Chapter 6: A Sky Darkening
Laura Adama stood breathless at the tent flap, watching the Centurions marching down the streets of
New Caprica's only settlement. Behind her, Bill came up and held her steady, her hands shaking at the corner of the flap.
Rain had begun to fall on the settlement as the Cylons landed their vessels, basestars orbiting above. The Centurions did not react to the weather, but the group of humanoid Cylons did. Laura felt her body tense as she caught the face of an Eight, hair done up like Boomer and looking blankly around her.
Bill she felt remove one of his arms from her waist, gently touching the top of the scar from his emergency surgery.
"It's her." He croaked, emotion sticking like syrup to his throat. So much pain, but still all the love he held for all his crew buried within. Laura turned her head into his shoulder, the flap dropping and hiding the young woman from view.
"She chose to be a machine." she hissed, desperate to smother the hope in him at Boomer's presence, "She isn't Lt. Valerii. She can't be like Sharon."
His arms returned to her waist, holding her to him as he stared at the silhouette of the very woman he once called one of his own daughters. The figure stopped and spoke.
"This her tent?"
Quickly stifling a gasp, Laura shoved him away, ushering him towards the back, where their bed was separated from the rest of the tent by a heavy burgundy curtain. He helped her douse the light on the nightstand as she hurriedly tossed his uniform jacket in a trunk.
Moments after she'd shut the lid, Boomer entered flanked by two Centurions. Laura jumped back, and Bill had to bite his lip to stop himself from going to her side.
"Boomer." Laura said, anger barely contained. Bill scrambled to the head of their bed, where a gap afforded him a good view of both Laura and Boomer.
"Mada—Mrs. Adama." She said, slipping for just a moment from the flat tone she'd acquired since the deadly evening in CIC to the voice they both remembered. Just for a second, she sounded almost pleased to see his wife.
"Who told you? Baltar?"
"Yes. We've already secured Colonial One and the President."
"What do you want with me, then?" Laura demanded, still every bit the President despite the loss of her office.
Boomer looked at each of her guards, waving them away with one hand, "Leave us." which both Centurions obeyed without even a 'by your command.'
Once they were gone, Boomer's face changed and she was much softer looking, kinder somehow. Laura remained steely in her bearing, leveling her best glare at the Cylon.
"I'm here to warn you now before you start a resistance. You won't win. And my sisters and I don't want blood. We're not going to enslave your people, either. This isn't a overthrow."
"Do you seriously expect me to believe that? From the woman who shot my husband?"
He saw Boomer flinch, watched her take a deep breath with her eyes closed, before she spoke again.
"Look, its over. We're here in peace. The bombings were a mistake, all the models agree. We're going to be just towards you now. I'm simply telling you not to try and aggravate things. The last six models may have leiniency, but the Ones would love to see the Admiral's wife lead a charge and be hung for it." Boomer growled, narrowing her eyes in what Bill thought was more an act than anything else. He had a feeling she was only repeating a line.
"Good day, Mrs. Adama." The Cylon said, turning and leaving through the flap. She stopped for a moment on the other side, and both Adamas waited silently for her to move.
"I assume she was alone?" Said a woman.
"Yes, he must have been offplanet when we arrived. No doubt both ships are long gone." Boomer's voice replied.
"Whats the smirk for?"
"Nothing...just something from my old life. Helo would owe me thirty cubits."
Days went by as the Cylons settled over them. Centurion Troopers marched up and down the rows of tents at night, and during the day were stationed along the main dirt road and near the foundation of the main building that was to house the Cylon overlords. Bill, by the third week, was going stir crazy cooped up in their tent, but Laura's fearful expression whenever he considered sneaking out to contact his crew always stayed his hand. Seeing her terrified was unsettling. He was so used to seeing her as indomitable, a stable force of nature even when she was sick, that the merest flicker of terror had him on his best behavior.
Her going out scared him just as much, though he kept remembering Boomer's warning and how Laura seemed to be following it. She left the tent in the morning, taught, and came back that night with news from their crew and reactions to his prescence on the planet. Kara, one day, had given her a crudely made version of the Aurora figurine to return with. She too warned him to stay out of sight, only with an added threat if he didn't.
Silence and suffering. They were the only things their people knew even in the early weeks. And then people started going missing when the building went up. It was up to the fifth missing person—Cally, he thought painfully—when Sam Anders came rushing to their tent in the middle of the night.
"Sam? Sam, whats the matter?!" Laura asked, quickly tying her robe tightly around her and gently leading Sam to a chair. Bill noticed the dark bruise on his forehead before she did, and immediately grabbed a flashlight, worried he had a concussion from the way he swayed slightly.
"Kara is gone." Sam croaked. Bill froze halfway between the table and Sam, breathing halted for a couple of seconds as the other man spoke.
"Kara." He whispered, sudden terror sweeping through him. It was the same feeling he'd had when they told him Zak had been in an accident.
"Where did they take her?" He asked.
"No idea, but they released Cally from the main building, where I thought Kara was...she's with Cottle. Few bruises and cuts. Cally said they're asking about you, sir. And where the rest of the Fleet is. Gods, we should have known they'd take Kara next."
Bill looked at Laura, guilt seeping into his eyes. He knew why they took Kara. She was the daughter he and Carolanne never had, Zak's fiancé. They took her because he cared about her. If he wasn't around, she would suffer for it.
"Bill, don't you dare think what I assume you're thinking." Laura warned. Sam looked up at them both. He sighed. She knew him well enough to know he wanted to get Kara back himself.
"She isn't in the detention center though. Ellen told me she ran into a copy of Sharon, demanded to know where she was. The Cylon told her 'shes alive' and walked off. My wife..." Sam whispered, dropping his head into his hands and wincing as his bruise ached.
"Look up at me, Sam. You might be concussed." Bill ordered, sitting on a stool and shining the light into each of Sam's eyes. He was indeed a bit concussed, so Bill made to stand and help him up.
"Let me take him." Laura offered.
"No, he's heavier than I am. Just give me my winter coat, the hood should work. He needs Cottle." Bill replied, easing Sam up and throwing one of the man's arms over his shoulder. Laura handed him the coat while he helped Sam lean on the center stake.
He took Sam's weight again, letting the younger man lean on him and both exited the tent. Laura stood there for half an hour, waiting in the same spot until Bill returned, face graver than it had ever been. Something told her that that particular set of his jaw meant she should be nervous.
"Laura, when were you going to tell me that Hera is with Maya?"