The doctor blew out a cloud of smoke and glanced at his most notorious charges. Lieutenant Harris had roused with Lieutenant Thrace's arrival and had worried over the other woman's condition to such a degree that he had given them both a sedative – as much for his own peace of mind as anything else. Now they both slept albeit fitfully.

From what he could tell, Starbuck had managed to do a fair bit of damage to the healing tissues in her knee – enough for him to backtrack on his recommendations concerning her readiness for flight status. It was just as well, he decided, with the Tribunal's most recent decisions.

The pilot drew his attention to her bedside with a sudden gasp. He waited until she opened bleary eyes to address her. "You know, that stuff should have knocked you out for the rest of the day. If you keep taking these pills there won't be any left for me."

She glared at him but accepted the tablets he offered and downed them without benefit of the water cup he held out to her.

"I'll assume you didn't do this to yourself because you missed my bedside manner." He looked down at her as she shifted on the bed. "Can I trust you to behave if I leave the room?"

"I'm just waiting for you to go so I can drag my ass over to the wall and give it a good kick," she sneered. Even as she said it her eyes drifted to Jenna's bed.

The doctor chuckled and walked away. Once he had left, Kara beat fruitlessly against the mattress with her fist, uncaring of the jarring sensation that wracked her leg with more pain. Pain was nothing new. That much she could deal with. Pain was controllable, it was all the rest that left her head spinning with uncertainty: Sergeant Hadrian and the Tribunal, the Cylons…

She closed her eyes, as long as she was stuck in Life Station her hands were tied. There was nothing she could do to prove her innocence to the Tribunal and she had an even slimmer chance of helping Jenna's case. Maybe things would be clearer after she got some more sleep.

Lee planted his feet squarely in front of the Commander's desk. "There are rumors, sir."

The Commander lifted his eyes and looked at his son.

"The Cornucopia is said to have an abundance of food in its hold."

"There are rumors that Starbuck is a Cylon," Commander Adama countered.

"Yes, sir. But if I was able to go to the Cornucopia, I would be able to determine if the rumors have any merit. If they do have excess food stores we would be able to slow down the shortages on the other ships, at least until we're able to find alternate sources of food elsewhere."

"Even if they do have these rumored excesses, how long would the reprieve last? One day, ten?"

"It could last long enough for us to continue scouting for alternate sources of food, sir."

"Possibly. Even so, I can't allow you to go alone and we can't spare any of our able bodied pilots for even one shift. Until those suffering from the food poisoning outbreak are recovered we're too vulnerable to attack if the Cylons do find us."

Lee shifted uneasily. "Yes, sir. But what about Starbuck? She can't fly but we could take a raptor to the Cornucopia."

"I'm not certain sending Starbuck with you would be any safer than having you go alone. Regardless, Starbuck's on the Tribunal's no fly list."

"For being a good pilot – the best we have. She was able to operate a Cylon raider and save her hide so now she's thought to be a traitor?" Lee's frustration was building. "Sir, you know she's not a Cylon. You know the dangers of the Tribunal's accusations. They had Lieutenant Harris sent to the brig for collusion when she made a mistake due to our own actions."

"I hope Starbuck's not a Cylon," the Commander corrected. "I pray to the gods for it every day. At any rate, according to my reports Starbuck's in Life Station again."

"Yes, sir. She sustained aggravation to her injury. Aggravation that would not have occurred had the Tribunal used common sense rather than blind fear." Lee took a deep breath.

"She kicked someone?" Commander Adama would not be surprised to discover that she had.

"Not someone, sir."

"We're all frustrated with the Tribunal, Lee. When I gave Sergeant Hadrian permission to proceed I knew it would be opening these possibilities. President Roslin feared the same. But we needed to alert the fleet to the danger and likelihood of Cylons living among us."

"I'm not arguing that, sir. But they're leaping to conclusions based solely on fear. They're operating on paranoia rather than facts."

"I agree." Commander Adama paused. "Once Starbuck is out of Life Station, I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you."

"I can't promise anything."

"I know."

to be continued…