Kara Thrace stalked her way through the corridors of Galactica. Anyone who chanced to glance her way was met with a chilly glare and a few colorful words. She was not having a good day, and it could all be attributed to a certain Adama and the special way he had of fraking up with her life.
She had been slowly making her way to the only place she knew she could get the answers she needed, but in the back of her head, she found herself wishing there was another way. It was always so hard to talk to him. And she was a little fired up right now. She wasn't sure she could control what came out of her mouth.
The hatchway door loomed in front of her as she realized that she had gone as far as she could. It was now or never. Sighing, she forced herself to take a few deep breaths to push her emotional side back down. She needed to approach this in a calm manner. Otherwise, she would get nothing achieved.
"Please tell me what the frak you think you're doing!" she yelled as she slammed the door shut behind her. "Because there is no way in hell that you still have your sanity if you're going to let this bullshit happen."
"Lieutenant Thrace," William Adama said, giving her his usual stony look as he leaned back in his chair and set the papers in his hands down on the desk. "To what do I owe the honor of such a colorful outburst?"
"You know why I'm here. How could you approve him to go on that death trap of a mission?"
"Does no one understand the importance of secrecy when it comes to secret missions anymore?" Adama said, shaking his head. "I don't want to know how many people besides you are aware of this mission."
"It's only me. I overheard the President talking with Billy a few minutes ago. I couldn't believe what they were saying at the time. I mean, it makes no sense. No sense at all!"
Adama motioned for her to take a seat. "You need to calm down and take a moment to remember the chain of command on this ship. I have my reasons, Kara. I don't make decisions without being sure they are the right ones to make at the time."
She slumped down into the seat and bit her lip to keep in the pout that wanted so desperately to come out. "But he's your own son, sir."
"And that's why he should be the one to go home. I need someone I trust to do this for the Fleet."
"I could do it," she suggested quietly. "And that way you don't have to risk losing him now that he's finally starting to treat Galactica like home."
"Need I remind you that you turned down this assignment once already?"
Kara winced. "She told you about that?"
"President Roslin saw it fit to let me know how important she thought this mission was." Adama's eyes bore into her as his next sentence came out. "And she also saw it important to let me know how loyal a pilot I have in you, Kara."
Kara bowed her head in embarrassment a little. The least President Roslin could have done was tell her their little secret conversation was going public. "Sir, I did what I thought I had to do. I couldn't just follow the visions of a self-proclaimed prophet when it was risking everything I've worked so hard to gain. I have a family here. And they need me."
"Yes, we do, I'm afraid."
"Sir?"
Adama took a deep breath and gave her a reassuring smile. "I think sometimes that Galactica depends on you a little too much. Which is another reason why I'm sending Lee back to Caprica."
"I don't understand."
"The Fleet needs to see that you're not the only good pilot we have. Each and every person stationed on this ship can be just as resourceful and light in the air as the great Starbuck."
Kara could feel her cheeks break out in a blush and hoped that the Commander would not notice. "Sir, I think the Fleet realizes that they have a good pilot and a good CAG in Apollo. I don't think you need to send him into some kind of exile just to get people to admit it."
"Why are you fighting so hard to protect him, Kara?" Adama asked abruptly, pulling his glasses off his face. He pushed his chair back and stood to look down at her.
"I just think it's a waste to send him on this mission, sir. There's a lot of places he would be more useful than crammed into the guts of a Cylon Raider."
"Maybe you should tell him that. For now, I've approved it. It's done."
Kara knew when she was being dismissed and stood up slowly. "Thank you for your time."
Adama reached across the desk and grasped her hand. "Don't get me wrong, Kara. I'm immensely worried about him. I have faith in his abilities, but I'm still his father. In a perfect circumstance, I would send you both to retrieve the Arrow of Apollo. You two seem so invincible when you're together, it's uncanny. But we do not live in perfect circumstances."
Her mind flashed to all the trials and hardships she personally had to fight her way through in the past few months. "No, we do not."
They stood a moment, hand in hand, before Kara worked up the nerve to speak again. "Can I ask you a question, Commander?" When Adama gave her a small nod, she continued, "What is the Fleet to do while we wait for Apollo to return?"
"We need to figure out a way to explore what is down on Kobol. The President seems to think the Tomb of Athena is down there and that when we get the Arrow, it will be able to point the way to Earth. It would be most advantageous if we knew where the Tomb was long before Lee comes back to us."
Kara stared at him a moment, surprised that he was being so open with things he had longed kept hidden. The President had told her that Commander Adama didn't know the way to Earth, and the things he was saying lately seemed to indicate truth in that statement. He was putting a lot of stock in the prophecies Roslin seemed to think would lead them to Earth. Almost as if they had no other option, really.
"You really think we need this Arrow to find our way to Earth?"
The weight of her question hung in the air as they both realized that now was the moment where he would either admit or deny his mistake. The Commander stared at Kara before nodding curtly. "Sometimes we need the help of the gods to make it through the day," he answered cryptically.
"So we're just to wait until Lee returns before we can make another step? Normal CAPs and patrols? Maybe a few special reconnaissance type flights around the planet for those of us that get a little stir-crazy, staying in one place?"
"You're awfully curious about what will be occupying the time when Apollo is away, Kara."
She had known he would be suspicious of her question and had come up with a back-up reasoning to hid the truth behind her words. "Well, I personally think it might get a little boring around here without him. And I take it I'm going to have a temporary promotion to CAG while he's gone. I guess I'm just trying to take this prophecy thing seriously."
Adama laughed and released her hand. "Go get some sleep, Kara. You look like you need it."
"Thank you, sir."
Kara sent him one last smile before opening the hatch and stepping out into the corridor. The bunkroom wasn't far away, and she was due for a little rack time after taking out a fraking Cylon Basestar all by her lonesome only hours earlier. And she had even brought the damn Raider back in one piece! Didn't that call for a little break from the constant rush of worry and guilt and anger?
She was so damn tired, physically and emotionally, of playing these games. It was so fraking tempting. Two stairways and about a hundred yards and she would be nestled into her rack, trying to drown out the noise of the other pilots. It sounded divine.
She shook her head slightly. No, there were more important things to be done. With only a twinge of sadness, Kara tried to forget how tired she was as she began to walk in the opposite direction of the bunkroom. She didn't have much time.
