Lee frowned; it would take weeks to get back on duty, not to mention he had no idea when he'd be able to fly again. Cottle then held up a vial of pills, "What are these for?"
"Withdrawals, you've developed a chemical dependency on the anti-rad meds. They're gonna be a bitch, nausea, sweat, dizziness and headaches over the next two weeks. When they get really bad I want you to take one of those." He made a note in the chart, "I don't want you working too hard to regain the weight and muscle tone. Light workouts are fine for now, but if you wrench your back I'll put you on a weight restriction, understood? I'll give you another physical in about six weeks to see if you can be cleared for flight duty." Lee nodded and Cottle spoke again, "Clear out."
Lee stood off the bed and picked up the neatly folded blues off the bedside table and ran his hands over them. They were from his things, he noticed the black and scarlet Atlantia patch had been replaced by the black and gold Galactica patch and his fresh rank pins gleamed a little brighter than his old insignia but his wings were right there.
Kara had taken them to the quartermaster to get the proper patch on while he was turning and coughing for the Doc. She had offered his rank pins back, but he told her to keep them, he liked to think he'd have given them to her when she was promoted had he been there. She had also brought Helo some of his blues down, apparently the other Boomer had kept them in the bottom of her locker since the attacks.
He grabbed the uniform and the basic shaving kit a med tech named Ishay had brought him and made his way to the nearest head. The shower he took was a little longer than most, he'd been able to shave off the beard on Caprica but not shower so the first few minutes of it was spent watching black water swirl down the drain.
Once the water was running semi-clear again he began to wash in earnest, enjoying a lengthy shower for the first time since even before the Attacks. Usually, he stuck to short showers, get in soap up, shampoo, rinse off and get out, but like so many other things since Caprica, he intended to enjoy the simple act of showering.
When he was finished, he stepped out of the shower, shaved, messed with his slightly shaggy hair then sat down on a nearby bench and buffed his boots with a towel. Next, he pulled on his trousers and boots and finally his tunic. After a few moments of preening in the mirror, Lee was looking like a recruitment poster… with shaggy hair. He gathered his shaving kit and placed it in an empty locker and left the head.
He stopped a few feet down the corridor when he realized he had nowhere to be and he wasn't really sure where anything was. He started walking somewhat aimlessly in the opposite direction of medical, hoping to find the Ready Room or maybe Ops Planning. After a while he came upon a rather pretty, dark-skinned petty officer coming from the opposite direction. Just as he was about to pass her he said, "Excuse me, petty officer?"
The young woman stopped and saluted, "Petty Officer Dualla, sir."
He returned the salute and made a note of the name, "Could you point me in the direction of Ops Planning?"
She smiled, "I'd be happy to show you Captain Adama."
He shrugged, "I guess I stand out like a sore thumb."
She laughed, "Yes sir, you do. It's this way, sir." She led him down the corridor and in the general direction of the flight deck. After several turns she led him into Ops Planning. Like everything else on Galactica, it was a little run down from his point of view and the lack of computers was unsettling. "Ops Planning, sir."
He smiled at the girl, "Thank you Petty Officer Dualla."
She gave him a warm smile, a little too warm for his tastes, "People call me Dee, Captain."
He nodded, "I'll bear that in mind." He walked over to the file cabinet and began pulling out charts of the Colonies. If he was going to convince the Old Man to abandon this Earth Bullshit and reclaim their homes, he'd have to have a ready-made Op.
&&&&&&&&&
Kara strolled into Ops Planning, she had been off shift for about an hour when she realized she hadn't seen Lee since she left Medical. She walked into the bunk and pulled on a sweat shirt and some cargos then made her way to the rec room. She found Helo talking with some of the other Raptor pilots, when she asked him about Lee he just shrugged and said he'd left sick bay before Lee.
She checked the flight deck and ducked into sickbay to speak with the Old Man for a few minutes when Dee came in to visit him as well. When she mentioned Lee being in Ops Planning pouring over charts, Kara excused herself and made her way down there.
She found him at the tac table with at least a dozen charts spread out before him and a notebook at his side. Despite a haircut that wasn't quite regulation, he was spit and polish from head to toe. She'd always teased him about being a walking recruitment poster. During her sophomore year, she once asked him, "Don't you ever have an off day? Maybe miss a button, or scuff your boot?" He just grinned and went back to his book, but it was a little ridiculous at the moment.
On Caprica she'd seen him dirty and scruffy but it felt like an illusion, as though he wasn't really Lee until he was in uniform again. She crossed the room and looked at his notes over his shoulder. The small, neat block print looked suspiciously like an Operation Proposal. There it was in clear print, "Mission Objectives: 1) Obtain Intel on Cylon Occupation Force on Colonies. 2) Locate and Extract Survivors. 3) Attack and Destroy Occupation Force…"
She shook her head and leaned against the table, "Lee… No."
He didn't turn from his notes, "We have an obligation to the people left behind."
She frowned, "The President will never approve."
"This is a military operation, and I'm taking it to the CO."
"No. I just spoke with the Old Man, and he's assigning you to the Fighter Wing as my Lead Pilot when you get the medical clearance."
"Starbuck…"
"That means I'm your direct superior and I'm telling you no."
Lee's hand hammered down on the table so hard that the lights flickered and his cup of coffee clattered to the floor, he turned on her with fury in his eyes. "I refuse to leave them behind." He pointed to the charts, "We've left too many people behind!"
She scowled at him, "What the frak has gotten into you? When I showed up you were more than happy to get the hell outta there and now you want to go back?"
"When you showed up, I was reasonably sure that the Galactica was getting rescue ops under way. That's the first obligation of the military in a situation like this-"
"'Situation like this?'"
Their argument was hitting full speed so neither of them was really listening anymore, only enough to attack the other with their own words. "Yes! You know, our people suffering under a military force that is capturing and killing people or experimenting on them? The kind of situation where you do whatever it take to-"
"Make sure the human race survives! And running back to the Colonies-"
"Oh, so running off on some wild goose chase to find an imaginary Thirteenth Tribe-"
"'Imaginary?'"
"Imaginary! Earth. Doesn't. Exist! It's a myth, half the High Priests didn't even believe in Earth and I'm supposed to believe that some Frakking Arrow is supposed to point the way?"
"Lee! The President has had visions," She ignored his derisive snort. "Right before we took the tylium asteroid from the Cylons. Those visions came right before we found Kobol. She sent me back because she knew I'd find the Arrow and bring it back. The Arrow will lead to Earth."
Lee rolled his eyes, "Kara, I respect that you take your faith seriously, I always have. But there is no way that Earth is out there. And the odds of the President having these visions? Come on! This sounds to me like she's trying to shore up her power, form a nice little dictatorship."
She took a step back, stunned by Lee's words. "You were the first of any of us to trust her and now you're accusing her of being… a cult leader?"
He shook his head, "I was following her orders when she was doing her job, namely protecting the people of the Colonies, but this is outrageous! While we're on the subject, I find it hard to believe that the Old Man would go along with this farce."
She bit her tongue for just a second, it always amazed her how little slack Lee and his father afforded each other. "Your father put his faith in the President, because you trusted her! They worked together because they both cared about your ungrateful ass!"
She recognized the look on his face and she knew the next words out of his mouth would be razor sharp and cold as space. "'Ungrateful?' I'm being ungrateful because I can't stomach the thought of leaving humanity behind to suffer under the Cylons? I'm ungrateful for wanting to fight for my life? I'm ungrateful for wanting to run the Toasters out of my home?" He stepped right into her face, "Maybe I'm not ungrateful. Maybe, you and the 'President' and my father are nothing more than a bunch of frakking cowards." The punch that she'd never remember throwing sent Lee staggering to the floor.
He got to his feet and flexed his jaw while she looked him over with a cold expression. "Racetrack and Hot Dog found an area they believe to be the Gates of Hera. The Commander has been cleared and I'm leading the surface team to find the Tomb with the President and the Commander. I want you and Helo along. Pack your shit and get some BDUs, we head for the surface in six hours."
She turned to leave when Lee's voice stopped her cold, "No sir."
She turned around and very nearly decked him again, "What?"
Lee gave what could only be classified as a Starbuck smirk, "I'm refusing your order."
"Are you out of your frakking mind?"
He grinned at her and said, "No, I'm pretty sure I'm the only sane one around here."
"You're going."
He shook his head, "No."
She felt her jaw locking as her fury overtook her. Her knuckles cracked loudly, an open threat of what she'd do next. "This is insubordination."
He shrugged, "Maybe."
She silently counted to five, then ten, she was still seething, "Fine. Report to the brig."
He turned on his heel and walked out of the room. Once he was gone, Kara swept the charts off the table with a roar and stormed out of the room as well.
&&&&&&&&&
He'd been in hack for a little over two hours when the hatch came open. He scowled slightly when he found the President standing there before he turned and stared intently at the wall ahead of him. "Captain Apollo." He stared straight ahead, "Captain? I know you're upset Captain, Captain Thrace told me of your desire to return to the Colonies. We have been given a task by the Gods-"
He turned to her and cut her off, "Permission to speak off the record Ma'am." When she nodded he just said. "Save the Earth crap, I don't believe it for a second. If you'd rather chase after dreams instead of saving our people, that's your problem." He turned back to the wall and after a few moments he heard her leave the room and the hatch clang shut behind her.
Another hour passed before the hatch came open again, he heard the guard lurch out of his chair and Lee glanced towards the entrance to see his father in the hatchway. He snapped to attention and saluted. The Commander's gruff voice told them to stand at ease and he fixed Lee with a death glare. He crossed the room to stand in front of him, "Would you mind telling me why you're down here instead of prepping for the mission to the surface?" Lee held his head in a defiant position and remained silent. Adama nodded and said, "Fine, we'll skip the pretense and get straight to what the hell you were thinking."
Blue eyes met blue as father and son stared each other down, "Permission to speak freely, sir?" Adama nodded and Lee said, "I think the mission to the surface is not only ill-advised but considering the end result, immoral."
"Immoral? Finding the next clue on our journey to Earth is immoral?"
"When compared to the rescue of countless human beings left behind on the Colonies, yes sir."
"I see, so you don't believe in Earth?" Lee shook his head, "You think that the President is what, faking? Making it all up? Crazy?"
"Frankly sir, I don't care what she is, what I do care about is taking back our homes. I care about killing those tin-plated frakkers and sending them all to hell. I care about finding our families."
Adama nodded, "You mean your mother."
"Yes sir."
"Have you considered the possibility that Caroline is dead?" He knew it was a low blow, but he had to make his son see reason. He could see that Lee was clinging to the hope that somewhere on Caprica, his mother was waiting for him to find her. He turned to the guard and gestured at the door, moments later he was sitting on the cot with Lee pacing in front of him. When Bill could take no more he said, "Son."
Lee stopped and sat down next to his father on the cot, "It took me days to reach Caprica City, I had to duck patrols and travel by night. All the crap the bombardment had kicked into the atmosphere had turned the weather on its ear which slowed me down further. I picked up the essentials in Caprica City and hit my apartment for some clothes then I made my way to Athens."
Bill nodded quietly, he knew his son well enough to know when to get out of his way. "Her home was still there, basically untouched. Hell, other than the lawn needing mowing it looked perfect, but when I went inside I couldn't find her. No sign that she'd left in a hurry, no clothes hanging out of dressers or half-eaten meals. She was just gone." His head fell against the wall with a thump and he sighed sadly, "I figured, if I could survive there long enough, I'd find her and take her off the planet, but there was no sign of where the Cylons were taking people. There were no signs of people, period.
"Then I found Kara in the museum and I knew if I could get to Galactica, I could talk to you and we'd find her. We'd save mom together. I know she's there, she has to be. I don't want her to be gone, it's not fair."
Bill watched his son struggling with the death of his mother and his heart ached for him. They'd never had the kind of relationship where he'd be able to comfort his son, even by simply putting his hand on Lee's shoulder. He was reasonably sure if he tried it now, Lee wouldn't accept it. "Son, she's gone."
He banged his head against the wall twice and muttered, "Damn it."
"You need to understand what happened in the first days after the attacks. We'd jumped from Ragnar and had taken some losses in the escape. We were at a memorial service and I could see the crew was ready to lie down and die. That's when I thought of Earth, I told the crew I knew where it was and I'd lead them there."
Lee looked at him with a shocked expression, "You? You don't even-"
Adama nodded, "I know. But they needed something to fight for, I gave them Earth. When the President and I discussed it, she agreed. We talked over a lot of things, including you."
His son nodded, "Starbuck told me."
"Then you should know that the President and I are united about this. We will not return to the Colonies, we're going to the Tomb and then we'll go looking for Earth." He watched Lee's expression go sour for just a moment before it hardened and held all the emotion of a stone. "As an officer, I expect you to follow orders and do your duty."
"Yes sir."
Bill got to his feet and started for the door of the cell, "Lt. Agathon has your equipment-"
Lee then snapped out, "I'm not going down there. I don't believe in Earth and I don't believe in your little quest." When Bill turned to him, Lee bit out. "I'll perform my duties, and when I get clearance, I'll fly in your air-wing, but I want nothing to do with this bullshit."
"Lee-" He stopped himself then sighed, "Very well, Captain Thrace didn't press charges so this incident will not go on your record. You'll be released in the morning." Then he was gone and Lee was left to try to bury the hope of finding his mother.
&&&&&&&&&
Sharon looked up from her cot when she heard the hatch come open. She found herself surprised at the sight of Lee walking over to the phone. She crossed her cell and sat in front of him and picked up her receiver. When Lee picked up his she said, "I thought you went with Helo and Starbuck last night?"
Lee shook his head, "I spent last night in hack." He was staring intently at his free hand and he looked like something was very wrong.
She frowned, "Apollo?"
He looked up at her with haunted eyes, "I have to tell someone, it's something I don't think anyone should know and I think you'll understand better than most."
She nodded, "Okay, I'm listening."
He sighed and looked away again, "I never should have left Caprica." He replaced the receiver, stood up and turned away. She tried to get him to come back but he left too quickly and Sharon was left to wonder why Lee had fallen so far since making it to Galactica.
End Part