair and watched as Agent Gatwick let Lee in. He was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt but he had some clothes on hangers. He also had a bag that she hoped held her hairdryer and shoes.
"It's Lee," she said.
"Early, isn't he?"
"I told him last night to come over and eat breakfast with us."
Lee walked to the kitchen doorway with Agent Gatwick close behind him. Kara knew not to act too familiar with Lee since Gatwick had no knowledge of their relationship. Major Parker had told them both to keep it that way around all the agents.
"Good morning, Captain Adama," Kara said. "Thanks for picking up that dress and my hairdryer for me."
Lee looked at her and smiled. "No problem, Lieutenant Thrace."
The dress she had told him to bring her was one Laura had bought for her before the inauguration. It was a simple dark blue above-the-knee sheath with short sleeves. It was also one of the four dresses that she owned, two of which were long formals. She stood, took the hanger from him and held it up for Hunter to see.
"This is my dress," she said to him.
He grinned. "Where's the rest of it?"
She thought of the long skirts of the valley women. "This is it. Women dress differently in the city."
His eyes lit up. "I noticed that last night at the restaurant, too."
Kara rolled her eyes. "You've been in the city two days and you sound like some of the guys I went to Flight School with."
Lee said. "How about breakfast? I'm hungry."
"Are you cooking?" Kara asked.
"I can make some ham and cheese omelets if anyone's interested," Agent Gatwick said.
"Sounds good to me," Hunter said. "How about giving me a cooking lesson while you do it? I like to learn new things."
Kara took the bag from Lee. "I'm going to take a shower and wash my hair. Why don't you let Agent Gatwick teach you both how to make ham and cheese omelets. Your girlfriend would probably appreciate it."
He gave her a quick smile. "Good idea, Lieutenant. I try to keep my girlfriend happy. You think learning how to cook something new would make her happy?"
Kara winked at him before she turned to leave. "Oh, I'm sure of it."
...
Laura leaned forward at her dresser and stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her second cup of tea sat untouched in front of her. She was anticipating the pleasure of seeing Kara again, and she was overjoyed that John was still alive, but she was also dealing with the pain of knowing he was a Cylon prisoner with everything that entailed. She had slept poorly for the second night in a row and it showed in the circles under her eyes.
There was a knock on the bedroom door. "Come in," she called.
Maya opened the door and Braedon ran in. "Where Kawa?"
Maya said, "I made the mistake of telling him that Kara was coming for lunch today. Since then he's been looking everywhere for her."
"Kara is in the car," Laura said. "She'll be here in a little while."
"Go in car, too," Braedon said. He climbed into her lap and reached for her lipstick.
"Thank you," Laura said as she took it from his hand.
Braedon reached for it again. "No. Give me."
Maya picked him up which unleashed a howl of protest. "Come on, big boy. Let's go get your Vipers and Raptors so we can show Kara. Lee's coming, too. You remember Lee?"
"No," Braedon said. "Down."
Laura smiled weakly. "Are all children this difficult before they even reach those terrible twos?"
Maya smiled and put Braedon down. He ran over to the bed, climbed up and began to bounce. "Brae's not really difficult," she said to Laura. "He's just beginning to learn that there's more to life than me, me, me. It's not usually an easy transition. Brae is an intelligent child, but he's still got to go through the learning phases."
"Socialization and learning the acceptable rules of society as children," Laura said, "something I think the Cylons missed out on completely since they had no childhoods."
"Exactly. You look tired. Another bad night?"
"I didn't sleep well."
"I didn't either. Are you sure you want me to eat lunch with you today?"
"Of course I'm sure. You're like family. And Kara wants to see you. The young man Kara brought back with her is very nice-looking. I'll make sure you're seated beside him."
Maya smiled. "I'd rather sit beside Kara."
"We'll put her across from you. One caveat Bill has insisted on and that is no talk about Hunter's home planet. Bill has no idea you even know. He would not be happy if he thought I'd told you."
"Mum's the word, then." She walked over to the bed and scooped Braedon up. "Come on big boy. Let's go find Vipers and Raptors."
The door closed behind them. Laura looked at the photograph of John on her dresser. She kissed the tips of her fingers and touched the glass. "Stay safe, my love. We're going to rescue you. Just stay safe until then."
...
When John and Sonja stepped off the elevator, he immediately noticed several human women standing in the doorways of other apartments, but none had ventured into the hall. As they passed, the women averted their eyes. All but one stepped back and shut the doors. Two centurions stood outside of Leoben's apartment. John knew what that meant. He felt sick.
"We're too late," he said to Sonja.
They walked to the door. The centurions recognized Sonja and didn't try to stop them. They stepped inside. He saw Sonja swallow hard and make a face as the smell inundated them. There was an additional one now. Someone had recently fired a weapon in the apartment. The color drained from her face.
"Blood and guts," he said. "And gunpowder. Don't tell me you've never seen a dead person before."
She shook her head. "No. I told you I couldn't even watch the recording of your prison interrogations."
"You probably don't want to go into the living room then. It's bad."
They stood in the small entry way and Sonja called, "Leoben, are you in there?"
The Cylon walked to the doorway. His hair still contained some of the goo from the resurrection tank and was spiked up in places, slicked down in others. He had obviously not wasted any time in returning to the planet. He was paler than Sonja, an indication of skin that had never seen the sun. The other thing John immediately saw was the pistol Leoben was holding in his right hand.
"Did you kill the boy?" John asked.
Leoben eyed him warily before he shifted his gaze to Sonja. "What's he doing here?"
"We came to talk to you."
"Did you kill him?" John asked more forcefully.
Leoben gestured with the pistol. "Go see for yourself."
John walked around him into the living room. Yusef lay slumped on the floor where John had last seen him, only now there was a round hole in the middle of his forehead and his blood and brains on the wall behind him. Sadly John walked over to him, knelt on one knee and gently closed Yusef's eyes. He disentangled the bloody prayer beads from Yusef's fingers and walked into the kitchen. He heard Sonja and Leoben talking in low voices. Feeling drained and suddenly hopeless, John turned on the faucet and slowly and carefully washed the blood from each bead. He was already thinking about how he was going to tell Rika and Petra.
Sonja's voice came from the doorway behind him. "What are you doing?"
"I'm going to give his prayer beads to Rika. I don't want to do it with them covered in his blood."
"I'm sorry, John."
John's feelings of guilt almost choked him. "I should never have left. I should have stayed here and waited for Leoben. Maybe I could have stopped this."
"No, you couldn't have. Leboen would have shot you, too."
"You saw what Yusef did?"
"Yes."
"Do you understand now why all of this should never have happened? How it should have been avoided in the first place?"
Sonja drew a deep and trembling breath. "Yes."
John turned back to the sink and finished washing the beads. He picked up a towel and dried them. They were some type of white stone veined through with light gray and tan. A long time ago he had seen similar beads in the effects of one of the Solaria's pilots who had been killed. He heard another sound and turned.
Sonja had begun to cry. "Did Yusef love Rika?"
"Yes he did."
"And she loves him?"
"With all her heart."
Sonja clenched her fists by her side as tears ran down her face. Leoben walked to the door. "The centurions need to clean up. You need to go."
John put the prayer beads in his pocket and looked directly at Leoben. "Stay away from Rika."
Leoben tone was scornful. "She's my wife."
"You don't understand the first thing about humans, do you?"
"I know everything I need to know."
John took a deep breath and tried to keep the anger out of his voice with no success. "I don't know how anybody can make it any clearer to you. Rika doesn't want to be with you. Let Petra and Gianne take care of her and the baby. This situation is enough of a tragedy. Don't make it any worse."
Leoben walked across the kitchen and stood in front of him. "Is that a threat?"
Leoben was a several inches shorter than him, but John had no illusions about being able to easily take him in a fight. He knew how strong the Cylons were. He'd found that out quickly enough at the prison. And Leoben still had the pistol in his hand. John had never wanted to hit someone so badly in his life. He clenched and unclenched his left fist knowing that if he started something, he probably wouldn't survive it. Then he thought about Rika. How could he expect Sonja to stand up for what was right if he wouldn't.
Finally he said, "Consider it a threat. Leave Rika alone."
"You humans think you know everything," Leoben sneered. "Your hubris is astonishing. You still think you're God's chosen race. You still think you can order us around like we're your servants, your slaves. Well, God has turned his back on you. Now you're our servants, our slaves."
John took one step forward and was in Leoben's face. "That's really how you think of Rika, isn't it? Your slave instead of your wife. You heartless bastard. You don't even know the difference. Put the gun down and let's just have it out right now. Me and you. I win, you leave Rika alone for good."
Sonja quickly stepped in between them and put her hands on Leoben's chest. She pushed gently. John was surprised, but Leoben let her propel him several steps backwards.
"He's only thinking of Rika," Sonja said to Leoben. "She's having a hard time coping with motherhood."
"What's wrong with her?"
John almost rolled his eyes. Leoben's ignorance was astonishing. He started to answer but Sonja beat him to it.
"Pregnancy is hard on a woman's body, physically and emotionally. I know because I've been pregnant…several times. Your hormones are all over the place. Rika is going to need some time to adjust. Please do what John says and give her that time. He knows what he's talking about. He has two children. He knows what his wife went through."
Leoben looked back and forth between Sonja and John. Then he shrugged. Sonja took John's hand and pulled him out of the kitchen. She quickly walked past the bodies in the living room, averting her eyes until they were out of the apartment. As soon as they were in the hall, the centurions entered and shut the door.
"What were you trying to do in there…push him into shooting you, too?" Sonja asked angrily.
"I couldn't let it go. Seeing him, knowing what he did to Rika, seeing what he did to Yuself. I couldn't let it go."
"You've got to. Let me handle this."
They walked to the elevator. "What will the centurions do with the bodies?" John finally asked.
"They'll be cremated."
"I need to go tell Rika," John said wearily.
"Do you want me to go with you?"
"It would probably be better if I went alone."
Sonja hesitated. "I'd…like to see the baby."
John considered her request. She'd kept the situation with Leoben from escalating out of control and had probably saved his life. It was just one more thing he owed her.
They rode the elevator down to the second floor. Gianne and Petra were sitting on the floor playing with Cassie and Sofia. Rika's baby was asleep in the crib. The two women looked up as John and Sonja entered. Petra knew what had happened just from the expression on his face. She stood.
John shook his head and felt tears come to his eyes. Petra put her hand over her mouth.
"I'll do it," John said. "I'll tell her."
"What's she doing here?" Gianne asked as she looked at Sonja. "Come to gloat?"
"She tried to help," John said. "We were too late. I think she's talked Leoben into leaving Rika alone for a while. She'd like to see the baby."
Petra shrugged and motioned Sonja over to the crib. Sonja bent over and touched the baby's soft blond fuzz.
John went to the door of Rika's room and knocked. As before there was no answer so he opened the door and looked inside. Rika was still turned away toward the wall. He walked around to the side of her bed and sat in the chair. Several times he tried to speak but he was on the verge of choking up and couldn't get the words out.
Finally Rika said, "He's dead, isn't he?"
John nodded.
"Leoben killed him?"
John nodded again and then said, "After Yusef killed him, Leoben downloaded and…" he couldn't finish the sentence. He didn't need to. Rika knew very well what had happened.
"Did he suffer?"
"Leoben did. Yusef didn't."
He took the prayer beads out of his pocket and gave them to her. She clutched them tightly and shut her eyes. John had expected tears or some outward show of grief. Instead when Rika opened her eyes, she looked serene and untroubled. She rubbed the beads between her fingers.
"His mother gave these to him on his thirteenth birthday, the day he became a man. She was very devout in her faith. She taught him and he taught me."
"He wanted me to tell you that he loved you."
"I'll see him again."
"Is there anything I can do? I'll be glad to sit here with you if you don't want to be alone. We don't need to talk."
"I'm fine." She rubbed the beads again and then brought them to her lips. "Thank you for bringing these to me. I'm fine. Really."
John stood. "Sonja talked to Leoben. He's going to leave you alone for a while."
"I appreciate that. Thank her for me."
"I will. I'd like to come back to see you tomorrow. Is that okay?"
She nodded, wrapped the beads around her hands and closed her eyes. John saw her lips begin to move and knew she was reciting a prayer. Quietly he slipped out and closed the door.
Petra was waiting for him. "Do I need to go to her?"
"Not right now. I gave her Yusef's prayer beads. She's praying. She took it a lot better than I thought she would. In fact I'm worried that she took it too well."
"I think all this has just been too much for her. I'm going to take her to my apartment tomorrow. Gianne is just down the hall from us. We'll look after Rika and the baby."
"I hope I'll be allowed to visit. I enjoy seeing you all in the park, but I'd like to be able to visit your building, too. I'll see if I can get permission."
Petra glanced at Sonja who was still standing by the crib looking at the sleeping infant. She spoke softly. "I'm sure she'll arrange it for you. She seems to be quite taken with you, they way she looks at you."
"We're not…it's not like that with us. She's my handler. That's all."
Petra gave him a sad half-smile. "I don't think that's all it is on her part."
John looked her in the eyes. "I love my wife."
"I know you do. That's why it's so sad for the Cylon," Petra said barely above a whisper. "Both of them."
John snorted. "D'Anna hasn't shown the least bit of interest in me since she got pregnant. I was one thing and one thing only to her. I feel obligated because of the child, but…"
"There's little chance she'll carry it to term. The Cylon women haven't had a single child born alive."
"That's what Sonja told me. She was pregnant a couple of times and lost them. She believes the same thing will happen to D'Anna."
Pity came into Petra's eyes. "The loss of a child is devastating to a woman. It makes no difference whether she's human or Cylon. I feel sorry for her. For both of them since D'Anna will probably lose her child as well."
"I hope not for her sake."
"Do you want to be with D'Anna?"
John shook his head.
"Is that because you'd rather be with Sonja?"
"I'd rather go home to my wife."
"Sonja has feelings for you. That's clear enough. Perhaps you should think about a life here. You need to be realistic, John. The Cylons control both this planet and Caprica. You'll never see your wife again. You know that."
"I'm not ready to give up hope, Petra. Not yet. I've got to have something to hang onto. Seeing Laura and my kids again…Kara and Brae…that's kept me alive so far. I won't let go of it."
"Then perhaps I'm pitying the wrong one."
"You and Gianne continue caring for Rika and her baby. I can take care of myself."
...
Kara walked out of the bedroom and down the hall. She'd lost a few pounds on Nereid. The fit of the dark blue dress was her proof, although it still looked good on her. Her hair was down around her shoulders instead of pulled back or braided and she had put on some makeup. She was also wearing heels, not stilettos, but a couple of inches. They would put her eye-to-eye with Lee and almost eye-to-eye with Hunter. She was also dealing with the feeling of her legs being bare. The dress ended four inches above her knees. That was as unaccustomed a feeling to her as the heels. She took a deep breath and walked into the living room.
She tried for her usual tomboy swagger, but something about putting on the dress and heels and makeup had short-circuited something in her brain. Or maybe it was the way both Lee and Hunter were looking at her. Neither of their jaws dropped, but their stares were confirmation that she had undergone a transformation from the usual. She didn't think she had felt that way but once before in her entire life, the night of her father's and Laura's wedding when Lee had watched her walk down the aisle in front of Laura. The look on his face had said it then just as his look was saying it now.
"I know. I clean up good. So do both of you. Stand up. Let me look at you."
Without taking their eyes off her, both of them obeyed. The only word she could come up with was hot, wearing their blue button-down collar shirts with nearly identical burgundy-stripped ties. Hunter's hair was darker than Lee's and she suddenly realized who he reminded her of...Hugh Connelly.
"What?" She finally asked as they continued to stare. "Get a grip. It's not like you've never seen me in a dress before. Both of you."
"Not a dress like that," Hunter said.
"Lee has."
"Not nearly often enough," he said.
"It's not my style."
"It should be…at least occasionally," Hunter said.
"My thoughts exactly," Lee echoed.
"Gods, I can't believe you two. I put on a dress and…never mind. Let's go. We don't want to be late."
She turned to walk to the door, but caught a glimpse as the two men glanced at each other. If Hunter had been more familiar with Caprica, she could almost have seen them high-fiving each other. Then she smiled. If her putting on a dress had given them something to bond over, it was worth it.
The guards at Marble House had seen Lee's car before and one of them recognized him. They all recognized Kara and immediately allowed him into the visitor parking lot at the back. He knew they would still have to go through a stringent security check before they were allowed inside.
They went through the requisite metal detector. On the way over neither he nor Kara had thought to explain anything to Hunter. Now Lee said to him, "Just follow me and do what I do. This is standard procedure for anyone coming in."
Once they had been thoroughly vetted and their names checked off the list of expected visitors, Kara led the way down a back hallway to an elevator. They got on and rode up to the second floor where they were checked off another list before being allowed into the private quarters. Lee and Hunter followed Kara to Braedon's playroom.
"Hello, Brae," she grinned. "Look who's here."
He looked up and smiled and Kara saw her father so clearly that she couldn't stop the tears that welled in her eyes. She walked over and knelt down.
"Kawa," he said shyly and held a Viper up to her.
She nodded. Lee walked over to them. "Do you remember me?"
"Yee," Braedon said.
Maya walked out of her bedroom into the sitting room which doubled as Braedon's play room. Kara glanced up through her tears. Maya looked great. She was wearing a cinnamon-colored sweater with dark brown slacks. Her hair was down around her shoulders and she was also wearing makeup. She looked relaxed and she looked good.
Kara stood. "Sorry to barge in like this, but I wanted to see him."
Maya walked over and hugged Kara. There were tears in her eyes as well. "I'm so glad you're back. We've missed you."
"I've missed you, too…all of you, especially Brae."
Maya looked toward the door and Kara realized they had left Hunter standing there alone. Lee glanced around, too. He beckoned Hunter over and made the introductions.
Maya held out her hand and Hunter shook it. Kara wasn't sure, but she thought Maya blushed as she softly said, "Nice to meet you."
"Same here," Hunter said.
Maya turned to Kara. "You look good. Been relaxing in the sun?"
"I got this tan from working in a couple of gardens," Kara said. "I had to earn my keep. I'll tell you all about it someday."
Braedon stood up and pulled on the hem of Kara's skirt. "Up," he said.
Kara picked him up.
"Do you have a kiss for Kara?" Maya asked.
He put his arms around her neck and planted a wet kiss on her cheek. Kara said to him, "I saw your dada. He loves you. He wanted me to give you a big kiss, too." Braedon squirmed to get down. He picked up his toy Raptor and held it up to her.
"Dada," he said as Kara took the Raptor. Then he ran over to John's photograph on the table. "Kiss Dada."
Kara felt tears welling again.
"He does that when we talk about John," Maya said. "He knows John left in a Raptor. He still kisses the picture every night before bed."
"I need a tissue," Kara said, "and a mirror. I think I'm smudged."
Maya led Kara into her bedroom. Braedon trotted after them.
Lee and Hunter were left in the sitting room. Lee wandered aimlessly around looking at Braedon's toys. Hunter bent down and picked up the toy Viper where Braedon had dropped it.
"So this is what you and Kara fly?"
"That's a Mark II, the oldest model. We've both flown it. So what do you think about Maya?"
Hunter grinned. "A lot prettier than I expected."
"Before my brother joined the Marines, he used to work for the Buccaneers pyramid team in their PR department. Last night after I got back to my apartment, I called a friend of his who still works for them. He's getting me four tickets to the final game next week. They won't be front-row seats, but they'll be nice. I figured maybe me and Kara and you and Maya could go. I haven't told Kara yet. I want to surprise her."
"Fine with me."
"So please keep it a secret until next Saturday."
Hunter walked to a table where several of Braedon's books lay. He put the toy Viper down and picked one up. "When I go back to Nereid, I'd like to take some books for my little girl. She's too young for them right now, but one day…"
"We'll go to a bookstore after your debriefing is over. Maybe Maya could help you pick some out. She knows a lot about kids."
Hunter smiled. "Was it your idea or Kara's to fix me up with Maya?"
Lee was embarrassed. "Mine. Kara doesn't know anything about it. Maya's nice." He shrugged. "You didn't mention having anyone back on Nereid."
"I don't."
"Okay, then."
"Relax, Lee. I know Kara's with you. She made that clear from the beginning. You should trust her."
"I do. A lot more than she trusts me."
Hunter picked up another book. "I can't argue with you there. But she still loves you."
Lee wasn't sure what he was feeling. Hunter had just told him Kara loved him, but she'd also discussed something deeply personal with Hunter that she hadn't discussed with him…the issue of trust.
He finally asked. "She talked to you about me? About love and trust?"
Hunter put the book down and turned to face Lee. "She and I are a lot alike in some ways. I understand her. I would have done the same thing if my father had gone missing and an Oracle had told me where he was."
"You'd have lied to someone you say you love?"
"Did she lie to you or just not tell you what she was going to do?"
"Same difference."
"Is it? What would you have done if she'd told you?"
"I don't feel like discussing this with you."
Hunter shrugged. "Sooner or later you'll have to face it with her. For what it's worth my advice to you is to deal with it and then move on. If you think you can't overcome it, then be honest with her. Don't string her along pretending you're fine with it and keep harboring resentment toward her. She deserves better than that."
Lee felt his temper begin to rise. "I've known her for over two years. You've known her for what…a month? I don't need or want your advice."
"And I don't need or want you trying to shove Maya down my throat because you think she'll distract me. She probably won't appreciate it either. I'll let it go because you don't know a lot about my situation, but let's get one thing straight between us. I'm not competing with you for Kara."
"Then stay out of our business," Lee said angrily and walked to a window that overlooked the front lawn of Marble House. He stared at the long avenue that led up the mall to the building where he worked. As he tried to calm down, he was also trying to figure out what it was about Hunter that got under his skin so badly. How could he like the guy one minute and want to slug him the next?
...
In the bedroom Maya handed a box of tissues to Kara who plucked several out and blotted under her eyes. She sat down on the foot of the bed.
"I thought I was past this."
Braedon came over and crawled up beside her. She picked him up and put him on her lap. She kissed his cheek. "I wanted to bring Dad home."
"I know," Maya said.
"We're going back for him soon."
"I know."
Kara put Braedon on the floor, blotted her eyes again and walked into the bathroom. Other than being a little red, her eyes didn't look too bad. The mascara hadn't run yet. Maya followed her and stood in the doorway. "Hunter and Lee both have gorgeous baby blue eyes."
Kara grinned. "I'm not sure I ever heard that much enthusiasm about Sam. So what do you think about Hunter…or should I ask?"
"He's very good-looking. Does he have a wife or girlfriend back where he came from?"
"No, but he has a little girl. She's four months old now. Her mother died. Her grandmother is taking care of her. Hunter's helping, but…it's a long story. I'll let him tell you."
Maya smiled. "That sounds like you have plans for us to spend some time together."
"Would you object?"
Maya crossed her arms and shrugged. "I suppose you could talk me into it."
"Lee told me you and Sam broke up."
"Sam wants children one day. I can't give him kids. It wasn't fair to him."
"Are you okay with that?"
"It's not just that. It's his lifestyle, too. I know he saw other women the whole time we were together. Thirty minutes after he proposed to me, he was answering a text message from somebody. He said it was one of his teammates, but I don't know. Women throw themselves at him all the time. I don't really want to deal with that. Peter had his faults, but he was one hundred percent faithful to me. I never had any doubts."
"I don't think I could live with the other women thing either."
"When did Hunter's wife die?"
"Not long after their baby was born. And they weren't married."
"Were they in love?"
"Hunter doesn't talk much about his feelings. He says he's a soldier first. He's been fighting the Cylons since before he was fifteen."
"Gods. What was her name?"
"Juliana. His little girl is named Esmari."
"Like the princess in the Caprican Prince stories?"
Kara smiled. "So you read those stories, too."
Maya gave her a little grin. "Of course I read them."
"He told me he reads to the kids in his valley during the winter while they're snowed in."
Maya glanced back into the bedroom and said, "Uh-oh. Come see Brae's latest trick." They walked into the bedroom. Braedon was bouncing on Maya's bed. She scooped him up and planted kisses on his neck. He began to giggle and squeal. She laughed. "What am I going to do with you? You are going to fall off the bed and break your pretty little neck."
"More," he said and squirmed to get down. "More."
She put him on the bed and held his hands and let him bounce a few more times before she scooped him up again. "Let's go see Lee and Hunter."
They walked back into the living room. Hunter was looking through one of Braedon's books. Lee was standing on the other side of the room at the window. The tension between them was thick enough that Kara felt it.
Braedon pointed to the book and said, "Mine."
"Now what are we supposed to do when someone else wants to play with our toys or read our books?" Maya asked.
"Share." Braedon squirmed and Maya put him down.
Hunter knelt and Braedon cautiously approached him. He held out the book and Braedon took it. Hunter asked him, "Do you like trains?"
"Yes."
"Have you ever ridden on a train?"
"No."
"Me either. Maybe one day Maya will take us to ride on one."
Braedon ran over to Maya. "Wide twain now."
She smiled at Hunter. "Thank you. Are you going to magically produce us a train for us?"
He smiled back at her. "Just trying to help."
"Brae's still having trouble with the R sound, isn't he?" Kara asked.
"We're working on it. Why don't you and Hunter and Lee go on downstairs? We're eating in the small dining room. Laura's already down there. She's asked Elosha to join us. I'll get Brae settled and then get Mrs. Reilly to stay with him."
Kara picked Braedon up and hugged him. "See you after lunch."
He clung to her when Maya tried to take him. "No. Go."
"Why don't you let him go?" Hunter asked. "We can bring him back here in a few minutes. Otherwise he'll be screaming and everybody will be upset."
"You're a real softie," Maya said. "Okay, let's go."
Kara put Braedon down and took his hand. She motioned to Lee to take his other hand. When they were in the hall, she asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Don't give me that. You and Hunter were getting along great. Did you get into a fight about something?"
"Not really. We had a talk."
"About?"
"Later. Now's not the time."
"It was about me, wasn't it?"
He shrugged. "Mostly."
"I've already told you there's nothing going on between me and Hunter."
"Maybe you should tell him that."
"Fine," she snapped. "I will. You want me to do it right now or wait until you're not around."
"Kara, please," he said. "Not here. Not now."
They reached the elevator, got on and waited for Maya and Hunter to catch up. On the first floor Maya led the way to a sitting room adjacent to the small dining room. Laura was already there along with Admiral Adama, Major Parker and his wife.
"Look who's here," Kara said to Braedon.
"Mamma," he said and ran to her.
Laura picked up her son and Kara walked over. Laura reached out and squeezed her hand. "You look very good."
"Thanks. So do you." In truth Laura didn't look that good. She looked like she hadn't slept for days. "Hello, sir," Kara said to the admiral.
He nodded. "Kara."
Major Parker introduced his wife, a slender, petite woman with dark hair that Kara judged to be in her early-thirties. She was very tastefully attired in a beige knit dress with a darker jacket. Her features reminded Kara of Sharon Agathon.
"My wife, Kimiko," Parker said.
She held out her hand and shook everyone's. "My pleasure. And please call me Kim."
Laura said, "My son, Braedon." She kissed his cheek. "Shake hands with Major Parker." Shyly Braedon held out his hand and Parker gently shook it. Laura smiled. "Maya has been working diligently on teaching Brae manners."
"He's a very handsome little boy," Parker said. "He looks like his father."
"Yes, doesn't he?" Laura said.
Maya walked over to them. "I'll take him back upstairs and get him settled."
"No," Braedon said.
Laura smiled. "He isn't even two yet and no has become his favorite word. I'm afraid the next year or so is going to be a trial to get through."
Kim smiled. "You'll make it. My son wasn't nearly as difficult during the twos as my daughter. By that time she was already a little drama queen. She's nearly five and we're still dealing with it. She's such a daddy's girl, too. If Brad's not around, she'll stomp that little foot of hers and say, 'I want my daddy, now.'" She slipped her arm affectionately through her husband's. "He thinks it's cute."
Hunter walked over to them, looked at Braedon and patted his own shoulders. "Want to ride?"
Maya quickly lifted Brae and put him on Hunter's shoulders. Hunter reached up and steadied him.
Lee watched Hunter and Maya leave the room with Braedon happily riding on Hunter's shoulders. He felt envy at the ease Hunter displayed around Braedon. He didn't understand how a hardened fighter could be that good with children.
As if reading his mind, Kara said, "It's how he was raised. Older kids took care of the younger ones because all the adults had to work just to put enough food on the table to survive. Zak told me that you took care of him a lot when he was little. You should understand."
Lee nodded. He was being too judgmental oft Hunter and he knew it.
Bill and Laura had stepped away from the group and were talking quietly. The admiral glanced in her direction and she realized that he was probably telling Laura about their conversation after leaving the restaurant the night before. Kara also knew it wouldn't take much for Parker to pick up the tension between her and Lee. She smiled.
"What do you think about those Buccaneers? Are they going to go all the way this year or choke like last year?"
Lee made an effort and said, "If Anders plays like he did last night, I don't see how they can lose."
"I missed the first half of the game," Parker said. "Kim tells me it was good."
"He's always working," she said. "We fixed up the spare bedroom as his office. He closes the door and I don't see him for hours."
They chatted about pyramid for several minutes until Elosha came to the door. Kara excused herself and walked across the room. She greeted the priest warmly.
Elosha took both of Kara's hands. "Our prayers were answered. You've returned safely from your mission."
"That was the plan from the beginning."
"Your mission was a success?"
"In most ways."
"Good. Laura was very worried about you. So was Lee. He came to see me."
"Lee came to your temple?"
"Not long after you left. He asked me to pray for your safe return just like Laura did."
"Wow," Kara said in surprise. She looked over at Lee still talking to the Parkers. "Lee asked you to pray for me. Lee doesn't believe in the gods."
"I told him you would return to him. I told him to have faith."
"Faith. We could all use a lot of that right now. Please keep praying for my dad. Please…just keep praying for him."
Elosha's eyes met hers. Without a word being spoken an understanding passed between them.
"Does Laura know?"
Kara nodded. "When the time is right we'll rescue him. For now it's our secret."
Elosha squeezed her hand gently. "The gods have indeed given us a miracle."
Maya and Hunter returned and walked over to the group. Laura motioned to Kara and Elosha and they joined the others.
Laura said, "My priest and dear friend Elosha will offer the prayer of blessing for our meal today."
Heads were bowed in reverence. Lee reached out and took Kara's hand. She squeezed his tightly and Elosha began.
"We ask our goddesses Hestia and Demeter to bless this food so graciously provided for us here today and we ask that their bounty be bestowed on all, especially those who are not as fortunate as we are. On this happy occasion we also give thanks for Kara's safe return to us. We ask the gods' blessings on our leaders, on Laura and Admiral Adama and on our Quorum as they chart the course of our government and make decisions that affect our lives and the lives of Caprica's children. We also ask the blessing of all the gods on those who serve us honorably and selflessly, the ones who stand between our remaining Colony of Caprica and those out there who would do us harm. We ask your blessing on all the men and women who protect us and serve us on our own world and on all other worlds, wherever they might be. In the name of all the gods we offer our prayer."
TBC…