Adama had fitful dreams that night after the visit from Rene's son Jason, and he wondered when he woke if the dreams he had were his own. His dream began as an echo of his old life. He was running down the streets near his home on Caprica, a morning ritual of his when he was home with his family. He would wake early so he could enjoy the quiet of the neighborhood, sometimes even before dawn so he could watch the sunrise while he quieted his mind and worked his body. As Apollo had grown into a teen and a young adult, he often joined his father for the morning run. Adama would have liked to say those were bonding experiences, but they ran in silence, both lost in their own thoughts. As the years had gone by, Apollo would begin the run beside his father, then easily outpace him, and would be waiting on the porch for his return.
But in this dream, it was late in the day, verging on evening. With each step he took, the quiet street once lined with neat houses, slowly decayed around him. The wind picked up and whipped at his clothing as thick raindrops pounded the pavement. He heard the sound of boots hitting the ground. It was not Apollo by his side outpacing him. It was Starbuck. The young man kept reaching for him, encouraging him to run faster as the flames ate at the landscape around them. The pilot was not in his uniform, but clothing made of leaves, and he was insistent that they keep going despite the burning in Adama's lungs. The sound of the raiders taking aim on he and Starbuck startled him awake.
The dream felt so real. Drenched in sweat, it took Adama a moment to get his bearings and slow down his heartbeat. As the pale gray walls of his quarters on the Galactica solidified, so did the message of the dream in his mind. They were alive and needed help, but Adama had no way to get to them. He could only hope they kept running.
He decided he would meet with Starbuck's new family that morning. He would swing by the bridge first hoping there was some good news to report. As he was greeted by Omega, it dawned on Adama that he had not conveyed to Lt. Crius and the others the information he did have from the woman who acted as the leader of the group. The warriors had been taken prisoner by those they had gone to rescue. The woman, Gia, had readily shared with him the dire situation that had forced her husband Avery to such an extreme action. The Cylons had taken many of the group's children captive.
"They came one day while we were out looking for food. They are keeping them alive and we don't really know why. We know where they are and we've tried to rescue them, but…" Gia said, her demeanor defeated and resigned to never seeing her husband or those children again. "I told him he should come with us, that they were lost to us, but he said he had to try. He thinks they are learning about humans from them, learning how to more efficiently exterminate us."
Adama understood and found himself forgiving the man he had yet to meet. Had it been Boxey or any of the children of the fleet, he would have done the same, or worse. The survivors on Caprica needed their help. He did however remind the woman they could have simply asked for the assistance.
"Had we known, I would have sent more warriors and we could have…"
The woman interrupted him. "Begging your pardon sir, but we did. They told us that we could not expect a large group to come save us. They were clear that we are not winning against the Cylons and that it was a risk to save us."
Adama had wanted to amend that assessment, to assure the women from Caprica that they could depend on the support of the fleet, but he was unsure if he would have agreed to such a risk. No, his warriors had been correct. They were not winning against the cylons and he was suspicious of Rene's abilities. He would not have endangered warriors for a rescue mission on Caprica, even though it was children. He wanted to be upset that even Boomer would not think to inform command, to allow him to plan a rescue mission, but Adama recognized that Boomer had accurately predicted Adama's decision. Rene had bluffed her way into forcing Adama's hand. He wanted to think that in the end it had been his decision, but that wasn't really the case here. He had heard loud and clear that if he did not give permission for the mission, it would have happened anyway with perhaps even more dire an outcome.
The fleet had grown by close to fifty individuals due to the Copper Squadron rescue mission, but for now he kept those women and children hidden, tucked away in the lower storage bay repurposed for a playground. He would use children, much like Rene had used her dream drawings, to justify the loss of his warriors to the council of twelve. But for now, he'd give his warriors more time. His only proof, a dream. He hoped to find more proof today. His warriors weren't lost to him yet. He would hold onto the hope that they would return and the gamble would justify the wager.
He entered the bridge just before shift change, nodding to Omega and telling him to carry on as Senior officer of the watch. Adama descended to the lower levels to check the scanners and communications. Rigel had the comms and pulled him up a chair to detail for him the results of the latest scans. Unfortunately, it was good and bad news. They quadrant was clear of any contacts, friend or foe.
"Here comes Spooky the Phantom," Rigel whispered to him as. Adama looked up to take note of Lieutenant Nik who was standing off to the side, almost in the shadow of the command dais. It had come to Adama's attention that the crew of the Galactica had nicknames for most of the draftees from Caprica. Lieutenant Rene they called Duo as she was rarely alone, and her friends Lizbet and Jake were the twins, as they two were rarely found anywhere without one of the others. They had begun calling the dark haired young warrior the Phantom as he rarely spoke and often was found lurking in the dark corners of any gathering.
"Spooky? Does he frighten you, Flight Corporal?"
"It's not that he scares me," Rigel confessed to the commander, "I just don't see him coming and then he's there. He's pretty intense, and then he's gone. He's been doing that all night, coming and going."
Adama observed the Lieutenant, noting that he did not acknowledge any greetings sent his way. Instead he flinched and tried to melt into the background. The cruel nickname fit him well. Adama wanted the young warrior to feel welcome, for all of Starbuck's new family to feel as if they were a part of the Galactica family, but he suspected that without Starbuck there to soften the stares, to field the questions, and to reassure the younger members of Dilmun's warriors, they may never feel at home. Adama was not one to give up however.
"Maybe if we made him feel more welcome, he may seem less intense, Corporal. Inform the others that he is to have free range of the bridge, and maybe even offer him some java. He could use some friends right now."
Rigel clarified Adama's request, but in far different words. "So treat him like a stray feline. Let him approach, no sudden moves, lure him with treats?"
Adama had wanted to correct her, but her assessment might be the most productive way of dealing with the young man.
"Yes, set out the bowl of cream." Adama waved the young man over, reminding himself to keep smiling as the Lieutenant looked over his shoulder to verify that the wave was directed at him. Adama got up from the chair, moved slowly towards the young man, speaking his name softly. "Lieutenant Nik, would you like to take my place? You are welcome to, but I was on my way to speak with your ….your squadron." The word felt far too formal to Adama and he quickly corrected himself: "Your family, that is, on what we do know of the situation."
The young man spoke so low, Adama had to lean in to hear him. "No word yet?"
"Not yet, but there is still hope." He reached out a hand to place on the Lieutenant's shoulder, having forgotten Rigel's words. Like a stray feline, the dark haired Lieutenant darted away from the gesture, heading for the corridor to flee to safety.
Adama had hoped he'd made some progress after the request by Jason in his office that they halt the fleet, but as he followed the young man's retreating form, he recognized he had far to go. Perhaps it was time to force Starbuck's family into other quarters to facilitate their integration in the fleet.
He quickly changed his mind after meeting with the family that morning. It had not been easy. His presence was disconcerting and he obviously disrupted the normal operations of the morning routine. It broke his heart when little Kiff had fled in terror from Adama. On the day they built the play structure on the storage deck, Kiff had no problems interacting with him, but Adama had been dressed differently. Maybe it was the intrusion first thing at the start of a cycle, or maybe it was the blue uniform. Or maybe it was the fact that all of Adama's interactions with the children had been in Starbuck's presence. Without his surrogate son as intermediary, the children feared him, and the warriors were wary.
As soon as Adama crossed the threshold, Lieutenant Crius had come to his feet, nearly dropping a child from his lap in his haste to greet his Commander at the door. The Academy trained warrior had obviously taken lessons from the Starbuck School of Social Etiquette and Evasion, as Crius stood before Adama, inviting him in as he also blocked his progress into the chambers. It was as if Crius was trying to shield the rest from harm. Adama winced as he realized that was precisely what Crius must have had to do on more than a handful of occasions.
Adama kept his visit brief and promised updates on a regular basis. He emphasized that his own son was amongst those missing and that they should keep their hopes up. Their return should be imminent.
It was the "Yes sirs" that disturbed Adama the most. In Starbuck or any of the Warriors from the Galactica it would have been considered so overly emphasized as to border on mocking and facetious. But on the Caprica draftees, it had the ring of expected servitude, ingrained in fear of reprisal. He let Lieutenant Crius rush him out the door this time. Like stray felines, it would take time and patience to help them come around, as well as repeated exposure to kindness.
Once back on the bridge, Adama checked his schedule, shifting some of his obligations to make sure that through the cycle and the ones that followed that he had time to visit with those of Starbuck's family.
In the middle of the morning, he dropped by the training in which most of the Zakar pilots were enrolled. All eyes were upon him when he entered the room, hope bursting at his presence as he silently shook his head "no", then uncomfortable glances his way as he lingered to observe the training. He slunk away and thought maybe it would be best if he adopted Lieutenant Nik's habit of blending into the shadows.
The same hopeful eyes greeted him when he chose to eat in the mess hall with the trainees. But the eyes quickly slid away and refused to make contact with anything but the food before them as he shook his head "no". By mid-afternoon, he realized that perhaps he should avoid those of Starbuck's family until he had something to report. His presence was not building trust and confidence, it was just making the warriors uneasy. Adama felt the pain of Starbuck's absence. He needed the man and his unique insight now more than ever.
But he did not give up on his chosen course, stopping by the chambers after the evening meal, bringing with him mushies and a storybook that Boxey had enjoyed when he was younger. Crius was away on patrol, and he almost abandoned his plan when he was met at the door by Lieutenant Dara who nearly jumped in shock when she opened the door to his presence. The activity in the room froze as he entered, the only one to move being the teen, Jason.
"We are still waiting, right? The fleet didn't move, did it?"
It was the only good news Adama had to offer. "We haven't moved. I promised and we will wait."
As Jason nodded vigorously and thanked him, Adama did not fail to notice how the children slowly seemed to gravitate to behind Jason, so he spoke only to the young man. "I thought, with the absence of so many, that you may need help getting the children to bed. I brought a story I think they might like."
Jason had nodded hesitantly as he looked to those not much older than him around the room for confirmation. Some secret sign must have been conveyed as the boy looked to another teen, the one named Cain who had very boldly reminded Adama that Starbuck sat at the head of the table. "Starbuck normally sits here," the blonde teen reminded him again, only this time as an invitation to take the seat. Adama was reminded of feeding wild animals while camping, the slow fluid movements needed to not frighten the timid creatures. He imitated those movements as he crossed the room, took the seat, opened the book and began to read. The tension in the room began to thaw with each word he read of the daring adventures of Hobbes and his journeys through the ancient twelve worlds. He read more than one of the tales, each with a happy ending.
When he closed the book and looked at those around the room, he found all eyes upon him, some hopeful, some puzzled, and a few still fearful. He closed his own eyes, uttering a small prayer. "Let this chapter have a happy ending."
He quietly wished them a good night, and slowly exited the room. He headed for the bridge to make one last check of the scanners before retiring himself to find some sleep. As he checked the scanners, Rigel cast him a smile.
"Looks like you have a shadow." She nodded her chin over to the dark haired warrior, who rather than hiding in the shadows had taken a few more steps towards the consoles.
"Your advice was helpful, Corporal. Keep the bowl full of cream, will you?"
"Yes, sir." She smiled as she produced an extra cup of Java, the name Nik scrawled on the side.