Chapter 3
Lee pounded the punch bag to within an inch of its life. He was supposed to be on duty, not in the gym, but if he didn't get the aggression out of his system before he went back to work who knew what might happen. He'd never met anyone who frustrated him and delighted him as much at the same time as Kara. He loved her, he really did; loved her like he'd never loved any woman before, but she also had an ability to push his buttons like no one else. Their relationship seemed to consist of huge peaks and deep troughs: it was either really good or really bad. For a man who liked his life to be on an even keel it was very hard to adapt to. And now she had said that she didn't want their baby. What was he going to do about that? He blew out his cheeks and threw a few more punches, feeling emotionally out of his depth and not knowing who to turn to for help. Normally it would have been his friend Kara, but that wasn't a possibility this time.
"Captain Adama to CIC, pass the word for Captain Adama."
Lee wiped the sweat from his face and shrugged on his jacket before jogging to CIC. As he entered he immediately picked up on the tense atmosphere. His father regarded him with his patented piercing stare that was guaranteed to reduce lesser men to a pile of quivering jelly.
"Captain, would you mind telling me why a pilot whose flight status has been revoked has made an unscheduled launch in a viper."
"I…er…um…who?" asked Lee with a sense of foreboding.
"Who do you think?" chimed in Colonel Tigh.
"She wouldn't….frak…she wouldn't!" Lee grabbed the console tightly, knuckles white. He didn't know whether the sudden pain in his chest was from anger or fear for his wife and child. "Didn't anyone try to stop her?"
"The chief is nursing a fractured cheek bone."
"Oh Gods."
"She won't answer the radio hails. You need to get her to come in," his father ordered.
"I'm the last person she's gonna listen to right now, sir. If she won't answer you then she won't answer anyone." If anything his father's expression became even sterner.
"Captain, my quarters now! Colonel you have the ship."
Lee followed his father as he strode out of CIC and down Galactica's corridors. When they reached his quarters his father spoke in that quiet, controlled manner that told Lee that they were in serious trouble.
"When I let you and Kara marry each other you promised me that it wouldn't affect your jobs. I've let the fact that one of my most experienced pilots is out of the air go because, as Laura Roslin is constantly reminding me, we need to have as many babies as possible if humanity is to survive, but I can't let this go, Lee. She has injured a crew member and stolen a piece of military equipment, not to mention that she's uselessly wasting some of our precious fuel reserves and putting the life of my grandchild at risk."
"I know, sir, I know. We…we had a fight and I guess I kind of stormed out before we'd finished."
"That explains why she's out there but it doesn't make it any better. You were both on duty which means that you let your personal lives disrupt your jobs."
"Does it make it any better if I tell you that the argument started about training evaluations?" asked Lee, hopefully. His father sighed.
"No it doesn't. How do you get from something so trivial to the point where Kara's gone AWOL?"
"I don't know, dad, I just don't know any more." Lee put his head in his hands while his father regarded him silently. "It seems that whatever we discuss causes an argument at the moment, be it training evals or the baby." He looked up at his father. Could he do this? Could he really talk to this man about something so personal? He'd never thought of his father as a confidant before, but suddenly it seemed like the most natural thing in the world. He couldn't quite grasp how they had come to this point, but he was very glad that they had.
"Can I talk to you, dad? Not as Commander Adama, but as Lee Adama's dad? I really need someone to talk to." To Adama, the unconscious pleading look in his eyes as he stared up at his father made him look just as he did when he was a boy.
"Of course you can, son," his father replied gruffly.
"Kara….Kara thinks our marriage isn't working."
"I admit that I was afraid of this. The pair of you are so different, but I thought that your friendship would help you work it out but it obviously hasn't. I don't know what to tell you, son, but recognising there is a problem is half way to fixing it."
"She said that she doesn't want the baby. You don't think that's why she's gone out in a viper do you? You know, to try and get rid of it?"
"No, if there was any other thought apart from blowing off some steam by flying I'd be surprised. Besides, I expect this baby's going to be born already able to fly a viper! I presume that she only said that in the heat of the argument?" Lee nodded. "I don't condone her actions, but look at it from her point of view, son. This is an enormous thing for her that's affecting her whole life. You should take it as a sign of how much she feels for you that she's prepared to do it. She's grounded from vipers, she's got the Lords only know what hormones surging though her body, making her feel like she's never felt before, and you're giving her grief about training evals. No wonder she lashed out!" Lee smiled slightly in relief, acknowledging that his father was probably right.
"Look, I'll tell you what I think: you can take it or leave it." His father went on. "You know each other well, but I'm not sure that you really understand one another. You're driven by logic, order and control. Your role as CAG and your private life are kept separate, compartmentalised in you mind. Kara doesn't work like that; she only thinks with her heart. The things she loves; you, flying, they're all wrapped up together. She doesn't separate them. So when you, as her CAG, reprimand her for something she's done as Lieutenant Thrace she equates that with Lee being disappointed with Kara. Starbuck may be supremely confident as a pilot and a soldier, but Kara's confidence as a woman is incredibly fragile. She's been raised at the school of hard knocks and that has made her resilient but prone to self-doubt and guilt. I've watched her as perhaps you can't. Your opinion means everything to her; you can dash her with just a couple of careless words but when you say something good to her, her smile could light up the whole of Galactica."
"But we really love each other, dad; that should be enough to make a good marriage, shouldn't it?"
"Gods, you're your mother's son!"
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"She said the same thing to me when I tried to tell her how hard our life together was going to be, that my job would often take me away. She just smiled at me and said that it wouldn't be a problem because we loved each other and that was all that mattered, but it wasn't enough for her and it isn't enough for you. You're an idealist, just like she was. You have this perfect vision of how something should be and when it doesn't come up to that vision you think it's a failure. A good marriage doesn't come ready gift-wrapped when you exchange your vows, Lee; you have to work at it and develop it and that takes time and patience, something the pair of you have undoubtedly been very short of. "
"I realise that, but I don't know what else to do, dad. I've tried talking to her but we just end up fighting."
"I'm sure you've tried talking to her but have you tried just listening to her?" he asked. Lee flushed as his father unconsciously echoed Kara's accusation to him. "Look, I'm going to have to speak to her about this incident when she gets back, but then I'm giving the pair of you forty-eight hours to get off Galactica, get some down time together and sort this thing out and I'd like you to come back together and with no obvious injuries!"
"Won't that be seen as a bit nepotistic by the crew?"
"What would you do if two of your pilots were having relationship difficulties?" Lee thought about it and then nodded.
"Yeah, you're right. I'd do the same thing." He laughed ruefully. "Well this has certainly been a surprisingly enlightening discussion!"
"What, you don't think that I'm qualified to give you marital advice?"
"You have to admit that it's a tad ironic, sir." His father smiled.
"You of all people should know that I have a pretty comprehensive knowledge of how to get it wrong with your wife."
"Action stations, action stations, set condition one throughout the fleet." Tigh's voice interrupted them as it rang around the ship. The pair of them looked at each other for a moment before sprinting back to CIC.
"Sitrep," asked Adama tersely as soon as they arrived.
"A dozen Cylon raiders sir. ETA three minutes. The fleet has started jumping to the emergency co-ordinates." Gaeta was all efficiency.
"Where's the CAP?" asked Lee.
"They were on the other side of the fleet. They should be there in two minutes, as should the alert fighters." Gaeta glanced at Tigh. Lee caught the look.
"What aren't you telling me?" he demanded.
"Starbuck was closest sir, she's almost on them. We couldn't stop her."
"By herself? Oh Gods, not again!" As if on cue Kara's voice echoed around CIC.
"Galactica, Starbuck, engaging Cylon raiders. Tell the CAP to hurry the frak up."
"Dee, get her on the radio for me," ordered Adama. He took the headset from Dee.
"Starbuck, get your ass back here."
"Too late for that, sir. I'd only get it shot off."
"Well at least pull back to join up with the CAP."
"They're almost here, and….yes, got another one…I'm having too much fun sir!"
Lee swore profusely under his breath. He knew that she was in her element, that she was the best of the best in this situation, but that didn't make it any easier. He could only watch on dradis as raiders continued to disappear. His tension eased a little as the other vipers caught up with Starbuck's solitary fighter.
"All the fleet is away sir, except for the Astral Queen. They're reporting a problem with their FTL drive," reported Dee. An alarm started bleeping.
"New dradis contact. It's a Cylon basestar, sir and it's launching more raiders." Gaeta confirmed.
The new set of raiders was heading for the Astral Queen and Galactica.
"Bring us around twenty degrees to port. Prepare the starboard batteries," ordered Adama.
"Galactica, Starbuck, we've lost two vipers. Heading to protect the Astral Queen. All vipers, on my mark break right….break, break, break."
The sounds of the pilots echoed around CIC. The crew prepared for the potential onslaught of the basestar and its raiders with well-practiced efficiency. Lee went through the motions of the CAG's role, making sure that the deck was going to be ready for combat landings, but all the time following the progress of Kara's viper on the screens.
"Come on people, stick with it. You don't get any awards for neatness out here. Just shoot the frakkers any way you can…..Frak….." Lee tensed as her line started to crackle and break up. "Lost my starbo…..gine…...can't...control…..shit…..tell Apollo…." Her wireless cut out completely.
"Kara," he whispered in anguish. His only hope was that her viper still appeared on dradis.
"Astral Queen is ready to jump, sir."
"Good! Get them back."
"Galactica, this is Kat. Starbuck says she's OK but her viper can't make it back to base. She's gonna hitch a lift on the Astral Queen."
Lee expelled the breath that he hadn't realise he was holding and briefly slumped over the console in relief. He felt his father's hand momentarily squeeze his shoulder before he moved off.
"Roger that Kat, bring everybody else home."
The final vipers came aboard as the dradis blip of the Astral Queen snapped out. The commander gave the signal and Galactica jumped to join the rest of the fleet just as the basestar bore down on them.
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