Chapter 60
Demerits
During the spring of the Cylon's fourth year of occupation, a Caprican tabloid was rumored to have a series of photographs taken via a mobile phone of Presidential candidate Laura Roslin's stepdaughter Kara Thrace as Cadet Thrace walked off demerits at the Academy. Prior to their publication the tabloid's data server was penetrated and its entire photographic contents were destroyed. The act was later determined to be the work of a skilled hacker who was never caught. The mobile phone, traced to a cadet, was confiscated by the administration at the Academy. Without the evidentiary photographs, the tabloid backed away from printing the story.
-Bartell, History of the Second Cylon War
.
Kara knew as soon as she woke up on Tuesday morning that the day was not going to be good. No sunshine greeted her through the slats of the blinds, only a gray gloom, and she heard rain, driven in gusts of wind, slashing against the window. She had felt the night before like she might be getting sick with the cold that was currently going around the Academy, but had convinced herself that the sore throat and stuffy head would be gone by morning. They weren't.
She felt slightly better after a hot shower. The stuffiness abated somewhat, but she still didn't feel good. Even under the hooded waterproof poncho, her legs and feet were soaked by the cold rain as she walked to the cafeteria for breakfast and then to Colonial History. She wished it could be Wednesday morning instead of Tuesday. If it were Wednesday, she could go back to the dorm and lie down for an hour before she had to head out for her first class.
"You don't look so good," Karl said as they waited for Connelly to get to class. "Are you sick?"
"I don't feel so good, either. I'm catching a cold."
"You and half my dorm."
"I thought I'd be lucky, but I guess not."
"Maybe I'll miss this one. I got one on the last go-round."
"Sharon never gets sick."
"She never gets tired either when we run together or when we…never mind."
Kara grinned as she saw Karl actually blush. "Have you ever had that talk with Maggs?"
"I told her Sharon and I were dating again."
"You didn't mention to her that you were in love with Sharon?"
"I didn't see the need. Maggie got the point."
"How did she react?"
Karl shrugged. "She was okay with it."
"Yeah, I'll bet she was."
"Look," Karl said angrily and then lowered his voice, "I apologized to her for what happened that night at Jared's apartment. I took the responsibility for it even though she's the one who started it."
Kara grinned. "So Maggs made the move on you just like I thought. You didn't mention that before."
"Mainly because it was none of your business."
Kara made a pout and said in a mock-hurt tone, "We don't keep secrets like that from each other. I'm crushed."
Karl snickered and then they both started laughing. "I'll just bet you are."
Connelly walked into the classroom and put a box of tissues on his desk. As soon as he greeted them, Kara realized the tissues were for him as well as for the class. Connelly had caught the cold, too. They spent most of the class reading their next assignment since Connelly was too hoarse to lecture. The hour was punctuated often by the sound of sneezes, coughs, and sniffling. Half the cadets in the room were sick.
At the end of class Kara climbed the stairs to the third floor and went to the restroom. She stood in a stall and blew her nose on some toilet tissue. She hated the feeling of not being able to breathe through her nose.
She had just thrown the wad of tissue into the commode and flushed it when the door to the restroom opened and she heard Maggie's voice. Kara left the stall door closed and stood where she was.
Maggie said, "Cadet Pike said he's sure she made the highest sim grade on the midterm. She's the only one he talked to who didn't either crash her Viper trying to get back to the base on bingo fuel or eject because they were going to crash. Of course everybody knows Major Gallagher told her ahead of time what was going to be on the test and told her what to do when she ran out of fuel."
Kara opened the stall door. Maggie was standing at the sink talking to another cadet.
"Do you want to accuse me and my father of cheating to my face, Maggie?"
Maggie turned. "Look who's eavesdropping."
"I have every right to be in the bathroom same as you."
Maggie looked at her coldly. "You might think you've got everybody fooled, but I know better."
"Are you accusing me of breaking the code? Are you accusing me of cheating? My dad, too? Do you want to go to Colonel Winters and repeat what you just said? I'll be glad to go with you. Come on."
"Why? He'd just side with you because your dad teaches here and you date an admiral's son."
"Then if you don't have the guts to make it official, keep your frakking mouth shut about me. I know what your problem is. I've always known. You're jealous."
"Everybody knows you're only making it here because of your father and Lee."
"You leave them out of this. This has always been between me and you. Ever since Karl told you I was his best friend and broke up with you. That's what's got your whiney little panties in such a twist. Did you really think you could throw yourself at Karl and he'd come running back to you? He's in love with Sharon."
"Bitch," Maggie said and shoved Kara hard into the stall door. It gave inward. Kara stumbled and went down. She scrambled to her feet and swung. The punch was ill-timed, but it still grazed Maggie's jaw. Kara could tell it infuriated her.
The cadet with Maggie backed away quickly and said, "Frak, you two. Stop it! Stop it! You're in big trouble if you get caught."
Neither one of them listened to her. Kara blocked Maggie's first punch, but the second hard one got through and connected high on her left cheekbone. It hurt. Kara knew it was going to leave a mark.
Suddenly she was the little girl fighting on the playground once more. Her next blow was harder and more accurate. She got Maggie on the side of her jaw again, knocking her against the tall trash can. Both went to the floor, the trash can with a loud clatter.
"Get up," Kara panted, feeling her left eye watering. "Get up so I can do that again."
Maggie scrambled to her feet and shoved the trash can out of the way. Neither one of them got to throw another punch, though, because the door flew open and two faculty members stood there.
Kara dropped her hands and relaxed her fists. She knew the drill by now. She also knew how much trouble she was in. She came to attention and looked straight ahead. There was no way either of them was going to walk away from this one.
...
At 16:00 that afternoon, she and Maggie stood at attention in the small conference room near Colonel Winters' office. In front of them Colonel Winters sat with Captain Riddick and Lieutenant Sydell. What was Admiral Adama going to think of her now? Worse, what was her father going to think? The thought of disappointing him made her feel sicker than she already did.
She saw Colonel Winters open a folder and study it before he looked up.
"Which one of you threw the first punch?" He asked.
"I did, sir," Kara answered.
Maggie quickly said, "Sir, I pushed her before she hit me."
Kara was surprised. That admission took guts.
Winters studied both of them. "What was the fight about?"
"It was personal, sir," Kara answered.
"Do you concur, Cadet Edmondson?"
"Yes, sir."
"Do you both know the penalty for fighting?"
"Yes, sir," they said in unison.
"Do either of you see any reason why you shouldn't both receive the punishment?" Winters asked.
"No, sir," they answered in unison.
"Very well, then. You are both confined to campus for a month beginning immediately. Your phone calls will be restricted to emergencies only. You will participate in no social functions. That means no dating, even on campus. You will receive twenty-five demerits each and will have thirty days to walk them off on the quad. Are we clear so far?"
"Yes, sir."
"If either of you is caught breaking any rules for the next thirty days, the penalty will be more severe, up to and including expulsion. Do either of you have any questions?"
"No, sir."
"Lieutenant Sydell will oversee you walking off your demerits. Cadet Edmondson, you are dismissed. Cadet Thrace, please remain behind." Colonel Winters then turned to Captain Riddick and Shelley. "You may both leave. Lieutenant Sydell, please ask Major Gallagher to come in."
Kara thought she would have longer before she had to face him.
A few moments after Riddick and Sydell walked out, her father walked in. Colonel Winters said, "Close the door, John."
He complied before he came over to stand beside her.
Kara found that she had to struggle to suppress tears. She kept her eyes straight ahead and didn't look at him.
"Please be seated, both of you," Winters said.
John pulled out a chair across the table from the colonel and gestured to it. Kara sat and her father sat beside her.
"Major, I'm extending this courtesy to you because you're an instructor here and because your daughter is still technically a minor. She's received twenty-five demerits and a month's confinement to campus with no social privileges. The offense was fighting with another cadet."
"I've already heard about the fight, sir," John said.
A thin smile curved the colonel's lips. "Word travels fast. The cadet who witnessed the argument that led up to the fight between Cadet Thrace and Cadet Edmondson said that among other things there was an accusation of cheating involved." Colonel Winters leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath. "Is that true, Cadet Thrace?"
Kara also took a deep breath. "Yes, sir."
"And did this accusation involve the simulator class your father teaches?"
"Yes, sir. But it's not true. Not a word of it is true. I've never cheated. My dad has never given me grades like some of the other cadets think. He's never told me how to beat the sims or given me any help that he hasn't given to all the rest of his students."
"My daughter's telling the truth, sir. She's good. She doesn't need to cheat. If anything I've been harder on her than I have the others."
"I would never question your integrity, John, and I'm certainly not questioning hers, but we have got a situation where there is apparently a broad perception of favoritism. I think the only way to remove any doubts is to let Colonel Burgher assume the responsibility for teaching Cadet Thrace in the simulator. I've already spoken with Conrad. He agrees it's the best solution to a very sticky situation. Cadet Thrace begins with him this week. Do either of you have a problem with that?"
John said, "I have a problem with it, sir. One of the reasons I agreed to take this job was so that I could teach my daughter."
"I agreed to let you teach her against my better judgment because I wanted you as an instructor. It didn't work out. Conrad doesn't have your combat experience, but he's a very competent sim instructor. My decision is not negotiable."
"I have nothing but the highest regard for Colonel Burgher. Would it be inappropriate for me to keep up with Kara's progress through him, sir?"
"No. That will be fine. I hate this, John, but I don't see any other way. That's all I have. Do either of you have anything else you'd like to say."
Kara said, "I do, sir." She took a deep breath and got herself under control. "I'd like to apologize to you and…and to my father for what I did."
Colonel Winters nodded and stood. Kara and her father both stood as well.
Winters gave her a tight smile again. "Next time you feel the need to slug it out with someone, go to the gym and put on some boxing gloves and do it under supervision."
"Yes, sir."
"Could I speak with my daughter alone, sir?" John asked.
"Take your time," Winters said as he left and shut the door behind him.
Her father put his arms around her. "I'm sorry, baby."
The tears that Kara had been holding back now came. For a moment she couldn't speak.
"I've disappointed you. I'm sorry. I'm such a screw-up," she finally choked out.
"You haven't disappointed me, and you're not a screw-up. You've caught that cold that's going around, haven't you?"
She nodded. "I won't get to see Lee for a month. I won't get to see Braedon, either."
"I'm afraid I can't do anything about Lee, but I have to come out here Saturday morning. Laura will be at her campaign headquarters so I'll have Brae with me. Come by my office about ten o'clock."
"Will you tell Lee what happened for me?"
"You know I will."
"He's going to be disappointed in me, too. He didn't get a single demerit the whole time he was here. He does everything perfect."
Her father put his hand on her chin and lifted her face so he could look at her eyes. "For years I thought the best way to handle a dispute was with my fists." He grinned. "You're my daughter. Maybe it won't take you quite as long to learn there's usually a better way to settle things."
"Will you tell Admiral Adama before he hears it from someone else?"
"I'll tell him."
"Who told you about the fight?"
"Karl. He blamed himself. I told him nobody made you throw that first punch."
Kara wiped her eyes. "This thing with Maggie and me goes way back. It wasn't just her saying I cheated. It was about Karl, too. She's always resented how close he and I are. It would probably have happened sooner or later anyway."
He gently turned her face so he could see her cheek. "Who won the fight?"
"We didn't get to finish it. Maggie's tough. I'm not sure which one of us would have won. We'd probably have wound up hurting each other."
"I got my ass kicked one time by a guy smaller than me."
"What were you fighting about…a woman?"
"I don't remember. It was when I was working on the trawler and I'd had too much to drink. You need to go back to your dorm and go to bed. I'm going to go back to my office." He took her chin again. "Just remember that I love you no matter what. You're not a screw-up. You're just unfortunately a lot like your old man. You're going to be the best Viper pilot to come out of this class and you'll prove it in Flight School. You walk out of here with your head up. And don't be ashamed when you're walking off those demerits, either. Nothing can or ever will change how proud I am of you."
His words got to her and the tears welled in her eyes again. "I love you. And tell Lee…tell him…"
"Don't worry, baby. I know what to tell Lee."
"Will you…will you ask Lee to call Dreilide and let him know what happened. Lee's got the number. I don't want him…thinking I just…gave up…and quit coming to see him."
"How is he doing?"
"He got some antibiotics. He sounds better. That religious fanatic Paulla has been bringing him food. He calls it soup and sermons. She's trying to convert him to the Cylon's one God."
"That would be enough to make me get well just to get rid of her."
Kara finally smiled. "Maybe that's what happened."
...
Lee knew something was wrong when a cadet brought a note calling Shelley Sydell out of their War College session that afternoon. After the glance Shelley gave him, he couldn't shake the feeling that it had something to do with Kara. His fear was confirmed when he started across the quad on his way to Kara's dorm and saw John waiting for him.
The rain that had pounded them all morning had stopped, but the stone benches and walkways still glistened with rainwater in the glow of the lights.
"Oh, gods," Lee said, fear clutching him. "Has something happened to Kara?"
"Except for having a cold, she's fine. She got into an altercation with Maggie this morning."
"Altercation…a fight?"
"Twenty-five demerits and a month's confinement to campus?"
"Is she okay?"
"She's got a small bruise on her cheek. It's not bad."
"Damn," Lee said. "That was a stupid thing for her to do."
"I'll agree it wasn't a smart move on her part, but I hope she's learned her lesson. And I'd appreciate it if you didn't make her feel any worse than she already does."
"What was it about?"
"Mainly some remarks about Kara cheating in the simulator…with my help."
"Damn," Lee said again.
"Colonel Winters has fixed that. I won't be teaching her for the rest of the year. Colonel Burgher is going to be taking over her instruction. And yeah, this is killing me."
"You've had her for most of the year," Lee said logically. "There's only six weeks left in the semester. Then she'll graduate. You taught her the tough part, the part she needs to remember. The rest is just practice."
"I know. That doesn't make it any easier, though."
"A month. What am I going to do?"
"You're welcome to come over to the apartment on Saturday night. You can hang out with me and Brae. You might even talk Laura into a rematch on that chess game."
"I might do that."
"Kara wants you to call Thrace and let him know what happened."
Lee nodded
"She also told me to tell you that she loves you."
"She told you that?" Lee asked in surprise.
"Not those exact words, but she didn't have to. You two will survive this. Besides, when she goes to a battlestar in the fall…" John took a deep breath.
"Don't remind me."
"Write her a letter," John said. "She can't get phone calls but she can still get mail. You can give it to me. I'll get it to her. I know it would do her a lot of good to hear from you…if you aren't giving her hell about what she did. She needs our support right now."
"I'll write her a letter tonight."
...
Laura sat in her favorite chair in the den with her son on her lap. She had put aside the campaign speech that she had been trying to write for the retired teacher's luncheon the next day. She had tried during the last week to spend as much time as possible with her son. She held his tiny fists and talked to him as he watched her with eyes that were now more green than blue.
Often he cooed to her or made other unintelligible sounds, but sometimes his mouth moved silently like it was doing right now, like he was trying to tell her something without saying the words aloud.
"I love you, too, my little man," she said to him.
Laura heard the door open and John walked into the den. He put his briefcase on the floor beside her chair and leaned down to kiss her cheek.
"There's my big boy."
Braedon was already wiggling happily. John picked him up and kissed him, too. "This has been a hell of a day. I'm glad to be home."
"What's wrong?" Laura asked.
"I'll tell you about it in a minute. I'm going to change clothes first."
"You'll have to take Braedon with you. He'll cry if you give him back to me. Just be careful if you put him on the bed while you're dressing. He's rolling over now."
John smiled. "I'm the one who told you that. Remember?"
"Yes, you did."
Thirty minutes later they were in the kitchen eating the dinner Jennet had left for them. John had just finished telling her about Kara's fight with Maggie and their subsequent punishment.
"This is going to look good when it hits the news."
"Why is it going to hit the news?"
"Because I'm running for President and she's my stepdaughter."
"Academy records are confidential. The media won't get anything from Colonel Winters or the staff."
"With almost four hundred cadets out there, someone will leak it."
"You care more about what this is going to do to your campaign than what it's doing to Kara."
"Surely Kara knew the consequences of her actions before she tried to settle something with her fists."
"Of course she did. Knowing the consequences doesn't always stop us from doing stupid things."
"What are you implying?" Laura asked in a cool tone of voice.
"I'm not implying anything. I'm stating a fact. When I was her age, I was quick to settle things with my fists. I finally learned that you can't go through life brawling with everybody who picks on you or insults you."
"You're right," Laura conceded. "Sometimes we act before we think."
"What hurts me the most is that I won't be teaching her for the rest of the year."
"Hopefully she's also learned that actions sometimes have more far-reaching consequences than the immediate."
"I'm sorry this might impact your campaign in a negative way. But she's my daughter, and I'll stand by her no matter what she does."
Laura's voice softened. "I wouldn't expect you to do anything else. Of course I'll stand by her, too, despite her misgivings about me."
"Misgivings? Why do you say that?"
"She and I had a talk on the island. She was very concerned that I was ignoring you and especially our son. I got a rare show of emotion from her, albeit a negative one. She hasn't really accepted me. I obviously don't know how to be a mother to her."
"Hell, her own mother didn't know how to be a mother to her or didn't care. I'm not sure which. She mostly left Kara to raise herself. I didn't know how bad it was until Kara and I started talking in the hospital. Socrata didn't want me to be part of Kara's life, even after her husband left and yet she was, to quote Kara, a hands-off mother."
"Maybe because she knew how much Kara would love you if she got to know you."
"Who knows?"
"How is Lee taking it? He does know, doesn't he?"
"He knows. And naturally he's not happy. This will be another test for them, but I think they'll make it just fine."
...
Lee sat on the couch with the lined composition book he used for notes in his War College class and stared at the blank page. He finally got up and put on the CD by Dreilide Thrace before he went to the kitchen and got a beer out of the refrigerator.
He sat down at the small table with his notebook and began to write.
Dear Kara,
John told me about the fight. I don't want you to worry, not about how I feel and especially not about us. I understand how hard it would have been to walk away from an accusation like Maggie made. I know that you would never cheat on anything. Beating the simulator is far too important to you. I know you view it as a test of your skills. I know you will show all of them when you get to Flight School. I love you and we'll make it through this.
His phone rang. When he answered, Zak said, "Big bro, guess what I am looking at right now?"
"Can you give me a hint?"
"I have four of them and they're center court on the third row."
"You scored tickets to the pyramid finals."
"Good guess. I thought I'd call Maggie. You and Kara can go with us."
"Kara and Maggie got into a fight this morning. They won't be going anywhere for a month."
"Are you serious, man?"
"They're both confined to campus for a month."
"Did Kara kick Maggie's ass? Because the way she slugged me that time, I have a feeling Kara could kick just about anybody's ass."
"They didn't get to finish the fight."
"Man, that sucks. I mean the fight, not that they didn't get to finish it. I guess I'll have to find some other poor girl who will put up with me Saturday night."
"Missy was all over you at Crocodiles."
"I've gotten tired of her. Not much between the ears if you know what I mean. I can't say that about Maggie. She's beautiful and she's got brains. So maybe I'll give away two of these tickets and me and you can go to the game."
"Whatever you want to do. Does your buddy Anders think they're going to win?"
"Of course."
"The Antioch Angels are good. That's why they've made it this far. You haven't got any money riding on the game, have you?"
"A few cubits. Nothing like last year. I had to show Anders I have faith in the team. So I'll come by and pick you up Saturday night."
...
By Saturday morning when Kara went to her father's office, she had already walked off four of her twenty-five demerits. Four times for an hour each time she had continuously marched in a square on the quad, moving along the smaller brass stars set into the granite inner walkway and making sharp right turns at the larger brass stars in the four corners of the quad. One hour's marching equated to the reduction of one demerit.
Shelley had arranged it so that Kara and Maggie weren't marching at the same time, although Kara had twice shared the quad with another cadet, a male whom she knew only by sight. She had no idea what his infraction was. They had kept their distance from each other and their eyes straight ahead. She had remembered her father's words and kept her head held high. She had also remembered the words of Lee's letter. I love you and we'll make it through this. He hadn't once mentioned the error of her ways which had surprised her.
The door to her father's office was open. Braedon's carrier was in the extra chair. He had Braedon on his lap as he was studying an enlarged copy of one of the hand-drawn star charts from the Hoshi journal. One of Braedon's fists was in his mouth and the other gripped the edge of her father's desk.
"Little star-mapper," Kara said and was rewarded by one of her brother's big smiles. He began to bounce happily and she picked him up.
"Hey, baby," her father said. "How are you feeling?"
"Much better today. I'm heading for the quad when I leave here to do two more hours of marching. How's Lee?"
"He dropped by for a little while last night. I've got another letter for you, and I've got one from Laura, too. And Maya said to tell you good luck and that she'll miss seeing you on Friday afternoons for a month."
"Maya's nice. I like her. How's her tooth?"
"She got it fixed."
"You paid the dentist for her, didn't you?"
"She doesn't have any extra money…and I do. She's a sweet kid. She does a good job with Braedon. She's always willing to help us out on the weekends, too. If Laura is elected, which I'm sure she will be, She's going to ask Maya to move into Marble House so she can take care of Braedon full time."
"Maya's not a kid. She's almost thirty."
Her father shrugged. "I know. She just looks a lot younger."
"Did you know she was in one of the refugee camps?"
"She told us when we interviewed her for the job. She was in the one between Sovana and Kinsdale. Her husband was killed in the bombing. She lost her baby daughter during the first year she was in the camp. She's had a tough time and she's trying to do something better with her life. She deserves a break."
"You've got a soft spot for anybody who spent time in a camp."
"Yes, I do."
Kara put Braedon's carrier on the floor, sat down in the extra chair and stood him in her lap. "His legs are getting stronger."
"He's starting to sit on his own. He can't do it long, but he's doing it."
"Why are you studying Irina's star chart?"
"I'm trying to decide exactly where in the Prolmar Sector would be the best place to jump that Raider. Felix Gaeta will be home next weekend. I'm going to go talk to Irina Hoshi again Sunday afternoon. Lee's going with me."
"I wish I could go," Kara said.
"I wish you could, too."
"Have you ever jumped a ship before?"
"A number of times after the First War was over. We'd lost a lot of pilots so I flew a Raptor as well as my Viper. I ferried a lot of admirals and commanders from one battlestar or planet to another. The fastest way to get them there was to jump them in a Raptor."
"What does it feel like?"
"Vipers aren't equipped with FTL drives."
"I want to fly that Raider mission to Nereid."
"Kara, that is not going to happen. Bill will pick an experienced pilot."
"When I was in Sadie looking out that eye slot, it felt right. I can do it. I know I can."
"I don't want you to do it. I don't want my daughter risking her life on a mission that is going to be beyond dangerous."
"What if Admiral Adama picks me anyway?"
"He won't. I've already made my feelings very clear to him. He's looking at next November for the mission. You won't have the experience by then."
"You can't keep me under your wing forever," Kara said hotly. "You've got to let me go sometime."
Her father looked up at the ceiling for a moment before he took a deep breath and let it out. "It's just too dangerous, baby. It's going to be dangerous even for an experienced pilot. We don't know what that Raider is going to jump into. It could be a hornet's nest of Cylons for all we know."
"It's a frakking Cylon Raider. It's one of their own. They're not going to shoot down one of their own. I've been thinking about this. The first thing I would do is put the return coordinates in the FTL computer. Then I could jump away any time."
"Why don't we table this discussion for now? It's not getting us anywhere and your tone of voice is upsetting your brother."
Kara looked at Braedon. He was watching her again with those serious eyes of his, green eyes like hers, like her father's. His little mouth had begun to pucker.
"You're right." She pulled Braedon close to her and kissed him. "I'm sorry, little star-mapper. I didn't mean to make you cry."
"Brae's getting sleepy. I need to take him home and feed him and put him to bed."
"I wish I could go with you."
"I wish you could too, baby."
...
Saturday night Lee's mobile phone rang. Zak said, "We're downstairs waiting for you in a transport, bro."
"On my way," Lee said and grabbed his jacket. He was in the elevator before he realized that Zak had said we.
Lee had to admit the girls were gorgeous…and twins.
"Move over, Zak," he muttered as he squeezed into the back seat of the transport with them. "I can't shut the door."
One of the blonds laughed and made room by climbing onto Zak's lap.
"Brigitta and Annabeth, meet my brother, Lee. Brigitta just started work for the PR firm this week. She and Annabeth both love pyramid."
He shot Zak a dirty look and Zak laughed.
"We're harmless. We don't bite," Annabeth said and smiled, showing a set of beautiful, even and very white teeth.
"Is that a promise?" Lee asked.
What had Zak gotten him into? All he could think about at the moment was two weeks ago when Kara had been with him. He wanted Kara with him now. Not even this beautiful blond who could easily compete for Miss Caprica could make a difference.
"So, Lee," Annabeth said, "Zak tells us you're a pilot."
"One morning a week," Lee said dryly.
"Which spaceline?"
"The military."
"Oh."
"Lee flies a Viper," Zak said. "I thought I mentioned that."
Brigitta said, "My sister never listens. She's always planning her next gig."
"You're a musician?" Lee asked in surprise.
"No, man," Zak said. "Don't you ever look at the commercials? She's a model. She does the Grenwald beer ads."
"I don't watch much television."
"You like to party and go to the clubs instead?" Brigitta asked hopefully.
Lee sighed. It was going to be a long evening.
Fortunately the game was fast-paced and exciting enough that Lee didn't have to make much conversation with Annabeth. When the two women got up at halftime, Zak moved over one seat and sat beside him.
"What do you think about them, big bro?"
"I think this is your lucky night. You're going to get to take both of them home."
Zak grinned. "I was planning to anyway. I knew you were going to be faithful to your true love. Are you going to Crocodiles with us?"
"I'll pass."
"You're going to miss a good time, man."
"Kara and I are exclusive. You know that."
"What was her fight with Maggie about?"
"Maggie repeated some gossip about Kara that didn't go over too well."
"I thought they were friends."
Lee shrugged. He didn't want to get into the cheating accusation or Maggie's feelings for Karl.
The twins came back from the restroom. Zak stayed in the seat beside Lee. The teams returned to the court to much whistling and cheering.
The second half was nearly an exact repeat of the year before. The Buccaneers held their own and kept the score tied until the last thirty seconds. Then an Angel scored and the Buccaneers were never able to regain control. The buzzer sounded. The opponent's court went wild.
As they waited for a transport that night, Lee turned to Zak. "Anders played a hell of a game. They should have won. Tell him I said so."
"Are you sure you won't go with us?"
"We need consoling," Annabeth pouted prettily.
"Thanks, but no thanks. In fact I think I'm going to walk a couple of blocks and take the subway. It'll be quicker than trying to get out in this traffic." He clasped his brother's shoulder. "Thanks for the ticket…and have fun."
Zak grinned. "Don't I always, ladies?"
Lee came up from the subway and started walking toward his apartment. As he passed Zeno's, he hesitated and then kept walking. He got back to his apartment and threw his jacket on the chair. He got a beer before he picked up the notebook and again began writing.
Dear Kara,
Tonight I went to the pyramid finals with Zak and his two dates. I think the C-Bucs lost because you weren't there to cheer Sam on. I can't tell you how much I miss you and how wrong Saturday night feels without you. I would write down what I'm thinking about right now, but I'd only get myself hot and bothered and make myself more miserable than I am. I'm trying to tell myself that this is just practice for when you go to the G in the fall, but who am I kidding?
Lee read what he had written. He didn't like it. He tore out the sheet of paper, crumpled it and hit the trash can across the room. He started over.
Dear Kara,
Tonight I went to the pyramid finals with Zak and his two dates. I think the C-Bucs lost because you weren't there to cheer Sam on or at least give him a shoulder to lean on. (Bad joke). I'm sure the mood at Crocodiles was a lot more somber than it was a few weeks ago. I took the subway and came home. I didn't even stop in Zeno's. I can't tell you how much I miss you and how wrong Saturday night feels without you.
Tomorrow afternoon your dad and I are going to visit Irina Hoshi so I will write you more about that later. I called Dreilide this morning and we chatted for a few minutes. He remembered me as soon as I told him my name. He said to tell you to watch out about the fighting and try not to imitate your mother. He only coughed once while we were talking and said he was feeling better. He also said to tell you he was going to miss seeing you for the next four weeks. I don't think he can be missing you nearly as much as I'm missing you.
I'm off to bed to try to sleep which isn't always easy because I get to look at Posiden's daughter and think of you.
Lee put the letter aside. He would finish it the next night and give it to John on Monday to give to Kara. He walked into his bedroom and studied the painting.
The next three weeks were going to seem like the longest in his life.
...
"Mrs. Hoshi," John said as he gently took the small woman's hand. "I'd like for you to meet a good friend of mine, Lee Adama."
Lee gently took the fragile hand that Irina Hoshi now extended to him. She smiled. "The admiral's son. Which one?"
"The oldest," Lee said. "I'm very pleased to meet you."
"Likewise. Please, have a seat. You didn't bring your son, Major? I was looking forward to seeing him. And where is your lovely daughter?"
"My daughter had to stay at the Academy today, and my son is with our nanny. I was afraid he'd be a distraction. I'll bring him to visit another day."
Irina nodded. "My daughter is making tea. You do drink tea, don't you Lieutenant Adama?"
Hot tea was not Lee's favorite drink, but he said, "Sure."
"You've read the journals?" Irina asked.
"Both of us have," John answered. "They're impressive for the amount of information they contain. If it's all right, I have a couple of questions. Lee may have some, too."
Irina made a slight gesture. "Whoever wants to go first?"
John said. "You said the Hyperion stayed in orbit. Where was that exactly?"
"We were in a geosynchronous orbit with a zero inclination above the ruined city. The base camp was a hundred miles west of the city, close to where the expedition leaders thought we'd find mineral deposits."
John took a drawing out of his briefcase and unfolded it. He took it over to Irina Hoshi and pointed to a spot on it. "This is an enlargement of the star chart you drew in your journal. Is this the moon you refer to several times?"
"Yes," her voice softened. "It was quite lovely when it was full and rising. Larger by a fourth than either of Caprica's moons."
Nadia Hilliard, Irina's daughter brought a tray with a teapot. Lee helped her by handing out the cups of tea.
Lee said to Nadia, "John tells me that your nephew Louis Hoshi is an officer on the Pegasus."
"Yes, he's one of the communication officers," Nadia said.
"He looks like his grandfather," Irina said. "He looks so very much like my Joshua when he was that age."
The all sipped their tea in silence for a few moments. Lee saw what Kara had meant about a love that lasts for a lifetime. He heard it in Irina Hoshi's voice. She was as much in love with her husband now as when they had explored Nereid together.
Finally John said, "I noticed in your journal that you said the former inhabitants of the planet had used two large dams to power hydroelectric plants. Do you remember a discussion of other kind of power being used on the planet?
"No, the scientists scanned for nuclear signatures before we landed. They found nothing at either of the power plants. There are several other dams on the planet that were photographed from orbit. All I remember is that they were south of the city by quite some distance."
"Were the dams still intact?" Lee asked.
"I don't know about the distant ones. One of the nearer ones was still very structurally sound. The other one wasn't. That's another reason our base camp was located so far away from the city. We were higher in the hills, far away from where we would be caught if there was a catastrophic failure of the second dam."
John asked. "If a group of…people were to inhabit the planet once again, where would you think they would settle…in the ruined city…or would they build somewhere else?"
Irina Hoshi looked thoughtful for a long time. "That's a very difficult question, you see, since our mission was only a year in duration. We didn't look at the planet as permanent settlers might."
"Suppose someone went in and destroyed the second dam so that it wasn't a threat, would the city then be the logical place to settle, the best place?"
Finally Irina said, "In terms of geography, yes. It's closest to the power plant and the topography was good, but every building in the city was either in ruins or dangerously close to collapsing. Of course I saw none of it firsthand. Joshua was the one who told me."
"Where would the next best place to settle have been?"
"An area several hundred miles southeast of the city. The original report contained hundreds of photographs. There had been a settlement there. Such a pity all the documentation was destroyed during the holocaust." Suddenly she said. "We didn't find Kobol, did we?"
"I don't think so," John said gently. "We think you found the planet of the lost Thirteenth Tribe. We think they stopped on that planet while the other twelve continued to our solar system."
Lee said, "John's daughter and I named the planet Nereid."
"Nereid," Irina said the name slowly and thoughtfully. "Sea nymph. That's very beautiful. We always referred to it by its catalogue number when we weren't calling it the planet. We didn't dare give it a name in case it already had one. You're sure it's not Kobol?"
"Almost certain," John said.
"Tell me, Major Gallagher, are you asking these questions for a reason? Are the Cylons going to allow another expedition to the planet…to Nereid?"
"It would be nice to think one day they might allow it."
"Ah," she said, "an evasive answer. Perhaps no one will ask the Cylons for their permission to travel to Nereid."
John smiled. "You know we always ask the Cylons before we do anything. I think it's in our treaty with them."
"A politically correct answer from a man whose wife is going to be the next President of the Colonies."
Lee grinned. "John is always politically correct."
John laughed. "These days I am."
...
Kara sat at her desk on Sunday night and reread the letter from Laura that her father had given her the day before.
Dear Kara,
John told me about the unfortunate incident in which you were involved. To have one's honor impugned is a terrible thing when you are innocent and especially knowing the high standard to which you have held yourself at the Academy. We both understand your motives, but I know based on what John said that you regret your handling of it.
I want you to know that John and I both stand behind you and are equally proud of your accomplishments. You began your Academy year at a distinct disadvantage due to going three years without any formal education, but you have persevered and have every right to hold your head high.
As you go through life you will find that there are always jealous people who will want to denigrate your abilities, or, as some fellow cadets have done, to explain away your talent in the cockpit by saying your high marks were simply handed to you. To tell you that these people are not your true friends would be, I'm sure, redundant.
I feel that you and I have struggled with our relationship, which was most unfairly thrust upon you at the same time you found your father. I have watched you and John form a bond in a very short time, a bond which I'm sure many fathers and daughters are not able to achieve in a lifetime. One of John's biggest regrets is that he missed your early years, but I think you two have made giant strides in making up for it. His love for you is and always will be one of the defining characteristics of his life.
I will close by again offering my ear if you ever want to talk. I am proud to call you my daughter.
Love, Laura
Kara put it down and then picked it up and read it another time before she tucked it away in her desk drawer. It sounded to Kara like something a politician would write, and yet she couldn't deny that Laura had gone to the trouble to write it…not on her computer…longhand on two sheets of creamy-colored, expensive-looking vellum with her initials at the top. It looked much like the stationary she has used to write the note she'd years before stuck in the third volume of The Caprican Prince.
Kara took the letter out and read the last sentence again. She smiled. Maybe she should lighten up on Laura.
She picked up Lee's letter and read it again, too.
Dear Kara,
John told me about the fight. I don't want you to worry, not about how I feel and especially not about us. I understand how hard it would have been to walk away from an accusation like Maggie made. You've got a smart mouth and you've got a temper, too, but I know that you would never cheat on anything. Beating the simulation is far too important to you. I know you view it as a test of your skills. I know you will show them all when you get to Flight School. I love you and we'll make it through this.
Yes, I know four weeks is going to seem like forever, but considering how many years we'll have together, it's the blink of an eye. On our wedding night I'm going to remind you of this and we're going to laugh. On second thought, maybe not on our wedding night because we'll have other things on our minds, but one day in the future we'll look back on this as just another test we passed with flying colors.
When you get to Flight School and fly circles around your classmates, they'll know who was right and who was wrong. It doesn't seem fair that some of us have to prove ourselves over and over, but the important thing is that you can do it.
I love you, now and always. Lee
Kara refolded the letter and turned out her study lamp. He had said wedding night. That must mean that someday he wanted them to get married. She got into her bunk and tucked the letter under her pillow. It was a juvenile thing to do, she knew, but maybe if she slept on the letter, she would have a good dream about Lee. She almost ached with wanting to be with him. Just to hear his voice now would be a treat. How much had she taken that for granted during the last year?
"Are you doing okay?" Sharon asked from the other side of her desk partition.
"I miss Lee."
"I understand that feeling," Sharon said. "When Karl wasn't talking to me, I missed him, too. It's not a good feeling."
"No, it's not."
Kara turned over and settled into her pillow and wondered again if the Cylon's programming was that good or if Sharon was really learning what it was like to feel emotions.
...
Two weeks down, two weeks to go, Lee said to himself as he rode the elevator up to John and Laura's apartment a week later. We've made the half-way point.
Ten minutes after he arrived, Laura went to the door and came back with his father and Felix Gaeta.
"I believe you two know each other," Bill said.
"Felix," Lee said. "I haven't seen you since the winter dance at the Academy."
"That was the first time I'd been back since we graduated," Gaeta said.
Bill then introduced Gaeta to John and Laura.
"It's an honor to meet the next President of the Colonies."
Laura smiled. "I'm not elected yet. Bill, I see you've helped yourself to a drink. Lieutenant Gaeta, what can John get for you and Lee?"
Gaeta said he'd have what everybody else was having. In a few minutes they were all seated. Very briefly Bill laid out the mission. He explained that they were planning to jump the captured Raider to the fourth planet in the Prolmar Sector, a planet they had named Nereid. The admiral said it was a code name they could use in communications since it meant nothing to the Cylons.
Lee could tell by Gaeta's reaction that he was surprised, almost stunned. His father had prefaced his explanation with a warning of strictest confidentiality and he ended his explanation with a similar statement.
"What can I do to help, sir?" Gaeta asked. "I don't know anything about flying, much less Cylon Raiders."
"I hear you understand jump technology and that you can plot coordinates better than anyone," Bill said.
"String theory in physics is the foundation for how the FTL drives work. Once you understand…"
"We're none of us versed in theoretical physics except possibly my son. We're more interested in how well you can plot jumps," Bill said.
"From here to the Prolmar Sector? That's way beyond the red line."
"Could you do it, though?"
"I think so."
John unfolded a copy of the hand-drawn star chart. "This is the planet we've named Nereid. That little dot represents the Hyperion. The coordinates underneath are the location of the ship. The larger circle represents Nereid's moon. That number is the approximate distance from the surface of the planet."
Bill added, "The question is, given all this information, could you plot coordinates near enough to the planet to be within a long-range sensor, but far enough away to avoid detection if there were hostile forces on the planet and in space surrounding the planet?"
"Hostile forces?" Gaeta asked in a puzzled tone.
"Cylons," John said.
"Cylons! You think there are Cylons on this planet?"
Bill answered him. "We don't know. That's what this mission will find out. We're calling it Operation Sadie."
"Might I ask, sir, what you're going to do if you find Cylons on this planet?"
Bill sipped his drink. "You can ask."
Laura said, "It's a reasonable question, Bill."
"The truth is I haven't gotten that far yet. I don't know what I'm going to do. Our first task if to find out if they're there or not."
Gaeta accepted his answer. Lee knew that at the moment, his father was telling the truth. He hadn't yet formulated a plan for how they would handle Cylons on the planet.
John said, "Lieutenant Gaeta, we can't let you take any of this with you. You'll need to study the star chart and give us your calculations before you leave here."
"I'll need a calculator and some paper."
Laura got up. "Follow me to my office. I have both in there."
When they were out of the room, Bill asked, "How's Kara?"
"She's holding up," John said. "She's walked off eighteen of her twenty-five demerits in two weeks. She's on the downhill side."
Bill smiled. "I walked off a few demerits once while I was at the Academy."
Lee looked up in surprise. "You got demerits?"
Bill chuckled. "I got caught in…let's just say I got caught doing something I shouldn't have been doing in a place I shouldn't have been with a very attractive female cadet. We both walked off a few demerits."
John laughed. "That sounds more like something I would have been caught doing if I'd gone to the Academy."
Bill was still smiling. "I wasn't always the somber old man my son sees when he looks at me."
"I don't see you as old," Lee said.
They all laughed.
Laura walked back into the room. "It's good to hear some laughter from you three. May I ask what's so funny?"
"Dad just admitted to being human," Lee said.
...
When Felix Gaeta left the apartment that night, he left behind a half page of jump coordinates in the Prolmar Sector both near the planet and at a distance from it. Laura made a copy of the page and gave the original to Bill. He folded it and put it in his pocket.
Lee offered his father a ride back to his apartment.
"It sounds like you had…fun at the Academy," Lee said.
"I had my share."
"Did you know Laura then?"
"No. I didn't meet her until after I graduated. I met Laura at the end of that summer, not long before I was deployed to the Galactica."
"How did you meet?"
His father chuckled softly. "A blind date."
"That surprises me."
"It was her debutante dance. Our fathers arranged it. She walked down the stairs that night in a white dress. I thought she was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen."
"She's still beautiful," Lee said.
"Yes, she is."
Lee pulled into the driveway and his father got out of the car. Before he closed the door he leaned down.
"Don't ever let pride get in the way of what your heart wants. Pride makes us do some very stupid things. Thanks for the ride. Goodnight, son." Bill shut the door.
Lee put down the window. "Goodnight, Dad."
When Lee got home that night, he put on Dreilide Thrace's CD, tore open the envelope that John had given him and took out the letter from Kara.
Dear Lee,
I got up early so I could write this and take it to my dad today when I go by his office to see Braedon. Two weeks. We've made it two weeks. Halfway. YAY!
Sharon thinks I'm crazy, but I sleep with one of your letters under my pillow at night. I know it sounds stupid, but it makes me feel better.
I told my dad this week about a rumor Sharon heard that someone (as in a cadet) had taken pictures of me marching off demerits and was going to sell them to a tabloid newspaper to embarrass Laura. Dad didn't say much, but I could tell he wasn't too happy about it.
Dad said he had talked to your dad and that the admiral was okay with what I did. Your father even said that given my aggressive way of handling things that it didn't surprise him. So that makes me feel better too.
Did I say yet how much I miss you? I MISS YOU! I would give anything just to hear your voice even if it was giving me grief about what I did. But what I really want to hear is your voice telling me…well, you know what I want to hear. I love you and I'm sorry (for the 100th time) about what I did, not because Maggs didn't deserve it, but because it's keeping you and me apart.
Two more weeks and then I can show you how much I love you. Kara
Lee read the letter several times before he refolded it. He would add it to the growing collection in his bedroom. He closed his eyes and let his mind drift with the music. Angel, Wings of Fire began to play. He felt the raw and passionate love of a young Dreilide Thrace for Kara's mother, his emerging talent as a composer, the way the notes elevated his feelings to speak to anyone who would simply listen to the song.
Irina Hoshi would understand that song much the same as he did. And then Lee realized so would his own father. Bill Adama had bared another small piece of his soul that night.
It was late and Lee knew he should go to bed, but he wanted to start a letter to Kara. He wanted to try to put into words what the song made him feel. He got his notebook from the table beside the couch, opened it and began to write.
Dear Kara,
I haven't got Dreilide Thrace's talent to write you a love song, but if I could, I'd write your name across the sky with my Viper.
I'd shout the words for the world to hear, and I'd whisper them just for you.
Lee Adama loves Kara Thrace and I always will.