Chapter 5: Get real, Grandma

Kara looked around her small elegant house. New Kobol, one of three colony worlds, was the most refined of the three; it was still a raw rough frontier even in the capital city of Sagittar with all of ten thousand people. Her house had one bedroom and a loft, and had a few pieces of solid wooden furniture. It was decorated with cream rugs and blankets and a painting of Caprica City done by one of her children. There were few signs of twelve years as a fighter pilot, more years as the First Lady, five kids and years of politicking. On the mantelpiece, a picture of herself and Zack, with Lee standing off to one side, was her only reminder of that part of her life left visible.
"Sharyn? You home"
"Yes, around the corner," she was hidden by the wall. She had her feet on the coffee-table and her hands on the floor, doing push-ups.
"Having fun"
"Not particularly," she gasped. "Just keeping in shape"
"I used to do that in the brig, on the bed"
"Never been in a brig"
"I know. It's unwholesome"
"Get real, Grandma." She kept going, steadily, timing her breathing, until her arms were rubbery and her shoulders were on fire. "How was your day? Did your meeting go okay"
"That man is even thicker-headed than your grandfather. He just won't admit education matters"
"Yes, but you could talk Grandpa round in a lot of ways. You want to go for a run"
"It'd better be a quick one. I've got to eat and get back to work"
"You could have just had dinner in your office"
"The President wants to see you"
Sharyn looked up, but she didn't stop drying herself with a towel. "Why?" "I don't know. He wants to see you in a couple of hours"
"Alright. Should I dress up"
"I never bother"
"I meant, should I wear a uniform"
"Your call"
"Gee, thanks. I'll take that run, though. I need to stretch my legs"
"I'll try to get a day off, we can go up to Excelsior Hill and do the lake loop track"
"That'd be good. I'll leave you in the dust"
"Dream on, kid."