~ Bright, Shiny Futures - Chapter Forty ~

The sight of the massive ship nearly brought Kara to tears. She stole a furtive glance at the others and the telltale brightness in their eyes showed her she wasn't the only one.

Galactica was home. She'd learned to love Earth and its people but there had always been a space inside that couldn't be filled, no matter how hard she'd tried. She knew and had known all along that part of it had been the absence of Lee in her life, but she hadn't realized till the fleet had come just how much she'd missed the old rust bucket as well. Her first visit back had made her nostalgic for the good old times. Now she just wanted to stay. Be careful what you wish for, her subconscious needled. You may end up spending the rest of your life here. Well, if that was the case, it wasn't the worst thing ever. So long as she had her children and Lee. Let him come, she prayed fervently, closing her eyes and visualizing him. Let him be safe and join us soon.

"Man, it's good to see the old girl again."

There were nods and murmurs of assent as Hotdog spoke.

"Okay," Kara said, clearing her throat to get their attention. "When we get on board we'll need you to get properly dressed and to battle stations as quickly as possible. Understood?"

"Aye Captain." She felt a shiver up her spine as they automatically turned to her to lead them. It was a feeling she hadn't felt in a long, long time.

"Are we actually going to be in combat?" one of the unfamiliar people asked hesitantly.

"I hope not."

"Been there, done that. Do it again if we have to."

"That's the spirit Ames," Kara said, smiling at the deckhand. It was good to see familiar faces. "I'm hopeful we can get through this unscathed."

* * * * * * * * * *

Adama pulled Tyrol aside as the rest of the groups headed out to their transports.

"Um ... I'm not quite sure how to tell you this Chief, but your wife has refused to come with us."

"I'm not surprised."

Adama's eyebrows rose suggestively. "Oh?"

"We uh ... " He paused, unsure how to continue.

"Aren't getting along so well?" Adama said softly.

Tyrol nodded. "You could say that."

"It's not really a big secret."

"Well now she's left me for good. Doesn't want to have anything to do with me. I suppose that's why she doesn't want to come - we'd be forced to work together."

"I need her expertise. She's one of the best I've got. She should be able to put petty squabbles aside and do her job."

"I wouldn't push it if I were you," Tyrol said.

"Well I am me and I want her on my ship." Adama's chin set stubbornly and Tyrol noticed yet again, just how much father and son looked alike when they were obstinate about something.

"It's your decision Admiral," he said shrugging, "just don't ask me to go back and talk to her. You'll have much better luck if you go. I guarantee she won't listen to a word I say and will likely do exactly the opposite of what you want, just to spite me."

"Is she really like that?"

Tyrol sighed. "Yeah. I don't think any of us really knew her very well. The stress of coming here seems to have ... " He trailed off but Adama nodded sympathetically.

"I'm sorry son. You're not the first man to be fooled by a woman."

Tyrol glanced up at him, seeing the sadness etched into his face for the first time. "I'm sorry sir," he said softly.

Adama shrugged. "You get on the next transport Chief. I'll go try to convince Cally to do her duty and join us."

Tyrol nodded, through he knew inside it was a futile mission.

* * * * * * * * * *

Kara raced through Galactica's familiar corridors quickly, but as fast as she moved, she was getting passed on both sides. She marveled at how brisk and efficient everyone still was after all these years on the run but upon reflection realized she was probably just slow. It had been eight years since she'd felt the thrill of the chase and her adrenaline levels spike as she raced through the corridors to meet her destiny and she wasn't nearly as fit now as she'd been then.

She took it all in hungrily despite the rush - the grey deck plating, worn down with the millions of steps it had borne, the beginnings of rust in the bulkheads where too much humidity had ionized the metal, the old familiar smell of army-issue soap mixed with engine grease ... it all said home in a way that nothing else could.

She burst into the quarters she'd seen only days earlier and within five seconds was stripped down to nothing but a bra and panties. Not quite standard issue, their lace made Kara blush as she recalled her last act in this room. She pulled out the trunk Lee had stored their gear back in and was fully dressed and ready to go in next to no time. Lee's dogtags jingled as she held them up to the light. She slipped them over her head and murmured another quick plea to the Gods to bring him here safely and quickly.

There was no time to waste so she took off to CIC at a loping jog, feeling the twinge of both nervousness and excitement at the thought of being out there again.

"Admiral," she called out as she swung through the door.

"Starbuck," he acknowledged. "All set?"

She nodded affirmatively.

"Head down to the hangar bay and get the pilots ready. Skids up in five minutes once we're airborn."

"Aye sir." She turned and gave Helo a brief nod before setting back off at a run.

Helo drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I hope she knows what's she's doing," he said under his breath. Gods keep us all safe, he prayed, though he wasn't a praying man.

* * * * * * * * * *

Kara didn't even stop to breathe when she skidded into the bay less than a minute later. "Skids up in less than five," she called out.

"On it," Sharon answered, popping her head out from behind a Raptor. "You and Hotdog are the only ones left to board."

She glanced around as she pulled herself up and drew the canopy over her. Twenty four Vipers and eight Raptors at the ready - a veritable force to be reckoned with. She looked at Hotdog beside her and nodded, feeling her heart pound wildly with anticipation.

Adama's voice filled her ears as she turned on her headset. "Two minutes to launch. Vipers and Raptors ready?"

"Galactica, Athena. All ready for launch."

"Good."

Adama turned off the connection to resume talk in CIC and Kara felt as though she'd suddenly been struck deaf. She could see all the people around her - the deck crew gesturing and yelling at one another and moving the ships into place, but she couldn't hear a thing. It certainly wasn't the first time she'd ever experienced the sensation but it was the first time in a long time and it unnerved her slightly. On her last flight, she and Lee had chatted in their cockpits before takeoff. Now everyone was focused on the mission and in their most professional mode. She had to remind herself to do the same. Here goes, she thought, butterflies flitting around wildly in her stomach. I hope we can pull it off. We have to.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Something wasn't quite right. Lee felt it as soon as he entered the hotel lobby. It was deserted save a few people off in a corner but it had the atmosphere of something big having happened recently.

The men in the corner looked familiar to him. They wore identical suits and ties and all had earbuds protruding from their heads. If they'd have been dressed differently, he'd have sworn they were marines. They just had that air about them. The circle broke open and another man emerged - the Vice President.

Lee strode over to them, anxiety filling him. "Mr Vice President," he began, hoping to be able to get a few words in and grab the man's attention before the guards shut him down. "I'm Lee Adama. I'm looking for my father, Admiral Adama."

The Vice President held up his hand, wordlessly calling off his guards and motioning them behind him. "Yes I remember you Mr Adama. You're a little late."

"There was a lot of confusion about the disappearance of Kara's husband and the police needed to talk to me ... " Suddenly the words he'd spoken registered. "Late? Late for what?"

The Vice President looked apologetic as he shrugged. "They've already left for Galactica. I assume by now," he checked his watch, "they'll be close to arriving."

Lee's heart shattered. He knew how long it took to get to the site where Galactica and the other ships had landed. If they were already there ... he was never going to make it. They were going up there without him.

"Were you supposed to ..." the Vice President asked kindly, seeing the sadness Lee couldn't hide. "Were they supposed to wait for you?"

Lee's shoulders slumped down as he exhaled. "No, I guess I just hoped I'd get here in time to go with them."

"But you're not with the military anymore, isn't that correct?"

"No I'm not, but they're my family." He lifted his eyes to meet the other man's. "I feel like I belong up there with them. I spent a lot of years flying, maybe there's something I could do ... "

The Vice President leaned over and whispered to one of his guards, who then broke away from the group and began to talk.

"Come with me Mr Adama. I"ll do my best to get you there."

* * * * * * * * * *

The helicopter landed on the roof ten minutes later,, the wind pressure from the huge spinning blades moving Lee's short hair. They climbed in, he, the Vice President and two guards, and put on headsets. Orders were given to the pilot and they were off less than a minute later.

"Thank you sir," Lee said gratefully, turning his head to face the man beside him.

The Vice President nodded. "Save your thanks for later. We still may not make it."

* * * * * * * * * *

Laura Roslin breathed deeply as she led a gaggle of children through Galactica's corridors.

Home.

The sight of the huge ship she'd called her second home after Colonial One was familiar but it wasn't till she'd breathed in it's unique scent that a feeling of peace and contentment stole over her, despite the situation.

"In here children." She led them into a mostly unused meeting room and bade them each find a space to store his or her things.

"Why are we in here?" one of the children asked.

"It's a safe place," she explained. "No one uses this room so we won't be in anyone's way, and it's right in the centre of the ship so if anything happens on the outside we'll still be safe."

"You mean like combat?" A couple of the boys began making shooting noises and wrestling one another.

She shushed them quickly. "No. I'm hoping we won't see any combat at all. We're going out here to keep the peace and try to make sure that no one hurts anyone else."

"Then why are we here?" a little girl Roslin barely recognized asked. Riley, I think her name is, she thought, digging hard to remember.

Her brow furrowed. It was a good question. Why were the children on board? Couldn't they have been moved to a place of safety on Earth? Perhaps there aren't any. Perhaps Kara knows more than she's letting on and she knows there's nowhere safer than here.

"I'm not sure Riley," she answered. "I think it's just in case things do get difficult and there's fighting. Galactica is the safest place you can be."

The children seemed to accept that with no further questions and she envied them their innocence. Now that the question was open in her mind, she couldn't help but ponder it as she watched them, dividing naturally into groups. Zach and Sara were the only ones who seemed not to have a place they belonged. They sat near Hera, Kiera and Nicky but not quite close enough to be part of the group. I wonder if that's how Kara felt, she wondered, watching them. All those years on Earth, not quite fitting in. Just on the fringes but not quite 'one of us.' Given the way she'd sunk back into life with the Colonials happily, she suspected that had been the case. She'd felt badly for Kara having had to live like that, just as she felt badly for her children now.

She went over to the group of three and whispered in Hera's ear, asking her to make sure to include them. Hera nodded, her eyes full of both wisdom and sorrow. She too had known what it felt like to be different, and though she had a sister to join her as Sara had her brother, she'd always been conscious of the fact that she was different. Roslin left them to help settle some children at the other end of the room and when she turned back the five of them were sitting together and apparently playing some sort of word game.

The vague feelings of disquiet that had begun to rumble at the question why had now turned to full-on nervous panic. She strove to hide it so as not to worry the children but inside it was eating her up. She longed to talk to Bill but there were no communications in this room and she was stuck here. The vibration of the ship's engine told her he was otherwise occupied anyway and wouldn't have had time for a call even if she'd been able to make one.

All she could do was hope he and Kara had things under control.

* * * * * * * * * *

Sam sat in the cockpit of the Raptor, head spinning. The events of the previous hour were overwhelming and he'd learned yet another new thing about himself - he had incredible strength when he chose to use it. "You may look like them on the outside but underneath the faux skin you've got steel instead of bone, with a tensile strength a hundred times greater than what they can put out. Use it." At first he hadn't believed Michael but then he'd tried, and with it he'd been able to break out of his cell.

He'd also discovered, to his dismay, that he really wasn't adverse to killing people. He'd done Michael in (though it hadn't held) three days earlier, and had now added four police officers to the body count. Inside he didn't feel any differently than he had prior to killing them. It was disturbing.

"Focus Anders," Michael said, bringing him back to the present. "We have a mission here."

"Which is what exactly?" Sam turned to face him. "And how do you expect me to get out of this hangar bay without clearance to take off?"

"Think out of the box. You know how to fly this thing. Just go."

Sam sighed, then pulled on his helmet and zipped up the flightsuit he'd found inside the ship, almost as if it had been ready and waiting for him. He handed Michael a spare helmet. "Put it on," he mouthed. "So where are we going once we get out of here?" he asked once the comms were active.

"Back where we came from."

Sam frowned but asked no further. Though the man had saved his life and gotten him to Galactica, his cryptic answers were worse than no answers at all. He'd just keep his mouth shut and pull a Starbuck if he had to.

* * * * * * * * * *

"Launch Vipers."

Adama's crisp voice in her ear sent shivers of anticipation through her. It had been so long since she'd felt the thrill of adrenaline coursing through her in anticipation of battle.

Two by two they launched, all of them in the air within minutes. They flew in formation flawlessly and Kara felt a lump growing in her throat as tears stung her eyes. There were many things about Galactica she hadn't missed - the terrible food, cramped accomodations and most of all the strained and uncomfortable relationships with some of the people she'd been stuck with, but this ... this she'd missed more than she could ever find words to express.

Sharon's voice reminded her what they were out there to do. "Squadron A follow Starbuck. Squadron B follow Icefire. Raptors run cover."

Kara followed her orders to the letter. Well rather her own suggestions. She took her squadron around Galactica's starboard side and they fell into battle formation. Icefire, one of the newer hotshots but obviously someone Sharon didn't trust to go rogue, did the same around the other side.

"Icefire, Athena. Is everyone in place?"

"Athena, Icefire. Affirmative."

Kara could hear the stiffness in his voice and it reminded her of Lee. She smirked, remembering how many times she'd heard Lee's stiff voice and had told him she'd be happy to remove the stick from up his ass.

"Starbuck, Athena. Is everyone in place?"

"Athena, Starbuck. That's an affirmative. We're ready and waiting." It sounded innocent to those listening in, but that was her code to Sharon to get Plan B moving.

"Understood Starbuck." There was a long pause as they held their positions, then out of nowhere six of the Vipers doubled back, veering wildly off course. They dipped low, as though ready to land.

"Athena, what the hell is going on out there?" Adama demanded. "You've got half a dozen pilots in unauthorized flight patterns."

"Yes sir," Sharon said but Kara interrupted before she had to lie.

"Galactica actual, this is Starbuck. Those pilots are under my direct command. I gave them their orders and they're following them."

"You'd better have a damn good reason for what you're doing Starbuck." She winced at the anger in his voice.

"Believe me sir, I do."

* * * * * * * * * *

They were too late. Galactica rose like a beacon in the sky and just minutes later Lee saw the Vipers launch.

"I'm sorry son," The Vice President said quietly, putting a hand on his shoulder and squeezing.

Lee nodded silently, knowing if he tried to speak tears would take over.

"Is there a way we can land on Galactica in this thing?"

Lee frowned. "I suppose the bay is large enough since this isn't much bigger than a Raptor, but I suspect we'd be blown up far before we got close enough to land."

"Isn't there anything else we can do?"

Lee took a deep breath. "Try to see if the pilot can make contact with Galactica," he said. "Other than that, let me have the controls."

~ TBC ~