Chapter 5- The impossible truth
Bill Adama finally pulled away from Starbuck, dried his eyes and shouted, "Are all ships accounted for". The deck officer began to check the screen, "yes we're receiving…."oh", the officers voice changed to one of deep shock. 'report dammit", Tigh rebuked.
"Sir we seem to have jumped into an area of space heavily populated by Cylons", the officer continued in a shaky voice. Starbuck lifted her head straightened her posture and turned to run in the opposite direction. "How long before we can make another jump", Bill Adama demanded. "It's going to take about 10 minutes sir", the deck officer remarked nervously.
Bill looked at the increasing number of contacts flashing onto the screen and hoped they had ten minutes. He knew though he could count on Starbuck to hold of the Cylons as long as she could.
Starbuck's voice sounded glacially calm as she ordered her pilots to fire freely on the masses of cylons around them. She herself fired, while weaving left and right to avoid the incoming missiles. "There's so many of them", one of the other pilots muttered in terror from beside her. "Just keep firing", Starbuck ordered firmly. This was not the time for any pilot to panic and loose their cool. Seconds later though she herself felt fear creep up upon her as she found herself alone encircled by a group of four cylons.
Dodging and weaving Starbuck preformed the maneuvers that made her one of the best pilots on Galactica and took two of the fighters out. The other two though were dogged in their determination to get her. Beep ,beep, she looked at the flashing light and knew a fired missile had now obtained a lock. She was seconds away from death.
Starbuck pushed her viper to the limits of its speed as she tried desperately to escape. Thoughts of Lee intruded as she imagined what he had felt seconds before he got blown up by Cylons. The missile kept coming and Starbuck decided she might soon be joining Lee in death.
She thought about closing her eyes and not looking at the incoming missile but then determined she would rather look death in the eye. Thus she was staring right at the inbound cylon missile when the impossible happened. There was a flash of light and Lee's viper appeared behind the cylon fighters. Seconds later he'd blown both the missile and the fighters out of the sky. Starbuck sat stunned for several seconds staring at the viper, maybe ,she thought it was some kind of phantom, opening a channel she yelled, "Lee is that you".
Her heart beat sped up as silence greeted her. She flew closer to the other viper, noting it was indeed identical to Lee's. Soon she was close enough to see what looked like Lee sitting in the cabin. He wasn't moving a lot though, "Lee can you read me", still no answer greeted her, "Captain Adama", Kara yelled.
He felt rather strange groggy and weird as the viper seemed to distort around him.
One minute he'd been awaiting his own death, the next the missile seemed to be heading toward Starbuck who should have vanished with the departed Galactica.
Not waiting for an explanation Lee had simply fired upon fighters and missile both.
Now he sat with a thumping headache and hoped he could make it back to Galactica, .
"Kara can you shut up", Lee finally ordered as she continued to shout in his ear.
"Well that sounds like you", Kara acknowledged. "It is me stupid, how come the old man brought the ship back. I didn't think he'd do that even for me",Lee stated.
Kara pursed her lips noting that it didn't sound like Lee knew how he'd even gotten here. She was about to go into a brief explanation when she heard the Commander ordering all the vipers back to the Galactica. "Lee let's save the rundown for another time all that matters now is making it back to Galactica", Kara told him quickly." Lee looked over at the battlestar which seemed to dance and move in front of his eyes, he felt vaguely sick. "Well if she stops moving about then I might be better at landing", he stated. Kara looked over at the motionless Galactica and became concerned. She hid the tremor in her voice though as she told Lee, "just follow me and do what I do".
The deck officer was feeling a little confused, he knew exactly how many vipers had gone out to defend the ship and how many had been destroyed. But now as he calculated the number of landing ships he was getting a confusing readout.
Adama turned toward him and asked, "are all vipers accounted for", he then promptly went pale and every officer in the command centre felt for him. They knew he was reliving the moment when Apollo had been lost to them.
This time though the deck officer had different news, "umm sir, I thought I got my calculations right but we seem to have one extra viper".
Bill shook his head, "well I won't worry about a miscount , jump the ship".
The order was carried out and Bill silently prayed that this time the new location would be peaceful.
The jump was completed and the dradis revealed no sign of any cylons .Bill was just beginning to relax when the comm sprang to life, "Commander Adama to med bay", came the voice of Doctor Cottle .
Bill frowned wondering what the doctor wanted, "Look Doc we are busy up here, unless it is urgent it'll have to wait", Bill snapped. Cottle sounded slightly shocked as he replied, "I thought seeing your son would be urgent Commander."
Bill stared at the comm. Thinking he'd gone slightly mad, "repeat that please", he requested. Doc Cottle began to understand that Bill Adama had no idea of recent events with his pilots, "your son Lee Adama is lying on one of my beds very much alive but in still in need of my services", he informed the Commander
Adama threw the equally as shocked Saul a look then left the commander centre at a run.
Lee hated been prodded and poked but since he felt so awful endured the doctors examination. He kept his eyes closed tight through the exam because every time he opened them, the room seemed to swirl and move. Lee knew though that Kara remained nearby and was surprised she hadn't started yelling at him yet.
When he felt someone else grab him and begin a squeezing hug he knew that his father had come into the med bay. "Commander not so rough, if you please", Cottle rebuked softly not sounding too angry. Bill softened his hug and whispered , "Lee", gratefully in his ear. Kara approached then and pulled Bill away from Lee's bedside.
She reported what she'd seen, and concluded with "I ordered Tyrol to check Lees ship".
Bill nodded, although Starbucks report had sounded strange a small tendril of familiarity was creeping up upon him.
He thanked Starbuck then returned to Lee's bed side noting that Cottle was now checking his sutures. "You were damn lucky you didn't burst those captain. I knew Adama's were stubborn but not that they were stupid", Cottle growled. Lee cringed , not so much just from the rebuke but from the intensity of Cottles voice. "So Doc what's wrong with him", Lee heard his father demand. In response to the question Cottle ttok Adamas arm and pulled him away from the bedside.
All went quiet again and Lee cracked open one eye. He could see the swirling forms of his father and Cottle having a quiet chat together.
Closing his eyes again Lee tried to relax and not feel a little creeped out by his experiences. He'd heard the whispers as he lay here. The Galactica had jumped away and left him. Yet impossibly he'd found them again. He had no idea how that had even happened. He thought back, incoming missile, flash, then cylons… flash, what had that bright light been.
Several minutes later his bed gave slightly as someone sat beside him, "captain I've just heard reports from Cottle and Tyrol and we need to have a serious conversation", Adama advised. "Yes, Sir", Lee replied military style. "Alright now I understand you were probably told this was top secret but I think that with war breaking out you could have revealed what had been done to your viper", Adama pressed.
Lee felt distinctly confused, and remained silent trying to understand what his father was actually asking. Adama though seemed to just get angry at the silence, "dammit captain, you tell me what this is all about and that's an order", his father stormed.
Lee swallowed, " I don't know what you are talking about", he maintained keeping his voice firm. "Come on Lee cut the crap", Adama shouted.
The anger actually made Lee jump, and he felt his own anger responding, "look I don't know what the frak you are talking about", he yelled back.
Bill stared down at him, "you have to know Lee, there is no possible way that you don't", he stated angrily.
Lee opened his eyes and locked them onto his father, "I don't know what you are talking about", he stated, "and that's the truth.
Bill Adama stared into his sons blue eyes and began to feel convinced that Lee was teling the truth. Yet now he had a problem because if Lee hadn't known about the modifications then exactly how had he managed to get his viper here . Bill decided to add a little more information and see if that prompted any response. "Tyrol scanned your viper and detected something out of the ordinary", Adama reported. Lee looked at him blankly, "like what", he asked.
Bill sighed, "I was hoping you were going to give me some answers Lee but now all I have is more questions".
Lee was getting fed up with not actually knowing what had happened, "please just tell me what you found, sir", he requested.
Bill sat back down beside him, "Lee I began to get a funny feeling of familiarity when Starbuck reported seeing your viper just appear. The reports from Tyrol and Doctor Cottle have just confirmed this feeling", Bill told him.
Lee was still feeling none the wiser. "Most pilots learnt about a man called Anton Baxter in their academy days", Bill continued.
Searching his memory Lee dredged up his recollections of the name and felt himself go pale, "no ", he said to his father.
Bill nodded, "yes Lee, you survived the first attack by the cylons and then saved Starbucks life in the second attack because your viper has been fitted with technology that had long been believed to be highly dangerous not only to the viper but the pilot as well. Lee your viper has a fully functioning faster than light drive that enables you to take both short and long jumps. "
Lee looked stunned. "I thought you must have known about it because you would have to program jump coordinates", Bill stated.
"I didn't know where you'd gone", Lee replied shakily. Bill nodded, "so how did you make it work Lee", Bill queried. Lee went even paler and looked at his father, he didn't really want to tell the truth because the only thing he had done was think about the Galactica. That knowledge began to really scare him and Lee began to wonder if he really had suffered an accident on board the Atlantia or whether something had been done too him.