Hearts and Fates Entwined
By: Fairedust
Part 4
Chapter 11
Saul Tigh had been held in the detention center for almost four weeks before he was finally released. Many would always wonder if the large explosion, that happened just as he made his way out of the compound was planned to happen that way or if it was only a coincidence. Most of those who wondered, liked to think of it as a sign. A sign that they were going to persevere, going to eventually beat the Cylons back, now that the Colonel was once again among them.
oooooooooooooooo
Laura found herself chronicling the events that were happening on New Caprica, beginning with the Cylon's initial occupation. In her writings, she made it clear, she never gave up hope on Adama's return. She was extremely relieved her papers had not been on her person, when she'd been brought to the detention center. It took five days of interrogation, before the Cylons either believed her, when she said she didn't know any thing. Or quite possibly they realized that even if she did, she would die before telling them anything.
In the end it was Baltar himself that came to question her and ultimately ordered her release. He wanted her to make the human bombings stop. He implored to her sense of humanity and decency. Still she never gave ground. But shortly after her release, she found herself standing before Colonel Tigh. As much as she understood his methods, she simply could not accept them. The human race could not afford to sacrifice their own in such a brutal manor.
When she looked at the Colonel, she realized his time spent in the detention center had changed him. He was harsher, bitter. In the end, she agreed this was not her area of expertise. It was a military operation. But still she insisted the human bombings had to cease. That she simply could not abide.
When Tigh looked at her as best he could with his one eye, he knew that was this woman's breaking point. Knowing that and also realizing she'd given him pretty much free range for any other tactics, he bowed to her demand.
Oooooooooooooooooooo
Slowly, Adama began formulating a plan that might give them an edge dealing with the three Basestars that still remained in orbit. As his idea began to solidify, he thought even Starbuck would be proud of his 'out of the box' thinking. But it was extremely risky. There was simply no way to be sure the Cylons would play into his well thought out plan. He also had to find a way for his pilots to be able to execute the plan.
But he knew even this would not be enough. The best plan he could come up with was to hold off the Basestars, and hope no more jumped back into orbit, as those on the ground escaped. Still not having any intel from the ground was making it impossible for him to come up with any way to get them off that rock. His biggest fear was the Cylons would retaliate to any kind of rescue attempt, by slaughtering the thousands trapped down on the surface. Simply put, he needed to make contact with the ground.
So much depended on what was happening down on the surface. How many troops they could count on, down on the ground? Did the Colonial ships still exist? If so, did we have or could we get access to the launch keys? Then there was the question of how much fuel was left on these vessels. He sincerely hoped they not only still existed, but that each still had enough for at lease one jump. They could be refueled once they were clear of New Caprica.
Pacing in his quarters, Bill found himself thinking about his best friend and XO. "Come on Saul. Give me something, anything." Just like Kara and Laura, Bill never even considered that Saul wasn't still alive.
Oooooooooooooooooooooo
Back on the Pegasus, Lee too was pacing in his quarters. Both he and his father had been listening in on the pilots wireless chatter for eleven straight hours. When his father ordered the birds to refuel in flight and repeat the training exercise, instead of returning to their designated barns, when they were all nearing 'bingo fuel' - Lee's iron willed restraint began to crack. When two Vipers kissed wings, causing damage to one; Lee ordered, without going thru the listening Admiral, the training mission over. Telling all birds to return to base. He was relieved his father didn't over rule his command.
Ooooooooooooooooooooooo
Tabby was making her way out of Life Station, where she'd checked out the pilot who'd been in the bent bird. Fortunately the only thing wrong with the pilot could be fixed with a few hours rack time. He was exhausted, like all the others, from sitting in his cockpit for over eleven straight hours. Wandering thru the eerily empty halls, she let her mind wander aimlessly. She felt too restless to return to Lee's quarters, also now hers. Before too long, she was no longer paying attention to her surroundings. She kept thinking about the dreams she'd been having the last several days.
That was how George found her, wandering as if in a mental fog, thru the passages.
"Well Lassie. I wasna 'specting ta be running in ta ye." came his distinctive brough.
Startled, Tabby unconsciously set her stance.
"Easy there, Lassie. It be only me." he said in a more soothing volume, while holding his hands out in front of himself in a placating move. Slowly he saw her begin to relax her defensive posture, as she focused on him. Still seeing the tension on her face, he was beginning to grow concerned.
"What be the matter? And don't ye be trying ta deny it neither, there Lassie. I can see it in yer eyes, I can." his tone made it clear he wouldn't be refused an answer, though his face only showed concern.
She hesitated for about a minute, before she finally sighed in defeat. Walking into a nearby storage room, she plopped down onto a crate. It was clear something was bothering her a great deal. Just as it was clear he couldn't push her too hard and still expect an answer.
Since she'd come into this somewhat private area, he hoped that meant she'd eventually tell him. Kneeling down in front her, he placed his hands to either side of her legs, on the crate. He was determined to wait for as long as she needed to figure out what to say. She remained silent for so long, he was beginning to worry she'd never say anything. But finally his patience won out. When she began to speak, he needed to lean in close, in order to hear her.
"I feel pain and loss. . . .For the crews, the people on New Caprica." here she paused and took a deep breath. "I feel loss for Lee. . . . And "I" feel pain."
George didn't even try to say anything. He knew that she'd keep going, once she'd started. But it was obvious this was difficult for her. So he waited patiently for her to continue.
"I see choices. . . . But none of them can avoid the pain. . . . They can only determine what and how the pain is to be felt." she said, her shoulders drooped as if the weight of the worlds were on her shoulders.
Again he patiently waited for her to continue, though his brow was beginning to sweat.
"But the Gods and Creator will demand a heavy price. A price in blood is the cost of freedom for the many. The question remains whose blood they will demand. . . . Either way I look . . . Lee will feel pain. . . . All I can do is try to is protect him for as long as I can. . . . Spare him as much as I can. . . . Leave him with the most I can."
When she sagged against his bear like chest, he knew she was done. Feeling her tremble against him, he couldn't even try to make her continue or explain. All he could do is hold her until her trembling stopped, which took quite some time.
Oooooooooooooooo
By the time George and Tabby left the storage locker, she had regained her customary calm. Thru sheer force of will, she managed to bury her anxiety.
She was well aware there were many possible paths that lay ahead. She had seen how the many paths would effect the remainder of Mankind, Bill and Lee. What she didn't see was what her part in these choices were.
She hadn't been allowed to see what effect she would have on their choices, in her dreams. She didn't know how any given choice from either Bill or Lee would effect her or how she could help them. In her dreams, she wandered thru their choices like an observer, a ghost; not able to affect her surroundings.
Wandering thru her dreams, she felt Lee in pain. What kind of pain was still uncertain. In some dreams, she felt overwhelming pain bombard her body; leaving her helpless and weak. In others she felt the bombardment then a great pain rip thru her body. Being that this usually woke her, she was unsure if the pain she'd felt was fatal or not.
But Lee's pain was all that filled her mind. She was unsure if she should be afraid for his life or his very soul - the paths were so varied. What terrified her was the knowledge the Gods were going to take all of or part of Lee away from this life. So much depended on the choices still to be made. She didn't even give any thought to the horrible pain she'd felt rip thru her body, during her dreams. Only Lee mattered to her.
Still she knew she had to leave the choice(s) in their hands, but neither man had the ability to see what their choices would bring. She also saw the danger of sharing with them what she saw. Foretelling the future in such a way always seemed to distort the outcome. It made some men cocky and reckless, whereas it made others hesitate and freeze. She also knew there were simply too many variables in any of these equations. Too much could be undone, if she told any of them what she'd seen. No, she knew that was not an option. The outcome was too risky and important to add her sight into the mix.
In the end she'd decided to leave the choice up to Lee, in regards to his possible fate. Bill's course, if not the outcome, was already set. It was Lee's choice, more like choices, that were still in motion. It was Lee's motion that made everything else still twist and swirl. But regardless of Lee's decisions, Tabby was determined to remain by his side. She made a silent promise to herself, while being held in George's arms, to spare Lee as much pain as she possibly could.
She made a second promised herself, if he chose the course she expected him to take, she'd protect him with everything she was capable of - for as long as she was capable of. She only hoped she'd be strong enough to protect him. For Lee, she was willing to die without question or hesitation.
Ooooooooooooooooo
Finally the returning Raptor came back with good news. Before even landing back on Galactica, a voice was heard throughout the CIC.
"Galactica, Racetrack. We received a message from the surface. I repeat, we received a message from the surface. As instructed, we returned the set message and advised there would be someone to receive their response in 12 hours, at the same frequency."
The joy of those working in the CIC was a palatable thing. It was difficult to hear the Admiral's response, due to all the clapping and hooting. But Adama didn't want to take his crews joy away from them, this time he let their unprofessionalism slide.
"Racetrack, Galactica Actual. Both you and Skulls are to report to my office and give me a full report, as soon as you get back on board."
"Galactica Actual, Racetrack. Wilco. Racetrack out."
Bill wanted to hear what Racetrack and Skulls had received before anyone else, including Lee. Old habits died hard for him, he still felt the need to keep some information to himself. After waiting until he'd been given word that the Recon Raptor had landed and been lowered to the hanger deck, Bill made his way to his quarters. He was already seated behind his desk, by the time his door guards buzzed him, telling him the two Raptor pilots were waiting outside.
When the second message was received from the planet's surface, the waiting Recon Raptor immediately jumped back to the Fleet. Finally they would have the information they needed to plan the actual rescue mission.
Oooooooooooo
Bill shouldn't have been surprised to hear his son and Tabitha outside his hatch. The Recon Raptor had landed less than an hour ago. He'd only just finished hearing their report and dismissed them. It was clear that Lee and Tabitha had boarded a Raptor almost as soon as the Recon Raptor had returned. Knowing he wasn't going to have any time to go over the information he'd just received alone, he begrudgingly told the two marines outside his door to allow their entrance.
Still he wasn't ready to lay his hand on the table in front of everyone. He went over the information with Lee first. Tabby settled herself apart from the two military men, to give them some privacy. It was after Adama discussed the Recon Raptor's findings with Lee, that he finally brought in the others he felt were necessary to plan the ground Op.
As it turned out the meeting involved not only the Admiral and Lee, it also included Helo, Kat, Kelly and a few others. Still Tabby kept herself apart. She wasn't in the military. She didn't have the skills to plan this kind of operation. But she was grateful Bill didn't order her from the room. She wanted, no needed to know what they were planning.
Thus far none of those in the room had any idea what she was truly capable of. As it stood there were only a handful of people who had witnessed what she'd done to that hospital on Caprica. Really the only person who had seen and was not on the surface already, was George. Knowing George would never say what he'd seen her do, filled her with relief.
She also didn't have any fear of Lee saying anything about what he either knew or suspected she could do. Tabby couldn't remember if Lee was still conscious when she'd destroyed the two Raiders, while he been trapped in space on his 'space walk'. Tabby couldn't risk them depending on her abilities to protect them or to become a weapon for them. Her abilities were unpredictable at best. They really depended on her emotions and her will more than anything concrete. She wasn't foolish enough to allow them to count on her abilities as a standard weapon. She could give them no guarantees.
…………………………
After Bill had told Lee the situation down on the ground, Tabby had felt Lee's inner turmoil. The small numbers they could count on to aid in the ground assault would make things extremely difficult. The fact that even though the Colonial ships were still intact and had enough fuel in each for at least one FTL jump, didn't make either man happy. They didn't have the ships launch keys. They didn't even know where the launch keys were. But it was the consensus that they still had to exist. The Cylons were nothing if not smart. They would have kept the keys, just incase they themselves wanted to use them.
The group talked over what was available to them on the surface. They discussed a plan of getting a few marines down on the ground. They talked over ways to get the ships off the ground. They talked for hours. Finally the Admiral called an end to the discussion. He realized they'd been going around in the same circles for quite some time.
"I think this is enough for now. We all know what we have to work with. It may not seem like much, but we will have to make it work. Remember, we have the advantage right now. We know where they are and they don't know where we are. We have the element of surprise. The civilians on the surface seem to be the only thing they are concerned about. The most important thing right now is they don't discover us. Once they do, they will in all probability start slaughtering those on the ground. . . . Why don't we meet back here in 24 hours. That will give you all some time to think of some alternatives."
Ooooooooooooooooooo
On the way back to the Pegasus, Tabby could feel the turmoil rolling off Lee in waves. Luckily, she thought, nobody else could see or feel it. Lee had an amazing ability to shield his emotions and feelings from those around him. It wasn't that she necessarily believed this to be a good trait for him, but in this instance - like so many others when having to lead men - it was definitely an advantage.
It wasn't until they were back in their quarters, that his mask began to crack. Tabby was now able to see the beginning of one path she'd been seeing in her dreams. But still Lee chose not to discuss any plans with her.
Instead he called for Dee. Somehow, over the course of the past years since the attack, Dee had shown she had a talent for planning. He wanted to run their options by her and see if she had any ideas. But not wanting to call someone else to take her place in the CIC, he told her to come once she had completed her shift.
Tabby decided she'd leave once Dee arrived in a few hours. She had come to understand that Dee didn't concentrate very well if she was around. Tabby knew it was because Dee was jealous of her relationship with Lee. She was saddened that Dee didn't move on. But now that Tabby accepted Lee's love, she wasn't about to give him up to Dee. Tabby was determined to keep Lee for as long as the Gods' chose to bless her.
She meant what she'd told him on the surface, when he'd seen her sitting on the large stone. She had thanked the Gods for allowing her to have Lee - even if it was only for a short time. Even then, she didn't believe the Gods would let her keep all of him. But she was determined to keep as much of him as she could, for as long as she was able. Determined to keep him until he no longer wanted or needed her. . . . Or until she was no more.
………………………….
While Lee waited for Dee's shift to end, he moved over to his desk. He wasn't able to fully concentrate on the paperwork that was stacked on his desk. Not even with Abby laying down on the couch across the room. Maybe this time it was because he was watching her, instead of just absorbing her presence. All he knew for sure was he was glad she hadn't headed down to the gym, like he expected. He knew how hard it was for her to be inactive for any length of time. Since they'd been on the Galactica for the majority of the day, he'd assumed she'd of made a bee line for the gym and her porcupine.
As he watched her sleep, it came to his attention that she'd been taking naps often during the past several weeks. He found this curious, since she wasn't keeping any more hours in Life Station or on the other ship's sick bays than normal. He also knew she was sleeping during the night. Well as much as two young, healthy people could when sharing a bed. So it wasn't due to her not getting enough sleep. So why did she now seem so tired, so worn out. It was like something was sapping her energy.
As he continued to watch her sleep, he tried to figure out if anything could be wrong with her. It was only last night, that they'd spent several hours in the Observation Lounge. No longer did he try to deny himself from watching her during her ritual. So he knew she wasn't hiding any new injury from him. As a matter of fact she seemed to almost glow with health.
On the heels of that thought, he recalled another oddity in her recent behavior. There were times where she seemed almost over energized. Like she couldn't do enough, couldn't burn enough. He had to admit he was quite happy with the results of those occasions, when they happened here in their quarters. But there were several times, when he was on duty, he'd spotted her racing thru the passages in her attempt to burn off her extra energy. He began to wonder if her energy - whether high or low - was something that he should be concerned about.
As he sat there wondering, he noticed her body begin to twitch. He was just about to rise from his seat, when she let out a soul wrenching wail. She was awake before Lee could make it to her side. Just as he reached for her, the intercom buzzed. Not knowing if he should ignore what he now found as an intrusion or answer, he held her. It wasn't until they both heard the intercom buzz a second time, that Tabby extracted herself from his embrace.
"Lee, you really need to answer that. It's Dee. Remember? You told her to come after she completed her shift." Tabby said in a calm, but slightly strained voice.
All Lee could do was give a slight nod. He didn't want to answer the door. He didn't want to see Dee right now. He wanted to comfort Abby; learn what had caused her to cry out. But he knew she was right. Duty was calling. Reluctantly he rose from his knees and not even bothering with the intercom, he opened the hatch. Abby was right, like she so often was. There standing before his door, looking a bit uncomfortable, was Dee.
After indicating that Dee was to enter, he told her to take a seat by his desk. Then he looked back at Tabby. She'd already risen from the couch.
Lee sensed her sudden melancholy. Plus, there was the reason she'd woken up in the first place. Before Tabby made it to the door, he stepped in front of her, ignoring Dee's presence. Without worrying about how it looked and not feeling the least self conscious, Lee pulled Tabby into his arms and placed a tender kiss to the top of her head. Then he looked into her cat shaped, violet eyes.
"Are you alright Abby?"
When she looked into his eyes, she felt how much he cared for her. She had no doubts. Needing to assure him, she answered in her calm, soft voice. "Of course I'm alright. Why wouldn't I be? I have you Lee, my Apollo."
When she finished, she gently ran her fingers down his cheek and quickly left. She couldn't let him see her fear, her worry. So much depended on the choices he was about to make. Choices she realized she wasn't allowed to influence. Her fate, she knew, was now held in his hands. She knew without a doubt how far she'd be willing to go, to protect him. To keep him alive mind, body and soul. But she knew the Gods were going to ask for blood. Knowing that, she'd already made the choice to sacrifice her own, just to protect him.
oooooooooooooooooo
tbc
