Once again this chapter is going along with EofJ. Please review...
Lee turned to look at Kara and walked to the back of the building. "Well I thought that went really well."
Kara stood still frozen in her spot. "He'll do it."
"He better. I need you do to give this to Dee. Tell her that she is in charge of the patrols on the ground. You will be flying your Raptor so suit up." Kara didn't acknowledge him as she stared out of the small window of the building. "Kara…" Lee cleared his throat, "… Captain Anders did you hear me?" Lee voiced how much he hated that Anders was her last name. Thrace was so much better though Adama wasn't bad either but he knew now that wasn't going to happen.
Kara snapped out of it and looked over her shoulder. "Yeah I'm in the air after I give this map to Dee. Got it." She walked up to Lee and grabbed the map from Lee's hands. "Permission to speak freely, Sir?"
Lee looked up at Kara from his holder and bullet vase. "Permission granted Kara."
"See that's it Lee. What the frak are you doing? What was that in the Raptor? Are you trying to ruin my marriage? I'm happily married to Sam I chose him. I want him not you. If I didn't want him yes things would have turned out differently between us. But that will never happen. For frak sake's Lee I'm carrying his child."
Kara flashed back to the night on New Caprica before she married Sam.
"Give me a tour, of the future life of Kara Anders." Lee asked as him looked around the grassy field on New Caprica that Kara and him were standing in.
"I'm not getting married." She bluntly told him as she crossed her arms.
"Well then, uh. What's the point Kara? I mean you love him, right?" Lee asked walking up to her. "Right?"
"Where are we going with this, Lee?" Kara asked raising an eyebrow.
"Well now that's the question, isn't it? Where are we going? And what if this, this is it? The rest of your life, Kara. Is this how you want to spend it? Is this who you want to spend it with?"
"You said that you weren't going to marry him Kara. We shouted to the heavens how much we loved each other." Lee said as he walked up to the table. "Then I wake up the next morning and the first thing I heard is that you ran over and quickly married Anders."
Kara sighed and moved from leaning on the table to walk up to the door. "I chose the right guy, Lee. He's the one I want to spend the rest of my life. Go back to Dee." Kara pulled on the door and walked out to the other building.
Sam needed time to cool down. Deep in his heart he knew that Kara loved him. Hell, she wouldn't have allowed herself to get pregnant or stay pregnant if she didn't really truly love him. Her flying meant too much to her to do without it for any length of time unless she was forced. He watched her in the few months of their marriage before she was taken, she'd been happy but he could tell that there was just something missing and he knew that it was being that hotshot pilot she once was. But she loved him so she sacrificed her career to be with him on New Caprica.
Sam sighed and ran his hands through his dark hair and shook out most of the dust. He'd allowed himself to be lead by jealousy once again. Now that he stopped and thought about what he witnessed, he could see that Kara's arms weren't around Lee, but, his mind also saw that she wasn't exactly struggling either.
He swore to himself and forcefully threw the little rock he'd picked up against the side of the cliff their buildings were up against.
"Sam?"
Anders spun around to see Jean Barolay look at him with deep concern.
"Are you alright?" She asked.
"Not really," he admitted to his long time friend and teammate. "Hell Red, I don't know what the frak is going on." Jean grabbed hold of his arm and drew him over to sit down on a large flat rock and urged him to tell her what had happened. He did so almost reluctantly for there were things that he didn't like to talk about with anyone but Kara. That said, Jean had been with him longer than anyone else on the C-Bucs. They had been high school sweethearts but they both knew that anything other than close friendship was not for them. There were more like brother and sister than lovers.
"Oh Sam, you know that Kara loves you," Jean said placing her hand on his arm in a comforting gesture.
"I do know that. But seeing them locked at the lip like that..."
"There has been buzz around that Major Apollo and his wife aren't exactly as happy as one would think."
Anders nodded. "That isn't any reason for him to move in on Starbuck," he bit out getting angry all over again.
"You're right of course. But that should tell you that it's all the Major's doing. Don't jump to conclusions."
Again Sam nodded feeling just terrible how he'd treated Kara. He swore viciously more at himself than anyone.
Kara walked into the other building finding all the other military personnel, which wasn't much, were already there. Walking up to Dee, she slammed the map on the table before hiding in the back of the group.
Dee unfolded the note in the map and read it aloud. "Okay, Major Adama wants us to set up forward observation posts hardwired back to base for communications. The Ops are going to be staggered at strategic locations giving us as much warning as possible if there is a Cylon advance. Since we only have one Raptor, Captain Thr- Anders," she corrected herself, "will fly point."
"Oh joy." Kara rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest, resting them on her swollen stomach. 'Sam is not going to like this at all', she thought to herself. 'What if something goes wrong?' She stopped thinking that as she thought that she just jinxed herself and continued to listen to what Dee was trying to pull together not really know what the hell she was saying.
"Wireless is dead so if you do make contact do not engage. Fly to the closest observation post have them relay the information back to command. Be sure to note force strength, direction of march and position." Still leaning over the map, Dee pulled out a pencil and began to write something down.
Feeling like she was back in Fleet training as a Cadet, Kara let out a Starbuck comment. "I have flown recon once or twice, Lieutenant."
Dee smirked as she started marking up the map. "Griggs, you and Varrick are going to set up an observation post here. Penick and Ditco, you go here. Fischer and I are here. We go in an hour."
Everyone left in the building but Kara sat down in the chair nearest to her. She slumped back in the chair, and ran one of her hands over her stomach as the other tried to run through her tangled hair. She played with the baby as the kid kicked at her hand when she woke it up. Feeling him or her move inside her made it seem so real and before she knew it an hour had passed.
"Alright crouton you ready for our last flight together?" Kara asked while rubbing her swollen round stomach. She laughed as the baby gave one giant kick at Kara's hand. "I take that as a yes?"
Pushing herself up and out her chair, Kara walked out of the building and straight to her Raptor. Something caught her attention in the corner of her eye. It was Sam and Jean together, arms linked with Jean's red head on Sam's shoulder. Kara knew all about Sam and Jean's past which did not bother her until now. Now she wanted to pull out her sidearm and shoot them both in the head. Instead she swore under her breath and continued to walk to her Raptor more furious than before. "That Son of a bitch is going to get it." She glared one last time at Sam.
Opening the hatch of the Raptor, Kara slipped on her helmet and sat down. She felt naked with out her earpiece in her ear, but wireless was knocked out. She sighed and started up the Raptor, checking her preflight-check list. Within seconds after checking, she was off the ground and back in the air. Which this would probably be the last time she would fly until the baby was three months old.
Sam stood at the front of the room and told his small group of civilians what they were about to do. "Okay here's the deal. We're outta options. The Cylons have got us pinned on this rock and our only way outta here is to hold this place until Galactica can send a rescue party. So I've divided you into two teams." Sam leaned over a map spread out on a table and pointed out to various places.
"Okay, team one is going be distributing ammunition throughout the camp. Team two is going to be making homemade Tylium mines." He glanced up meeting the eyes of his people, "I know that's not glamorous work, but we're going to need the extra firepower in case the Cylons decide to take a shot at us."
Sam paused for a moment and rubbed a hand over his face in the vain attempt to keep the sweat from rolling into his eyes.
"Look, I know some of you are scared, and that's okay 'cause I'm scared too. If we keep our heads and we do our jobs we can do this. We can all get out of here in one piece. Now Barolay has a list of your names and your assignments make sure you get with her. See you outside."
He watched as they disbursed and set out to gear up. He had several things going through his mind as he went over to the table that had his gear laid out. Smoothly and methodically Sam began to suit up.
Lee joined him straightening out his own gear. "That was good, honest. You make a good officer. Marines are lucky that they have you."
Anders silently scoffed. "An officer, huh. Like you? Someone who swears an oath, knows how to keep it?" He asked deliberately making sure that Lee knew just what he was talking about. "I have kept my oath after I swore in."
"I'm not really sure what you think is going on."
"Don't insult me, I'm not stupid. I know my wife. I know how she is, how she was. We've been married for a year and a half. She chose me and I chose to marry Kara, and that's my business. But you? I don't know what the hell you think you're trying to do here. For gods sakes Lee, she is carrying my child."
"I know that she is having your child, Sam. We all know!" Lee looked away then looked back at Sam "Look, I'm trying to fight a war. I'm trying to get these people off this rock in one piece," he shot back.
"You sure do make time to search out for my wife day and night. I'm warning you, leave her alone." Sam finished and grabbed up his rifle, his face a cold mask faced Lee, "I'm fed up of this game yours. It's over." Then he turned and left.
Dee and Sergeant Fischer reached their post in the northern valley. Dee picked up her radio, "Green base fox fire one. Green base fox fire one we are open for business, over."
In her Raptor, Kara began scouting the area making sure that no Cylons are on the planet and with her luck she spots a heavy Raider with at least five Centurions. The alarms starts buzzing as the Cylons shot surface to air missiles at her Raptor. "Son of a bitch." Kara sent out a message down to Dee at her post. "Tell me you're seeing this."
"She's relaying a message. It's Centurions." Two missiles started tailing Starbuck's Raptor. One of them cliped the right side of her Raptor. "Starbuck's been hit! I say again, Starbuck's going down!"
The alarms of the Raptor are screaming in Kara's ears, the controls caught on fire, which were burning through her flight suit, and Kara had lost total control of the Raptor. Pain exploded in her legs, chest and hands. Lords of Kobol, hear my prayer, she thought distantly, her mind clear despite the frightening insanity around her.
Kara never saw the ground coming closer and closer to her and what seemed like a life time she finally hit the ground. A shear pain crossed her chest as the dashboard of the Raptor crashed into her, pinning her to her seat. The last thing she remembered before blackness enveloped her, was the strange sensation that over whelmed her. Like death was finally taking her.
"Anders!" Came a shout from behind Sam. He turned to see one of his people running toward him. "Major Adama needs you," the man said panting. "He's waiting in the tent."
Sam, with a sense of foreboding hurried to the compound and the tent. Sam's heart about stopped when Lee said that Kara's Raptor had gone down. "What do you mean she's gone down, gone down where?" He asked heart racing.
"Somewhere in the north valley." Lee replied then turned to one of the men around him. "Okay, get your men on the line full ammo."
"Whoa, what about Kara, we're going to send out a rescue party right?" Sam asked staring in disbelief at Lee.
"Uh, no. We don't have the manpower we have to defend the position."
"Lee, she could be dying out there." Anders said.
"Yeah I know that Sam, I know. We can't help her. We have to hold our positions."
"Are you outta your frakking mind?"
Sergeant Matias said stepping in, "Major's right. We don't have any troops to spare if we're going to hold this position."
Anders looked at the woman as if she and Adama were insane. "Screw this position. Listen we can take those hills, use guerrilla tactics, that's what I've been talking about this whole time!"
"No that is not the mission." Lee yelled back.
"This isn't just some gods damn wind up tin soldier, this is my wife we're talking about!"
Lee faced Sam and jabbed his finger into the taller man's chest. "Yeah I know who she is! And I have known her and cared about her a hell of a lot longer than you!"
"You think you know who the frak you are! I am going after my wife!" Sam yelled losing his patience with Lee.
"I can't let you do that." Lee said almost softly.
"I am not asking you for permission." Sam now glared down at Lee.
"Sergeant Mathias." Lee ordered.
Turning to leave Sam was stopped by the good Sergeant's raised pistol aimed dead center on his chest. "Are you kidding me, are you going to shoot me now?"
"I can't let you go, I need you on the line, I need you commanding those civilians. I'm sorry Sam, but you cannot go."
"I'm sorry too, Major. But you can't stop me." Sam said intent.
Kara didn't know how long she was knocked out cold or even where she was. She was passing the north valley when her Raptor was hit but she could have landed somewhere else with all the wind blowing around her. She tried to move but every time she did a sheer pain flashed across her chest making her gasp for more air. Some how the fire that engulfed her and her Raptor was put out by the wind and she was glad for that. "This is all Lee's fault. He should have been flying not me! I'm going to kill him."
At first she didn't even noticed that the Raptor landed on its side, that her helmet was cracked and how lucky she was that she was alive. She did notice that she was bleeding but didn't know where it was coming from. There were blood stains on the broken windshield of the Raptor and the piece of metal that held her in place. She tried again minutes later to move the dashboard off of her chest but failed. She even tried moving her legs but it was like her lower half wasn't responding to her will to move. Frustrated with herself she was exhausted by the time she quit trying to free herself from the crashed Raptor.
She froze when she saw what was in front of her. Gods she might as well been stuck in a nightmare that was never ending. He came up to the Raptor, gun drawn, wearing a black shirt and a cargo pants. She had made herself so tired that she didn't even put of a fight when he pulled the rest of the broken windshield out of his way to get to her.
"Hello Kara," he softly said.
TBC
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