A/N: I have to give a big thank you to Ring Red for getting this chapter posted. Also thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter. That chapter was so hard for me to write, that I am glad everyone liked it. I hope you enjoy this one just as much.
Chapter 9: A Mother's Love
"Do we have those co-ordinates yet?" Admiral Thrace barked to her communications officer.
"Yes sir," he replied.
"Have the Sagittarius retrieve the civilian ships and bring them here. Also have 2 scout ships jump to those new co-ordinates and report back to me immediately," she commanded. "I want the Commodores of the Pisces and Sagittarius over here; and their CAGs. NOW " She roared.
Everyone jumped at the forceful tone that the Admiral was using. She was more than a little irate and no one wanted to speculate as to wether is was because Captain Thrace had disobeyed an order or because she was afraid at what might be happening to her child.
"Commodore Cain join me in the War Room as soon as the others have been contacted," she said as she stormed off the bridge.
Commodore Helena Cain watched as her friend left the bridge. She knew that Cassandra was more worried about her child than the possibility of losing her best pilot. She could always replace the pilot but the loss of her last child would surely kill her. Not that Kara would believe or understand that; but there was a lot that Kara didn't know or understand. That was going to have to change; Helena would see to it personally if she had to. Picking up the ship to ship comm, Helena requested the Captain of the Olympus. After a few moments of waiting the voice of Captain Cyrano Onasis came on the line.
"Commodore Cain," he answered simply.
"Everyone, tonight at 1800 in the Fleet Admiral's quarters on the Capricorn," she replied tersely.
"Understood," came the short reply.
With that done Helena made sure that her crew had their orders and that the personnel from the Sagittarius and Pisces were on their way. Once assured that everything was in order she left the bridge and made her way to the War Room. It was going to be a long night for everyone.
&&&&
Lee did not know what else to say; so he did the smart thing and didn't say anything. He reached out and touched Kara's cheek, caressing the soft skin with his fingers. When she turned her cheek into the palm of his hand, he leaned over and kissed her gently. Inhaling deeply he caught a faint whiff of vanilla and ocean air. He was home; wherever she was, that is where he wanted to be.
Kara pulled back slightly to get a good look at him. Although he was sweaty and in desperate need of a shower, she didn't want to let him go. After almost a year of dreaming about this, now that it was here she wasn't sure what to do. Unfortunately they had a large audience; some of them with really big guns, so she knew it was time to get out of her jet and face the music.
"I guess it is time to find out what they are going to do with me," she said to him.
He stood up and helped her out of the cockpit. Lee thought his flight suit made for a close fit, but it was nothing compared to what Kara was wearing. The black material clung to her like a second skin, leaving very little to the imagination. "Do you guys have to paint these suits on?" He asked. Kara laughed at the expression on Lee's face; he was looking at her in equal parts horror and appreciation.
"It is a bio-synthetic material. It calls for a very close fit, but the benefits more than make up for it," she replied. She looked him over and smiled.
"What was that look for?" He asked nervously.
"I have intentions of getting you into one of these suits, and then getting you out of it," she purred into his ear. Lee shifted from foot to foot. He needed to get her out of here and soon before he embarrassed them.
"Come on. Let's go meet the welcoming committee," he said taking her hand.
"Hold on. Can you grab the bag strapped to the back of my seat?" She asked him sweetly
. "Sure, what's in it?" Lee asked unstrapping it and handing it to her.
"It has a change of clothes and a few personal items. Or I could leave it and just walk around in my flight suit. It's actually quite comfortable; like a second skin," she replied devilishly.
"No way in hell," he growled. He already saw the affect she was having on the marines as they came down the ladder. He would be damned if she wore that flight suit for any and all to see.
When they got to the hangar deck floor the marines surrounded them. A sergeant moved forward and stopped them. "Ma'am I need to ask for your weapons," he said pointing towards her hips. Kara cocked her head to the side as if contemplating on telling him no. After a tense moment she shrugged her shoulders and unbuckled the belt that was slung around her waist. She graciously handed the belt with two holstered guns to the sergeant.
"Be careful with those, they were are present from my brother," she said softly.
"We also need to check to make sure you don't have any other weapons hidden on your person," the sergeant said looking nervous and sick.
Kara raised one eyebrow and looked down at herself. "I can understand needing to check the bag, but I am not sure what you think I could possibly be hiding under this. I mean you can't even get underwear on when running around with one of these suits on," she said to him sweetly. Her look also held a hint of challenge, as if daring the marine to put his hands on her.
Lee couldn't help but smirk. She had the sergeant so flustered that the man would probably have nightmares, or dreams about this encounter for months. He decided to take mercy on the poor man.
"I got her sergeant. She isn't packing anything under the suit," Lee said to the man.
"Yes Major," he replied taking a step back.
Lee turned as his father and the President approached them. He felt Kara stiffen next to him and so he placed a hand at the small of her back as a show of encouragement. He turned and looked at her when he realized that he could feel the heat of her body right through the suit; it was almost like touching her naked flesh.
"I told you there were advantages," she whispered to him. Lee frantically tried to control his emotions and bring his body's reaction to her under control. It was turning into a losing battle.
"Admiral Adama and President Roslin, I would like to introduce you both to Captain Kara Thrace of the United Allied Group," Lee said in a husky voice.
Both Bill and Roslin tried to hide smiles at the affect their guest was having on the Major. They had witnessed the exchange between the pair when the Captain had popped her canopy. Both had been a little surprised to see Lee display affection for the young lady in front of so many people. He kept his relationship with Dee so well hidden and private that many were not even aware that the two had been seeing each other for almost 2 years.
"It is a pleasure to finally meet you Captain Thrace," Bill replied taking her hand in his large one. He could see why his son was so taken with her. She was confident in who and what she was, as well as poised and she had a strength of character that was evident in the way she held herself. She also had a sensual and feminine presence even though you could see that she had no problems competing in a male dominated field.
"Please call me Kara or Artemis," she replied to Lee's father. Kara liked him immediately. Even though he had spoken softly she didn't have to strain to hear him. His voice was even yet edge with command and authority; not unlike her mother's. He made her feel welcome with not only his words but with a warmth in his dark eyes that quelled any apprehension she may still have felt.
"I would also like to extend a welcome to you. The Major has told us some of what he has experienced with you and we have a lot questions," Roslin said drawing Kara's attention to her. "But first we have some necessary precautions to get out of the way; and you must be exhausted." Roslin was trying to be more conservative in her feelings for this young lady from Earth. She represented the dream that the people of the colonies had held onto for over 3 years; her being here meant that they had a lot of decisions to make.
"Precautions aren't synonymous with brig, are they?" Kara asked. She liked this lady standing in front of her. She could tell that the President was trying to reserve judgement, but she could tell that Roslin liked her. Something about being strong women in a man's world; even when that world only consisted of a handful of vessels traveling through space and time.
"No they aren't," Roslin replied smiling. She couldn't help but like Kara Thrace; she had spunk and that was good. She also had a sense of humor and they all needed something to laugh about. "We can be a bit paranoid, especially after what the cylons have done. So to help alleviate a little of our suspicious nature, we would like to do a blood test that will rule you out as a cylon."
Kara could see that they were not joking and quite frankly she couldn't blame them. After everything they had experienced they were entitled to a little paranoia. She glanced over at Lee and could tell that he didn't want to ask her to do this, but she realized that it would help if she did.
"I'm not afraid of needles, so why not," she replied. All three of them visibly relaxed as she acquiesced. It was at that moment that Kara began to get an idea of the fear that these people had lived with for the past 3 years.
"Then let's get you to Doc Cottle and get some blood," Bill said gesturing for the marines to escort them off the hangar deck.
&&&&
'The co-ordinates have been confirmed Cass," Helena said as she entered into the War Room. She was not surprised to see the Fleet Admiral pacing around the room like a caged lioness, much like her daughter.
"Well at least they weren't lying," Cassandra replied. For a few brief moments she wondered if they had taken her daughter and disappeared. It was brief moments she never wanted to live through again.
"Cass we all need you to focus. I know the thought of losing Kara was frightening, but we have a whole lot at stake here. Not just the council, but them as well," Helena said taking a seat. "The others will be on board tonight for dinner. I placed the call before I came in."
"Good move; we all need to be on the same page before we meet with Admiral Adama and any other representatives from their fleet," Cassandra replied. She had finally stopped pacing and was looking out of the small observation window. "You know, Kara knew what she was doing when she gave herself up to them."
"Yes I do. She has always been a lot smarter than anyone has ever given her credit for. Diplomatic and dynamic all at the same time." Helena said with a smile.
"Now you sound like Chiron," Cass said laughing.
"Well he saw her unlike the rest of us. I could say I told you so, but I agreed with you from the beginning. Too bad we were both wrong." "Not just you and I, but all of us. It could have been disastrous if things had proceeded along the path that we had laid down all those years ago," Cassandra said coming around to sit across from her friend.
Cassandra Thrace and Helena Cain had been friends from the time they were born. Their families had been friends for as long back as anyone could remember, and they had been political allies since the beginning. The beginning of what most didn't know, but it had always been a need to know situation.
"Do you think she has found her Apollo yet?" Helena asked cautiously.
"She seems to be quite taken with a young fighter pilot from their military fleet, but wether or not he is the Apollo to her Artemis, I am not sure," Cass replied.
A comfortable quiet enveloped the two women as each became lost in their own thoughts. They knew they were facing troubling times and that they would have to plan every action carefully. First order of business though was going to be a meeting between them and the Colonial Fleet.
&&&&
Bill and Laura sat in a couple of chairs in Life Station waiting for the results of Kara's blood test. Cottle had been in his normally sarcastic mood when they had all trooped in, but when he told Kara that she would need to remove her flight suit so that he could get her blood; she laughed at him and told him, "Silly man, you can get the blood right through the suit." When he looked at her as if she had lost her mind, she grabbed the syringe and alcohol prep pad from him, swabbed her arm and stuck the needle right through the material. They all watched in fascination as the collection tube filled with her blood. She filled 3 tubes for him, pulled out the needle handed them to Cottle and then gently tapped him on the cheek. Cottle stomped off muttering something about cheeky fighter pilots being the same no matter what galaxy they come from. Bill decided to give the two young pilots a few minutes of privacy. They had the curtain partially pulled closed, but Bill could hear them talking quietly. Kara told them she would change once she was cleared and could get a shower.
"Are you worried about what might happen between those two?" Laura asked him nodding towards the partially drawn curtain.
Bill had forgotten that he had never told her about the more intimate parts of Lee's journal. He had respected his son's privacy on that issue just as he'd promised.
"What do you mean?" Bill asked.
"Bill you would have to be damn near blind not to see the sparks that fly between them. I almost felt like I was intruding on something extremely personal," she replied turning to look at him.
"What I am more worried about is how this is going to affect a certain communications specialist," he replied. Just as Laura was about to respond, Cottle walked back into the waiting room.
"Well she is not a cylon," he announced to the pair.
"Definitely human?" Laura asked, sensing that Cottle was not telling them everything.
"For the most part. She is human but there is something a little different about her genetic make up. Could be that those on Earth adapted a little differently, but she is definitely not a cylon." With that said he stomped from the room saying they could clear out and make room for people who were really sick.
"Well at least that is settled," Laura said releasing a sigh. "What do we do now?"
"They could both use some down time. Shower, change and get something to eat. I will let her stay in Lee's company and assign two guards just as a precaution. We can all get together a little later for some questions, if that suits you?" He asked turning to look at her.
Before she could answer him Lt. Dualla walked into Life Station and walked over to them. Bill groaned inwardly and hoped that Lee and Kara stayed behind the partially closed curtain. He did not want to be around when Dee met the infamous Kara from Lee's journal.
"Lt what are you doing here?" He asked gruffly.
"Colonel Tigh said there was information that he wanted you to have, but he didn't want to interrupt you and the President. So since I was leaving from CIC he asked me to give them to you," she replied.
Bill knew that she had arranged this to her advantage, but he decided not to call her on it. "Alright Lt. proceed."
"The UAG fleet has jumped to our co-ordinates. They have contacted us and said they will maintain a 500 yard distance until meetings can be arranged. They have set an open frequency for easy communications. There was also a message for Captain Thrace from their Fleet Admiral," she said.
Bill could see that Dee was waiting for him to tell her where the Captain was so that she could deliver said message. Just before Bill could tell her that he would personally deliver the message, Kara stepped from around the closed curtain.
"I am Captain Thrace," she replied coming to stand beside Laura.
Lee came to stand behind her holding his breath and hoping that no one else felt the tension that was creeping into the space. Of course he wouldn't be so lucky. He watched as Kara took in Dee's slightly hostile posture and the look of hurt that Dee had shot in his direction. She also took in the uncomfortable stance of both the Admiral and the President.
"But you can call me Artemis," Kara said with a winning smile on her face. She had done that on purpose, Lee knew. She was enforcing the idea of Apollo and Artemis in Dee's mind. Lee groaned, he was in for a rough couple of days. "You have a message from the Fleet Admiral for me?"
Dee cleared her throat and regained her composure. "Yes I do. She says that you are to not forget your manners and that you should extend a measure of hospitality to your friends."
Kara laughed at her mother's under handed tactics. Cassandra Thrace would use any means to tip the balance into her favor. Turning away from the woman standing in front of her, she addressed Bill directly.
"If you are willing to trust me, I need a couple of transport ships, guards if it will make you feel better and the Major here for a small little trip. It will be well worth it in the end, I promise."
Everyone looked a little unnerved with her suggestion of taking a couple of transport ships off Galactica and going Gods knew where. Kara looked around at the group and realized that she was being way to cryptic. She racked her brain for a way to get Lee to understand without giving away the surprise. Then it came to her and she turned to Lee, taking his hands into hers.
"I made you a promise; every morning for the rest of our lives," she said hoping that he'd remember. She watched as realization dawned slowly in his beautiful blue eyes. She was sure that if looks could kill, the young woman behind her would have shot her dead.
"Dad it's ok. Trust me; it will be a great surprise," Lee said hoping that his understanding and involvement would tip the scales into her favor.
Bill was not sure if he was making the right choice but he decided to trust them on this. He did not believe that the young Captain would do anything that would upset either him or her Fleet Admiral.
"Alright, but promise me that I'm not going to regret this," he said to the two of them.
Like two small kids with a huge secret they both said "Promise " in unison and hurried from Life Station with four marine guards flanking them. No one mentioned the fact that Lee had not even spoken to Dee.
&&&
Lee and Kara raced through Galactica's corridors until they were back to the hangar bay. Lee had taken a few minutes to radio ahead and request that two transport shuttles be readied and that pilots be on standby for take off when he got there. It was only about a total of an half hour before both shuttles had been launched and Kara was asking Lee for an open comm. He looked at her and couldn't help drawing her into his arms and kissing her senseless. The two guards that had boarded with them had the grace to look away and Lee promised himself that he would do something to ensure that they kept this to themselves.
"FM1 this is Captain Thrace requesting docking sequence," Kara said into the comm.
"We read you Captain and you have been cleared for landing in bay four. It will be a pleasure to see you Starbuck.," came the reply.
"Copy that," Kara said smiling.
Within minutes they had landed and Kara has cajoled them all out of the shuttle. Standing over by a rack of computer screens was a tall man with a goofy expression on his face waiting for them. Lee watched as Kara took off at a dead run and launched herself into the man's waiting arms.
"Helo what the hell are you doing here? And if you're here who is watching out for that rabble we call pilots?" She asked as the man spun her around.
"The Admiral thought she would send me over here to make sure you were alright. And your pilots are all fine, except you know the Wolf Pack won't listen to anyone but you, they have been giving me hell. Talking about mounting a rescue mission until I remind them that you gave yourself up."
Lee watched the two of them together and felt a twinge of jealousy. They had an easy and relaxed comradery that could easily lead to a more intimate relationship. He shook the thought from his mind; if they were going to be involved it would have happened well before now.
"Lee I want you to meet my best friend in the whole universe; Lt. Karl Agathon also know as Helo," she said introducing the two of them.
"Nice to meet you," Lee said shaking the other man's hand.
"Same here," Helo replied taking a step closer to Kara.
"Stop it both of you. I swear I'll never understand men," she said shaking her head. "Ok let's get this done, I'm starving."
Lee followed Kara as she walked over to a bank of screens and touched one. Lee watched as an interactive menu popped up and she began tapping the screen and making voice acknowledgments.
"What exactly are you doing?" He asked.
"Ordering breakfast. The FM1 is actually one of three storage vessels we have for fresh food that can be frozen for later use. Our agriculture ships are constantly producing foodstuffs and we needed long term storage solutions. So I am ordering everything you could possibly want to eat for breakfast; except I am planning on feeding everyone on the Galactica. So fifty cases each of bacon, sausage, ham, eggs, pancakes, waffles, grits, oatmeal, cereal, donuts, bagels, muffins, bread, biscuits, butter, syrup, jelly, cheese, milk, orange and apple juice, coffee, tea and sugar. Did I leave anything out?" She asked looking at him sweetly. He looked at her incredulously. When this was over the crew on Galactica was going to worship the ground she walked on.
"Maybe some antacid to soothe all the upset stomachs," he said thinking about the first time he had something to eat courtesy of her. She laughed and grabbed his hand in her's, bringing it up to her mouth for a kiss. Lee watched as large boxes began to arrive on conveyor belts that were set to the side of the computer screens. They were then loaded into large metal containers then taken to the transports.
"Your dad likes coffee right?" Kara asked drawing his attention back to her.
"Yeah, can't start his day without it," Lee replied.
"Good. My mother has left instructions for me to bring him some of her private stash; Hawaiian Kona Coffee. I hope he likes it because she doesn't share this stuff with anybody. It is tantamount to a marriage proposal from her," Kara said. Her serious tone got Lee's attention.
"You're not serious," he said trying to brush it off.
"You don't know my mother. SHE is the highest ranking official in our military fleet and she is also basically the President to our civilian population. Admiral Cassandra Thrace holds the positions that your father and Laura Roslin hold together. My mother held a lot of power within in the UAG before the holocaust on Earth. Now she is the most powerful person within our world," Kara said to him.
"That is a lot riding on the shoulders of one person."
"Trust me, I know. Come on we're ready to get this stuff back to Galactica. I don't know about you but I'm starving," she said pulling him along with her.
"Oh yeah I'm hungry, but not for food," Lee replied swinging her back into his arms. Kara looped her hands behind his neck and pulled him into a sultry kiss. After several minutes of the two of them pawing at each other, Racetrack poked her head out of one of the shuttles and told then to get their asses in gear.
&&&&
"I will tell you Cass, they make one fine looking couple," Helena said to her friend as the two of them watched the activity in bay four.
"I would have to agree," Cass said. "But they are more than just a good looking couple. They respond to each other without needing verbal communication. He has a natural desire to protect her, like walking slightly behind her, making sure no can surprise or hurt her. I would love to see them fly together, it would be like symmetry in motion."
To answer your question, I believe she has found her Apollo." "And if he isn't?" Helena said pushing Cassandra for a definitive course of action. "I pray to the Gods that he is, because if he isn't then we'll need to get rid of Lee Adama, and my daughter will never forgive me for that," Cass replied turning and leaving her friend to watch as the shuttles left bay four.
TBC