Oasis (Part Six)
It takes the Cylon's a day to build the work camps, which are contained in one massive compound with meagre yard space. In each camp there are sparse self-contained work barracks and accompanying quarters – small wooden huts, lined-up side-by-side in parallel lines. Families are allowed to share quarters, everyone else is divided by profession.
There are communal showers, toilets and a mess hall, where all meals are eaten. The humans are allowed to fraternize at mealtimes and for three hours each night. Everyone has an ID pass that they must wear around their necks at all times. Random hut searches and id checks are par for the course, and the colonialists soon grow accustomed to the invasion of privacy.
Roslin is permitted to teach and act as representative of the survivors, but her powers are limited. If she puts forward a suggestion that the Cylon's veto – there is no appeal.
After the assassination of twenty-nine people in the second week of their confinement, the entire compound keeps a low profile. Growing tired of Roslin's 'ineffectual' way of doing things, Zarek led an uprising. He and his followers attempted to over-throw the centurion guards and take possession of Colonial One. They failed, were tied-up and shot dead in front of the colonialists. As a consequence of the unsuccessful rebellion, the compound regulations tightened and no one among the people questioned Laura's methods again.
Every other night, Thrace makes her way to Roslin's camp and gives the President messages and updates from Tigh or Tyrol, whom she sees on work detail. Those involved in the escape plan are very careful about how they communicate. They rarely acknowledge each other openly, having developed a series of codes and hand gestures to communicate instead. Nothing is ever written, and maps and comm. devices are prudently hidden.
It has been four weeks since the Cylon invasion of New Caprica. Four gruelling weeks. Laura wonders how much longer they'll have to wait before they can implement their plan, she feels the people's restlessness, she shares it, she's just better at exercising patience.
She does have moments of agitation, however. Anger builds within her, why had she let Adama talk her into giving-up the election? Her methods to keep the Presidency may have been corrupt, but at least the people would be safe - she wouldn't have led them to ruin. Laura curses herself. She should have been stronger, should have fought Bill on the issue - made him see that they had no alternative but to steal the election. Laura stares at the wall of her prison camp hut. Regret is pointless. What has come to pass is done. Self-pity will get her nowhere.
She hears the familiar coded knock of Thrace and opens her bedroom window. Starbuck slips in through the gap.
"Good news," Thrace whispers.
"The comm.?"
"The Chief finished it today."
Roslin grins. "Thank the gods!" she exclaims; they have their route mapped-out, all that remains is contacting Galactica and a rouse to divert the Cylon's. "Tell Tigh to meet me at the safe house tomorrow at 13:00 hours," Laura instructs the pilot.
"Yes Ma'am."
Laura contemplates the young woman for a moment, then asks. "How's Anders?"
Starbuck's expression darkens. "Not good…the doc says he doesn't have long."
"I'm sorry," Laura offers and places a comforting hand on Kara's arm.
Starbuck nods. "Thanks," she doesn't like to dwell on it, so she changes the subject. "Bet you can't wait to see Lee again."
Laura smiles. "It's what keeps me going," she answers truthfully.
"Knowing Lee, he'll be worrying himself sick until your safe return. He's got it bad for you!" Starbuck grins mischievously and then slips out of the window and into the night.
Roslin sits on her bed and forces back the tears that threaten to fall. She twists her wedding ring around her finger, wondering where Lee is now and if he feels as inconsolable.
Lee lies in his bunk, gazing at a photograph his father gave him, it's a picture of his and Laura's wedding day. In the photo they are dancing together, his arms wrapped tightly around her. He closes his eyes and remembers the feel of her… his arms ache with want and he eventually falls asleep, imagining Laura is lying beside him, where she should be.
Adama sends the Blackbird into Cylon occupied space to gather intelligence, with no transponders or recognition codes; it goes undetected by the Cylon fleet and allows them to find a weakness in their enemies armour. Now they have enough information to guess a window in the Cylon's space, and he has ordered the Raptors to be modified, to give off the same stealth signals… then they will be ready for a rescue mission.
Lee had wanted to go on the Blackbird recon mission, but Adama didn't trust him to think straight – he was too distracted – so obsessed with finding Laura that he probably would have gone off-course in some mad-dash to save her and ended-up getting himself killed.
Adama worries for Lee; his son isn't taking the situation well… What will happen if Laura doesn't make it? Adama shivers, it doesn't bear thinking about.
Roslin makes her daily journey to the medical centre. She has learnt that the experiments hurt less if she volunteers. She also gets extra privileges for co-operating – privileges she can use to further their escape plan.
She lies on the lab bed, deathly still, and closes her eyes as needles pierce through her skin, as wires are attached to her body and monitors beep their results. Cylon doctors fall over themselves to test her and what her body is capable of.
Laura endures it. She thinks of the wooden bunks she asked the colonialists to be provided with instead of roll-up mats – because they needed the wood to support the tunnel walls they are digging beneath the work camps, leading under the parameters of the compound's heavily guarded gates and electric wire fences.
She thinks of the clock she asked for, and was given, that Tyrol used for parts to aid in building the comm. device… and when the pain becomes too much, when courage starts to fail her, she thinks of Lee. Of his lips kissing the hurt away, of his arms enclosing protectively around her, his eyes soft and tender… and she can bear it.
Tigh arrives at the safe house – the name they have given to the children's tree house in the Taurean Forest. The Cylon's don't know about it and it is easy for both of them to reach from their camps without raising suspicion.
Laura is already waiting. They check that neither of them has been followed – the tree house gives them clear sight in all directions for a quarter of a mile. Assured that they have not been pursued, they set about business.
"The comm. works!" Tigh whispers. "Tyrol got a frequency this morning. We need to set a date."
Laura beams with joy at the good news. "The Cylon's are planning a 'Union Day' celebration next week, there's going to be a massive party at the Hall in the Cylon's compound – I heard two nurses discussing it at the medical centre – most of them will be in attendance, I think we should do it then."
Tigh nods. It's only then that he takes in her appearance; she looks drained. He knows the Cylon's conduct experiments on her and it turns his stomach. But she never complains, never backs away from her responsibility to the people and for that, she has his complete respect. He'll never utter another word against her.
"How are you feeling?" he asks.
The question startles Laura – she must look like crap if Tigh is concerned enough to ask.
"I'm fine," she answers.
He can see she's uncomfortable with the subject and he doesn't really know what to say anyway, and they have little time, so he gets back to the matter at hand. "Did you get the tubing?"
"Yes," she answers. "I smuggled it out of the lab today, it's behind the usual dumpster."
Every time she takes things from the medical centre she's endangering her life, Tigh knows this, but they had miscalculated how much tubing was needed to supply the tunnels with oxygen. They had run out yesterday and were forced to stop work until extra tubing could be found. The risk was unavoidable.
"I've got to get back," she declares, checking her watch. "Good hunting, Colonel."
"You too, Madame President."
Laura descends the ladder and rushes through the woods, back towards her camp and the school tent.
Adama stares at the screen, reading and re-reading the message. It's from Starbuck. It was brief; "All safe. Imprisoned. Break-out planned," encrypted co-ordinates, time and date are attached. Bill grins. The Raptor's have been successfully modified and are now ready for use; it was time to put the fleet back together.
Sure the message isn't a Cylon trap, Adama makes a ship-wide announcement. The ripple of applause, whoops of joy and sighs of relief on the Bridge are overwhelming. Adama imagines it throughout the fleet and smiles.
In CIC aboard the Pegasus, Lee hears his father's announcement and a tremendous sense of relief floods him. Laura is okay, she's alive, his friends too… he looks at Dee and they both grin. He hesitates for a second and then hugs her – it's such happy news, all animosity is forgotten.
Everyone who made it onto the list casually makes their way to the engineering barracks at their allotted time. Tigh ticks them off the list and one-by-one they make their way through the tunnels and come out on the east side of Caprica Lake, where they are met by Thrace, who gives them directions and then they make the ten mile hike up the mountains to the meeting point where Tyrol is co-ordinating the Raptor flights.
Festivities for the newly pronounced 'Union Day' between Cylon's and Humans are in full swing. Music, laughing and talking can be heard all across the compound.
Roslin is too high-profile to take part in the overall escape, she is due last. Roslin is in her quarters, putting together a bundle of personal effects, ready for her swift departure when she hears the thud of centurion footsteps approaching her hut. Laura's pulse quickens, what did they want with her now?
The door opens and a Sharon model steps into her room. "Your presence is requested," the cylon states.
Panic fills Laura, but she retains her calm exterior. Any excuse she comes-up with for not attending might arouse suspicion. She thinks of faking an illness – but they would drag her to the lab and give her a work-up. So she smiles and nods her consent.
As they reach the gates leading to the Cylon's compound, Laura senses movement to her left and turns her head to see Gaeta crossing the yard. She gives him the distress signal – a subtle hand movement – and sees him give the acknowledgement gesture in return. Laura feels slightly alleviated - at least the others won't waste time waiting for her.
Laura soon finds herself in the town hall. Centurion's stand guard while human-cylon models and humans mingle, drink, dance and talk. There is a bar, waiters walking around with trays of food and drink and music is coming from somewhere. Several of the colonialists are surprised at Laura's arrival, they know that tonight is the escape and that something must have gone awry.
Sharon hands a glass of wine to Roslin, who takes it and smiles politely. "Thank you."
Valerii nods. "I wanted to talk to you about the future. Obviously, it won't always be like this between our people. This is just temporary. It's my hope that one day, Cylon's and Humans can live side-by-side in peace."
"I see," Roslin manages.
"You're a smart woman, Laura, the people listen to you. I trust you'll advise them to do what's in their best interest. The sooner you accept that this is gods will, that we want to love you, the sooner you will earn your freedom."
Roslin holds Sharon's eye. "I always try and do what's in my people's best interest, I promise you that."
Valerii smiles and nods. "Good. Then we'll have a harmonious future. Enjoy the party," she says jovially and turns from Laura and moves beside other human-cylon models.
Laura sips her drink, her brain running through various ways to get out of here and back to the compound.
Stepping into the engineering barracks, Gaeta moves quickly beside Tigh, who ticks him off the list. "Right on time Mr. Gaeta," Tigh remarks, relieved that it was all going so smoothly.
Gaeta takes hold of the XO's arm and leads him to one side, away from the ears of the next group waiting to go through the tunnels.
"I just saw the President being taken to the hall – she gave the distress signal."
"Frak!" Tigh exclaims and slams a worktop with his fist.
Lee paces the hanger deck, he was told that Laura would be on the last convoy, she isn't. He sees Kara and Tigh among the last group as they exit the Raptor and rushes towards them.
"Where is she?" he demands.
"She didn't make it," Kara tells him.
"What happened?"
"She got taken to the Cylon's compound at the last minute – we waited as long as we could," Tigh promises.
Lee glares at them both in disbelief and disgust. "You left her behind?"
Starbuck steps towards him. "Lee – we made a pact, if anything went wrong, to go ahead regardless. It's what she wanted."
Apollo pulls back from Kara, shaking his head. "No," he says. "I am not leaving her down there."
He turns and is faced with Adama, whose eyes are filled with sorrow at the inevitable. "What are you going to do?" Adama asks.
"I'm going to take a Raptor, fly down to the planet, find my wife and bring her back," Lee states.
Adama steps aside for him. "Good hunting, son."
Lee boards a Raptor and climbs into the pilot seat, he is about to shut the hatch when Dee races aboard.
"I'm going with you," she declares as she sits at the helm and snaps her safety belt in place.
Lee frowns. "Dee - "
"You need help navigating. Please Lee, let me help. I owe you."
With no time to waste, Lee agrees. All he cares about is getting Laura back and an extra pair of hands could be of great help.