Chapter 43
Plebes
During the fourth year of Cylon occupation, the government terminated its contract with CapGen Labs as the supplier of all pharmaceutical supplies to its medical assistance programs and the government supported school system. The President sent Marines to shut down the plant after contamination was found in a number of vaccines. The nature of the contamination was never explained to the public.
-Bartell, History of the Second Cylon War
.
Reveille sounded at the Academy at 06:00. Kara had no problem getting up. In fact she was already awake. On the days she rode the bike, she got up at 5:30. Sharon had no trouble getting up either. They hit the showers and were dressed in their uniforms, bunks made up, and waiting in their room at 06:30 just like they had been instructed the night before.
They waited. Sharon finally sat down in her desk chair. Kara walked over and looked out one of the two windows. The view was the back side of the Academy, the steep, wooded hill that led down to the parade ground and playing fields in the distance. The leaves on the hardwood trees were just beginning to turn their autumn colors. Kara could see part of the hard-packed jogging trail that snaked through the woods from the gym to the soccer field and back.
Suddenly Sharon jumped up and hissed. "Turn around. Now!"
Kara turned quickly. Sharon had exceptionally good hearing.
The door of the room opened. A female clad in an officer's blue duty uniform entered. Kara recognized the lieutenant's pins on the collar. They were identical to Lee's.
"Attention," she barked.
Kara was familiar with that command. Her mother had taught her all about attention. She drew herself up stiffly, shoulders back, chin tucked in, eyes straight ahead. Sharon had more difficulty.
"Trouble with attention, cadet?" The lieutenant asked.
Sharon glanced at Kara and imitated her. "No."
"No, what?"
"No, sir," Sharon said.
"I didn't hear you."
"No, sir!" Sharon said louder.
The lieutenant inspected their bunks and closets. The step-by-step bed-making instructions took on a new meaning.
"Cadet Thrace, out in the hall, stand at attention and wait. No speaking. Cadet Valerii, you will remake your bunk the proper way as instructed while I watch."
Kara marched out and stood with her back inches from the wall. It was nearly five minutes before Sharon joined her. Kara didn't dare glance at her but she felt anger, or possibly shame, radiating from Sharon.
The lieutenant moved to the next door. On the other side of the hall, another officer was doing the same thing. Kara stood at attention, blanked her mind and tried to ignore her empty, growling stomach as cadets gradually filled the sides of the hallway. They stood for nearly twenty minutes until all the rooms were inspected and the rest of the cadets had joined them. At 07:00 they marched to breakfast where they were instructed to eat in silence, eyes straight ahead.
A young officer sat at the head of each table of twelve cadets. Kara didn't dare look around. She knew better. Lee had told her what to expect. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Sharon turn her head slightly. Sharon was probably looking for Karl.
"Eyes straight ahead," Kara hissed. She was shocked at how loud her whispered words sounded at the near silence of the dining hall.
The officer was on her feet and behind them immediately. "Do we have a problem, cadets?"
"No, sir," Kara said and Sharon echoed her.
"The order was eyes straight ahead and eat in silence. Both of you on the floor. Give me twenty-five pushups to my count. One…two…three…"
Damn, damn, damn, Kara thought as she obeyed. I feel like I'm back on Picon. She knew that every cadet in the cafeteria was aware of what was happening, but no one dared to look. Eyes straight ahead, eat in silence had far more meaning for them than it had a few minutes earlier.
She and Sharon both made it through the fast-paced pushups, but near the end Kara could feel the muscles of her arms begin to burn. Sharon kept her head down, but Kara thought she made it look a lot easier than it was. Kara was nauseated by the time she finished. Breakfast had lost its appeal. Sharon must have felt the same way. Biceps trembling, Kara sat rigidly erect and silent through the rest of the meal.
At 07:40 they marched back to the dorm. Their first class started at 08:00. The lieutenant followed them into their room. Kara and Sharon stood at attention facing the windows.
"I am Lieutenant Shelley Sydell. I am here to see that you learn to obey orders. Do you understand what an order is?"
"Yes, sir," Kara and Sharon said in unison.
Sydell walked up close behind Sharon. "What was so interesting in the cafeteria that you disobeyed an order, Cadet Valerii?"
"Nothing, sir."
"Nothing?"
"No, sir. Curiosity, sir."
"Curiosity. Do you know what curiosity did to the cat, cadet?"
"No, sir."
"Find out what curiosity did to the cat and report back to me at lunch today."
"Yes, sir."
Kara heard Sydell's voice close behind her right ear. "And you, Cadet Thrace, do you have a problem keeping your mouth shut?"
"No, sir."
"No, sir?"
"Yes, sir, I have a big problem keeping my mouth shut."
"And what do we do when we identify a problem?"
"We solve it, sir."
"We solve it. How do you suggest we solve this one?"
"I keep my mouth shut when I'm ordered to keep my mouth shut, sir."
"You won't get another warning. I know who your father is. Don't think that will make a difference in the way you'll be treated. You're just another plebe to us. Disobey another order and you'll be walking off demerits around the quad for everyone to see, including your father." Sydell lowered her voice. "That will make him real proud of you, won't it? For a hero of the First Cylon War to have a frak-up for a daughter?"
Kara felt the anger rising in her. Sydell just had to push that button. She wondered how long it would take for him to hear about breakfast this morning. She clenched her teeth and kept her eyes straight ahead, willing her hand not to curl into a fist.
"Do we understand each other?" Sydell asked.
"Yes, sir."
"Cadet Valerii, what is a plebe?"
"A plebe is a first-year at the Academy, sir."
"A plebe is the lowliest of the low. A plebe is lower than worm shit. Remember it. I'm going to be watching both of you. You're dismissed. Get your books and go to class."
Walking across the quad, Sharon kept her eyes down. "I'm sorry for getting you into trouble."
"Don't worry about it. It would have happened sooner or later. I have a problem keeping my mouth shut. It'll probably happen again before I learn."
"We got off to a great start, didn't we?"
"We aren't the first and we won't be the last."
"What did she mean about the curious cat?"
"You never head that old saying? My mother used to tell me that all the time when I was a little girl to keep me out of…her husband's music stuff. She'd say, Curiosity killed the cat, Kara. Don't be the cat."
"No, I must have missed that one. I guess I'd better repeat that to Sydell after lunch. You don't think she meant it literally, do you?"
"No, of course not. They don't kill you for disobeying orders. They just make you wish you were dead."
"What are you going to do if somebody tells your dad?"
Kara snorted. "I won't have to screw up much and I'll get booted out. I'm here provisionally because of my age. So what class do you have first?"
"Colonial Literature then Chemistry then PE with Reider, then lunch then Chem Lab in the afternoon. You?"
"Colonial History then Colonial Lit, then PE with Riddick then lunch then Basic Flight with Colonel Burgher. I do the simulator right after. We don't actually start in the simulator until next week." Kara made a face. "My dad gives us a lecture today." She snickered. "At least it will be everybody getting it and not just me."
"I do Basic Flight and the Raptor simulator tomorrow. I'm on a Monday-Wednesday schedule for learning to fly."
"Karl and I do Tuesday-Thursday."
"I wish we could trade classes," Sharon said
"No you don't. You and Karl would just distract each other."
Sharon smiled. "You're right. The last thing I need to do is get him in trouble, too. He might not be as understanding."
Kara was the last one to arrive in Hugh Connelly's Colonial History class. She walked in and quietly took a seat in the back. She saw Karl on the other side of the room. He glanced at her. She smiled at him and got a brief smile in return.
Connelly began calling the names alphabetically on his roster as soon as she sat down. Karl's was the first name he called. Hers was the last.
Silently she counted the number of heads in the room as he passed out the class syllabus containing what would be covered in each class and which chapters of the history book were required reading. There were nineteen students in the ninety minute class .
Connelly spent the first twenty minutes talking about his background, his teaching experience and his expectations of them. He briefly mentioned that he had spent time in a refugee camp near Antioch as, he said, he knew some of the current students at the Academy had done. He mentioned the size of the camp and the harsh conditions of the earliest days. But he also said that he had a few very good memories from the camp. As his eyes moved around the classroom, they stopped briefly on her and then moved on.
At the end of the class, she walked up to Connelly's desk. There were several students still in the classroom. She was afraid not to acknowledge knowing him in the camp in case someone else knew of it. Karl was the only one who knew the truth about her and Connelly and she knew he would never betray her. She noticed, though, that Karl stayed behind, too.
"Hello, Mr. Connelly. I'm Kara Thrace. I met you in the refugee camp in Antioch. It was just before the flu epidemic, I think."
She was aware that she had the undivided attention of Karl and the other two remaining students.
"Cadet Thrace, I certainly do remember you. Perhaps later in the semester you…and maybe Karl, too…would be willing to speak to us about what life was like for you. The camps are a part of our history that we can't ignore."
Their eyes locked for a moment and she smiled. "I agree with what you said. It wasn't all bad, sir."
"No," he smiled more warmly now. "There were a few very good moments I'll never forget."
"It's nice to see you again, sir."
She turned and left the room, proud of how well they had both handled the inevitable meeting. Karl followed her.
Out in the hall he imitated her. "It wasn't all bad. It was all I could do not to bust out laughing. Connelly probably needs a cold shower now if he's remembering the way I found the two of you in the tent that day."
"Oh, frak you." She didn't think Karl would ever understand what Connelly meant to her.
"So you and Sharon have already frakked up. You made it all the way to breakfast on the second day. Way to go, Kara."
"We can't all be Mr. Perfect so quit acting like an asshole about it. Aren't you going to be late for your next class?"
"I've got to double-time it over to the gym for PE. Tell Sharon I'll try to see her later."
Kara sighed as she climbed the stairs to the third floor of the Language Arts and History Building for her next class, Colonial Literature.
Fiona Nagala, or Mrs. Peele as Kara knew her, was as cool as Hugh Connelly when they met as student and teacher. The admiral's widow was a very classy woman. Mrs. Nagala was dressed in one of her expensive-looking business suits. The gold earrings and pin added just the right touch. Kara thought of Laura. Some women were just born knowing how to look their best. In the bright light of the classroom, however, Kara could tell that Fiona Nagala was probably in her early forties instead of early thirties like Kara had thought in the dim light of the restaurant.
Kara thought briefly of how Fiona had been seated next to her father during yesterday's assembly. They were both in the resistance. Did they know each other? She wondered if her father would even tell her.
Mrs. Nagala stood. "Good morning, cadets. I would like for each of you to stand, tell me your name, and tell me a few sentences about yourself before we move on to what we'll be covering in class. I'll start. My name is Fiona Nagala. My late husband was Admiral Nagala, commander of the battlestar Atlantia. For those of you unfamiliar with the Atlantia's story, I understand you'll cover it in your Battle Strategy class during second term. I was born on Libran, educated on Picon at the University. I met and married my husband when he was stationed there at Fleet Headquarters. I was visiting my brother here in Caprica City when the Cylons attacked us. For those of you who don't already know, my brother is Colonel Charles Winters, the Academy's administrator. Until this year I taught part-time at Caprica University. Now, we'll start on this side of the room. Please stand and introduce yourself."
Kara hadn't stood in a classroom in a long, long time. She took a deep breath and saw Fiona Nagala give her an encouraging smile.
"My name is Kara Thrace. I was born on Picon and my mom was a Marine and the night after the Cylon basestar exploded and nuked the atmosphere, my dad borrowed a ship and flew me here, but we got separated that night so for a long time I thought he was dead. But not long ago we found each other again. I spent a couple of years in a refugee camp near Antioch before I came to Caprica City. For the last year I rode a motorcycle and delivered medicine to hospitals and clinics. And I want to be a Viper pilot like my dad so here I am. And since everybody will find out sooner or later anyway, I'll just go ahead and tell everyone now that Major John Gallagher who is teaching the Mark II simulator is my dad. And he has a lot of experience in a Viper because he fought in the First War."
Kara sat down to complete silence. From Mrs. Nagala's look, nothing Kara had said was a surprise to her.
"Thank you, Cadet Thrace. I can certainly say that your story is one of the most interesting ones we've heard so far. I'm sure that your brief introduction just touched the surface."
Kara grinned and shrugged. That was an understatement. Her PE class was going to be a piece of cake after what she had just done. She could handle a hundred pushups better than she could handle standing up and talking in class.
Kara and Sharon lined up for lunch with their fellow classmates and ate in silence again. This time they managed to keep their eyes straight ahead and to remain silent without an incident.
Back in the room before afternoon classes, Sharon said. "Captain Reider is a creep."
"Why? What did he do?"
"He didn't do anything. It's just the way he looks at some of us. It made my skin crawl. How was Captain Riddick?"
"Tough," Kara smiled. "Almost as tough as my mom. I'm off to the class I've been looking forward to all day, Basic Flight."
Sharon finally smiled. "Colonel Burgher's little pet."
"Let's go…before we're late and Lieutenant Rydell finds another reason to bust us."
"It's Sydell," Sharon said. "Shelley Sydell. Don't screw up her name or you will be in big trouble."
Together they once again walked across the quad, this time to the Math and Sciences Building. Sharon stayed on the first floor and headed toward the chemistry lab. Kara climbed the stairs to the third floor. She was the only one who got a nod of acknowledgement from the colonel. She took a seat near the front. Colonel Burgher waited until the last cadet was seated before he closed the door. To Kara's surprise, Burgher didn't call the roll.
"I don't take attendance. You miss my class at your own risk. I am very prone to give unannounced tests. If you miss one and are not dead or in the infirmary, you flunk for the semester. If you are having trouble keeping up or if there is something you don't understand, come talk to me. My office hours and location are posted on the bulletin board beside the door of this classroom. Since we have two new simulator instructors, I will be available to my students much more this semester. The ten of you in this room right now want to become pilots. Basic Flight is where it all begins. If you don't learn it here, then you could die up there. That's why attendance in this class is important. I'll repeat. Miss at your own risk. If you have a question or if I call on you, please state your last name prefaced with cadet. Is there anyone who doesn't understand what I just said, or are there any questions?"
There was complete silence in the room. Kara understood better now why Lee had said Colonel Burgher was his hardest teacher, but also his best. With no questions from his students, the colonel began his first class with them.
"Birds do it. Many insects do it. Why can't we humans do it, too? Why can't we fly?"
Kara thought of the notebook full of his Basic Flight notes that Lee had given her after that Sunday months ago when she had shown off in the simulator. She had read it many times. Tentatively she raised her hand. Burgher nodded at her.
"Cadet Thrace, sir. Because we can't generate enough lift to overcome gravity."
"Because we can't generate enough lift to overcome gravity. Our bodies are simply not designed for it. Very good, Cadet Thrace. The basics of flight…lift, thrust, drag and gravity. In the atmosphere of a planet we deal with all four. Outside of a planet's atmosphere, only one…thrust. What creates thrust?"
A male voice behind her said, "Cadet Pike, sir. The ship's engines."
"The ship's engines. Correct, Cadet Pike."
"And lift?"
"Cadet Thrace, sir. The wings," Kara answered.
"Technically it's the flow of air over and under the wings. Wings are also very handy places to put tactical weapons."
He walked to the front wall of the classroom and pulled down a large picture of a Viper before he walked to the side of the classroom so they all could see. "The Mark II Viper. In my opinion one of the sweetest rides the aviation engineers have ever produced. The later models are bigger and faster and heavier. They carry more firepower and far more complex computer technology, but this little ship, the one you'll do your simulation training in and the one you'll fly during Flight School, is the most maneuverable of them all. This is a ship that you fly. You don't rely on a computer to do it for you. Learn to fly this Viper. Learn to fly it well, and you'll be a top-notch pilot no matter what you're seated in."
At his words Kara felt excitement grip her that was almost sexual in nature. She wanted…oh how she wanted…to be in that simulator's cockpit.
At the end of the class, Burgher asked her to stay behind. She sat until the classroom emptied.
"Welcome to the Academy, Cadet Thrace. I'm very glad to see you here."
"Thank you, sir," she beamed.
"How is Lieutenant Adama?"
"He's good, sir."
"I got a nice letter from him several weeks ago thanking me for seeing the two of you that Sunday afternoon, and also asking me to write a letter of recommendation. It seems he's applied to the War College out here for the second term."
"Yes, sir."
"I've already written the letter. He's one of the brightest and hardest-working young men I've ever taught. Well, good luck to you both. You'd better get downstairs. You don't want to be late for your father's first sim class."
"No, sir."
Kara hurried down the three flights of stairs to the basement. Her father was just about to close the door. "You were almost tardy on your first day, cadet."
"I was talking to Colonel Burgher at his invitation," she hissed as she passed him and took a seat in the amphitheater. "Sir," she added as an afterthought.
She glanced around. There were nearly two dozen cadets in the room, all of whom she knew wanted to become Viper pilots. Since some of them were also in her Colonial Lit class, she was sure by now that all of them knew the instructor was her father.
He mentioned their relationship briefly as he told them a little about himself and his qualifications to teach the simulator. But he was also quick to tell them that she would be treated like any other cadet. He talked for a few minutes about the differences between the simulator and flying a real Viper. Then he told them that they were going to watch a few home movies, as he called them. He told them that what they were going to see had been taken from the gun cameras of a number of different Vipers in both Cylon Wars. He told them the sequences were graphic. He told them that they would see good men and women die as their ships were destroyed, but that they would see many Cylon Raiders destroyed as well.
"This is what you're training to do," John said. "Remember that. You need to see up front the things that go wrong as well as the things that go right. If this upsets you, then maybe becoming a Viper pilot isn't the route you want to take. It's better to learn early whether you're going to be able to handle it or not."
He pressed a button on the remote control in his hand. Film footage from the computer's hard drive displayed on a big white screen at the front of the amphitheater. Kara watched the mostly black and white, sometimes grainy images flickering in front of her. Her father froze the image frequently, long enough to use a laser pointer and talk about what was happening in each sequence. Then he would replay the sequence in slow motion. They all watched spellbound for the next thirty-five minutes.
At the end he brought up the lights and passed out the schedule for the thirty-minute allotment they would get once per week in the simulator starting the following week. Kara saw that she was slotted for the last time on Thursday afternoons. She almost moaned out loud. She was going to have to wait over a week before she sat in the simulator cockpit. Her father knew patience was not easy for her. He had probably done it on purpose.
"Don't worry that you get only thirty minutes a week during first term. Second term it goes to an hour per week. I don't mind if you occasionally have to switch places with someone if you'll let me know beforehand. Now are there any questions?"
"Cadet Pike, sir. Did any of that footage come from your gun cameras?"
"Possibly. I compiled this from a large library of file footage. I was looking for sequences that were the clearest indications of what your opponents can do and the best illustrations of ways to counter their moves. What you have to remember is that these things are machines. They don't get nervous. They don't worry about a girlfriend or boyfriend down on a planet somewhere. They're programmed to do one thing and one thing only in combat…that is to kill you. Don't ever forget that they are very, very good at it. They never hesitate, they never lose their concentration or their nerve, and they don't care if another Raider is in trouble. But…the thing that makes them so deadly is also the same thing that makes them vulnerable. They can't think like a human does. They make the same moves over and over because somebody programmed them that way."
Kara spoke up and said something that Lee had told her. "I heard that the newest Raiders have been upgraded with some ability to learn, that they've been give some artificial intelligence. Is that true?"
John smiled. "I've heard that rumor. I hesitate to claim it as fact because as far as I know, the Cylons haven't invited us to participate in designing or programming their ships. You've brought up an interesting theory, though, and one that more research is being done on right now. You can rest assured that we'll address all new features as we learn about them. I still believe that a good human fighter pilot will take out a machine every single time, artificial intelligence or not."
"Then why did we lose to them, sir?" Cadet Pike asked.
"We were greatly outnumbered and outgunned the last time. It doesn't matter how high the skill level of the pilots when you're faced with an overwhelming enemy force. Our average kill ratio was three to one, a lot higher than that for some pilots. But even a much higher kill ratio can't make up for sheer numbers and human fatigue. I was on the Galactica for the last three days and nights of fighting before the truce was called. I saw what I already knew was our pilots' only weakness…the effect of days and nights of fighting against a foe who can launch wave after of wave of machines at you. Machines don't get tired, machines don't need rest, and machines don't feel the demoralizing, almost paralyzing pain of seeing their wingman and best friend blown out of the sky."
A quiet voice spoke up from the back, "Cadet Reilly, sir. Do you think we'll fight them again?"
"There's probably not a man or woman on Caprica who doesn't harbor the dream that someday we'll be free to rule our own cities and build battlestars again, but that won't be my decision. What I'm here to do is to see to it that if that day ever comes, I've helped us put the best-trained pilots in the air."
"Cadet Clark. How many confirmed kills did you have, sir?"
"You know that's not really important. What's important is that I learned something every single time I went out…and that I made it back. That's what's important…coming back alive so you can go out again and kill more of them. A good fighter pilot is a master of defense as well as offense. Those are two of the things I'm going to teach all of you after you learn the basics of flying the Mark II. Any more questions? If not, I'll see you back here Thursday afternoon and I'll talk about the simulator and how it works. Look at the instrument panel diagrams in your Basic Flight textbook. That will help with what we'll be covering. Dismissed everyone."
Kara stood with the rest of them. "Cadet Thrace," her father said. "I'd like a word."
He'd heard about breakfast. She could tell by his tone. She walked down from the amphitheater onto the concrete floor and said in a low voice. "I've already frakked up."
"Aren't you forgetting something, cadet?"
"I've already frakked up, sir."
"You'll think before you disobey another order, I hope. They mean business out here, Kara. This is what you want. You want to be a Viper pilot."
"But making us sit at the table and not talk and look straight ahead is just…stupid in my opinion…sir."
"Kara, baby…Cadet Thrace…okay, I'm having trouble switching gears, too. It probably is stupid…staring straight ahead and eating in silence. But…that's not the point. What's it's all about is learning discipline and learning to obey orders. That's the military. You obey orders. All the way down the chain of command, you obey orders. You don't question them. You obey them. Even if they seem stupid. That's what you've got to learn."
"I thought you'd kick my ass about this."
"Do I need to?"
Kara finally smiled. "No…sir. If you didn't have another class of nuggets coming in, I'd hug you."
"It's the thought that counts." He lowered his voice. "I love you, baby. Behave yourself. Think before you open that mouth."
"I love you too, Dad. You did a great job teaching this first class. Those home movies were perfect. You and Colonel Burgher are the best team out here. You rock."
"We rock? I'll pass that along to the colonel. There's a faculty luncheon on Sunday. We're allowed to bring our spouses. Laura and I will stop by afterwards and see you."
"I'll be around…studying. You know we can't leave campus for a month."
"I heard that."
Kara rolled her eyes. "I can't even talk to Lee since I couldn't bring my mobile phone. I got five minutes on the phone downstairs in the dorm last night. He's coming over Saturday night and we're going to a movie on campus together…some stupid classic movie in the big auditorium, but at least I get to see him. He has to be gone by midnight, though."
John looked her in the eye. "Don't do anything stupid."
"Like what?"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about."
"We're not that stupid."
"Everybody's that stupid at one time or another. Just don't let it be you. If you get caught somewhere you're not supposed to be doing something you're not supposed to be doing, then it's a one-way ticket home. Keep that in mind."
Kara turned smartly. "Yes, sir."
...
Before she started studying that night, she asked Sharon. "Have you seen Karl, yet?"
"Not since the assembly yesterday."
"I saw him after Colonial History. He said to tell you hello."
Sharon smiled. "I saw Maggie. We're in Chemistry together. I met her roommate, Diana Seelix. She seems nice."
"Did Maggie know her before?"
"No, she let them assign her."
"Is Maggs going to keep dating Zak"
"I don't know. Class started and we had to shut up. How long did Maggie and Karl's relationship last?"
Kara shrugged. "It started in the camp. I don't know. Over a year. Closer to two."
"That long? Karl won't talk about the camp to me. Was it that bad?"
"It wasn't good."
"Do you both hate the Cylons because you spent time in the camp?"
"Not just because we were in the camp. Mostly because they killed our families and friends."
"Do you think they're all bad? Does Karl think they're all bad?"
"Yeah," Kara answered. "As far as I know, they're all bad…even the skinjobs."
Kara thought of Leoben. She didn't think he was bad, but she couldn't say that to Sharon. If Sharon really was a Cylon, Kara didn't think she was bad, either. But then what did she know about skinjobs, especially the ones who thought they were humans?
Sharon rubbed the tips of her fingers against her forehead several times. "The skinjobs…I wonder…"
"What?" Kara finally asked.
"I forgot what I was going to say. That's funny. I had a thought and then it was just gone."
"You'd better hope that doesn't happen during a test," Kara snickered.
"That would be a real bummer, wouldn't it?"
…
Kara was waiting in the lobby of her dorm when Lee arrived Saturday night. The lieutenant on duty at the desk checked his visitor badge and wrote down his name.
Lee looked so good. He looked so damn good in the dark slacks and blue sweater. Gods, she wanted to jump into his arms and wrap her legs around him. Instead she walked coolly over to the front desk where the lieutenant spoke to her.
"You're signing out for the movie, Cadet Thrace?"
"Yes, sir."
"Curfew is 23:30. Your guest must be back at the gate no later than midnight."
"Yes, sir," Kara repeated as she wrote her name on the sign-out log. The lieutenant had written Movie on campus in the box beside her signature.
Outside in the beautiful autumn evening, she and Lee walked to the auditorium.
"You look good in the uniform," he said.
"You look good in that blue sweater. Of course you look better without it."
"Don't, Kara. There is no way we can do anything."
"I know," she moaned. "I've been taking cold showers all week."
"You think you have," Lee retorted.
"My dad is secretly loving this."
"I met him at Zeno's last night. I think he's glad he accepted the teaching job."
"I was studying last night. On a Friday night. Me. Studying. Reading a couple of chapters of a book for my Colonial Lit class. Admiral Nagala's widow is teaching the class."
"No kidding," Lee said in surprise. "She wasn't here when I was."
"She was at Caprica U then. This is her first term at the Academy. Colonel Winters is her brother."
They reached the auditorium, went in and found seats. "What's she like?" Lee asked.
"Beautiful. She reminds me of Lissa…a little older and about a hundred times classier."
"I never did understand what your dad saw in Lissa. No, I understand it, but I never thought she was the one for him. Laura is right for him."
"My dad was with Lissa so he could keep tabs on whatever Baltar and the Cylons were up to for...the you-know-who."
"He told you that?"
"Not in those exact words. He also needed a place to live that wasn't in his name. He was staying off the grid for a while due to his…other life. Frakking Lissa was a fringe benefit. My dad and Laura are coming out here tomorrow for a faculty lunch. I'll get to see them afterwards."
"Where are Karl and Sharon tonight? Didn't they want to see the movie?"
"Karl said he'd already seen it a couple of times on television. I think they were going for a walk and then over to the student union for ice cream or something."
The lights dimmed. Very carefully Lee slid his hand over and took hers. His touch made her desire for him that much stronger. She bit her lip and tried to concentrate on the screen.
The movie was an older one, a classic about a soldier's struggle to adapt to civilian life after years of fighting during the First Cylon War. There were flashback scenes to the fighting. The special effects guys had done a great job making the Cylons look real. When they killed the hero's best friend during a firefight, Kara wanted to jump up and start shooting. If felt that real to her. She wondered if that's how her mother had died. She hoped it was quick, like it was for the hero's friend. She hoped her mother had died from a bullet and not slowly and painfully from radiation poisoning.
In the end the hero had given up on trying to adapt to life in the city. He had retreated to a small cabin in the wilderness of Tauron. He left behind the woman who loved him and his brother who had tried for the whole movie to help him and his aging parents who couldn't understand why he was leaving.
After the movie as she and Lee walked back toward her dorm, they talked about it. Lee saw hope in the ending…that the wilderness experience would help heal the former soldier. Kara saw only a man who had given up and quit trying. They argued about it all the way back to her dorm.
As they neared the door, Kara looked at her watch. It was nearly 23:00. She had half an hour before she had to check in.
They kept walking, past the dorm, across the quad and past the History building. On the far side of the faculty lot were several large trees. She quickly pulled Lee behind the largest tree trunk and out of the bright lights of the parking lot. He pressed her up against the tree and kissed her. She felt like it had been a year instead of a week. He wanted to stop with one kiss. She wouldn't let him. She put her hand on the back of his neck and held him. He gave in. The kiss deepened.
Two minutes of kissing, two minutes of his hand on her breast, even on the outside of her uniform shirt, and she was craving the release that only he could give her. She started to tug at the zipper of her trousers.
Lee grabbed her hand. "No," he whispered sharply. "It's not worth it Kara. We need to quit now and I need to walk you back to your dorm."
She grasped him through his slacks. "You want this as much as I do."
He groaned. "I know. We just can't tonight." He pulled away from her and walked a short distance away, his hands jammed in his pockets. He turned. "I won't let you risk your whole career for a couple of minutes of pleasure."
"Okay, be a tough guy. Suffering is supposed to be good for the soul, right? Well my soul should be in great shape now."
"Kara, you need to learn to put things in perspective. You need to start growing up. I know you're just seventeen, but you're the one who wanted this. You wanted to come to the Academy this year. I told you how rough the first term is. I told you how restricted your life would be. Did you really think you were going to get to play in the simulator all day? Didn't you believe me?"
Kara knew he was right. He had told her. She didn't answer him.
"Suck it up, Kara. You're a soldier now."
She straightened her uniform and redid her hair in the ponytail.
"Come on," he said. "I'll walk you back to the dorm."
They walked in silence, keeping a respectful distance from each other. Outside her dorm he leaned in and gently kissed her. "I love you," he whispered.
"Think about me when you're in the shower tonight."
He snorted. "Who else would I think about?"
"I love you, too," she whispered quickly and went inside. Three more weeks. What was it about not being able to have something that made it seem like the most important thing in the world?
Sharon was already in her bunk with the lights out when Kara tiptoed into the room. She opened the blinds on her side and stripes of moonlight painted her bunk. Kara took off her uniform and hung it in the closet. Clad in only a t-shirt and her panties she crawled under the covers. The window was partially open and she caught the faint scent of burning leaves. That smell always took her back to her early childhood, to the big, older house she had lived in with her mother and Dreilide Thrace. In the autumn he would rake the fallen leaves into a big pile in the back yard and burn them. The smell of burning leaves always made her think of him…of the musician…and of a life that seemed now almost like it had never been.
The dream was better than good. And wilder than anything she had ever done in her life. Lee was sitting on her motorcycle and she was facing him, straddling him with her legs hooked around his. It was crazy because she didn't know how they had gotten that way, only that they were in a parking lot somewhere at night…a warm dark night…and they were naked as traffic zipped by on the road beside them. Lee was holding her tightly as she moved on him and the feeling just kept getting better and better. Her eyes closed, her head fell back. It was so good…so good…and she was so close.
She felt his mouth on her neck. That's all it took. But when she looked at him again, it was no longer Lee her legs were wrapped around…no longer Lee who was naked on the bike with her.
It was Zak.
…
John let Laura out in front of the Admin Building where the luncheon was being held. "I'm going to park," he said. "You can go in and sit down if you'd like."
"No, it's a beautiful day. I'll wait for you here."
As he drove around the side of the building toward the parking lot in back, she saw Hugh Connelly and his wife Stacey come up the steps. They greeted each other. She told them that John was parking the car, and they stood and waited with her. Stacey showed her a picture of Elaina. Laura could hardly believe the little girl was sixteen months old. It seemed to her like such a short time ago that she had gotten the call from Hugh telling her about Elaina's birth.
She finally saw John come up the steps. There was a dark-haired woman wearing sunglasses walking with him.
"Who is that?" Laura asked Hugh.
"Fiona Nagala. The Admiral's widow. She teaches Colonial Lit. She and I are the only civilians on the faculty."
"She looks very stylish. And slim. I feel like a whale."
"You do not look like a whale," Stacey Connelly said. "By the time I was six-months pregnant with Elaina, I was twice as big as you are. You barely look pregnant at all."
Laura smiled. "I got off to a rough start. I was sick a lot. My doctor is encouraging me to put on a few more pounds."
John and Mrs. Nagala reached them and John made the introduction. Laura realized with a shock that she was the woman who had been at John's apartment that night…that terrible night she had walked out on him. John had claimed this woman was part of the resistance. Had that been a lie? Was she in fact a lover? She glanced at her husband and could read nothing in his look.
Fiona apparently had not gotten a good look at her on that night, though. Or she graciously pretended not to recognize her. Laura didn't know which.
As she shook Laura's hand, Laura noticed that despite having been a widow for four years, Mrs. Nagala still wore a wide gold band on her ring finger. Laura suddenly felt something she hadn't felt in a long time. She felt a twinge of jealousy. Was she imaging it, or did her husband and Hugh Connelly both seem a bit smitten by the Admiral's widow? She caught Stacey's eye. Stacey noticed it, too. She watched as Stacey wrapped her arm possessively through Hugh's.
"Shall we go in?" Fiona asked. "We don't want to keep Chuck waiting."
Chuck? Was that how Fiona had gotten the teaching job at the Academy? Was she a friend of Colonel Winters? Were they lovers, too?
Laura took John's arm as they started up the steps of the Admin Building. Fiona was in front of her. "Have you known Chuck Winters long?" Laura asked.
Fiona waited until Laura and John caught up with her. "All my life. He's my older brother. He's the one who introduced me to my husband."
After the luncheon which seemed interminably long to Laura, she and John walked across campus toward Kara's dorm.
"Is Mrs. Nagala still in the resistance?" Laura finally asked, hating herself for not being able to let it go.
"I didn't ask. She didn't tell."
"So you haven't seen her since…that night?"
"No. I met her out here along with the rest of the faculty."
"Did you know she was Chuck Winters' sister?"
"Not until she mentioned it during lunch one day last week."
"You and Fiona eat lunch together?" Laura could no longer hide the jealousy in her voice.
"We sit at the same big table with a dozen other faculty members if you want to call that eating lunch together. You eat lunch with Bill Adama a lot…just the two of you. You meet him for tea. I've never said anything to you about that."
"I don't meet him for lunch a lot. And I've known Bill for years."
"Well, I've never slept with Fiona."
"Would you like to?" Laura fired back quickly, unable to conceal the anger in her voice.
"I don't like where this is headed. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have mentioned your prior relationship with Bill."
"You didn't answer my question."
"I shouldn't have to. I love you, Laura. I don't want to be with anyone but you."
She sighed. "I'm sorry. Being fat and pregnant has made me bitchy."
"Oh, for the gods sakes, you are not fat or bitchy. You've never been more beautiful to me than you are right now."
She slipped her hand into his and they walked in silence the rest of the way to Kara's dorm.
They went into the lobby. The lieutenant at the front desk stood and came to attention.
"As you were," he said. "Would you let Cadet Thrace know that her parents are here to see her."
"Yes, sir."
Three minutes later Kara came down the stairs. John hugged her. Laura did the same thing.
Kara didn't want to sit in the dorm's lobby where everybody was coming and going.
"Let's walk," she said.
John said. "I've got to go over to the simulator room and get something. I also need to see Conrad Burgher for a minute."
They walked to the quad and Kara and Laura sat on one of the stone benches while her father went into the building.
"You look good in your uniform," Laura said.
Kara grinned. "Thanks. That's a pretty dress and jacket."
"Thank you. John said Lee was coming out last night and that you were going to a movie."
"It was here on campus."
"Life has changed drastically for you again, hasn't it?"
Kara nodded. "Lee told me how tough the first term would be. He told me about not being able to leave campus for a month and no mobile phones and closed study at night. I have to sign out to even go to the library. And sign in there. I don't even have email outside the Academy."
"Has it been tough physically?"
"It would have been hell if I hadn't been in decent shape. Some of the cadets are really struggling. Captain Riddick…she's my PE teacher…she reminds me of my mom…except for the red hair. My mom was a blond, like me."
"I understand she was very tough," Laura said gently. "Like you."
"She wrote the book on being tough. I should be tougher than I am. I almost got into a fight with Lee last night because we were kissing and I wanted to keep going. If we'd gotten caught, I would have been kicked out."
"Lee's only looking after your best interest. I'm sure that stopping was just as difficult for him."
"I was angry at him. I was angry at him when I went up to my room. It was stupid. And then I had a terrible dream. It started out with Lee and it ended with Zak and I would never…I don't even feel that way about Zak…but I dreamed about him…me and him. Is that sick or what?"
"No, it's not sick. You just said you were angry at Lee. Maybe the dream was your way of working through your anger. Maybe in dreams we try to work through issues we have. It's nice to think so anyway."
Kara took a deep breath. She felt a lot better. "Me and Lee…we've just got this thing…him and me just click so totally when we're…you know."
"Yes, Kara. I do know what that's like."
"When you were my age…did you and Lee's dad feel that way? It won't bother me if you say yes because you didn't know my dad then."
"That was all so long ago."
The sat in silence for a while. Laura had evaded Kara's question and they both knew it. It was not a topic that Laura wanted to discuss, but she didn't want John's daughter to be unable to confide in her. Confidence meant sharing.
Laura finally said, "At one time Bill was more romantic than he is now. Years ago when we were falling in love he took me to North Lake Park outside the city. It's a nice park with a lake that has a small island in the middle. We sailed out to the island. He had brought wine and I brought sandwiches. We had quite the romantic evening. Then he went to a battlestar and fought the Cylons. He was very different when he came back. I always wondered if he'd met someone."
"He didn't love you anymore?" Kara asked in shock.
"He loved me, but he was harder and tougher. He was used to…everything happening quickly…to making quick decisions. He expected the same thing from me. He tried to force me to make a quick decision…to decide between him and my education and my family."
Kara tried to imagine Commander Adama as a young man…like Lee was now. She thought of the picture Lee had shown her, the picture taken at the airfield when Lee and Zak were young. The commander had looked so different then.
Laura went on. "When Bill asked me to choose, I couldn't think…I couldn't make such an important decision about the rest of my life that fast. When I hesitated, he walked out on me. He married Carolanne shortly afterward. "
"He knocked her up. Lee told me."
Laura laughed softly. "Just like your father did to me."
"I'm not saying that's a bad thing..." Kara started.
Laura was still smiling. "No, it's all right. I just pray to the gods that our son grows up to be as fine a young man as Lee. I would feel blessed to have a son like him."
"Lee and his dad are still not speaking to each other."
"That's not Bill's choice."
"That's one bad thing about Lee. He's stubborn and unforgiving. If I mention it again, we'll just get in another fight about it."
"He's a lot like Bill," Laura said. "Proud, stubborn, always thinks he's right."
"It would kill me if my dad and me stopped talking."
"John is very different from Bill and Lee. He would never stop talking to you no matter what you did."
Kara smiled. "I just keep putting him to the test."
Laura patted Kara's leg. "He loves you, Kara. He loves you so very much."
"I think Lee loves his dad. I know he respects him."
"I'm sure he does. And I know Bill loves Lee. Bill loves Lee and Zak both. He's just never known how to show it."
"He put his career before his family."
"Yes," Laura sighed. "But many men…and women do the same thing."
"Do you think…if Lee and I ever have a kid…a long time in the future…do you think Lee would be a good father?"
"I think so. I think he's smart enough to know not to repeat the past…not to repeat his own father's mistakes."
"I'm not sure I would be a good mother."
"Only you will know if that's the right choice for you."
"Do you think about it?"
"Of course I do. My whole adult life I've had my career. I didn't think I would ever have a child. In many ways I still can't quite get used to the idea that in a few months a tiny little person will be dependent on me."
"And on my dad, too. He's going to be such a good father to your little boy. And I'm going to be a good sister."
At that moment her son moved and Laura suddenly felt a sense of family, something she hadn't felt since she'd lost her parents and brother fourteen years earlier. Sitting beside Kara on a hard stone bench at the Academy, she suddenly felt like they were a family, her and John and Kara and the baby, that this was what her life had always been leading her to.
She had no idea what the future held for them, but she sighed and closed her eyes for a moment on that beautiful autumn day and felt herself very blessed.
…
Gaius Baltar once again sat in the den with Laura, John and Bill on a Saturday evening. A month had passed since their last meeting, two weeks since classes had started at the Academy.
Laura had just placed a small glass vial, barely bigger than her thumb, on the coffee table in front of him.
He regarded it much like he might regard a poisonous snake.
"Don't worry, Dr. Baltar, this is not some pathogen that will harm you. It's a vial of measles vaccine, the same vaccine that is routinely given to children before their first year of school. It's manufactured by CapGen Labs. I'd like for you to test it and compare the results to your other findings."
Baltar still had not reached for the small vial. "This is highly irregular. This is not the way this type of thing is done."
"These are highly irregular times," Bill said. "Are you refusing to help us?"
"What exactly do you want me to do?"
Laura answered him. "We want you to tell us if this vial has been infected with the same engineered virus as the women you've tested."
"It's a measles vaccine, not birth control."
"That's why we've got to act now. If I'm to go to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and in turn to the President with our findings, we've got to be absolutely certain. If we're to curtail the government's relationship with CapGen Labs and break the contract, if we're to put them out of business, we must have proof. You know what this virus looks like. You're the only one who can help us prove it."
"And you seriously think a company as old and respected as CapGen would infect a vaccine given to children? That's insane. How can you judge an entire company by the contents of one little vial? How do I know it hasn't been…tampered with?"
"How the hell could we tamper with it?" Bill said harshly. "We don't even know what we're dealing with. Laura has gone to a great deal of trouble to get that vial of vaccine without arousing suspicion. Can you imagine the kind of wholesale panic that would ensue if word got out? We're talking about Caprica's children, for the gods sakes. We've got to know without a doubt before we take this to the President and ask him to shut them down."
Laura and Bill and John shared a look.
"What?" Baltar said uneasily.
"Tell him," Laura said.
"CapGen is a Cylon operation," Bill said. "We suspected it. Now we're certain."
"That's not possible," Baltar said. "CapGen has been in business for many years…since I was a student here on Caprica. I worked for them for several summers. That was years ago…years before the Cylons came."
John was turning his drink glass in his hand, watching the deep, amber colored whiskey remain level as he tilted the glass. "Where are you from, Dr. Baltar? Your accent is hard to place."
Baltar finally said, "I was born on Aerilon."
"Aerilon is mostly agricultural. Did your family own a lot of land? Lord of the manor type of thing? Is that where you got the aristocratic accent, going to the best of private schools, rubbing elbows with the elite, knocking a polo ball around?"
"I trained myself to speak properly…unlike some from my home planet. I started when I was ten. At a certain level of society, people do judge you by the way you speak."
John wasn't going to let it go. "You were ashamed of your parents' speech?"
"My father was a dairy farmer. He had a dairy farm outside a small town. Naturally his dialect was rural."
"You left there when you were how old? Eighteen? And never went back? Ashamed of your old man because he had dirt under his fingernails and didn't know how to speak properly?"
"Yes, I left when I was eighteen. If you know all of this why are you asking me these questions?"
"To see if you're capable of telling the truth. Bill, why don't you tell Dr. Baltar what you found out about CapGen Labs?"
"Four years ago CapGen Labs was sold to a man who exists only on paper. It's taken nearly a month, but a highly trained operative finally managed to get a photograph of who we now think is running CapGen. I realize this was taken from a great distance and through a chain-link fence, but take a look. Do you recognize anyone?"
Bill pushed a grainy eight by ten photograph across the coffee table. Gaius picked it up. A cascade of emotions raced across his face. He threw the photograph back on the table.
"This is some sort of trick."
"No trick, Gaius," Laura said softly. "It's your Cylon friend Simon, isn't it? Or a copy of him. And look there, beside him, your Cylon lover. Or a copy of her."
"I don't believe it."
"You'd better start believing it," Bill said.
John was still looking at his drink. "It puts things in a different light now, doesn't it, doctor? I mean working with the Cylons to make hybrid babies is bad enough, but helping the Cylons with the genocide of the human race is an entirely different ballgame."
"I have absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with CapGen Labs. I swear to you. I have no knowledge of anything that's being done out there."
Again Laura said softly, "But something you did when you were working with them on the hybrid baby project helped them, didn't it? Something that they took and ran with. It's been four years, Gaius. You said a month ago that you thought this virus was introduced two years ago. Given a year for research, what had you discovered at the end of that first year that would have helped them?"
"Nothing! We hadn't even gotten the first successful hybrid fertilization at that point. We were doing a lot of experiments with recombinant DNA from various sources. We used an inert virus in testing because viruses replicate so fast. Our virus was a harmless medium for testing. This cannot be blamed on me!"
"Congratulations doctor," John said almost as softly as Laura. "You've helped sign the death warrant of your fellow humans. How does it feel to know you helped render a generation of little girls incapable of having babies?"
"You miserable son of a bitch," Bill said. "I ought to wring your scrawny neck."
"I'll flip you for it, Bill," John said, putting his drink on the table and taking a coin from his pocket.
Baltar jumped up from his chair and turned to Laura. "You can't let them…"
"Take the vial, Dr. Baltar. Confirm our theory. Confirm that this vaccine is infected with your engineered virus. You owe it to Caprica's children…to the lives that you've ruined."
Baltar snatched the small vial from the table and fled from the room. Laura followed him in order to make sure the door was closed behind him. When she returned to the den, Bill and John were again morosely silent.
John finally spoke. "He deserves to go before a firing squad. That's what all traitors deserve."
"Not yet," Laura said. "We still need him. If there is anyone on Caprica who might be able to find a cure or a way around the sterility problem, then it's him. Given the chance, he may still redeem himself. I don't think he knew three years ago what his findings were going to be used to do. I think he was as horrified as we were to find out that CapGen may have been putting this virus into vaccines as well as birth control. The gods only know what else they've put it into."
"How is he going to come up with a cure by himself?" Bill asked. "You don't think Simon is going to help him, do you?"
"No, I think the Cylons already have a cure or at least a way around the sterility issue. I don't think they would have done this otherwise. I think the one who is going to help Dr. Baltar is his lover. If there is a weak link in the Cylons on this project, it's her. I think she actually cares for him."
"Cares for him," John said. "She's a machine, Laura. Machines don't care for anyone."
"Maybe it's not caring the way we know it. Maybe it's programming. I heard something in her voice that day at the lab, something that wasn't there during the negotiations. I think she believes that she cares for him, and that makes her vulnerable. The trick will be getting Baltar to exploit her, use her and betray her if need be."
"Then make it look like it's in his best interest."
"How long do we give him before I get in touch with him again?" Bill asked.
"A few days," Laura answered. "It shouldn't take him any longer than that to determine if that vaccine is infected."
Bill stood. "Agreed."
Laura again walked with him to the door. "How are you doing, Bill?"
He avoided her eyes. "Keeping busy."
"Has the house sold, yet?"
"I have a contract on it. A couple with two teenagers. They're waiting on their loan to be processed."
"Do you like living in John's apartment?"
"It's nice…very convenient."
"John and I are having a small dinner party next Saturday night. We'd like for you to come."
"Saul Tigh is going to be on Caprica next weekend. He and I usually get together."
"We'll ask Saul and Ellen, too. John has invited Colonel Burgher and his wife. I've asked Hugh and Stacey Connelly. You're welcome to bring a date."
He shook his head. "But I'll join you."
She squeezed his hand as he left. "I think you'll enjoy it."
Laura walked back into the den. John looked at her. "Well?"
"He accepted. I said I'd also ask Saul and Ellen Tigh. Saul is going to be on Caprica next weekend."
"Oh, frak," John said.
"What's wrong? Do you have a problem with Saul Tigh?"
"Not with him."
"Ellen?"
"If we can keep her out of the booze she might be all right. Of course Hugh Connelly is going to be here. He's young and good-looking. That might be enough to distract her."
Laura finally realized what he was talking about. "Did Ellen Tigh come on to you?"
"Who hasn't she come on to? Just don't seat her beside me or across the table from me? She has a problem keeping her shoes on."
"Poor Saul."
"Don't feel sorry for him. He puts up with it. Feel sorry for whoever Ellen is playing footsy with. Is Bill bringing anyone?"
"No."
"I'd like to ask Fiona Nagala…just as a dinner partner for Bill. Not that I'm trying to fix him up or anything. I just don't want him to feel awkward being the odd man at dinner. And she's a classy lady. Bill knew her husband. I don't know if he ever met her or not, but she's Chuck Winter's sister and Bill knows Chuck." John shrugged. "It's just a thought."
Laura wasn't sure whether what she was feeling at the moment had to do with her husband and Fiona or Bill and Fiona. She just knew that she didn't like the feeling.
"By all means," she said coolly. "Ask her. I'm sure Bill would enjoy her company. You and Hugh certainly seemed to enjoy it at the faculty luncheon."
"I knew I should have kept my mouth shut."
"I'm fine."
"Bill is lonely, Laura. I don't understand why you can't see that. His wife is dead. His sons aren't speaking to him. He works all the damned time. He…needs to do something besides go home alone every night to an empty, dark apartment and more work…and a bottle of booze."
"I'm sure the charming widow Nagala will be a great cure for that."
"Are you jealous thinking Bill might enjoy spending time with another woman?"
"Of course not. Why would I care about that?"
"Because you know he's still in love with you."
"I don't know any such thing," Laura snapped, ignoring what her heart had always told her.
"Then what's wrong? We're not going to revisit this thing about me and her, are we? I barely know her. Have we got another problem that we need to talk about?"
Laura felt tears sting her eyes. She struggled to understand the complex emotions she was feeling at the moment. Maybe it was everything…the idea of Bill and Fiona, but also the idea that John might find another woman attractive and desirable. She wondered suddenly if she and John would still be together if they didn't have a child on the way…if he would have stayed with her or moved on to someone like Fiona.
He wrapped his arms around her. "It was just a thought," he said softly. "I won't ask her. I wouldn't do anything to upset you. Four years ago I was like Bill is now. I'd lost Kara's mother and I thought I'd lost Kara. I was alone, sleeping on a cot in a hangar outside of Delphi, and I was drinking way too much. Bill's lost his wife and for all intents and purposes right now he's lost both of his sons. He's definitely drinking too much. I just thought…" he smoothed back her hair and kissed her forehead. "But I don't want you upset. I love you too much."
She put her arms around him as her tears spilled over. "I know Bill is lonely. He's been working far too much, trying to carry the fate of the human race on his shoulders. If the Cylons succeed in their plan, it might not even be an issue much longer. If they succeed in rendering us sterile, then in several generations we'll be gone or we'll have become nothing but their incubators for a race of human-Cylon hybrids or even pure Cylons. Ask her. Ask Fiona to dinner. Bill deserves a chance at happiness. It might be very short-lived."
He turned her face up to his. "I think we've both made way too much out of this. It's just a dinner party. Who knows? Bill and Fiona might not even hit it off."
"You know better. Fiona Nagala is the kind of woman who can charm the socks off every man she meets."
John smiled before he leaned down to kiss her. "Only if somebody hasn't already beat her to it."