Chapter 7

Kara brought her viper to a halt on the hanger deck of the Pegasus. As she reached the bottom of the ladder she was greeted by a harassed looking man carrying a clipboard.

"Welcome aboard Pegasus, sir. I'm Larry the deck chief." He ran an expert eye over Kara's viper. "Look's like you've seen some action, sir."

"Yes she has. We've done running repairs but I'd be grateful if you could give her the once over, chief."

"Happy to, sir. I've been asked to direct you to the Admiral Cain's quarters."

Kara left the deck and headed in the direction Larry had given her. It was some time since she'd been on one of the newer battlestars and the contrast with Galactica's faded glory was quite stark. She knocked on the hatch of the admiral's quarters and stepped through when she was called. She stood to attention and gave her best salute.

"Lieutenant Thrace reporting as ordered, sir." The admiral returned her salute.

"At ease, lieutenant. Welcome aboard Pegasus. It's been a long time since we found any other members of the colonial fleet who survived the attacks."

"Thank you, sir."

"Have you been on the Astral Queen all this time?"

"Um, no sir. As I mentioned, I'm stationed on the Galactica. I've been temporarily on the Queen for a few weeks since we got separated from Galactica's fleet."

"The Galactica survived the Cylon attacks?" asked the admiral in a stunned voice.

"Yes, sir. The old girl doesn't have any networked computers, so she was unaffected by the Cylon virus. We also have a civilian fleet of around 45,000 people in 60 ships."

"Is Adama still in command?"

"Yes, sir."

"Praise the Gods! I was convinced that we were the only colonial military vessel left. I can't tell you how good it is to know that we're not alone: it's a miracle!"

The admiral then fired various questions at Kara. Who were the other senior officers on board? Had they encountered the Cylons? How big was Galactica's squadron? How had they kept the fleet supplied? Who was in charge of the civilians? Kara answered all her questions as succinctly as possible. She figured the less she said, the less trouble she was likely to get herself into. Whilst this was a good tactic it wasn't entirely successful.

"Captain Adama is the CAG? The commander's own son? That's highly irregular."

"The commander didn't really have a choice, sir. Galactica's original CAG was killed when the main squadron was destroyed during the Cylon attacks. Captain Adama had been visiting for the decommissioning ceremony and after the attacks he was the most senior pilot on board and the only one even remotely qualified to be CAG."

"Hmm. So how come you weren't with the squadron when it was lost, lieutenant?"

"Ahh…I was…um... I was in hack, sir."

"What charge?"

"Striking a superior officer, sir."

"That's a serious charge. I'm surprised Commander Adama let you get away with keeping your rank, lieutenant. Care to let me know why?"

"I guess it was because he was short of pilots and I'm the best there is and the only qualified flight instructor on Galactica." It was said without any hint of arrogance, just a statement of fact. Cain nodded, acknowledging with a slight smile: she always appreciated a crew member who knew their own worth.

"And the civilians?"

"They are lead by President Laura Roslin." Cain frowned.

"The secretary of education?"

"She was the only member of President Adar's cabinet to survive the attacks, sir."

"Oh well, I suppose it was only to be expected. Now what kind of ship is the Astral Queen?" Oh Lords, how did she answer this one?

"Umm, it's a transport, sir."

"And who's in command?"

"Well there is a pilot and full crew, but if there's a commander then it's Tom Zarek."

"Tom Zarek? The Sagitarran terrorist? Wasn't he in prison?"

"Well Zarek and most of the other…er….people…on board the Astral Queen were on their way to parole hearings when the Cylons attacked."

"It's a prison transport? You've kept a ship full of prisoners alive all this time?"

"They've been pretty useful sir. We've needed manual labour on several occasions. Most of them would have finished their sentences by now and I think the president figured that we could use every human we could get when there were only a few thousand of us left. Zarek's even become a member of the Quorum for Sagitarron." The admiral studied her thoughtfully for a few moments and then she nodded.

"Well I'd like to meet with Mr Zarek on the Astral Queen as soon as it can be arranged. Now tell me lieutenant, how did you end up on a prison ship? Not as an inmate I hope." Kara laughed and explained about the Cylon attack and the problems with the Astral Queen's FTL drive.

"You've been back to Caprica?" Cain asked with interest.

"Yes, sir." Kara didn't think she needed to elaborate on the fact that she'd actually been twice.

"And?"

"It's a nuclear wasteland, sir. Nothing left."

"Damn. I was hoping that at some point we could stop these endless hit and run attacks and take our planets back."

"Sorry, sir. I'm not sure that we'd want what's left of them. That's why we've been trying to get back to Galactica's fleet, but it would appear that they've been jumping quite frequently over recent weeks. They had left us a hidden communication with the latest jump co-ordinates, so we were expecting to find Galactica here when we found Pegasus instead." Cain nodded.

"It makes sense that they've been jumping a lot. We've been tracking the Cylon fleet and they have recently stepped up their jump activity, so I imagine that they must be tracking the Galactica."

"I'd like to search this area to see if they left another marker, sir."

"What sort of marker?" How did she describe Lee's 'map' technique without it sounding incredibly amateur?

"Um…well they left a piece of viper with my name on it. It was cut in to the shape of the system they were jumping to. It's designed to look like debris to camouflage it from the Cylons. I know it sounds kinda crap, but it worked. At least sort of; I mean we didn't find them but we found Pegasus." This explanation sounded lame even to Kara. Cain just laughed.

"Well it's certainly inventive and it can't hurt to look to see if they've left another one. We can then combine it with the information we have on the movements of the Cylon fleet. Give the details to the CAG and ask him to organise a raptor search. You need to report to him anyway; he'll put you into the flight rotation"

"Um…er…..sir…you should know that my flight status for vipers isn't currently active."

Cain's mobile right eyebrow raised in question.

"I'm pregnant, sir."

"Yet you came here in a viper."

"Yes, sir, I was…um….going a bit stir crazy, not flying so I…er...borrowed a viper for bit. Then we ran into some Cylons and I ended up stuck on the Astral Queen. Guess I should have known that stunt would come back to bite me on the ass." The eyebrow shot up even further. "If you'll pardon the expression, sir."

"Don't beg pardon on my account: I like straight talking. I can't condone Commander Adama's laxity in letting his pilots get pregnant, but I suppose after all this time in space such accidents are bound to happen. Anyway, my top priority now is to find Galactica, and you can probably be of more use working with the navigation officer in CIC to review Galactica's route and identify potential locations than in a viper. Report to my XO, Colonel Blake. Tell him that I'm changing the plan: I'm no longer interested in attacking that Cylon comm relay which we discussed yesterday; I want everyone to concentrate on finding Galactica's fleet."

"Yes, sir."

"This has been interesting lieutenant. I'd like us to talk some more. I'm interested to hear what has been happening on Galactica since the attacks."

Kara did her best not to physically blanch at this prospect. Instead she nodded, saluted smartly and turned to leave.

"Lieutenant? One more thing."

"Sir?"

"You're wearing a wedding ring. Is Thrace your married name?"

"No sir."

"And your married name would be…"

"Adama, sir," replied Kara, a tell-tale blush staining her cheeks.

"Well that certainly explains a lot. Dismissed."

Kara accompanied Cain over to the Astral Queen. She had to be impressed with how Zarek handled the meeting. He had gathered as many of his people as possible in the hanger bay so that when the admiral stepped off the raptor it gave the impression of two great commanders meeting one another. He didn't go as far as saluting, but instead took her hand in a strong handshake.

"Admiral Cain, it's an honour to welcome you on board the Astral Queen."

"Thank you Mr Zarek. I have to confess to being somewhat surprised when lieutenant Thrace said that you were in command of this ship." Zarek shrugged deprecatingly.

"War has a habit of making the strangest bed fellows, admiral."

"Indeed it does," she replied enigmatically.

"Would you come this way? I'd like you to meet the survivors that we rescued from Caprica."

He led Cain through to the exercise hall where Sam and some of the others were playing a game of pyramid, obviously another nicely staged exhibition for the admiral. Sam came out of the game and jogged over. He stuck out his hand at the admiral and she shook it in return.

"Samuel T Anders, ma'am. Previously Captain of the Caprican buccaneers and lately leader of the resistance movement on Caprica."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr Anders. I'm just sorry that there wasn't more we could have done to help you on Caprica. If we'd known that there were survivors from the attacks then we would have gone back sooner."

"That's good of you to say ma'am, but I think we both know that the colonies are dead to us now." She nodded then continued in a lighter vein.

"But I see that you've brought a little colonial life with you." She gestured to the pyramid court. "Although I have to admit that I was more of a Tigers fan."

"Well I suppose somebody had to be, but I'll forgive you." He almost winked at her. The admiral blinked at him and Kara was ready to sink through the floor. "Perhaps we could organise a game between the two crews," he suggested.

"I think that's a very good idea Mr Anders. We could do with a good morale booster," she replied with a slight smile and moved off with Zarek.

When they had gone Kara grabbed Sam roughly by the arm.

"God's Sam! She's not a groupie. You can't flirt with her!" she hissed at him.

"A little charm never hurts when you're being introduced to a woman, Kara."

"She's an admiral, Sam; she doesn't do charm!"

"Are you jealous?"

"Jealous? Tssk! Do me a favour and get over yourself! I'm just trying to stop you from getting an unfriendly visit from her marines."

Kara was in her quarters collecting the few meagre belongings that she had gathered since being marooned on the Astral Queen. She was slipping "Lee's" pillow into her bag when she was interrupted by a quick knock on the hatch. Before she could reply Zarek stepped through and closed the hatch behind him.

"Starbuck."

"Zarek. What can I do for you?"

"Cain's asked for a full inventory of the ship and a listing of personnel. Not the usual 'how many people, have you got enough water' type of questions, but weapons, parts and skills. Any ideas why?"

"Not a clue. She probably just wants to assess the capabilities of the ship so that she knows what Pegasus is taking on."

"Well I don't like it." She had to admit that it did seem kind of strange.

"Look, I'll see what I can find out."

"Thanks. And Starbuck." She looked up at him. "Take care of yourself over there."

Zarek's words rolled around Kara's head as they travelled back to Pegasus. He wasn't a man to get easily spooked and if anyone could tell when someone was planning something underhand then it was him. As soon as she got back on Pegasus she started to ask a few discrete questions. She didn't like what she found out. No one was explicit, but reading between the lines it was clear that Pegasus had had a civilian fleet; not as big as Galactica's but survivors of the attacks all the same. It seemed that they had been stripped of everything worthwhile and abandoned. She wasn't sure what she could do if that was Cain's intention with the Astral Queen, but she knew that she couldn't just sit around and let it happen.

She straightened her newly acquired uniform and knocked on the admiral's quarters for the second time that day.

"What can I do for you, lieutenant?" Cain asked, obviously surprised to see her. Kara didn't beat about the bush, but just came right out with her concern.

"Can I ask you what you intend to do with the Astral Queen, sir?"

"Why do you ask, lieutenant?"

"Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"And if I deny it?" Kara squirmed for a moment.

"I'll probably go ahead and say it anyway, sir."

"Are you trying to get a trip to the brig, lieutenant?"

"Well it's always nice to add a new one to my collection."

"Thinking of writing a guide book?"

"Yes, I intend to produce the seminal work!" Cain laughed at her audacity.

"Alright, Thrace, go ahead."

"I've learnt that Pegasus had a civilian fleet but that it was stripped for parts and useful personnel and then abandoned. I don't want to see the same thing happen to the Astral Queen." Cain stiffened and Kara could tell she was angry.

"I'm not going to deny it but commanders have to take difficult decisions to protect their ships and their crews, lieutenant. I'm sure commander Adama has had to do the same since the attacks. I'm not going to answer to you for my actions in keeping Pegasus and her crew going all this time."

"I don't expect you to, sir. I'm sure that you did what you felt was right in the circumstances and I'm in no position to question any decision that you make. However, things may be different now and I'd like to put the case for the Queen to you. I think I'm the most qualified person here to do that as I've been on the ship for some time and I know what she can do."

"That's fair," Cain acknowledged.

"She's well armed, sir and the crew may not be professional soldiers but they're pretty good in a fight. They're keen and willing and what's more they trust and respect Zarek implicitly."

"Do you trust him?"

"I think trust might be the wrong word, but I know that he feels strongly about protecting the rights and welfare of his men. If he gets word that you intend to strip the ship then he won't go down without a fight which would be a waste of resources and manpower on both sides, but if you get him on your side and you show that Pegasus is prepared to work with his ship then he will put all his resources at your disposal.

"Since you've been so candid with me, I'm going to be straight with you, lieutenant. We are low on fuel. We have sufficient for a couple more jumps at most and we're pretty screwed if the Cylons show up. If we take the fuel from the Astral Queen then we have a much better chance of finding Galactica and then we can come back for the Astral Queen with the rest of the fleet."

"But in the mean time, they're sitting ducks, especially if you take any of their weaponry as well. What if Galactica is only one jump away?"

"What if she isn't? I can't risk this ship on that assumption."

"Did you have any options before we showed up?"

"We had identified what we thought was a tyllium mining vessel but it is being guarded by a Cylon basestar. It was going to be our next target after we'd destroyed their comm relay."

"I'll make a deal with you, sir. We jump to the next potential location of Galactica, taking the Astral Queen, fully intact, with us and if the fleet's not there then I'll plan you an op that'll take that mining ship from the Cylons." Cain's eyes narrowed and Kara wondered if she had finally gone too far.

"I don't make deals, lieutenant. I do listen to proposals but not usually from junior officer who aren't even part of my crew. I've already detected a certain arrogant confidence about you, lieutenant, but what makes you think that you'd come up with a better plan than the combined strengths of my command officers?"

"Because I've done it before with an even more difficult target." Cain raised her eyebrow in interest and Kara summarised the successful mission at the asteroid tyllium mine.

"That was hardly a textbook operational plan, lieutenant."

"Well sir, I figured that since the Cylons have already read all of our textbooks you've gotta do something different that'll surprise them!" Cain stared at her for some time and then shook her head.

"Are you this forthright with Commander Adama?"

"Pretty much, sir."

"I have no idea why I'm agreeing to this, but I can't help feeling some faith in you, lieutenant. My gut says that you're as good as you say you are and I've always been one to trust my gut instincts. Bill Adama could always identify a good officer and he obviously has faith in your abilities, even if you are related to him. So OK, I agree that we'll do one jump with the Astral Queen. If Galactica isn't there and you can surprise me first with your plan then I'll consider it." She motioned towards the phone. "Get Zarek on the line."

When they had Zarek on the phone, Kara explained the plan of the jump and the potential op for the mining ship. He knew not to ask too many questions and just agreed. He also didn't pretend not to know what was at stake.

"The Astral Queen is at your disposal, admiral, if she can help in this operation, and thank you."

"Don't thank me, Zarek, thank lieutenant Thrace: she was the one who went into bat for you and she plays a pretty mean game!"

All that remained to do now was to see if they could find Galactica's message. Kara sifted through the debris collected by the raptor. Sure enough there was a piece of viper. This one was marked "Apollo".

"Ha!" she shouted as she grabbed it and held it to her chest for a few moments. When she opened her eyes she realised that she was grinning inanely and the CAG, the raptor crew and most of the deckhands were staring at her like she'd grown a second head.

"I'll take this to the nav officer in CIC," she mumbled and strode off, colour high on her cheeks.

When she got to CIC she explained to the officer what she wanted done. The admiral came over and examined the piece of viper with interest.

"Interesting love letters your husband sends you, lieutenant."

"Yes, sir." Kara couldn't help the blush creeping back to her face as Cain immediately guessed who was actually leaving the messages. "But hopefully it'll work."

They worked out the co-ordinates and arranged the jump with the Astral Queen. Once it was complete Kara held her breath as dradis scanned the area.

"Nothing, sir."

Kara's shoulders slumped: back to square one again. And now she had an op to plan if she was to stop the admiral from going her own way and save the Astral Queen.