AN: More editing on season 2.5 - "Sacrifice" happened, but Kara didn't shoot anyone, Billy's not dead, and Dualla's not falling all over Lee (I'm so embarassed for that girl). And now, on with the show...
Everyone knew that it was a very bad sign for the stability of the Pegasus when Colonel Fisk was also murdered onboard the Battlestar. There was no sign of Cylon involvement this time – Fisk's involvement in the fleet's black market seemed to be responsible – but they were still all badly shaken up. Adama decided to promote the ship's chief engineer to command, seeing as how he was the only senior officer left from Pegasus' original crew, but that meant another promotion was in order, as well.
"Major Adama, huh?" Ilana asked Lee as they sat in her bunkroom on the Galactica. She was pinning his brand new ranks to his collar for him. "Big brother's a frakking XO."
"Yeah, I'm still trying to figure out exactly how that happened," he replied with a grin. "But since the admiral has gone and lost his mind, we should probably try to take advantage of it. Why don't you go see if you can take my old ranks?" Ilana laughed.
"There's no way he'd promote me to Captain. I've only been a full Lieutenant a few weeks."
"So? This is wartime, and well trained officers are a precious commodity. We could use a new CAG on Pegasus, anyway."
"I am NOT going to be the beast's CAG."
"The beast?"
"Yeah, that's what we're calling Pegasus now. And they think Galactica is 'the bucket'." Lee laughed.
"You guys need more shifts or something. You've got far too much free time on your hands."
"In any case," Ilana pointedly continued, "You guys are borrowing Galactica's CAG almost every day. Starbuck can't pull double duty?"
"Kara is on 'the beast,' as you put it, to train the group that just came on."
"And to drive Commander Gardner nuts."
"Yeah, well, that's a special talent of hers. My special talent is trying to keep her under control."
Ilana sat back on her bed as he got up from the bench beside it. "Good luck with that," she told him.
"Thanks. I tell you what – next time you've got a free shift, come over to Pegasus and we can have dinner."
"Does being XO give you any special food privileges?"
Lee laughed. "Yeah. You get a meal three times a day. Sometimes it's even edible."
With Kara off the ship, Kat, Hotdog, and Ilana split the responsibility of trying to run Galactica's squadrons. "Ready room in five minutes, guys," Ilana reminded two pilots that were underneath a Viper trying to make repairs as she walked past them on the hangar deck.
Torch shut the fuel access door that he was lying below. "We'll be there," he assured her.
Hotdog was already inside the pilots' briefing room at the podium, looking over the notes for that morning. "You got the patrol schedule?" she asked him.
"Yeah, but I had to make a few changes. Phoenix broke his frakking wrist in the training room."
"Oh, great."
"Kat's running the new schedule for the rest of week up to the CIC to get the XO to sign off on the switches."
"I got the maintenance log off of the Chief," Ilana told him, showing him the clipboard. "We've got four birds down for repairs and two more that are ready for the scrap yard."
"That'll make things a bit tight if we need to scramble alert fighters."
"We should make sure we've got patrols coordinated with Pegasus so we can combine forces."
"If I find our CAG, I'll suggest it," Hotdog said with a smirk.
"Or we can just get her to coordinate it over there and we worry about Galactica ourselves. We're doing a pretty good job of taking care of things here without her." They both smiled.
"I'm not frakking doing that again," Kat told them as she entered the room and joined them. "I'm not dealing with that SOB this early in the morning. Next time, a knuckle-dragger gets to be the errand-girl!"
Ilana and Hotdog tried not to laugh aloud. "Well, we're SORT OF handling things ourselves," he amended her last statement.
In truth, things were only 'sort of' being handled on Pegasus as well. Commander Garner had a severe prejudice against those who weren't TRUE members of the Pegasus' crew, namely Kara Thrace. Her antics were payback for how interesting he'd made her life onboard the ship. Things got even worse when two of the Pegasus' Raptor crews disappeared into thin air.
"Hey, call for you," one of the deckhands told Ilana as he came up to her. She was underneath a Viper with one of the ship's newer pilots, trying to teach him the ropes on simple maintenance tasks.
"I'll be right back," she told the rook before heading for the nearest phone. "Lieutenant Adama here." she told the caller.
"How did I know I'd find you on the deck?" Lee asked. She smiled.
"Because you know very well how swamped we all are."
"Yeah, I know. I've got a request for you, though."
"I think I'd have to run that by my superiors, Sir," Ilana teased him.
"Think of it as coming from your CAG."
"Well, that's a different matter. How is dear old Starbuck, by the way?"
There was a pause. "Confined to quarters at the moment."
"Are you frakking kidding me?"
"It's a long story that I'm not going into at the moment. Garner's got a tight fist on his pilots, but Kara has a theory that needs checking out."
"You're going behind your CO's back on this?"
"Not exactly, just…giving a suggestion on the first place the mid-shift CAP should look over."
Athena smiled. "And perhaps report in about afterwards? Aye, Major."
"Thanks."
That afternoon's patrol did learn that a faint distress signal could be heard at the Raptor's last known position, possibly sent by the missing pilots. Kara was certain that the whole thing was a trap, which automatically meant that Garner would believe the opposite.
"We could hear voices," Ilana told Garner and Lee once her Viper had landed on Pegasus and she'd made her way to the CIC. "I couldn't say for certain whose voices they were. It was too garbled."
"The whole thing might be a trap," Lee pointed out to the Commander.
"Is this your theory, Major?" Garner asked, fixing a look of utter disdain on both Adama siblings. "Or Captain Thrace's? He turned to one of the officers in the room. "Mr. Thornton, can you give me a fix on where this distress signal is coming from?"
"Yes, sir, it's long range, over forty SU away."
"Then spin up the FTL drive and prepare to jump the ship."
"That's way beyond accurate Dradis range," Ilana pointed out to him.
"This isn't just Captain Thrace's theory," Lee added. "I believe as well that this is a trap and – "
"And I disagree," Garner cut him off. "Get Admiral Adama on the line," he told Thornton. "I'm going to go get our men back." Ilana looked to Lee, practically shouting at him with her eyes that he needed to do SOMETHING but without any idea of what.
It was a big relief that Adama shared Lee's reservations, and tried to make the commander see reason as well. Lee got put in the middle of the situation, but held his ground and the Admiral stopped Garner's plans. The Commander looked about ready to explode as he hung up the phone. He turned to Ilana, not even trying to pretend to be diplomatic.
"I want you off my ship, and you can take Captain Thrace with you. Let Adama deal with his little pet."
She tried not to smirk. "Yes, Sir."
Lee went with Ilana to collect Kara from her quarters. Starbuck didn't seem remorseful in the least for her behavior and was highly amused that Garner had gotten put in his place.
They were halfway to the hangar deck when alarms began sounding and people started running for their stations. Lee caught the arm of an officer as he passed them by.
"Captain Case, what's going on?" he asked.
"We've been ordered to scramble, condition one. The ship's getting ready to jump and we're supposed to launch on the other side." Case then continued on his way.
"Get to the deck," Lee told Ilana and Kara.
"What?" Kara asked.
"Garner said to get off this ship, he just didn't say when. The squads need a CAG, and the CAG needs a wingman. Now go." Lee headed off in the opposite direction.
"Gee, I wonder which one of us fits which role," Kara said with a smirk. Ilana smiled as well as they went to find themselves some planes.
TBC...
(feedback is still very much appreciated)