Two hours earlier he and Galen heard gunshots followed by Lee yelling and they wondered if Apollo was rescuing them. Several minutes passed and the two men stood tense in their cell waiting for anything, they could hear Lee calling for marines and then the hatch came open and he entered the cell with two in tow a few minutes later.
He picked up the wall phone and told the flight deck to prep a raptor for immediate launch then turned to one of the marines with a scowl, "Open the cell."
The cell came open and Karl could see blood splattered on Lee's sleeve and his right cheek, Galen asked the question Karl had been about to ask, "What's going on sir?"
"The Admiral's dropped the charges against you and I'm getting you back to Galactica before anything else can happen."
It wasn't until they were off Pegasus that Lee explained that Baltar had helped the Cylon prisoner escape and that she had shot and killed the XO before Lee had gunned her down and arrested Baltar. When they landed on the Flight Deck, Apollo found the nearest phone and called CIC while Karl and the Chief were welcomed warmly.
The whole time the two officers were trying to make their way off the deck and get to Sharon. When they finally broke free of their friends, Karl ran through the corridors almost as urgently as he had on his way to stop Thorne.
When the hatch opened on and he saw Sharon safe and alive he skidded to a halt, frozen with relief. Sharon looked up and her eyes lit up and his legs moved again. He looked at the marine and she unlocked the cell door and pushed it open, Karl was through it and in Sharon's arm almost instantly. He buried his face in her hair and squeezed her tightly against him.
He heard Sharon choke on a sob and a laugh then press her cheek against his. Her voice was little more than a whisper across his ear lobe, "I thought I lost you."
He pressed his lips against her ear and said, "I thought you did too. I love you so much."
She stepped away from him and sat down on the bed, pulling him along before she wrapped herself around him, "What happened over there?"
He sighed, "I'm not sure. From what Lee told me, Cain had a change of heart and pardoned us. He and the Pegasus XO were coming down to the brig to release us and get us back to Galactica when Baltar helped the Cylon prisoner over there escape. The Cylon killed their XO before Apollo killed it and then he got us out of hack and brought us here. I think he's still on board."
Sharon smiled, "It doesn't matter Karl, I have you back and that's all that matters to me."
Karl was unsure how much time was spent drinking in each other's presence but at some point the cell door opened. They turned and looked up to find Lee at the door, he was still in his flight suit but he'd pulled off the top half and had tied it around his waist. He cleared his throat and said, "I'm sorry to interrupt."
Karl watched Sharon smile, "You're not." She pointed to the chair in the corner, "I've told you before that you are always welcome here."
He sighed, "I wouldn't say that just yet." He pulled the chair over and slumped into it, "You see, there was a moment a few days ago… When Admiral Cain promoted me and named me CAG, she told me she planned to return to the Colonies and fight the Cylons off."
Karl frowned, he remembered speaking to Lee not long before the attack on the Resurrection and noticing him wearing the insignia of a Major. "She promoted you after the Chief and I were arrested?" Lee nodded, "Why are you-"
Lee coughed and looked away but Sharon spoke instead, "You feel guilty." Lee just nodded and she continued, "You feel guilty because when Cain offered you the chance to go back and find the survivors, something you've wanted so desperately since we left that you were willing to do anything to help her."
Again Lee could only nod. Sharon untangled herself from Karl and she stood over Lee, "You feel ashamed because for a moment, just a fraction of a second, the offer of saving the Colonies, and by extension the hope of saving your mother, you would have done everything she asked of you. In that moment, you didn't care about consequences because there was a way to get what you wanted."
"Yeah," He finally looked up, "I didn't know the specifics, and I didn't know Thorne attacked you-"
She placed her hand on Lee's shoulder and he could see her debating her next words. "What do you want, Lee? Do you want me to forgive you or do you want me to condemn you?"
When he looked up into her eyes Karl could see what it was that he wanted from her, "You came down here for Sharon to punish you. You want her to tell you how horrible it was to give in to temptation, even for a moment, to get what you wanted at others' expense." He shook his head, "And here I thought it was Kara with the martyr complex."
Sharon sat back down on the bed and just looked at Lee, "I wish I could understand this need you and Kara have to punish yourselves when you didn't do anything, all I know is that you didn't betray anyone."
Helo looked at him, "Maybe if you told us what happened since Cain promoted you it would help."
He shook his head, "The President and the Commander asked me to kill the Admiral and I was going to do it." Karl was stunned, what the hell had happened in the last few days? Mutiny, open warfare between two battlestars, and the President ordering assassination, not to mention that the would-be assassin had been ordered by his own father to do it. "What's worse is I think Cain knew I had been ordered to kill her and actually wanted me to do it. She gave me this speech about doing what had to be done, even when it was wrong and I just looked in her eyes and it was as though she was about to tell me to kill her herself."
Karl sighed, "Boy, I never thought I'd long for Caprica, but at least we didn't get caught up in power struggles there. What happens now?"
Lee shook his head, "I don't know, the Admiral says she's going to be spending the next few days with the President and the Commander discussing what happens next. I imagine Karl and Galen will go back on duty-"
Kara's voice startled all three of them, "Not for a couple of days, I want Helo well rested before he has to endure six hours cooped up in a raptor with Flat Top while he tries to flirt with the female pilot who has the misfortune of being on CAP with him." She threw Karl a wink, "Good to have you back, Helo. Enjoy your little vacation?"
The ECO got to his feet and he and Starbuck gave each other an enthusiastic embrace. Karl then pulled back and grinned, "Frankly the accommodations sucked, I much prefer to be in hack here on Galactica."
She grinned, "I'll remember that. Now, I was hoping to borrow Major Adama for a moment, it'll give you two lovebirds some time alone."
She gripped Lee by the elbow and hauled him out of the cell. After a moment Karl sighed, "Those two pretty much deserve each other."
Sharon smiled, "They're good together, they make each other better." Her smile became a smirk, "Besides, this way I don't have to compete for you with Kara."
He grinned, "Oh? Well I don't have to compete with Apollo over you. Then again…"
She gave him a mock scowl, "You make a joke about just getting another Sharon for him and I'll break your arm."
He held up his hands in surrender, "I wouldn't dare."
&&&&&&&&&
Kara led Lee out of Sharon's cell and into the corridor before she spun on him, "Kat saw blood on your flight suit, are you alright?"
He grinned, "I'm okay, it wasn't my blood. It was Fisk's."
She nodded, "Good, you have to be careful when I'm not around to protect you." Lee started to protest but she cut him off, "Don't start. What the hell happened?" Lee didn't answer just grabbed her hand and pulled her down the corridor. He found a utility closet and led her inside.
He dogged the hatch and proceeded to tell her everything; Roslin and Adama's mission, the things Cain had done, the minutes spent in CIC and then the shootout with the Cylon. Then he told her about the conversation he had with Sharon and she finally spoke. "Gods Lee, this isn't getting any easier, is it?"
He shook his head, "No, I'm almost afraid to ask what's next. I'm not sure what to think anymore."
She ran her fingers over his cheek and pulled him into her arms. She didn't really have the words Lee needed to hear, she didn't even know what words would make this situation Lee was in better. Cain, Adama and Roslin had all manipulated him in the last few days and it didn't seem to be coming to an end anytime soon. All she wanted at that moment was to say that one thing that would make things a little easier for him but she wasn't sure there was anything that could, so she did what she was able to. She held on.
&&&&&&&&&
Three days had passed since the Cylon had shot Colonel Fisk. Baltar was now awaiting trial for treason and they'd held Fisk's funeral that morning. As Lee had been changing back into his blues, the Admiral had paged him to request his piloting duties as she had a meeting with the Old Man and the President.
Two hours passed with Lee sitting on the wing while they hashed out whatever the pressing issue was. He tried to engage Flat Top in conversation but stopped to let the raptor pilot flirt with one of the deck hands. A young man Lee vaguely recognized as one of the President's aides approached him. "Major Adama?"
He nodded, "Billy, right?" When he nodded Lee spoke, "I've seen you with Dee once or twice."
The younger gave him an open smile, "She's great. She's very fond of Commander Adama, the whole crew of Galactica is."
Lee actually smiled, unlike six months ago when the Chief made a similar remark about his father, Lee didn't feel the resentment just pleased that his father inspired such loyalty. "Well, he's a good man."
Billy nodded and his face became all business, "The President would like you to join them in her office." He held out his arm in invitation.
Lee nodded then followed Billy up to the President's office. When he arrived he found the President sitting at her desk with his father and Cain across from her, at the couch was the Vice President, Marshall Bagot. The Virgon native along with Wallace Gray, the representative of Caprica, had been instrumental in reforming the Quorum and Bagot had been elected VP during the last election.
He stood at attention and saluted, "You asked for me Madam President?"
She smiled and waved him in, "Yes Major, come in."
He came to a stop in front of her desk and the President began again, "As you know; the Admiral, Commander, Vice President and I have been meeting to discuss the future of the Fleet as well as many of the things that have happened to bring us here. The Scylla Incident, the Olympic Carrier, the late Tom Zerek's attempt to riot on the Astral Queen among others. Needless to say, we've had a lot of ground to cover." She paused to stifle a cough and Lee could see how sick she was looking. He'd heard rumors that the President had terminal cancer and he wondered how much time she had left.
Bagot gave her a sympathetic look before he picked up for her, "We've come to a compromise. The incidents with Admiral Cain's Fleet cannot be ignored, but it also cannot become common knowledge. No one outside of this room or the crews of Galactica and Pegasus can ever know what happened for fear of all out riot. Admiral Cain has taken full responsibility for the Scylla and has agreed to a reduction in rank to Commander. She retains command of Pegasus but Commander Adama-"
Roslin spoke again, "Vice Admiral Adama will take over military command of the Fleet. There were some concessions that Commander Cain has asked for. First; I understand that you, Captain Thrace and Lieutenant Agathon have been in the process of planning rescue operations on the Colonies, the Commander will be overseeing the operation now and she plans to expand the operations to include Virgon. The Admiral will still have final approval of the mission as well as the office of the President. I wish to have the more pressing matters to the Fleet handled before we consider rescue mission, so it will be sometime. In the meantime, we will continue on the journey to Earth.
"Second; Dr. Baltar will be tried by a military tribunal on Galactica. Colonel Tigh will oversee the proceedings and you and Captain Kelly will sit on this tribunal. Captain Thrace will act as the prosecution while Lieutenant Gaeta will be serving as Dr. Baltar's defense attorney. The trial is scheduled to begin in seven days." She turned to his father, "Admiral?"
Bill turned to him, "Commander Cain's last request deals with the loss of Colonel Fisk. She is in need of an Executive Officer; she's requested you take that position."
Lee felt his eyes go wide, "Sir?"
Bill nodded, "You won't receive a promotion and you'll have to decide on a new CAG as I understand that the former CAG on Pegasus is no longer a senior pilot."
Cain finally spoke, "As of tomorrow, you'll be temporarily assigned to Galactica while Colonel Tigh familiarizes you with your new responsibilities as well as to serve on the Tribunal, once Baltar's trial is over you will return to Pegasus."
Lee nodded, "Of course."
Roslin spoke again, "Congratulations on your new assignment Major, for now I think it would be best if you left us. Billy will brief you on your duties during the trial. That will be all."
He saluted and followed Billy out of the office. As he left, his last conversation with Kara came to mind, "Never ask what's next again Lee."