Chapter 44
Picnic
During the winter of the fourth year of Cylon occupation, several Cylon Raiders crashed into Kings Bay as their computer systems and their transponders apparently failed. The Cylons were never able to recover them.
-Bartell, History of the Second Cylon War
.
"Cadet Thrace, name the gauges, starting with the top left, moving horizontally," her father said to her as he sat, clipboard in hand, at the top of the steps leading up to the simulator's cockpit.
Kara was seated in the simulator's cockpit, almost high on the feeling of being back in there again.
With the smallest of eye rolls,she said, "Radio-magnetic compass, main computer screen, altimeter, vertical speed indicator, torque indicator, air speed indicator, turn coordinator and attitude indicator." She pointed to one on the far right. "Fuel gauge."
John pressed a button on the remote control in his hand and the main computer screen came on. "What does this configuration show?"
"Landing."
"Be more specific."
"Landing on a battlestar."
"It's called inbound landing status, not landing on a battlestar. Are you level?"
"No, sir." At least the sir was becoming automatic now.
"What would you do to correct?"
"I would adjust my attitude, sir."
Her father snickered.
"Oh, funny," she said. "You did that on purpose. When am I going to get to do something besides sit in the cockpit and answer dumb questions?"
"When you know the instruments and what they indicate." He changed the computer screen again.
"That's the dradis."
"Showing what?"
"Six contacts. All Colonial signals."
"And now?"
"Weapons systems active, guns are armed."
They kept it up for fifteen minutes. Her father asking questions, changing the screen and asking more questions.
"I've only got fifteen minutes left," she moaned. "I want to fly."
"Tell me something, Cadet Thrace. If Colonel Burgher was sitting here instead of me, would you be whining to him about wanting to fly?"
"No, sir," Kara answered.
"Would you think he knew what he was doing by running you through these drills?"
"Yes, sir. But they're so boring. Lee is the only person I know who would get off on something like this."
"Why do you think we're doing this?"
"So you can watch me suffer. I know the stupid instruments. I don't need to keep doing this."
Her father's voice finally betrayed his irritation. "We're doing these boring drills so that it becomes second nature to you. So that when you're up there and you see a particular screen or a reading on a particular gauge, you don't have to stop and think, now what the hell does that mean? You'll know what it means."
Kara hung her head. "I just want to fly this thing so bad."
John lowered his voice. "I know you do, baby, and you're going to get to. You've just got to be patient. Now I'm going to start a sequence running that involves the main screen and some of the gauges. I want you to look at them and tell me what's going on."
He pressed a button on the control and all the gauges reset to zero or a neutral position. The sequence started.
"I'm taking off."
"From the ground or being launched from a battlestar?"
Kara hesitated.
"Look at your gauges…altimeter and air speed."
"From the ground."
They kept at the same drills for another fifteen minutes. Finally her father said, "Congratulations, Cadet Thrace, you made it through your first simulator class."
"I don't get to fly even a few minutes?"
"Not this time. Next time."
"There's nobody coming in after me. Let me stay another fifteen minutes, pu-leeeze. Let me show you how I can get over that barrel when I'm landing."
"I can't. If I do it for you, then I'll have to do it for everybody, or I'll be accused of favoritism. Colonel Burgher warned me about that. So did Colonel Winters. Even Bill."
"What business is it of his?"
"He was thinking about both of us. He doesn't want to see me get in trouble…or you."
"He ought to tend to his own business first before he starts minding somebody else's."
"Meaning?"
"He should try to talk to Lee."
"He did try. He didn't get very far."
"What did he do, leave Lee a voice message? Son, call me ASAP to talk about our problems. That's an order. Dad."
"Kara, what's wrong with you? I thought you two fought over this very thing. Only you thought Lee should be the one to talk to his father."
Kara shrugged.
"Come on. Get out of the cockpit," he said gently.
He stood up and climbed down the steps. Kara followed him. At the bottom he put his arms around her. "What's wrong, baby?"
"I miss Lee."
"You'll get to see him Saturday night."
"I miss you, too. I miss being able to sit down at night and talk to you. I miss us going to lunch together. It seems like I just got you back and now we're student and teacher and I have to call you sir."
She heard her father take a deep breath. "You're not the only one who's having a tough time with it. Do you wish you'd waited another year?"
"Sometimes. But I'm here now and I'm going to stick it out."
"You're tough like your mother. You'll make it."
"So I get to fly next week?"
"You get to fly next week. I'm not trying to make this hard for you, but I've got to be fair."
"I know, Dad. How's Laura?"
"She's fine. We're having a small dinner party Saturday night. Your favorite instructor Colonel Burgher is going to be there…and your next favorite, Hugh Connelly…and your third favorite, Mrs. Nagala."
"Why'd you invite her?"
"We invited Bill and we need a dinner partner for him. Colonel Tigh and his wife are going to be there, too."
"The ones who were standing with Commander Adama at the funeral?"
"That's them."
"She had her hand on his butt while Elosha was saying the benediction."
"Ellen is a very…hands-on type of woman."
"I thought it was tacky."
"Behave yourself with Lee."
Kara thought of the previous Saturday. "Don't worry. I think you've got Lee on your payroll. Elosha would be proud of him."
…
Kara walked out of the Math and Sciences Building a few minutes later. Karl was sitting on one of the stone benches in the quad. For a few seconds she thought he had a cigarette in his mouth, but as she walked up, she realized it was the stick of a candy sucker.
He took it out of his mouth. "I was wondering when you were going to show up. How was the simulator?"
"I did boring drills. I haven't gotten to fly, yet. What are you doing in the Raptor simulator?"
"Boring drills."
They laughed. "Where'd you get the sucker?"
"Some girl in my math class. It doesn't mean anything. She had an extra one. My mom used to buy these by the bag."
"I remember. She kept them in a big bowl on the kitchen counter. Marie would always pick out the cherry ones. Should I mention to Sharon that you've got someone sweet on you?" Kara snickered.
"It doesn't matter. She's not the jealous type. Not like Maggs at all."
"You really like her, don't you?"
"Yeah, I really like her."
"You're lucky…having your girlfriend right here at the Academy."
"I'm really lucky. We've been here a couple of weeks and I've kissed her goodnight one time outside of the dorm."
"At least you get to see her and talk to her. I don't even get to see Lee or talk to him except once every couple of nights for five minutes on the downstairs phone…and I have to sign up for that. It's worse than being in prison."
"We all get a weekend pass in two weeks."
"I can't wait. I already know what Lee and I are going to do that weekend. On Saturday morning I'm going to go get him on the bike and we're going to ride up to North Lake Park. Have you ever been there?"
"Nope. Where is it?"
"About twenty miles north of the city. I looked it up on Map Finder a couple of nights ago. We're going to get some sandwiches and a bottle of wine and we're going to sail out to the island in the middle of the lake and have a picnic."
"You'd better be careful with the wine and riding the bike. A DWI will get you kicked out of here in a hurry."
"You're right. Maybe we'll take soft drinks instead and pretend. Come on. Walk with me back to the dorm. I'll tell Sharon to come down and see you before we have to line up for chow with Lieutenant Orders-Must-Be-Obeyed Sydell."
"Sharon will probably be in the shower. She's started jogging in the afternoons, but I'll walk with you anyway."
Kara grinned. "I'm glad Sharon isn't the jealous type."
Karl grinned, too. "It wouldn't do her any good. No more than it did Maggie."
…
"My earrings," Laura said. "Where are my earrings? I had them in my hand two minutes ago and now they're gone. They were my mother's. The little emerald and diamond ones. Our guests will be here any minute and I've lost my earrings."
"You didn't lose them. You put them down somewhere. Retrace your steps. Where have you been?" John finished knotting his necktie and straightened it.
"The closet. I've only been to the closet to get my dress."
"Your closet is the size of the first apartment I rented on Picon. Walk back in there."
She walked back into the closet. There were the earrings. She had put them down on her lingerie chest. She came back out and walked into the bathroom to stand in front of the mirror and put them on. John walked in and she lifted her hair in the back for him to zip her dress.
"You're not going to wear those heels all night, are you?"
"What else am I going to wear?" She snapped. "My bedroom slippers? Just because I'm pregnant, I can't wear stylish shoes?"
"Whoa, calm down. Jennet is in the kitchen watching the chef. Everything is under control. Take a deep breath. It's just a couple of friends coming over for dinner."
He was right. Laura didn't know why she had gotten so uptight over this dinner party.
"Okay," John smiled. "Who's going to get here first?"
"I know who will get here last…the Tighs."
"I agree. The one time I met Bill and Carolanne and Lee for dinner, they were almost twenty minutes late. Ellen found a way to let us know what had delayed them."
"What did she say? Forgive our tardiness. We were having sex."
"No, I think she said she had waylaid Saul on the way to the shower that night."
"I hope she has better manners than to say something like that in front of our guests. I doubt they would appreciate that kind of crude humor."
"I wouldn't put anything past her. Just be prepared."
"Why does her husband put up with her behavior? Why doesn't he stop her?"
"He'd have more luck stopping a tsunami."
"He must love her deeply to put up with her…extramarital proclivities."
"I'm sure he's got his reasons."
Laura smiled. "Well, she had better keep her hands to herself tonight…or at least keep them off you."
John grinned. "My little wildcat has claws,"
The doorbell rang.
"I'll get it," John said. "You finish whatever you need to do. You look beautiful tonight, just like always."
When she walked into the den a minute later, John was pouring drinks for Conrad Burgher and his wife Portia. She knew that the colonel was in his late fifties. His wife was probably near his age. They were dressed conservatively, the colonel in a dark turtleneck and sports coat, his wife in a long-sleeved black dress. The colonel still had a lot of hair, but it was nearly white. His wife's graying hair was cut short in a stylish bob. They looked like they belonged together.
Fiona Nagala arrived next. She was dressed in a stunning burgundy cocktail dress that accentuated her slim but very shapely figure.
Laura looked down at her own loose-fitting jade-green dress and tried to force the word whale from her thoughts.
Fiona was followed in short order by Hugh and Stacey Connelly and finally by Bill Adama. Laura let John handle the introduction of Bill and Fiona.
"Bill Adama," Fiona said with both surprise and pleasure in her voice. "It's been years." She walked toward Bill, both hands extended.
"Too many," Bill said. He clasped her hands with both of his the way he had done Laura many times. Fiona air-kissed his cheek. Laura felt a tiny dart of jealousy.
"Do you two know each other?" She asked.
Fiona turned to her. "Bill and my late husband served together on the Galactica during the First War. I met Bill for the first time at our wedding if I remember correctly."
"You're right," Bill said. He turned to the rest of them. "Theo Nagala was my CAG, one of the finest men I've ever served under."
Bill still held Fiona's hands. "I never had the chance to express my condolences."
"Thank you," she said. "You're very kind."
"Drink…Bill? Fiona?" John asked.
Bill finally released Fiona's hands and walked to the bar. "I'll take my usual."
"No thank you," Fiona said. "Maybe later." She walked over to Laura. "You have a beautiful apartment. That painting is by the Libran artist Winston Arendale, isn't it? I was born on Libran. My mother was very into the art scene there. She and a friend ran a gallery for years."
"Then you know your artwork," Laura replied. "Yes, it's an Arendale. My father bought that painting years ago when he was serving as the Caprican ambassador to Libran."
"You father was Ambassador Roslin. I'd forgotten that." Laura walked with her over to the Connellys and the Burghers. Bill and John joined them.
They all chatted for the next ten minutes waiting for the Tighs to arrive.
"I'm going to check on the kitchen," Laura said. "I won't be but a minute." She glanced at her watch. She had been right about the Tighs. They were fifteen minutes late.
Fiona followed her. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"No, thank you. My housekeeper is here. I've hired a chef and he brought someone to help serve. I could never pull this kind of thing off on my own. I'm useless in the kitchen."
Fiona lowered her voice. "I take it that I'm here as Bill's dinner partner?"
Laura stopped. "John didn't mention that to you?"
Fiona smiled. "He just invited me to a small dinner party. I felt like I was to be a single man's partner."
Laura sighed. "Men. John overlooked a rather major detail."
Fiona now smiled. "My husband was no good at those kinds of details, either. I thought Bill was married."
"He's a widower…several months now."
"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that."
"I apologize, Fiona, that John didn't explain anything to you. I hope this isn't awkward for you."
"Oh, no. I'm fine. I'm very glad to see Bill. And please, call me Fi. That's what my friends call me. Now, I'll go back and talk to my dinner partner and your other guests."
…
Kara sat in the dorm lobby that Saturday night once again waiting for Lee to arrive. Lieutenant Orders-Must-Be-Obeyed Sydell was on the front desk. From time to time Kara glanced at her. The lieutenant looked at her, too, every time someone's date came through the door. Kara wondered what was going through her mind. What kind of guy would date a frak-up like you?
Lee walked in the front door, glanced at Shelley, and then stopped. Even across the room Kara could see his face change. She stood and walked to the desk. The lieutenant wasn't looking at her. She was looking at Lee. Finally Kara got it. Lee and Lieutenant Sydell knew each other.
Lee spoke first. "Hello, Shelley."
"Lee Adama. It's been…how long?"
"Over two years. How are you?"
"Fine. You?"
"Good."
Kara actually saw the moment Shelley realized that Lee was there to see her. She saw the muscles of Shelley's jaw harden.
"You'll need to sign the log," she said, suddenly all business. "Where are you going?"
"Over to the student union to meet some friends."
Kara signed her name and together she and Lee walked into the cool evening.
"So how do you know her?" Kara asked before they were down the steps.
"We graduated together."
"Did you date her?"
"For a while."
"Did you frak her?"
"Kara, I'm not…"
"You frakked her? The dragon lady who's been watching me and Sharon like a hawk and you frakked her. She'll really be on my case now."
"Why has she been watching you and Sharon?"
"Because Sharon didn't know how to make up her bunk, and the first morning at breakfast, we got in trouble. We had to do twenty-five pushups in the cafeteria."
Lee sighed. "And since then?"
"We haven't gotten busted for anything since then, but she watches us all the time like she's waiting for us to screw up big time. I can't believe you frakked that bitch. She is so not your type."
"That's enough," Lee said. "She is not a bitch. She's doing her job. And I'm not going to talk about her with you. It happened over two years ago. I haven't seen her since we graduated."
"Why did you break up?"
"Because I started dating Blaire. Now drop it. You and I see each other a couple of hours a week. I don't want to spend it fighting with you. I saw your buddy Sam Anders at Zeno's the other night. He asked about you. I told him you were learning to be a kick-ass Viper pilot. I think he drooled on the table."
Kara ignored his remark. "What was he doing at Zeno's?"
"I met Zak and he tagged along. Zak's gone to work for the firm that does the PR for the Buccaneers."
"Zak isn't working at Bull's Eye anymore?"
"Nope. I figured you already knew that."
"How would I know that?"
"Maggie."
"Maggs and I don't have any classes together. We're not even on the same floor in the dorm. I've only seen her a few times crossing the quad and we just said hi. I haven't stopped to catch up on her love life," Kara said sarcastically. "Not that she'd talk about it to me, anyway. I'm surprised Zak's still dating her considering she won't even kiss him with any tongue."
"Who told you that?"
"Zak. That night at my birthday party when he was drunk."
Lee snorted. "And you believed him? You're too naïve. Zak won't date a girl more than twice unless she sleeps with him. He told me and Sam last night that his roommate had walked in on him and Maggie frakking on the couch the weekend before you started here at the Academy."
Kara was stunned. "He lied to me. Your brother lied to me."
"Of course he lied to you. Zak tells girls what he thinks will make him look the best to them."
"Son of a bitch," Kara said hotly. "I hate it when somebody lies to me like that. He should have just kept his damn mouth shut. I hope Maggie dumps him."
"Kara, listen to me. Zak's screwed up. Mom and Dad screwed him up bad. He doesn't know how to feel anything genuine for anybody. He never knew what love was like growing up. He was always trying to get Mom to notice him, trying to get her to love him. She'd pat him on the head like he was a damned dog and go about her business which usually involved a whiskey bottle."
"And you didn't try to get her attention?"
"Not like Zak. It was so important to him. And then he got old enough and discovered girls and that took over his life. He's looking for something and I don't know if he'll ever find it."
"So I should feel sorry for Zak?"
Lee shrugged. "I'm not trying to tell you how to feel about Zak. You can make up your own mind."
Her hand brushed his, their little fingers locked. "One more week," she said. "Six days. I get out of here at 16:00 next Friday afternoon and don't have to be back until the same time Sunday afternoon. Next Saturday we're taking the bike and we're going on a picnic."
"You skipped right over Friday night."
Kara grinned. "I didn't think I'd have to explain to you what we're going to do next Friday night."
…
The chef Laura had hired was in a snit. "It will be ruined…ruined, I tell you, if we wait any longer. I have my reputation to think of. If you don't go ahead and start the meal, I will not be responsible. You can serve it yourself."
Laura looked at her watch. The Tighs were now officially forty minutes late. She made a decision. "Let's begin. I'll go ask my guests to be seated."
At that moment, the doorbell rang.
"The gods be praised!" the chef said dramatically.
Ellen and Saul Tigh had arrived.
Laura walked into the den. Ellen had just taken off her shawl and dropped it on a chair. She was wearing a sleeveless black dress that looked fairly conservative until she turned around. The entire back of the dress from her hips to the neckline was sheer mesh. It was obvious she was not wearing anything underneath.
Before Ellen could start toward the bar, Laura said. "I hate to rush everyone to the dinner table, but my chef says we must start the meal or the coq au vin will not be fit to eat.
Ellen giggled and said coyly. "Is that cock as in rooster or the other kind?"
Laura saw Stacey's shocked look. The admiral's widow walked over to the Tighs. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Fiona Nagala. I teach at the Academy with John, Hugh and Conrad. Colonel Tigh, I believe you served on the Galactica with my late husband, Theo Nagala."
Laura saw Ellen look Fiona up and down. Bill walked over. "He did. Saul is now the XO of the Galactica and this is his wife, Ellen. Now, shouldn't we get started with the nice meal Laura has waiting for us tonight."
Seating had been a chore that Laura had spent time working out. To make sure that it was observed, she even had Tory make some nice place cards with everyone's name on them. She put John at one end of the table and she sat at the other end. She put Ellen Tigh on her right and Saul beside Ellen. Across from Ellen she put Colonel Burgher's wife. Neither Ellen's hands nor her feet could stray.
"I want to sit here," Ellen pouted as she swapped Bill's place card with her own. "I want to talk to the history teacher. I need a refresher course in Colonial History."
That put her directly across from Hugh Connelly. John had been right. Ellen had zeroed in on the handsome young teacher.
Without making a scene Laura didn't know how to get Ellen back to her original place. She looked beseechingly at Bill.
"Ellen," Bill said and caught her arm just as she was starting to sit down. "I'd like to sit beside Mrs. Nagala this evening. We have a lot to catch up on."
"Well, pooh," Ellen replied, but she allowed Bill to steer her to her original seat.
Laura smiled her thanks to Bill. One crisis averted.
The young man helping the chef with the meal came out and poured the wine. Next came the appetizer of shrimp, which Laura almost inhaled because she was so hungry. Eating this late she knew she would probably have indigestion. Thank you, Ellen Tigh, she thought.
Ellen picked at her food, concentrating instead on the wine. "So how is life in the government these days…as boring as it was before the Cylons?"
Laura wasn't sure whether Ellen's question had been addressed to her or to Bill, but she chose to answer. "Very much the same as always."
"How does it feel to work for the Cylons?" Ellen asked in a conspiratorial tone. "I always wondered how it would feel…to work for a machine."
"Ellen!" Tigh said.
"We don't work for them," Bill said. "We work for the people of Caprica."
"We have a rule at the Academy," Fiona said and smiled sweetly. "We don't talk about the Cylons at mealtime. It's very bad for the digestion."
"Oh, pooh," Ellen said. "I want to hear about the skinjobs. Saul has only met that Cavil one time when he came on board the Galactica. You and Bill get to see them every day. Do they really look just like we do close up…or do they look like the wax people at the museum?"
"Neither Bill nor I see them every day, but they look just like me or you…wrinkles and all," Laura said sweetly. "Except Natasi, of course. She's quite beautiful. Even close up. Her skin is absolutely flawless and her figure is perfect. It's easy to see how some men might become enchanted by her. And now that's enough talk about the Cylons."
"Amen," said Bill.
After dinner and despite the coolness of the evening, the men retreated to the terrace. Bill, Saul Tigh and Colonel Burgher had cigars. There was an after dinner drink of coffee and cognac. She knew Hugh Connelly didn't smoke and hoped John wouldn't.
The women stayed in the den. Ellen was like a caged tigress. She prowled around, finally sitting in a chair and then moving to the sofa. After five minutes she got up and poured a glass of ambrosia. "My favorite drink," she eyed the green liquor. "Mine and Saul's favorite drink. It's very expensive now, but I don't guess that's a problem for you. I guess you make more than you did when you were a schoolteacher."
"John keeps our bar stocked," Laura said. "I haven't touched a drop of alcohol since I found out I was expecting."
Ellen giggled in a throaty way. "Expecting. That's such an old fashioned term. It makes me want to say expecting what?"
"Do you have children?" Fiona asked Ellen.
"No. Saul and I were never blessed with children. Or cursed." Another giggle. "I'm not sure which. They take up so much of your time…and energy."
"Time and energy that I'm sure you like to spend on other things," Stacey Connelly finally spoke up, not trying to hide the sarcasm in her voice. Then her voice changed. "I can't imagine not having my little girl, not having Elaina. I love every minute I get to spend with her."
"How old is she?" Fiona asked.
"Sixteen months. Do you have children?"
"I had a daughter," Fiona said quietly. "She had a rare form of leukemia. When she was twelve, I brought her here from Picon. There was a doctor at the Caprica Oncology Institute who was treating her with an experimental drug. She went into remission. Then the Cylons attacked and bombed the plant near Sovana where the drug was made. The Institute ran out of it. Three months later my daughter was dead."
Laura suddenly understood Fiona Nagala's hatred of the Cylons and her involvement in the resistance. It had as much to do with losing her child as it did with losing her husband.
Colonel Burgher's wife put her hand to her mouth as tears came to her eyes. "You poor dear. My oldest son was a pilot. He was on board the Solaria. We lost him because of the Cylons, too."
Laura said, "There's not one of us here tonight whose life hasn't been touched in a negative way by them. That's one reason, Ellen that we don't like to talk about the Cylons."
"Well, pooh. I'll just go join my husband. I can tell when I'm not wanted." Drink in hand she got up and flounced out to the terrace.
Laura rubbed her forehead. She would give anything to be able to have a drink. "I'm so very sorry," she said to the other women.
"Laura, it's not your fault," Stacey said.
Within five minutes, Hugh Connelly and Colonel Burgher came inside.
"We've got to get back to Elaina," Hugh said. "We told the babysitter we'd be home by ten."
"Portia and I need to be going as well," Colonel Burgher said. "Thank you for inviting us tonight."
Laura walked with them to the door. Stacey Connelly said, "We enjoyed it. We'll have to get together soon, maybe in a smaller group."
Laura got her point. "Certainly."
"I'm sorry," Fiona said when Laura came back into the den and the two of them were alone. "I seem to have broken up the party."
"Oh, no, it wasn't you. We both know what happened. If I might ask, how is John's daughter Kara doing in your class?"
"Most of the cadets who spent any time in one of the refugee camps are struggling. I'm certainly going to take that into consideration when I grade my tests and papers. I know Hugh is going to do the same thing. The important thing is that she's trying."
"I wish we could have done more for the young people in the camps in the way of education, but for nearly two years it was a constant battle just to get them food and a few medical supplies."
"No one blames the government, Laura. What's the point of trying to educate children if they're starving? We know you did all you could for them. I know that you personally did more for them than anyone else…going against Cavil over those shiploads of supplies out at the airbase."
"I'd have gone against a thousand Cavils for those poor hungry people. I despise him. I pray every time I go to the President's office that I don't see him. In my opinion he's a monster."
"They're all monsters," Fiona said with a far-away look in her eyes.
"I'm so very sorry about your daughter."
"I'm just now to the point that I can talk about it…just now to the point that I can manage a full-time job. If it weren't for Chuck and his generosity, I don't know what I would have done. He's kindly opened his home to me for the last four years."
"Does John know?"
"I haven't mentioned it to anyone out at the Academy. Chuck knows, of course. We were staying with him while Mia was being treated. Chuck's son was on board the Atlantia with Theo when it was lost."
"Bill mentioned that to me."
"Chuck's marriage didn't survive it. His wife blamed him for pushing their son into the military…into being a pilot. She left him. He's been very…wary of any sort of relationship since then."
"I dated Chuck several times….before I started seeing John."
"I know. Chuck thinks very highly of you."
"Chuck is a very nice man."
Fiona's eyes took on a mischievous look. "Should I tell him you said that?"
"Of course." Laura smiled. "But it won't get him any extra money in his budget."
"What happened to Bill's wife? You said he's a widower."
"She died of an overdose several months ago. Bill says it was an accident. His oldest son says otherwise. Carolanne had a drinking problem for years. I guess we'll never know."
"John said you had known Bill since you were young…that your fathers were close friends."
"That's right."
"If Bill should ask me out, would I be making a mistake to accept?"
Their eyes locked and suddenly there was a moment of complete clarity between them, a moment when they both understood what Fiona was really asking her. Is Bill Adama still in love with you?
"I'm the wrong person to answer that question."
Fiona smiled. "I was afraid of that."
"Bill is a wonderful man," Laura said quickly and with conviction. "He's just a very private man…a hard man to get to know."
"I didn't say I was going to turn him down," Fiona smiled. "I just like to know the rules we're all playing by. There has been only one man in my life since I lost my husband. I had a very foolish affair shortly after my daughter died. I was nearly insane with grief. He was the proverbial rock I could cling to, but he was also married. I realized after several months what a terrible mistake I had made. I ended it although I still think about him and he continues to call me from time to time. He and his wife also lost a son during the holocaust and they have a daughter about Kara's age who is causing them a lot of problems. Many couples I know are struggling these days."
Laura thought of her own brief affair many years earlier with the man who was now President of the Colonies…or Colony as some referred to his title.
"We all make mistakes," she said softly to Fiona. "Some of us are lucky enough to learn from them. And if you wait for Bill to ask you out, you may be waiting forever. He's a bit on the reticent side. If you want to pursue anything with him, you'll have to do the asking."
"Thank you. I'll keep that in mind. He was very attentive during dinner tonight, but that may mean nothing."
"He's a gentleman when it comes to the ladies. He always has been."
"So was my late husband, my dear Theo. And so is your husband."
"Yes."
"John and I rarely speak of anything personal out at the Academy, but when he does, it's always about you or his daughter or the baby. I've never met a man who is looking forward to becoming a father again any more than he is. You're very lucky having him here with you. My daughter Mia barely knew her father. He was gone so much of the time."
"Bill was gone a great deal, too, when his sons were growing up. I probably shouldn't say anything because I know Bill would resent it, but he and his two sons are estranged now over his wife's tragic death. They both blame him for not doing more to help her. It's the cause of…a great deal of sadness in his life. Bill has a very demanding job. He works far too many hours. He had to make a choice. His marriage suffered. I only mention this because if you're going to become better acquainted with Bill, you'll have to deal with it."
Once again their eyes locked. Once again a moment of understanding passed between them. "Bill is lucky to have you as a close friend," Fiona said.
Laura smiled. "We have another connection as well. Bill's oldest son Lee is in love with Kara…as she is with him."
"Ah, the mysterious forces that bring our lives together and bind them are beyond our comprehension, don't you think?"
The terrace door opened and a nearly drunk Ellen Tigh, supported by her husband, stumbled in.
Laura stood and looked at Fiona. "I agree, although sometimes I could do without a few of those mysterious forces bringing people into my life."
Fiona also stood. "It's been a lovely evening. Thank you, Laura and John for thinking of me. Bill, would you like to share a transport with me?"
Bill put his empty drink glass on the bar. "I live close enough that I'm walking, but I'll be glad to call a transport and wait with you."
"Ta-ta," Ellen said. "It's been fun. I look forward to the next time. Good ambrosia, John. Goooood ambrosia." She made an exaggerated wink at John and had a spasm of giggles.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it."
Laura and John walked with them to the door. "Goodnight, everyone."
As soon as the door was closed she breathed an audible sigh of relief. Laura walked back into the den and kicked off her shoes. "What a night. I'm glad it's over. What did you men talk about?"
John loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt. "Ellen Tigh is obsessed with the Cylons. She must have asked Bill a dozen questions about Cavil. Bill was polite, but I could tell it was getting on his nerves. Tigh couldn't shut her up even though she was sitting on his lap the whole time."
"Poor Saul."
"A woman like that brings out the worst in any man. When he's with her he's under her spell and when they're apart, he spends all his time wondering who she's with. Bill and Saul are coming over here tomorrow night. Bill wants us to talk and he wants Saul involved. Saul is functioning as his eyes and ears among the battlestars."
"But not Ellen. Please, gods, don't tell me I have to entertain Ellen while you men talk."
"No, Ellen's not invited. We want to talk about the plan. I think Bill's finally ready to admit he needs help with some parts of it."
…
Kara and Lee sat in the student union at a small table. Karl and Sharon were dancing.
"How is rooming with Sharon going so far?" Lee asked.
"Fine. She and I are getting along fine."
"Any thoughts on what we discussed about her that night after the celebration dinner?"
"No. I don't even know what I'm supposed to be looking for."
"None of us do."
"The only thing that gave Leo away is that I shot him at the lab that night and then there he was at the book…at the place where he works. Even after I went in and talked to him, I still kept thinking I'd made a mistake He seems so…normal. Just like Sharon."
"Look at her dancing with Karl. You're right, they look normal."
"Laura and my dad are having a dinner party tonight. They invited Mrs. Nagala as your dad's dinner partner."
"Great. I'm happy for him."
"You don't sound happy."
"What do you expect me to say? My mom's been gone, what, three months? I'm sure he's ready to get right back into the social scene. He sold the house fast enough. I'm sure he's already forgotten her the same way."
"You're not being fair to your dad. My mom died and I didn't get all bitched up when my dad married Laura."
"He didn't do it three months after your mom died, either. It was more like three years."
"It wouldn't make any difference if your dad waited three years. You'd still be mad at him."
"Let's drop this. I don't want to talk about it. What did you do in the simulator this week?"
"I finally got to fly Colonel Burgher's kindergarten sim...after my dad made me do twenty minutes of boring drills. My dad made me do the sim twice."
"No crashes?"
Kara snickered. "The computer deducted a couple of points on the first landing because I started it too soon but I knew that barrel was coming. I gave it just the right amount of vertical thrust and got over it. My dad was like, okay, I know you've done this before. So he ran it again and that time he left the barrel thing out and it almost frakked me up since I was expecting it, but I did okay."
"No points deducted?"
"Not one. My dad tried to act cool, but I could tell he was impressed. He was like, all right don't go getting cocky on me."
"Did you know Burgher has a sim that no cadet has ever been able to fly?"
"You told me that last weekend. I asked my dad."
"What did he say?"
"He just smiled and said, what's the fun of something no one can fly?"
"I didn't say no one's ever flown it. I said no cadet has ever flown it. Your dad's probably flown it. He flies all the sims before the cadets do."
"You should have known better than to tell me that."
"Sets you on fire, doesn't it?"
"Just for that you have to dance with me. Come on. It's a nice slow one."
"You know what that's going to do to both of us, don't you?"
Kara pulled him to his feet and put her arms around his neck. He put his arms around her waist and they began moving to the music.
"Now I get to embarrass myself. You are so going to pay for this."
She put her cheek against his. "Is that a promise?"
…
Laura answered the door on Sunday evening to Bill Adama and Saul Tigh. The colonel walked ahead of them into the den.
"I guess you saw Fiona safely away last night," Laura said to Bill.
He smiled. "She walked back to the apartment with me and we had a drink. Then I called a transport for her. She loves the historic district."
Laura tried to read his look but couldn't.
Bill lowered his voice. "Tigh is ashamed of Ellen's actions last night."
"How does his self-esteem handle it?"
"He's used to it."
"Do you men want me to retire to my bedroom while you discuss your military plan?"
"No, Laura. We'd like for you to stay. We're all in this together."
They walked into the den where John handed Bill a drink. Tigh already had one. Laura took her favorite chair.
John looked at Bill. "You want to get things started. I believe this is your show."
"To bring you up to date, Tom Zarek's men found a small vein of labradorite on Tauron and we now have enough to finish manufacturing the jump keys for the battlestars. That's the good news. The bad news is that I still can't figure out how to take out that basestar over Caprica as the initial step in our attack. I'm open for suggestions."
John asked, "What if there was a way to get a explosives aboard, like a Raptor packed full…and set it off?"
Tigh snorted and looked at Laura. "How much did he have to drink before we got here?"
Bill said, "I'm listening, John."
"Here's my question. Would a Raptor full or the equivalent be enough if we put it into the basestar's landing bay?"
"You've got an idea or you wouldn't have said anything." Bill looked at Laura. "Do you know what he's talking about?"
She shook her head. "All of this is news to me."
Bill looked back at John. "Out with it."
"I might know where to locate another Cylon. Another skinjob. It's just possible this skinjob might be willing to help us."
"Gods damn it, man," Tigh said. "You know where there's another skinjob and you kept your mouth shut? What are you? Some kind of Cylon lover?"
"Back off, Saul," Bill said. "If John's kept quiet until now, he's got his reasons."
"I'm trying to figure out a way to verify it. Until I do that, I'm not saying anything."
"How did you come by this information?" Bill asked. "Is it reliable? Do you trust the man who gave it to you?"
"I'll just put it this way…I got it from someone who belonged to the same Thursday night triad club I used to belong to. I believe it's reliable. I'm working on verification of the information. What I need you to tell me is exactly how much in the way of explosives we'd need to take out that basestar."
"I'll get some engineers working on it right away," Bill said.
"Do you think it's possible to get…to capture…whatever you might want to call it…a Cylon Raider intact? I know that a Raider flies with every military ship on every training exercise. We need to capture one."
"Capture a Raider?" Laura asked. "Do you mean shoot one down?"
"No, we can't shoot one down. We can't tip our hand to the Cylons that we have weapons yet. I know it sounds crazy, but if we could get our hands on one, maybe we could reverse engineer its…brain…for lack of a better word. If not, maybe we could figure out how its transponder works…whatever it is that lets the Cylon basestars know it's a Cylon. When we head for that basestar, we've got to be broadcasting a Cylon signal."
"I see where you're going with this," Bill said and Laura heard an edge of excitement come into his voice. "Everyone just assumed it was impossible to do, but maybe…just maybe. Let me ask my engineers about that, too."
John said, "If you could hit it in just the right place with an electromagnetic pulse and screw up its programming, you might be able to force it to land if it was closer to the planet than to its basestar. I think if we could get one of them to ditch in shallow water…like out in the bay, we could salvage it and…okay, I know it's crazy. It would probably never work."
"No. I like it. Let me get with my chief engineer and see what he thinks."
Laura looked at Tigh. "How is morale aboard the Galactica?"
Tigh snorted. "It's been better. How is your little project with Dr. Baltar coming?"
Laura said, "I haven't spoken with Dr. Baltar since last weekend. He communicated to Bill that the measles vaccine we asked him to test was tainted with the engineered virus. The results are on the President's desk right now. We expect him to act on it before the end of next week. We're fairly certain he's going to shut down CapGen Labs."
"The trouble is," Bill added, "that it may be years before we have a clue how widespread the damage that was done. As soon as the plant is shut down, we'll begin testing everything made out there. Then maybe we can get an estimate of how many were infected."
Saul got up and helped himself to another drink of ambrosia. "It makes me wish we could go backwards…back before all this germ warfare or whatever the hell the Cylons have done. I liked it better when a fight was straightforward…when you faced your enemy like a man…when you didn't have to worry about some gods damned skinjob slipping something into a vaccine given to schoolchildren."
"If word of this gets out," Laura said, "there will be panic on Caprica. Parents will stop allowing their children to be vaccinated against anything. Think of how vulnerable that would leave us against all those childhood diseases we've almost eradicated through our vaccination programs."
"There will have to be a cover story," Bill said. "As much as I despise lies of that nature, Laura's right. We can't allow it to get out. We'll have to come up with a cover story as to why CapGen is being shut down."
John also got up and poured another drink. "What are you going to do if Cavil refuses to let the President close the plant?"
"He won't stand in the way. The Cylons are still holding most of the cards. He won't push the issue yet."
"The hybrid child was born," John said. "A boy. He's fine. The surrogate let Simon take the child as agreed. Lissa doesn't know where they took him."
Laura looked at him in surprise. "When did you find that out?"
"Friday. I talked to Lissa. She's agreed to keep me informed of what's happening on that project. They've got six more hybrids on the way…all still in the first trimester, but looking good so far."
Bill said, "Dr. Baltar has reluctantly agreed to try to find out whether the Cylons have a cure for the engineered virus or not. I think he's going to string us along for as long as he can. I think he's not only under the spell of that skinjob, I think he's afraid of her, too."
Saul finished his second drink. "Like I said, I prefer a straightforward fight. I like to look at my enemy and know he's my enemy."
"I'm afraid those days are over, my friend," Bill said. "We still don't have a clue how many skinjobs there are. You could be sitting right beside one these days and not know it."
"A scary thought, isn't it?" John said.
Bill said. "I'll talk to my engineer about John's ideas. Saul and I are leaving. He's going back to the Galactica on tomorrow's personnel transport and Ellen threatened to have my hide if I kept him a minute longer than necessary tonight."
Laura walked them to the door. When she came back into the den, John immediately said, "I didn't want to tell you what Lissa said on Friday because I knew you had the dinner party on your mind, and today, I quite honestly forgot about it until we started talking."
"It's all right. Why haven't you mentioned the other things to me…knowing about another Cylon and getting a bomb onto the resurrection ship…and the idea about capturing a Raider and taking it apart?"
"Because none of those were my ideas exactly."
"Whose ideas were they…exactly?"
"Kara's ideas mostly. My daughter thinks totally outside-of-the-box sometimes."
"You took credit for the ideas, though."
"Think about it a minute. How seriously do you think Bill would have taken it if I started by saying, My seventeen-year-old daughter has a way-out idea I'd like for you to listen to? Bill would have shut me down right then. Tigh would have, too. Believe me, if any of this works, you can bet I'll give credit where it's due."
"Do you really think it's possible? Could it really work?"
"In theory I think it could. Bill's engineers will tell us if it could be implemented in any kind of practical way. Just think about it. If we could get a Raider and engineer it to fly remotely, we could load it with explosives and send it right into the landing bay of that basetar."
"When did Kara tell you her unconventional idea?"
"Thursday afternoon when she finished her simulator class. We started talking about Cylon Raiders, and she said it was a shame we couldn't figure out a way to catch one, I believe is how she put it. I asked her what she would do with one if we caught it, and she said take it apart and find out what makes it tick. We laughed about it, but then she said maybe we could build one just like it. It started me thinking."
Laura smiled. "You and Kara are so very much alike."
"Let's just hope our son takes after you. I don't think I can handle another one like her."
…
Kara broke the silence in Lee's bedroom. "Laura and John are expecting us to meet them for dinner at Channing's in thirty minutes."
Lee lay on his back still breathing hard. "Lords of Kobol, Kara, I can't move. There's no way I can take a shower, get dressed, and get us over there in thirty minutes."
"What a little wimp," Kara grinned. "I'll take a shower first. You lay here in bed and rest. You need to get yourself in better shape." She leaned over and kissed him. "Riding that desk for Major Parker has made you soft."
"Riding a desk is not what did it. I think it was that third time in two hours that did it."
"First time didn't count. That lasted all of two minutes."
"I understand now why you skipped over Friday night when you were telling me what we were going to do this weekend."
She grinned. "Because you would have spent all week fantasizing about it."
"Go. Shower. Just don't use all the hot water."
Kara snickered. "Yeah, for once you don't need a cold shower, do you?"
"The way I feel right now, I'll never need another cold shower in my life."
Kara got out of bed and stretched before heading for the bathroom. "Did I mention we're going on a picnic tomorrow?"
"Where?"
"To North Lake Park. Ever been there?"
"No. Why are we going there?"
"Somebody told me about it. The lake has an island in the middle. We're going to rent a sailboat."
"I don't know anything about sailing. My dad is the sailor in the family. Do you know anything about sailing?"
"No, but how hard can it be?"
"Are you sure you don't want to rethink this picnic?"
"Nope. I told my dad to make sure the bike was ready. I think he's been riding it some. Laura would have a fit if she knew."
"We're taking the bike?"
"It's supposed to be sunny and eighty degrees tomorrow."
"Then I guess I'd better get back here tonight in time to make sure my last will and testament is in order."
"You're almost as funny as my dad."
"And a hundred times funnier than mine," he said.
Kara smiled. "You say that every time."
…
They took the I-6 Motorway north out of the city. Six miles on the freeway and they exited onto the S-52, a four-lane secondary road. Kara was struck by a sense of déjà vu. Seven miles up the S-52 she turned onto a narrower two-lane secondary road, the S-419. It wound into the hills over the city and would take them to the park. She saw the sign up ahead, the sign to the dirt road, service access road 1192 where she had come the night she and her dad and another guy had taken out the Cylon lab, the night she'd gotten shot.
She was still accelerating as she passed the sign, a flash of blue in her peripheral vision. She was surprised at the sudden wash of memories and was glad it was a bright and beautiful autumn day instead of night.
"You need to slow down," Lee shouted above the sound of the bike's engine and the wind whistling past their helmets. "We don't have a Raider on our tail."
Kara eased back on the throttle. He was right. The car chasing them was all in her imagination. They were alone on the road.
Ten miles later she saw the sign for North Lake Park and carefully pulled into the gravel lot. She moaned. It looked like half of Caprica City had the same idea she'd had. The parking lot was almost full. To make matters worse, the island was closed to visitors.
"It's rented to a wedding party," the guy at the boat dock told them.
"Somebody rented the whole island?" Kara asked.
"Some rich dude's daughter is getting married in the big gazebo. We're ferrying people across starting after lunch. Nobody is out there now but the people who are setting up the tents for the catering and doing the flowers and stuff."
"What's the going rate for an island?" Lee asked.
"For the whole day and night like this, fifty thousand cubits."
"Fifty thousand!" Kara said in shock. "Fifty thousand cubits when they could do it at a big temple for a few hundred?"
"By the time they pay the caterer and all the rest of it, it'll end up costing them a hundred thou easy, more than that if you throw in the cost of the bride's dress and putting up all the guests at the lodge a mile from here. Maybe a hundred twenty-five, thirty thou, maybe more. You'd be surprised by how often this island gets booked for big weddings. This is the third straight weekend."
"Somebody on Caprica is still making money," Kara said.
"Has it always been like this?" Lee asked.
"Naw. Twenty, thirty years ago my dad rented sailboats here. The island was mostly wilderness. A few camp sites, trees so thick you couldn't see the sky once you was twenty feet from shore. It was a great spot, nice and private. It's commerce central now. That's progress for you."
"So can we still find a place to have a picnic?" Lee asked.
"Sure. There's plenty of places around the lake, but don't go too far into the woods. It ain't safe. Some gangbangers started hanging out here a few months back. They've robbed a few picnickers who've got off away from the shore."
"So this is not the spot if you want privacy?" Kara asked.
"Nope, it's sure not. You'd be better off renting a room."
They walked over a mile along the trail by the lake before they found a small grassy spot that someone else hadn't already claimed. Kara unzipped the backpack and took out the sandwiches and canned soft drinks.
"The drinks are probably warm by now."
Lee pulled the ring on his drink. "What are we doing here?"
"Having a picnic."
"No, I mean here. I've never heard of this place. Who told you about it?"
Kara shrugged. "I heard the island was a nice romantic place for a picnic."
"Who told you that?"
Kara stared out over the water. "Laura."
"What are you trying to do? Live her memories?"
She took a sip of her drink and lay back on the grass. "It seemed like a good idea at the time. I wish we could have gone out to the island."
"What difference would that have made?"
"I don't know. Forget it. We'll leave after we eat."
He lay back on the grass beside her. "It's okay. It's nice here. I could do with a nap."
They stayed at the park for several hours, napping, talking and occasionally kissing. In the late afternoon as they walked back toward the parking lot, they heard the faint strains of a band playing out on the island.
"Nice day for a wedding," Kara said as they walked hand in hand, "if you're into that sort of thing."
She expected a smart remark from Lee but got nothing.
On the way back into the city Kara impulsively turned off onto the service road she had taken on that frigid night many months earlier. She rode slowly until she reached the dip in the road. She stopped the bike, raised the visor of her helmet and turned to Lee.
"This is where I got shot."
"What are we doing here?"
"Reliving my memories this time. My dad calls it exorcising ghosts."
"Isn't this private property?"
"It's a service access road for a couple of mobile phone towers."
She rode slowly down the road. The three stones were still stacked at the entrance to the path. She carefully turned the bike down it.
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see."
She rode all the way to the clearing before she turned the bike around and switched off the engine. She unfastened her helmet and walked through the woods looking for the place she had lain on the ground and fired the rifle that night. She finally found it.
"There, right there is where I was when I shot them." She was surprised that after all this time her voice faltered.
"Are you okay?"
"It just feels weird, that's all…like it was all nothing but a dream."
"Come on. Let's go back. The sun will be going down soon. It's already getting cooler."
They walked back to the bike. Suddenly Kara grinned and unzipped her leather jacket. She took it off and threw it on the ground. The t-shirt came over her head next.
"What the hell are you doing?"
She sat down on the ground and started untying her boots. "What does it look like I'm doing?"
"It looks like you're taking off your clothes."
She pulled her boots off and stood. She unzipped her jeans. "Come on, Lee."
"You can't be serious."
"Why not?"
"You want to…to…do it here on the ground?"
"No, here on the bike."
"I don't believe you. We can't do it on the bike."
"Why not?"
"We might get caught."
"By what? A squirrel? Come on, Lee. Show me what a bad boy you can be."
"You're insane, Kara. You're way past insane."
She was down to her underwear before she went over and put her arms around his neck and kissed him. In less than a minute he was more willing. She unzipped his jeans. He was definitely changing his mind.
"Get on the bike," she said. "Just like this."
By that time he wanted her as much as she wanted him. He sat on the bike and helped her onto his lap. She wrapped her legs over his. This was who she was supposed to be with. The dream faded, everything faded except her and Lee, here and now on the bike.
As the rays of the setting sun cast the clearing in a soft, fiery light, Kara held tightly to Lee, riding the tide of pleasure to its climax, exorcising more on that golden afternoon than the ghosts of a long ago winter night.