Kestra smiled as Lee's raptor landed outside the city. She approached as soon as it had touched down and waited patiently for the hatch to open. To her surprise, the man who walked off the raptor was not Lee but his father.
"Admiral," she greeted him in confusion. Bill nodded, and after he stepped off she saw that Lee was right behind him. "Lee," she said with a smile. Lee came forward and hugged her briefly.
"Good to see you. Sorry if we confused you. The Admiral doesn't get planet side much," he said warmly. He turned to his father expectantly, but Bill remained silent. Kestra looked over her shoulder.
"School just got out Admiral," she said. Bill furrowed his eyebrows.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked gruffly.
"I thought you'd like to know," she said with a grin. Bill grunted noncommittal and walked away, with feigned indifference, toward the school. Kestra smiled as she led Lee toward the city. "So, to what do I owe this visit?" she asked as they walked.
"A shipment of antibiotics and the generosity of my XO," he said.
"Ah, Lieutenant Dualla strikes again," Kestra said.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Lee asked.
"She comes down here even less than you do, Lee. I don't think I've ever seen her off duty," she replied.
"Well, some of us still have jobs to do. Not everyone can muster out and live down here as civilians," he said. Kestra looked at him curiously.
"Do you think the cylons really will find us?" she asked.
"It's practically impossible to see anything through that nebula. I can't imagine they'll find this place," he said.
"We did."
"By accident," he added quickly, "the odds of the cylons repeating that mistake are slim." Kestra nodded slowly but raised her brow.
"But you still think they could?"
"Why do you say that?"
"Because you keep using words like 'probably' and slim' instead of absolutes. Someone who really thought we were safe wouldn't sound so unsure of himself," she replied. Lee rolled his eyes.
"Do I think it's crazy to let all of our personnel leave before the fight is over? Yes, but we can't just hold people back because we're afraid they'll find us someday. We've got to hope they never find us, and in the meantime, we keep living our lives."
"Very eloquently put, Commander Adama," she said with a smile. Lee smiled too.
"Thank you. I'm thinking of using that speech when I challenge Baltar for the presidency," he joked. She laughed as they approached the hospital tent. A woman with a young child exited the tent as they approached.
"Morning Doc," Lee greeted as they came in. Cottle looked up at his greeting and scowled.
"You'd better have those antibiotics, Commander," he said gruffly, "I've got more sick people down here than I have healthy ones and nothing to give them."
"I brought them with me. Just wanted to make sure you were ready for them," Lee said. Cottle rolled his eyes.
"I've been ready for them for weeks. At this point we'll be lucky if people don't tear the tent apart trying to get them," he grumbled.
"Aren't we dramatic today?" Kestra asked smugly as the three of them walked back to the raptor with a couple nurses in tow. Cottle narrowed his eyes at her.
"I'm always this way," he argued, "you wouldn't find it so strange if you'd drop by every once in a while." Kestra smiled as she took his arm.
"I have a job, Doc. I can't stop by all the time," she said sweetly. Cottle made a disconcerted noise as he shrugged his arm away.
"Excuses. You haven't been to visit me once in the last month," he said. Kestra crossed her arms and raised a brow.
"Are you pouting?" she asked, amused.
"No, I'm complaining," he corrected her. Kestra laughed.
"Well, I apologize for any inconvenience I've caused you with my absence," she said.
"Thank you," Cottle said in feigned offense. They made it back to the raptor and began unloading the antibiotics. Kestra and Lee helped the staff of the hospital unload all the antibiotics, and Kestra promised to visit Cottle again soon before they left for the day.
"Are we going out to the lake?" Lee asked as Kestra led him through town. She shook her head as she walked ahead of him. They approached the pyramid court, and Lee saw that a large group of people had gathered.
"What's this?" Lee asked.
"Pyramid tournament. Sam set it up," Kestra said with a smile. Lee glanced around and found Anders standing with his arm around Kara's shoulders talking to Jean Barolay. Kestra watched him stiffen as he studied the group. "Is this going to be a problem?" she asked calmly. Lee looked at her with remorse in his eyes.
"No, it's fine. It'll be fun to watch," he said. Kestra nodded and led him to sit in the dirt with a few other spectators.
"You know it would help if you talked to her," she said as they walked. Lee looked at her like she'd asked him to chop off his hand. "She's your best friend, Lee. Whatever happened between you two, is it worth losing her?"
"She's the one that left," he said stiffly. Kestra resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
"She didn't want to marry you, Lee. She didn't leave your friendship. You did that," she said. Lee scoffed but ducked his head abashedly when Kestra stuck him with a withering look.
"She lied to me," he said, "she made me believeā¦" He shook his head.
"Do you want to go?" she asked impatiently. Lee shook his head more vigorously.
"No, no we're here to have fun. I won't cause any problems. I promise," he assured her.
"Okay," she said, turning back to the court. Lee looked at her and put his hand over hers before looking out at the court. Kestra stiffened but did not move her hand away from his. She glanced at him briefly and relaxed as she turned back toward the first game which was starting. Just as the match got underway, Jammer ran up to the pair.
"Kestra, Kestra come here. Quick," he insisted as he pulled her away from the other spectators. Lee, who's hand was still holding Kestra's, followed along behind them.
"Jammer, what's going on?" she asked.
"We need you to play," he said quickly.
"What?"
"Chief didn't show up. Duck and I can't play alone," he replied.
"I can't play. Why doesn't Duck ask Nora?" she asked.
"Nora won't play. Come on, Kestra. You helped us practice. I know you can play."
"Barely. I can't play in a tournament."
"Come on, it's just for fun. We won't be able to play if you don't," he pleaded. Kestra looked into his puppy dog eyes and sighed.
"Fine," she said quietly. James laughed, picking her up and spinning her around.
"Thanks, you're the best. Come on, we'll find you some equipment to wear," he said dragging her away. She turned back to Lee and mouthed 'sorry' as she was drug away. Lee laughed as he waved her away.
"Good luck," he shouted as she disappeared. Duck was able to find Kestra some makeshift knee and elbow pads for Kestra, which was impressive given the last-minute substitution.
"So, who are we playing first" she asked as they watched the teams on the court play. Jammer grew quiet at the question and Kestra turned sharply to him.
"We're playing Anders' team," Duck said from the other side of him.
"Anders?" she said incredulously, "are you trying to get me killed? Starbuck hates me."
"It's just a game Kestra. Starbuck won't do anything stupid," Jammer said, though not convincingly.
"Have you met her?" Kestra asked sarcastically. Both men looked at her nervously then shrugged. Kestra rolled her eyes as the game before them ended. They all stood up and began walking toward the court.
"Don't worry. It'll be fine," Duck said encouragingly as he patted her back.
"Thanks," she said both nervously and irritated. Anders, Starbuck and Jean stepped out across from them. Starbuck and Kestra made eye contact, and Starbuck's eyes narrowed. Kestra smirked at her opponent. The match started and Anders took off with the ball right away. He and Jean moved with easily rehearsed motions from their years of professional play, and Kara kept up on nothing but her own athletic ability. Jammer, Duck, and Kestra scrambled after them, but they scored easily within the first few minutes of play. The crowd cheered halfheartedly. Everyone knew that Anders' team would be the one to beat, and whoever played them in the first round was getting the short end of the stick. Jammer got possession of the ball and passed it to Kestra. Kara came barreling towards her, but Kestra was able to pass it off to Duck just before she was plowed to the ground. Lee stood up sharply as Kestra's body flopped to the ground beneath Kara. Kara got up quickly and Kestra followed her at the same speed. Lee let out the breath he had been holding when they went down and was now glaring at Kara. She'd deliberately been more violent with Kestra than the other players. Jammer made eye contact with Kestra, and she nodded confirmation that she was alright. While she was down, Anders had regained possession of the ball. Kestra brushed off her pants and dove back into the fray. Sam's team dominated the game, but Kestra and the boys were able to keep them from getting too far ahead in points. Sam currently had the ball and threw it at one of the walls. At a run, Kestra jumped over Sam and intercepted the ball. The crowd went wild as Kestra quickly passed the ball to Duck, who was unguarded and scored easily. Though they were by no means winning, the play was certainly a morale boost for the team. They started playing off each other better going forward. Duck had run up to block Starbuck, and when she threw the ball at the wall, Duck blocked her while Jammer intercepted the ball. He passed it to Kestra who got to a neutral zone while Jammer and Duck spread back out across the court. She faked a throw to Duck and sent the ball to Jammer, who scored over Jean's head. They were starting to score points and the crowd was becoming increasingly interesting in the game. No one had been expected to compete well against Anders' team, especially not in the first round. Anders and Jean were clearly taking it more seriously than they had in the beginning, and they scored another goal quickly. Kestra got control of the ball, and Starbuck was on her in seconds. She stepped back into a neutral zone, and Starbuck made a point to block her path from her team. Kestra lofted the ball over Starbuck to a wall, and instead of following the ball Kara stopped to elbow Kestra in the gut. Kestra doubled over as Kara darted after the ball and caught it. Lee was on his feet again yelling furiously at Kara. She couldn't hear him, because the crowd had a similar reaction to Starbuck's play. Kestra, however, recovered quickly and was on Kara in seconds. She tackled her from behind, taking Kara completely by surprise. Kara lost her grip on the ball, and Jammer caught it. Kara glared at Kestra as she rejoined the play. Lee saw the look in Kara's eyes and got more nervous for Kestra than he already was. Kara was furious, and when she got like that no one knew what she'd do. She darted toward the play and as soon as Kestra was passed the ball, she flew at her. Kestra, however, was prepared for this. As soon as she got the ball, she tossed it up in the air and stepped back into Kara, who was knocked to the ground by this unexpected resistance. Kestra caught the ball and passed it to Jammer before Kara could get back up, and he scored. On the next play Anders and Jean made several stunning passes to each other before finally passing it to Starbuck. Once Starbuck got the ball, she refused to pass it and proceeded to take on Kestra one on one. Kestra easily kept up, much to Starbuck's surprise and irritation. Kestra forced Kara into a neutral zone and knocked the ball out of the air when she tried to throw it. Both women dove for the ball, and Kara, perhaps unintentionally, punched Kestra across the face. Kestra fell, and Kara missed the ball. Jammer and Duck ran over to Kestra who had sat up and held her bleeding nose. Lee was having immense difficulty resisting the urge to run to Kestra's side or punch Starbuck. He remained alarmingly still as he watched Jammer and Duck talk to Kestra. He didn't relax until they helped her up, and Duck led her off the court.
"I think the game's over," Jammer said to Anders. Sam nodded.
"Yeah," he said as he looked at Kara with his eyes narrowed. Lee had immediately gone around the court to meet up with Tucker and Kestra on the other side. Nora was already there with some ice and rags to stop the bleeding. Kestra thanked her as she sat down.
"Are you alright?" Lee asked urgently. Kestra nodded.
"I'll be fine. It's just a bloody nose," she said dismissively. Lee scowled and turned away, but Kestra caught his arm. "No. I'm not gonna let you use me as a reason to pick a fight with Starbuck," she said firmly.
"Somebody has to say something. She was out of line, and she ruined the game," he argued.
"We were losing anyway," Kestra deflected.
"That doesn't change the fact that she punched you."
"It could have been an accident. We were both going for the ball."
"Kestra, that was not an accident. She had it out for you the whole game."
"It certainly looked that way," Nora interjected meekly.
"I don't care if she did. You're not speaking to her about the game, because that won't do you any good. It'll just make you and Kara more irritated with each other than you already are, and it won't fix anything," she said pointedly to Lee. "I don't want you to make a big deal out of this. Please." Lee deflated at her plea and nodded his head in agreement.
"Okay, but you're sure you're alright?" he asked with concern again. She smiled and winced.
"Yeah, it's just gonna be sore for a bit," she said.
"Maybe we should see Cottle. Make sure it's not broken," Lee suggested. Kestra was about to protest when Nora interjected.
"You should make sure you don't have a concussion either. It looked like you fell pretty hard when she punched you," she said. Kestra sighed in defeat.
"Alright, fine," she agreed. Lee smiled and helped her up.
"Good game, Kestra. That was awesome," Jammer said excitedly as Lee led her away.
"Thanks for making me play," Kestra said with a smug smile through the bloody rags. Jammer laughed.
"See you around," he said as she turned away. Lee led Kestra back to the hospital tent. Cottle looked up when they came in.
"Back already? What the hell happened here?" he asked as he took in the bloody sight before him.
"Pyramid and Starbuck," Lee answered.
"Ah," Cottle said, nodding as he led Kestra to a cot.
"It looks worse than it is," she said defensively.
"Well, that's for me to decide, isn't it? So sit down and let me do my job," Cottle said sternly. Kestra smiled and winced as she held her nose gingerly. Cottle did an examination and determined that she had no concussion. Her nose was broken, but he set it there and put a bandage over it.
"You should warn me if you're planning on making a habit out of broken noses," Cottle grumbled as he finished, "now you ice that, and come back here if the swelling doesn't go down. And stay away from the pyramid court."
"Yes sir," Kestra said sarcastically. Cottle rolled his eyes.
"Get out of here. I've got real patients to see. You're fine," he said gruffly.
"Thank you, Doc," she said as she gave him a kiss on the cheek before leaving. Lee followed her out with an apologetic smile for the doctor. The pair walked toward Kestra's tent and ran into the Admiral and Laura on the way.
"Oh my gods, what happened?" Laura said as she caught sight of Kestra's swollen nose and the bruise that was forming over it.
"I played pyramid and it got a little violent," she said dismissively.
"What? Did you get punched in the face?" Laura asked as she examined the wound.
"Yes," Kestra said meekly. Laura's eyes widened.
"Was it on purpose?"
"Probably not," Kestra said evasively. Laura looked to Lee who shrugged. Bill raised an eyebrow at Lee, but Lee just shook his head at his father. "Listen, I'm fine so let's just drop it," Kestra said.
"Did you win the game?" Bill asked curiously. Kestra rolled her eyes.
"No, but we were never going to win to begin with. They had Anders and Barolay. There was no way we were going to beat them," she complained.
"I thought you were just going to watch the games?" Laura asked.
"Well Galen didn't show up, so I had to play for Duck and Jammer," she explained.
"Why didn't the Chief show up? Are he and Cally alright?" Laura asked with concern. Kestra shrugged.
"I don't know. Jammer didn't tell me why," she said.
"Maybe we should stop over and see if they're okay," Laura suggested. Kestra nodded in agreement, and the four of them changed direction toward Galen and Cally's tent. When they arrived Lee knocked on the door. Galen answered it quickly.
"Oh, Commander. Admiral. Hi," Galen said, clearly flustered by their presence at his home.
"Sorry for the roll out Chief," Lee said, looking back and noticing that they'd shown up with a commander, admiral, and the former president on his doorstep, "we just missed you at the pyramid tournament and wanted to make sure everything was okay."
"Oh," Galen said, surprise, "thank you. Cally just wasn't feeling well so I stayed home with her. Everything's fine though. Thanks for your concern."
"Good," Laura said with a smile. Galen looked back at her and noticed Kestra beside her.
"Oh my gods, Kestra what happened to your nose?" he asked. Kestra smiled ruefully.
"I took your spot on the team," she said. Galen looked mortified.
"I'm so sorry. That looks bad," he said. Kestra waved off his apology.
"It's not your fault. Starbuck's been looking for an excuse to punch me in the face since I got here," she said with a laugh.
"Starbuck did that?" Galen asked. Bill shot a pointed look at his son, who frowned and avoided his gaze.
"Yeah, but it's not as bad as it looks," Kestra replied to the chief, "I'm glad you and Cally are okay, though I'm sorry I couldn't do you more justice in the tournament."
"Nah, if we played Starbuck's team first there was no way we were getting any further anyway," Galen said. They laughed at that and then bid the chief goodbye. Eventually the four of them made their way back to the raptor.
"Well, we'd better be getting back," Bill said to Lee. Then he turned to Laura. "It was good to see you again, Laura."
"You too, Bill. Take care," she said, resting her hand briefly on his chest. Bill smiled as he turned back to the raptor.
"I probably won't be able to make it back down for a few weeks," Lee said to Kestra.
"That's okay. I'll see you when I see you," she said with a smile.
"I'm glad you're okay," Lee said, running his thumb gently over her nose.
"Thanks. It wasn't really that bad."
"Well, goodbye then."
"Goodbye." Lee reached out to hug her, and after a brief hesitation, she returned it. "See you later, Lee." Lee smiled and nodded as he turned back to the raptor and departed.
