" I didn't ask while we were flying because the wireless is hardly private," Lee Adama said as he strode down the corridor along side Kara Thrace, " but what were you doing to poor Gaeta last shift? It sounded like… like wild dogs in heat in your rack." He wasn't jealous. Not at all. Kara was an adult, and she certainly wasn't his girl and he had no reason to be upset or jealous that she had decided to bed a fellow officer. She and Gaeta were the same rank, for a change two people frakking wasn't an issue, and it wasn't like Kara was dating anyone special. But it bothered him for some reason that he couldn't really define.

Kara shrugged. " He needed a favor, I did him a favor." She grinned. " I was surprised. I somehow didn't think he preferred women but trust me, I was wrong."

" Well, try to watch the volume, if you two do any more favors for each other," Lee warned as they walked into the CIC. He wasn't jealous or upset at all. There had been complaints. Well, he admitted, there had been a lot of amused laughter, but he hadn't been able to sleep. It was irritating.

They went up to the command center, where Tigh and his father were conferring with each other. Lee found himself perking up with interest. Tigh was pissed about something, and Bill Adama was clearly getting angry. It didn't bode well, especially considering the news that he and Kara were about to bring.

He stood by Kara, prepared to wait patiently. It rarely paid to get in the way when the XO was frothing over something. He didn't have the patience for it, and it often amazed him how patient his father was. If he was in command, he would have made sure that the XO was sober, at least most of the time. That would be a big improvement over Tigh's current track record.

"It's under control," Adama said curtly. " Alghee will take watch and Harrison can cover Dee. The important thing is that we get a working weapon."

They were talking about the weapon that Gaeta was supposed to be developing. It occurred to Lee that he knew the schedules as well as anyone and Gaeta should have been in his customary place. That was concerning considering what he knew about how Gaeta had been spending his time. He kept silent though. It was easy to be a complete prick about things. Sometimes though it was better to cut someone a break rather than rat them out. Dualla had told him that Gaeta had been the one to keep his mutinous coconspirators from being sent to the brig. He owed the man a favor. Still, it was surprising, for Gaeta to not show up for a shift, and more importantly for his father to excuse it so easily. Gaeta must be close, Lee realized. That was a good thing.

" What's the situation?" Tigh asked gruffly to the two pilots. He was clearly annoyed to be disagreed with.

" We've got a problem." Lee said easily. " Kara and I found an empty Cylon tanker."

" Big enough to resupply two basestars," Kara added helpfully, " and it didn't look recently abandoned. They're on our tail. Probably planning a big attack. That'd be my plan." She winked at Tigh and slouched up against a console. Lee wanted to smack her. She knew Tigh was already in a bad mood. She wasn't helping at all.

While Tigh started to turn a bright violent red at Kara's sheer gall, Lee carefully noted that the commander was looking at the bigger picture. He realized suddenly that his father looked tired. Tired and old. It wasn't a pleasant thought. There was no one to step up if something happened to the old man, Tigh had proven that point. For a moment, Lee regretted being the bearer of bad news.

" It's possible those raiders that attacked a few days ago were scouting for the basestars." Lee said. He hoped it wasn't true. He really hoped that he was wrong, all things considered. The pilots were tired and worn out. Hell, the ships were tired and worn out and even a short battle that just allowed the fleet to escape was going to lead to casualties.

" We have to be prepared," Adama said after a moment. " Get emergency jump coordinates ready. Amongst other things."

" Where the hell is Gaeta?" Everyone turned at the sound of Dr. Cottle's gruff voice. He was standing in the doorway entrance to the CIC, his arms crossed. " I don't have frakking time to make house calls. When I tell someone to show up at 0800, I expect them to show up and then be prepared to wait for me, not the other way around."

"He's… working independently today," Adama said after a moment. He glowered a bit at Cottle but it was clear his heart wasn't in it.

" I don't really care," Cottle muttered. He strode over to the gathering of officers. " I need to see him. To evaluate whether the medication I gave him is working correctly." He eyed Adama. " Trust me, it's important that I make sure he's reacting well or not."

Lee didn't need to read between the lines. He'd also heard about Gaeta's behavior from the day before. It was unusual for anyone to be ordered to sickbay. He didn't believe most of the rumors he had heard since he figured it was unlikely that his father wouldn't have thrown Gaeta in the brig for bitch slapping Col. Tigh. If that was true, and he had his doubts. At last check the rumor mill had Gaeta having a torrid love affair with the Cylon Sharon Valerii, and he didn't believe that either. Still, for Cottle to leave sick bay… something had to be wrong.

" I thought," Adama said quietly, " that you were just giving him some antidepressants. So he could work."

" There can be side effects," Cottle said, equally quiet. " It's unusual, but it can happen. Has anyone seen him?"

Kara stepped forward. " I was with him last night. He was fine. Trust me, he was having no problem functioning." She snickered.

Oddly, Cottle seemed disturbed by that. Lee didn't think that the older man was that prudish but he supposed it was hardly his place to judge. Cottle glared at Kara. " Do you mean that you two actually had… intercourse?"

Kara smiled broadly. " Let's just say that I had no idea that he was so inventive. Or flexible."

Cottle looked worried. " That's not a good sign."

" That's a matter of opinion," Kara said, laughing. Lee ignored her. It was clear that Cottle was concerned.

" He's having a bad reaction to the drug." Cottle said quickly. " The normal, standard side affect, along with the good mood, is dysfunction. Sexual dysfunction. If he was off making love,"

" I wouldn't call it love," Kara said, still amused. " More like wild frakking…"

" Whatever," Cottle cut her off curtly. " He shouldn't have been capable. It's a sign, a bad sign, that he's having a bad reaction to the drug. It's very rare. We need to find him."

" Why? Because he was frakking Starbuck?" Col. Tigh snarled.

"No," Cottle said gravely, " Because the drug is making him aggressive and paranoid instead of helping his mood. He needs to be watched carefully." Cottle rolled his eyes at their looks of disbelief. " Or you can wait until he decides to kill you all. Because it's coming."

" But…" Adama looked worried. " I'm sure that Petty Officer Dualla is with him."

Cottle rolled his eyes. " I'm not a damned shrink. This stuff normally works but when it doesn't, it can get ugly. You need to find both of them and fast."