Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters; I'm only borrowing them for a while.
For those of you who thought I'd been too harsh on poor Lee at the end of my last one, I hope this goes some way to making you forgive me! This starts seven months after the end of 'No place like home'. It has some plot (actually more than I thought it would), but will otherwise be the fanfic equivalent of meringue: sweet and fluffy!
Finding Friends
Chapter 1
Doctor Stephen Nagala was slowly going mad with boredom. When he had first embarked on this deep space research mission it had seemed like a great way of escaping from the family feud that had been caused by his decision to leave the military and pursue a career in science. Now, three years, five months, two days, twenty-three hours and hundreds of star systems later the novelty had definitely worn off. Their expedition was now complete and they were heading home, but, having come so far, heading home was going to take a long, long time and he had very little to do but analyse his data every which way and back again.
If he had been expecting to find advanced alien civilisations on this expedition, then he had been sadly disappointed. Most of the alien life that they had encountered had hardly climbed out of the primordial soup. At least that meant that they were still alive, not gobbled up or blasted to pieces by some superior alien technology. They had been the first expedition this far beyond the red line in living memory, charged with mapping the star systems and life forms in this part of the galaxy. Now that meant that it was going to take at least six months to get home to Picon, according to Captain Mira. He said that they needed to do the journey in a series of small jumps and flight under standard power to conserve fuel and validate their star maps. Stephen wasn't going to argue with the pompous asshole. He had survived the last three and half years cooped up in a ship with the idiotic little man by largely ignoring him. Big as their research vessel was, it still wasn't big enough for Stephen to escape seeing him almost every day. The captain still had no idea that his chief scientist could fly rings around him if he wanted to, but as Stephen wanted to forget that he had ever been a viper pilot he wasn't going to raise the issue.
He stared out at the blackness visible through the viewing window and mentally tracked the stars. The vision of stars started to disappear as he felt the familiar lurch as they started their next FTL jump. The jump over, he returned his gaze to the stars to check how the formation had changed. Only this time it wasn't just stars in front of them. There was a flotilla of ships headed by what looked distinctly like a colonial battlestar. He flicked the internal comms quickly.
"Captain, are you seeing what I'm seeing?"
"Yes I am doctor. What the frak do you think it is?"
"I have no idea, but can I suggest transmitting colonial signals before those vipers reach us."
"I am very well aware of the procedure in circumstances such as this, thank you doctor."
The comms flicked off. Stephen made an obscene gesture at them, mentally picturing the Captain and started to make his way to the bridge. He wanted to find out exactly where those ships had come from. He entered the bridge just as a woman's voice was responding to their hail.
−
In the Galactica's CIC the admiral was interrupted from his conversation with his XO by captain Gaeta's voice.
"Dradis contact!"
Everyone immediately turned their attention to the monitors.
"The vessel is transmitting colonial signals, sir. Apparently it's a colonial deep space research vessel," Dee chimed in.
"What the frak are they doing out here? Can you get them on the wireless, Dee?"
"Yes, sir." The admiral took over the headphones himself.
"This is the battlestar Galactica. Identify yourself." Adama deliberately kept his own identity hidden.
"Galactica, this is captain Mira of colonial research vessel Astrella. I'd like to know what you're doing out here."
"We'll I'd like to know the same, Captain and given the fact that I have the Galactica's guns trained on you I suggest that you tell me."
"With all due respect, this is a deep space research ship. We're supposed to be here. The same can't be said for a colonial battlestar."
The admiral glanced at his XO in unspoken communication and received a confirmatory nod in return.
"I think it would be wise to discuss this in person, captain. Can I request that you dock with Galactica? I'll send a viper detail to escort you in."
"It seems that you give me little choice but to comply."
The admiral ended the transmission and turned to his XO.
"Do you think this is a Cylon trap?"
"It has all the hallmarks," responded Lee, "but it's a bit too bizarre even for them."
"I agree and I do recall reading something about a deep space exploratory mission in one of those old Caprican Life magazines that Racetrack found. Maybe this is it. However, I want full precautions. Send marines and the CAG to greet them."
Lee tensed at the idea of Kara being exposed to a potential Cylon threat, but complied with his father's orders. He knew that he would never be able to be impervious to situations that potentially put her in danger; he just had to learn not to show it.
−
On the bridge of the Astrella, Stephen had a thoughtful look on his face.
"If it is Galactica, then, if I'm not mistaken, that voice belonged to Commander Adama."
"How would you know?" responded Mira with a sneer.
"Well captain, when one's father is commander in chief of the colonial fleet one tends to pick these things up!" Stephen replied conversationally. Mira just scowled at him.
"Hmm, well I'm not going in unarmed. We'll send a squad to check first before we board."
Stephen couldn't disagree with this cautious approach. Orders dispatched, they sat back and waited for the squad to report over the open wireless channel they had set up. It wasn't long before they heard the air lock opening and crewman Riley's dismissive voice resonate around the bridge.
"There's just a couple of guys and a pregnant woman here, Captain."
"Hey, don't let the belly fool you frakwit; I'm the one pointing the big ass gun at your head. Hormone surges might make me trigger happy and they haven't affected my aim," came the strident reply. Stephen got an immediate spark of recognition at the voice and the turn of phrase.
"Starbuck?" he asked
"Yeah, who's asking?" responded Kara to the disembodied voice coming through the wireless.
"What, you don't recognise my voice? I'm hurt Kara!"
"Whiz?" she responded tentatively. "Is that you?"
"Sure is. Have you missed me?" Kara's smile broke out.
"Sure have. What the frak are you doing out here?"
"Can you have forgotten that I gave it all up to follow my dreams?"
"The way I heard it was that you'd suffered some sort of mental breakdown, but then I suppose your father had to come up with some excuse as to why his only son didn't want to follow in his foot steps."
"Yeah, well we all have our cross to bear and he's mine. So when are you going to invite me on board?"
"Let me just check with the old man and then we're all set."
Captain Mira was staring at him like he'd suddenly grown horns. He just returned the stare with a wide grin and started towards the air lock joined to the Galactica.
−
Mira went ahead with the marines as Stephen stepped onto the Galactica and saw Kara for the first time. He looked her over, shaking his head in amazement.
"Now that's a sight I never thought I'd see: Starbuck up the duff!"
"Hey, it's all legal," she replied waggling her ring finger in his face.
"I can't believe that you're married with a baby on the way."
"This is number two!"
"Wow. I always knew you were a quick worker but you must have really surpassed yourself this time."
"Thanks. Like I always said everyone…"
"I know; has a skill. Is hubby anyone I know?"
"Oh I think you might just remember him." He turned to look at her smiling face.
"No!..no! .. I don't believe it!…..Lee?" She nodded in confirmation.
"I always knew the two of you had a thing for each other, but then Zac…."
"Yeah, well you know Lee was never very good at dealing with feelings and I was just so pathetically grateful that you two great scions of military families were friendly towards poor little Kara Thrace from the wrong side of the tracks that I didn't want to upset the apple cart. It took some pretty serious shit to finally get us together."
"Pathetically grateful? I've never seen such a poor impression of pathetically grateful in all my life. If I remember rightly you were the cockiest, mouthiest girl at the academy."
"You men are so easy to fool when a woman just talks back to you!"
"Well anyway, it looks to me that when you did get together it was pretty successful." She looked up at him with such a genuine smile and such happiness shining out of her face that he caught his breath at her beauty.
"Yes it has been," she said simply.
He grinned at her in return, happy that his friends had finally come together. Suddenly a thought struck him and he burst out laughing.
"What's so funny?" asked Kara.
"I'm rich!"
"Rich?"
"Oh yeah. I was so convinced that Lee was in love with you when we were at the academy that I bet him 100 cubits that the two of you would get married. He got very heated about it and said no way and bet me 10,000 cubits in return that you wouldn't. I don't remember us putting a time limit on the bet so he owes me 10,000 cubits!"
"Sorry to disappoint you but cubits aren't worth anything any more, and even if they were Lee doesn't have two to rub together."
"Ah damn. Why not?" he asked, puzzled.
"The admiral will explain everything, but in a nutshell; the Cylons came back."
As they came up to the entrance to CIC she stopped him and looked up at him seriously.
"When you see Lee he won't be quite how you remember him. A few months ago he was badly injured saving our son from a Cylon. He's still recovering."
She didn't say any more and they entered the CIC. Stephen saw the captain being introduced to Lee's father.
"Welcome, Captain Mira, I'm Admiral Adama, commander of this fleet." He shook hands and then turned to Stephen.
"Well that's a familiar face. Hello Stephen." Stephen shook his hand.
"Hello sir, nice to see you again."
"I'm Major Lee Adama, Galactica's XO." He heard Lee's voice behind him as the introductions to Captain Mira continued. He turned round to see his old friend and was glad for Kara's warning, but even that didn't really prepare him for the sight of Lee in a wheelchair. As Mira moved on he came up and grabbed Lee's hand tightly, not trusting himself to say a word.
"Lords, Whiz, how long has it been?"
"Too long. I hear you've been getting our best girl knocked up in my absence." Lee grinned.
"Yeah, it seems to be becoming a bit of a bad habit!"
Captain Mira was now being introduced to the CAG. Kara, who never used her married name in her job, grinned at the man's confusion and couldn't resist teasing him further as she stepped up for her introduction.
"My name's Adama too. I'm the commander of the air group." He moved back towards the admiral quickly, the look on his face clearly indicating that he thought he had entered a mad house. The crew in CIC were doing their level best to stifle laughs.
Kara moved over to her husband and old friend. Stephen raised his eyebrows at her and whispered so only she and Lee could hear. "Wow! CAG! What did you do? Sleep your way to the top?" Kara glared daggers at him and Lee had to choke on a laugh.
"Oh Gods, I don't know how I'm going to survive the pair of you together again!" she responded in exasperation.
The admiral was explaining to Captain Mira what had happened to the colonies. Stephen's expression turned serious as he listened in. He couldn't help interrupting when he heard about the destruction of the fleet.
"My father?" The admiral laid a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry, son. Your father took direct command of the fleet aboard the Atlantia, but it was destroyed in the first wave of attacks." The Astrella's crew were reeling from the news that their home was gone. The admiral then went on to explain some of what had happened to them since the attacks and the fact that the Cylons now looked like humans.
"So I'm going to have to ask that you be confined to quarters here on Galactica until we are able to test all of your crew to confirm that there are no Cylons aboard your vessel."
Captain Mira started to gobble and splutter in protest, but a piercing stare from Adama silenced him.
"I cannot and will not take the risk of further Cylon infiltration on this ship, captain. Be thankful that I'm not placing you in the brig until you are cleared."
Despite the gravity of the news they had just received, Stephen smiled inwardly. The Gods-awful Mira had finally met his match!