BSG - Betrayal of Trust - chapter 5
There will be some spoilers I've read in here - though one must take spoilers with a grain of salt. Just because one source says something is going to happen doesn't mean it is so - we won't know what's going to happen in the second half of season two until it airs. In the meantime, enjoy.
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Kara stood for a moment just outside the hatch, but the sound of their lovemaking was making her feel nauseous. She put a hand to her mouth and began to run towards the hangar bay, blinking tears back as she went.
As she climbed into the cockpit, Taylor looked at her curiously. "You okay?"
"Fine," she answered, swallowing back the bile in her throat. Thank goodness I didn't eat breakfast - nothing in there to come up!
"You look pale. I don't need you puking in my ship."
Kara snorted. "No worries."
"Good. Let's go people." And he climbed the stairs up to his plane.
Kara found the morning's exercise to be very difficult. Not because the maneouvres themselves were hard, nor because she had trouble with the Mark VII, but because she couldn't concentrate on what she was doing. Visions of Lee in bed with another woman kept filling her sight and she had to physically shake her head to banish them.
"Starbuck!" Came harshly through her headset. She shook her head violently.
"Sorry sir, what was that?"
"You're with Wolf, Jackal, Panther and Lionheart doing the Bermuda Triangle. Now break right and join your group."
"Yes sir," she said crisply and gave a quick thrust to bring her bird into position. Get a grip Kara - you need to put it out of your mind and concentrate or you're going to frakking die out here!
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Lee panted hard and fast and suddenly let out a groan of relief as he came, spurting hard into her repeatedly. It had been so long since he'd felt this kind of release! Her cries of pleasure mingled with his moans, then subsided to heavy breaths as their bodies came down. Lee opened his eyes and nearly recoiled in shock. It was the wrong pair of green eyes smiling up at him! He'd been so lost in the moment, he'd allowed himself to drift into a fantasy of making love to Kara. Shit! Now what?
"What's the matter Apollo?" Eagle smiled widely and rubbed his back.
Lee lifted himself off her and lay down, closing his eyes. Gods, what have I done? "Nothing," he lied.
"Are you sure?" She curled up beside him and put an arm around his chest. It burned. "We've still got a couple of hours before the others are due back ..." she said suggestively. "Maybe we could ..."
"No," Lee said forcefully, pushing her hand away and getting up to dress.
"Well, how nice, frak 'em and leave 'em," she said harshly, eyes full of pain.
Lee tried to smile at her. "It's not that, I just ... feel bad about shirking my duties to be here with you. I just can't ..." He trailed off as he finished dressing. "It just isn't right. I can't do it."
"Oh, duty before pleasure. Always the true soldier," she said, standing up and putting her arms around his neck. Lee could barely stand the feel of her touching him. The only woman's hands I want touching me are Kara's. He backed away from her naked body.
"I'm sorry - I really should go."
"Okay," she smiled. "Later then."
Lee smiled weakly and backed out of the room, needing to get away from her. What the hell had he been thinking? That was the problem - he hadn't. Now he just needed someplace to be for the next hour.
Realistically, a trip to meet with the President would take at least an hour and a half - he still had thirty minutes to kill before allowing himself to be seen. Once he found an empty supply room, he sat down to figure out what to do next. I can't let Kara find out about this, he thought. But then again, why not? It wasn't like she was his girlfriend - there was nothing physical between them. And it wasn't like Kara hadn't slept with other guys - why couldn't he be allowed a little pleasure now and again? But he had the feeling Kara wouldn't see it that way. Hell, he'd been incredibly jealous when he'd found out about her and Baltar. She would likely feel the same way. Except Kara's likely to kill me in a jealous rage - I don't need that! Somehow, without ever stating it aloud, they both seemed to feel that the other belonged to them, even though they'd never really hinted at having deeper feelings for each other. True, he'd told Kara he loved her, but her complete indifference to his confession made him retract it and tell her he only meant it 'as a friend'.
He really didn't know what to make of the whole situation. But he knew one thing - he had to make sure Kara never found out. But he'd never told Eagle (frak, I don't even know her real name! ) he wanted it to be kept a secret. And he knew well how fast the rumour mill worked in the enclosed environment of a starship. Frak! Any way you looked at it, he was in trouble.
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"Okay people, shift's over. I'll see you all in eight hours. Now get out of here," he added good naturedly. "Starbuck." Kara stopped and waited. She knew this was coming.
Taylor walked up to join her. "What the hell happened out there today?"
"I'm sorry sir. Lost my concentration."
"You know that can't happen out there. You don't pay attention to what's going on, you're likely to die." Kara nodded. "And while you're welcome to kill yourself if you want to, I won't have you taking any of my people out with you, understand?"
"Perfectly sir. It won't happen again."
"It had better not, because the next time I'll demote you so far back you won't even be qualified to scrub the hangar bay floor." His words could have frozen a hot spring, and they chilled Kara to the bone.
"Yes sir," she said, paling.
"Dismissed."
Kara walked back to her quarters dejectedly. It hadn't just been the tone of Taylor's voice or the fact that he'd chewed her out - she'd expected that, deserved it in fact for her behaviour. It was his words 'I won't have you taking any of MY people out.' She still wasn't one of them, even after all this time, and though she really didn't want to be here, it still stung that she was the outsider.
Especially since Lee had become one of them. Now she was alone.
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Taylor took a step backwards in shock. "You're doing what?" he demanded.
"You heard me," Cain said evenly. Truth be told, she was rather enjoying this. She loved shocking people and watching their reactions.
"Have I let you down sir? Is there something you want me to do differently?"
"You've done a fine job, but it's time for a change. New blood."
"So, what will I be doing?" he asked helplessly, knowing it was a lost battle. You didn't argue with the Admiral.
"You'll be joining alpha group as head pilot."
"Who will the next CAG be?"
"Report to the flight bay at 20:00 hours for your next shift Captain."
"Yes sir," he said resignedly, saluting and preparing to leave Cain's office.
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"Lieutenant Thrace, report to the Admiral's office. Lieutenant Thrace." Shit - now I'm in for it. That weasel Taylor ratted on me! Kara stretched and slowly heaved herself off her bunk, where she'd been lying since the end of the flight exercise earlier. She had absolutely no desire to do anything right now. Her life was coming apart at the seams - unraveling right before her eyes. She knew what it was like to hit rock bottom and she knew deep inside that she was well on her way back down there.
She knocked on the Admiral's door.
"Come in."
Kara entered and stood respectfully, arms behind her back in proper military style. "You wanted to see me Admiral?"
"Yes Lieutenant."
Kara took a deep breath, preparing herself for the worst.
Cain stood up and looked at her, smiling. "You have, as of now, been promoted to Commander of the Air Group with full rank, responsibility and privilege thereof." She held out her hand. "Congratulations Captain Thrace."
For a moment Kara was sure she was going to pass out. The world began to spin and the edges of her vision began to grey. "I beg your pardon sir?" she said, blinking rapidly. "Did I hear you correctly?"
Cain chuckled. "Yes Captain."
Kara held out her hand, tentatively grasping the other woman's, trying to ascertain whether or not this was some sort of sick joke. If it is, it sure as hell ain't funny. "So, um ... what made you decide ... I mean, I'm not exactly Command material, why ...?"
"Yes you are Captain. That's exactly why I chose you - you're an out-of-the-box thinker. Most of my crew are by-the-book officers. They don't have the ability to think on their feet like you do. I wanted something new, a different style of command. And you're it," she added firmly.
"I ... I ..." Kara blinked and shook her head. "I don't know what to say sir."
"In one hour the CAG's office will be empty and you are free to move your things in and get to work."
"Yes sir. Thank you sir." Kara saluted - something she'd done sparingly, and only since joining the crew of the Pegasus. Commander Adama had only allowed her to salute once - at their first meeting, then told her it was unnecessary.
Cain saluted back. "Dismissed."
"Yes sir," Kara said, heading out the hatch door. Holy frakking hell, she thought, as she walked slowly down the hallway, still in a state of complete and utter shock. Lords help us all if I'm in charge.
A few minutes later she ran into a familiar face. Lee. Her insides boiled.
"Hey Kara," he said tentatively, giving her a little smile.
"That's 'sir'," she spat out. "I'm the CAG now."
"What the hell?" Lee's jaw dropped. "Quit playing games. It isn't funny."
"It's no joke," she said in a low voice. "I've just been promoted."
Lee stood there, mouth agape, not knowing what to say. Was she frakking with him, or was it really true? He had no idea.
"Oh, and I have another surprise for you," she added spitefully. "I saw you this morning. Some meeting with the President," she added bitterly, watching as all the colour drained out of Lee's face.
She saw us? Lee thought. Oh shit!
TBC