Bright, Shiny Futures - Chapter Thirty
Helo watched with a growing feeling of horror in the pit of his stomach, as the news programme he was watching outlined just how delicate the political situation on Earth was.
"Sharon, come here," he whispered.
She stepped out of the bathroom, still wiping toothpaste off her mouth.
He patted the bed. "Look."
She came and sat, eyes widening as she began to understand what the people on the screen were talking about. "Nuclear war," she whispered.
Helo nodded. "It seems the people of Earth are less than united about our arrival. How can they think we're the enemy?"
She turned to him. "Put yourself in their place Karl. What would you think?"
"Yeah ... but back on Caprica the planetary government was unified. No rebel states existed to threaten everyone else."
"I guess Earth isn't quite as advanced as we are. Were," she amended quietly, putting a soft hand on his arm. "Maybe there's something we can do to convince them we're not a danger to them."
"How? We're virtual prisoners here. Sure, it seems luxurious compared to the brig on Galactica but it's a prison cell nonetheless. No different than Kara's back on New Caprica."
"She told you about that?" Sharon asked, curious. "She always seemed pretty flippant about it when people asked and never gave a straight answer."
"That's Kara. The more flip and sarcastic about things she is, the deeper they hurt her. I caught her her once, nine-tenths drunk and in the mood to talk, and she told me all about it."
"I'm still surprised she was willing to open up. Doesn't seem like her."
"Maybe she trusted me because I've never had an agenda with her. We've been friends since our Academy days and though people say it's impossible for men and women to 'just be friends', we were. I don't think she ever trusted the other men in her life, not with her feelings anyway. And she never really had many close female friends. You ... or rather Boomer, were her closest friend for years but that sort of dissolved when she found out you were a Cylon."
Sharon nodded tacitly, remembering. "It was a tough situation for everyone," she said eventually.
Their attention was caught by an image on the screen. "Holy frak," Helo whispered at the sight of the mushroom cloud. "We have to do something to stop that from happening. We can't let our new home be nuked like the old one was."
"It's late and I doubt there's much we can do tonight," Sharon said comfortingly. "The Admiral will be back tomorrow and we can talk to him."
"I've got the Vice President's phone number," Helo said stubbornly. "I'm going to give him a call."
XXXXX
I can't believe this."
Tyrol walked out of the bathroom, toweling his short hair. "Can't believe what?" he asked cautiously, voice low so as not to wake Nicky.
"This," Cally said, gesturing at the tv. "They think we're aliens or something and that we're siding with the USA. Some of them even think our story isn't true and that this is all just a story made up by the US government to take control of the world."
"They who?"
"Some smaller countries. Iraq I think was one of them, and another that sounds similar to that. A couple more too - I can't remember the names they said."
"Earth isn't a planetary state?" Tyrol asked incredulously, tying the towel around his waist and sitting on the bed next to his wife.
"Apparently not." She sniffed with disdain. "Isn't it great? Our bright, shiny future has us ending up in a place that's less advanced than the one we left." She took a breath. "As if l the hellhole we called New Caprica wasn't bad enough ... "
"Cally ... "
"I know, I know." She waved his argument aside, not wanting to repeat old conversations long buried. "At least here we don't need our enemies to come and blow us up - we may just annihilate ourselves without any frakking help at all."
"It's not like we weren't responsible for the destruction of the Colonies," he said softly.
"I beg your pardon?" She was clearly annoyed at his words. "How do you figure that?"
He looked at her straight. "We created the Cylons, therefore we're responsible for what they did."
"We created the toasters to serve us. No one ever gave them the ability to think."
"Maybe they did. Maybe they always had the ability to think for themselves."
"And they chose to serve us for years and then one day rebel?" Her words were cutting. "I don't think so Galen."
"So what happened? How did non-sentient life become sentient? How did they evolve if they didn't have the ability to think for themselves? How did they create the skinjobs," he winced inside at the use of the insult, "if they didn't have knowledge of humans or a human specimen to work from?"
That silenced her.
Good, he thought. Humanity needs to take some responsibility for what they did. The fault isn't Baltar's alone. He stole a peek at his wife and his conscience pricked. All anger and spite had disappeared. She was afraid. As well she should be. This wasn't an ideal situation.
And definitely not the bright, shiny future they'd been hoping ten long years for.
XXXXX
"Sam, come look at this."
The worry in Tory's voice got his attention.
"Look." She pointed at the tv. "They're talking about the possibility of nuclear war."
Who? Where? What? Why? A million questions ran through his mind but he watched silently, trying to take it all in.
"This world is going to die too, and it's all because of us."
"Come on Tory, it's not our fault this world isn't unified and there's infighting."
"But if it weren't for us coming here this wouldn't be happening."
"If it wasn't us it would be something else," Sam said pointedly. "People who want to fight can always find a reason."
"That may be true but the fact is we are the reason this time."
"They'll learn to live with it. We've been on the run for a decade - we deserve to have a chance to settle down here and make ourselves a home."
"What if they don't accept us? Maybe we should just leave."
"Get up and go? You mean just get back on our ships and fly away?"
"That's exactly what I mean."
Sam's eyes crinkled. "I don't think we could, even if we wanted to. We're virtual prisoners here, or hadn't you noticed?"
"How is it you were able to get out and deal with Kara's husband then?" The inflection in her tone was decidedly unpleasant.
"They let us out for a short while but I suspect they might get hostile if we tried to leave for good. Besides," he added, hoping to move the conversation away from the place it was too obviously going, "I don't think Adama would agree to leave even if we asked him. And it would be unfair to ask thousands of people to pick up and become refugees again after they've finally found a place to call home."
She snorted. "Home. Sure, it's beautiful here but the people aren't very welcoming."
"Think how much less welcoming they'd be if they learned about us," he said softly.
She put her hands on her hips. "So what do we do?"
Sam shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. All I know is that I have to protect Lee and Kara at all costs."
"I guess that's kind of hard to do when you're so far away."
The irony in her tone wasn't lost on him. "Yeah." He exhaled loud and long. "I have to find a way to get nearer to them."
XXXXX
The vision picked up right where the previous one had left off.
The little girl stood on the ship's deck, waving, with a small smile gracing her delicate face.
"Are you Sara?" Laura asked.
The girl nodded.
"Why are you leaving?"
"I have to." The words floated in with the breeze.
"Why?"
The curls bounced as the girl shook her head.
"Where are you going?"
"Home."
"Home? What do you mean 'home'?"
"Home," she repeated. A beautiful wide smile replaced the tiny one, as though the thought of home (wherever that was) was a happy one for her.
"Where is home?" Laura asked, not really expecting an answer.
"Beyond the stars." The words were barely a whisper, as the ship had gained speed and was rapidly sailing out of range.
"Wait! Can I come?" she shouted, taking a couple of steps forwards before stopping suddenly at the edge of the cliff. No answer came but for the sound of the rocks she'd disturbed tumbling down to the waters below.
A feeling of absolute and utter despair came over her as she watched the ship sailing out of sight. It was so powerful it nearly sank her to her feet, weeping. "Come back," she whispered. "I want to go home. I don't want to be left behind."
"But you must," a soft voice behind her whispered. "Don't you know the only way for a child to truly grow up is for it's parents to die?"
She spun around, startled at finding no one behind her. Goosebumps crept along her skin and the air which had felt warm and lazy before was now sticky and cloying. For a few moments she felt as though she couldn't breathe.
"I'm not ready to die yet," she whispered. "Please, I'm not ready to die."
"You're not dying Laura."
She opened her eyes to find the voice hadn't been part of her dreams. Never had she been so glad to see Bill. She sat up quickly and threw her arms around his neck.
"You were just dreaming. It's over now," he said softly, smoothing down her hair.
She shook her head. "I wish it was all just a dream but it's not. It's the future."
"And ... ?" he prompted.
"We'd better be prepared because it's not going to turn out the way we'd hoped."
"What, no bright, shiny future here on Earth?" he teased, but his face grew serious when she didn't answer.
Not for me anyway, she thought, stomach sinking down to her toes as she remembered what was to come.
XXXXX
"Did you have a nice nap?" Kara asked when Adama and Roslin came down for dinner.
Laura nodded half-heartedly, forcing a smile. "Could have been longer. I feel like I could use another full day of sleep to catch up."
"I know that feeling only too well."
"How are you doing?" Roslin walked over and put a hand on Kara's shoulder, giving it a brief squeeze.
"So-so I guess." Kara put the noodles in the sink to drain. "I'm glad Lee's here. He's really helping with the kids."
"They don't seem particularly upset at what's going on."
"I don't think they fully understand," Kara said sadly, meeting Roslin's eyes briefly.
"And you do?" she asked softly.
Kara turned to face her bodily. "People who go missing aren't usually found. And if they are ... "
Roslin's look grew gentle as the implication sunk in. She struggled to find words.
" ... I want to sit next to Lee."
"No, I want to and I'm the oldest so I get to."
Sara and Zach pushed their way into the kitchen, nearly tumbling over one another in their haste. Kara knelt down, gathering them both in her arms. "Guys, there will be one chair on either side of Lee when we eat. You can both sit beside him."
Quarrel now forgotten, the two kids scampered into the dining room with big smiles.
"You handled that well."
Kara quirked a questioning eyebrow at Adama's words.
"What? You weren't exactly known for having a good temper back in the day." The twinkle in his eye softened the words.
"That was before I was dealing with my own kids," she said, cheeky grin spreading across her face. "And I before I took Diplomacy 101."
"You're kidding." Roslin blinked in surprise.
Kara's cheeks coloured slightly. "Not entirely." They both stared at her with a puzzled look on their faces. "I didn't exactly take a course in diplomacy but I did go through several therapy classes, including anger management." She stopped and swallowed, feeling her cheeks getting warmer. "It was when I discovered I was pregnant with Lee's child. I knew I had to do something to fix myself so I could take care of it properly."
"How did you know it was Lee's and not Sam's?" Roslin asked softly.
"Sam was sterile. I've known that since New Caprica. Baltar had all 'couples of childbearing age' tested and was refusing birth control to those able to have children. I guess he liked your 'have babies' edict," she chuckled dryly but without humour. "When Sam was pronounced unable they took away my birth control shots too. No need to waste good medicine I guess. I sort of forgot about that when ... " She paused to clear her throat. "So I knew the baby had to be Lee's right from day one."
Adama nodded, stopping himself from saying what was on his mind. Kara had never been known for her fidelity, if the stories he'd heard could be believed. Had their been more than one fling during her marriage to Sam? He would have guessed yes but her certainty seemed to argue against that. And since it had been proven that Zach was indeed Lee's son, why bring up the unpleasantness of the past?
Kara meanwhile, assuming the conversation was at an end, had gone back to busying herself with getting supper ready.
"That was a brave thing to do," Roslin whispered. "It must have been hard." To admit you have a problem and need help? Too frakking right it's hard. She truly is a woman with guts.
Kara took a deep breath and exhaled, keeping her back to them. "I'd known for a long time that I had a problem and needed help. I guess I just needed that catalyst to shock me into figuring out how to get it." She peeked over her shoulder. "It wasn't like there were any shrinks left in the fleet anyway, and even if there had been, I'm sure their doors would have been being beaten down by customers." She grinned. "I think we all had issues of one sort or another."
Conversation turned to the trivial after that and then focused mainly on Zach and Sara once they were eating. The atmosphere was a little strained - no surprised given the situation, but it was much less uncomfortable than Kara had expected it to be. She was thankful they were all doing their best to make things cheerful for the children - it made life a little easier for her. Her eyes pricked with tears, as they seemed to quite frequently of late, whenever an emotional situation occurred.
She put down her utensils and rubbed them, blinking a few times. Her eyes automatically caught the familiar blue ones they'd once been used to seeking out and she saw the question in them.
"Just got something in my eye," she explained.
"You want me to take a look?" Lee asked softly.
The sound of his voice - near whispering - sent the blood rushing through her veins. Her body grew very warm under his gaze and she felt a sudden rush of desire. She shook her head. "No thanks," she mouthed rather than spoke, feeling her cheeks burning.
"Mommy, more milk," Sara said a few minutes later, breaking the silence that had fallen.
"Okay honey." Kara lifted the milk and refilled her glass, her arm brushing against Lee's as he reached across the table for the salad. She pulled it back quickly, feeling an instant rush of heat at the contact. Blood surged through her again, and she fought back the flush she knew was making her cheeks and neck red.
"So Zach, what's your favourite part of school?" Roslin asked, seemingly unaware of the tension in the room, or perhaps very aware of it and trying to break it by leading the conversation somewhere innocent.
"Science," Zach answered promptly. A rather lengthy discussion that meandered into the realm of space travel ensued and kept the two of them and the Old Man occupied for the rest of the meal.
Kara found herself constantly peeking up to meet Lee's eyes, which were always on her. She felt them even when she wasn't looking.
As they finished eating, Laura rose to help Kara clear up the table. "No, it's okay," Kara waved her away. "I'll take care of it. You guys go relax in the other room."
Roslin was about to protest but Adama put a hand on her shoulder, seeking her eyes. In them she saw understanding - Kara needed to be left alone, needed to stay busy in order to get through this time. And most of all - needed Lee more than she needed them.
"Okay. Let me know if you need anything."
Kara smiled gratefully. "Will do."
The kids took off at a run, their grandparents following at a more stately pace. Lee stayed behind, watching Kara as she watched them leave the room.
She blinked and looked away a minute later and began clearing away the dishes.
Lee moved closer. "Let me help."
They both reached for the same plate and their hands landed together, hers pinned to the cold surface by his burning skin. She could feel his breath tickling her ear - coming more and more quickly as the seconds passed. He didn't say anything but she felt the question hanging between them.
"We can't," she whispered. "Even if I was ready, we couldn't yet." She turned her head slightly and their eyes met.
Lee's heart pounded furiously. Kara had always been an enigma and now was no different. She'd always been a closed book to him, one he'd never found the key to opening.
"I know," he whispered back, saying the only thing he could think of that might fit. "It's okay. I may not be able to change how I feel but I can decide not to act on it."
The moment seemed to last an eternity. Her eyes widened and darkened under his gaze.
"Lee, Kara ... can you come here? There's something you need to see."
Adama's words broke the spell and they hurried out into the living room quickly.
"Look." Roslin pointed at the TV, tuned to a news channel.
They watched, lost for a moment, but focused quickly when a picture of Galactica came up on the screen.
" ... what they say is an elaborate hoax by the United States government to force their countries into submission ... "
"What the frak?" Kara swore, covering her mouth quickly as she remembered the children were in the room. "They think our story isn't true?"
"Apparently." Eight years hadn't dulled Roslin's ability to cut like a knife with just one word. "The government of this country might believe us but it seems other parts of the world aren't so sure."
"Maybe they just want to believe," Adama said softly.
"I know there's unrest in parts of the world and a lot of countries have issue with the United States, but I can't believe people would be willing to go to war over this."
Kara turned to Lee. "You haven't been here very long," she said sadly. "Sometimes it seems like the worst of humanity is what we see most of all here." She swallowed hard. "Still, nuclear war because they don't believe our story is true? That's a little overboard."
" ... the government is dealing with the situation as we speak. We'll be bringing you live coverage of this breaking story so you're aware of all new developments as we are."
Silence fell as Kara turned the TV off. She drew in a deep breath and exhaled long and hard. "Frak."
TBC
