Chapter 72

Election Day

Laura Roslin was elected to the Presidency by the largest margin recorded to date in the history of the Colonies. Her opponent, Quorum of Twelve member Jacob Cantrell conceded before ten o'clock on the evening of the election. His short speech said he wanted unity among the people of Caprica. He pledged his full support to the new President-elect.

-Bartell, History of the Second Cylon War

.

Kara was dreaming again, dreaming of snow, the third time in as many nights. She had dreamed first of a blizzard, of standing knee deep in white as wind and snow howled around her obliterating sky and horizon, yet she wasn't cold, just lost. The second dream was much the same only something lurked near her in the storm, hazy metallic shapes came and went and she was afraid to move lest they see her, fearful that something would materialize out of the snow. She had awakened from that dream breathing fast with her heart pounding. It had taken her a few moments to realize where she was, that she was in her bunk on the Galactica and that she was safe, that there were no monsters with gleaming metal hands waiting to grab her.

The third dream was different. There was a snow-covered landscape again as far as she could see, but the sun was shining. There were mounds under the snow. She stooped and broke the crusted surface, brushed the snow away from one. It was a body, gray and frozen, dead a long time. When she stood, she saw other mounds that led to a much larger mound, the height of a three-story building, oblong, irregularly shaped and also covered with a thick blanket of snow. The wind plumed the snow off the top, the sunlight turning the plume into a million dazzling diamonds in the air.

She opened her eyes. The dim nightlight of the bunkroom came through the small opening in her curtains. Carefully she slid them back and got out of her bunk. She quietly pulled open the drawer underneath and found the box where she kept the letters she had received. Her father's most recent letter was on the top. She got it out and just as quietly shut the drawer before she crawled back into her bunk and closed the curtains, making sure they were completely together this time.

Turning on the light on the shelf behind her head, she found the paragraph she was looking for and read it.

On one of Lee's photographs taken during his camping trip, we saw what could only be campfire smoke leading me to believe that someone is living outside the settlements, both old and new. Lee scoffed at first, but has now admitted that perhaps a group of hardy souls has made their way to the mountains and are living free of the other inhabitants. At first I suggested that this group of people may have been there when Irina was on her camping trip, but that seems unlikely since her group camped there for a year and saw no evidence to support such a theory. Lee and I are now in agreement that the second scenario is the case and that these people have broken away from the others and are living survivalist-style in mountain caves with hunting expeditions to the forest. We'll talk more when I see you in November.

Kara turned off the light and lay back on her pillow. There was a third possibility, one that neither her father nor Lee had apparently thought of, the possibility that had haunted her dreams for the last three nights, ever since she had received her father's letter, and which had just now made its way to her conscious thoughts. Irina Hoshi had told them that the second expedition to Nereid had disappeared five years after her return from the planet. Due to the cost, no rescue mission had ever been mounted, and the Hyperion and her crew of scientists and explorers had been listed as lost. There had been between eight and nine hundred people on that research ship.

Kara's heart began to beat faster. What if they hadn't been lost in transit during the half dozen jumps it had taken to reach the planet as everyone had assumed? What if they had made it to Nereid and something had happened after they had arrived? Irina had said that they had older-model robots on the first expedition. Her father and Admiral Adama had decided that at the end of the First War, twenty-five years earlier, a group of scientists and doctors had taken the old centurions and gone to Nereid because of information communicated by the old robots. There they had created the skinjobs who had gained control of all the centurions and had returned to destroy humanity.

Kara could hardly get her breath. She thought of what her dream had been trying to tell her, the huge oblong mound in the snow and the snow-covered bodies. That was the thought that had been trying to make its way into her conscious mind. Did the remains of the scientific ship lay somewhere on the planet? Maybe all the expedition members hadn't died. Kara was certain now that she was right. Somewhere on Nereid were the Hyperion's survivors…and their descendents.

She was wide-awake. Quietly she got out of her bunk again and pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a hooded sweatshirt. She sat on the floor and put on her sneakers. She hoped when she opened the door of the bunkroom that she didn't awaken anyone, but if she did, they would probably think she was going to the head, not down to the Communication Room.

The corridors were quiet, but there were still crewmen around. A battlestar was in operation twenty-four hours a day, and in space there was technically no day and night. Their lives and work shifts revolved solely around the clock.

In the seven weeks she had been on the G, she had learned her way around the battlestar. She went up two decks and followed a corridor toward the center of the ship and the rooms that housed all of the Galactica's communication equipment. She entered the door of the Comm Room. As she had suspected, there was no one at the bank of eight phones. At the window, a bored-looking ensign glanced up from his paperback book and pushed a form across the counter. She took it to a table along the wall and filled it out.

When she took it back, he glanced at it and put something into the computer.

"You made a call five days ago. You only get one per week."

"Come on," Kara said and tried to keep her voice polite. "I need to talk to my boyfriend."

"Sorry."

"There isn't anybody waiting on a phone right now. What do I have to do? Promise you my firstborn?"

He smiled and Kara knew she had walked into his next remark.

"I don't want your firstborn, but if you want to promise me something…"

She wanted to reach across the short distance, grab the front of his uniform and get in his face. Instead she said coldly, "Take another look at my boyfriend's last name…and yes, he's exactly who you think he is."

The ensign glanced down and said, "Go to phone number one."

Kara had never done anything like that before and she hated having to resort to it now, but this was important. She walked to the phone and waited. The partitions between the phones kept anyone from looking directly at the person beside him, but did little to stop any sound. She was glad she was alone. The phone buzzed, two short sounds indicating that her call had been put through.

It was eight-thirty in the evening on Caprica. She knew Lee wouldn't be at work. She hoped he wouldn't be out running or jogging or working out. She hoped he would answer his phone. She felt a rush of relief when she heard his voice.

"Kara?" He asked in surprise. "What are you doing up at 02:30 in the morning Galactica time?"

"I couldn't sleep. I wanted to talk to you."

Five minutes, the automated and computerized voice said in their ears.

"Frak," Kara said. "You'd think they would give us longer than that if nobody was waiting to use the phone."

"It's the computer," Lee said.

"I miss you so much."

"We're over halfway there. Five more weeks."

"I know. I've had a couple of dreams…"

"So have I," Lee said softly. "More than a couple."

Kara snickered. "Not those kind of dreams…not the last couple of nights anyway, not since I got a letter from my dad about where you went on your camping trip."

The warm thoughts momentarily evaporated for Lee. "Nightmares?"

"Not exactly. Just something I think you two should consider."

"I'm listening."

Kara knew that the Cylons monitored all their ship-to-shore phone traffic. She was going to have to be very careful telling him what she was thinking.

"You know how both of you read a journal by a woman who had…gone camping in the same place before you did?"

"Yes," Lee said hesitantly.

"You remember that she told us after she got back, that some others had gone camping in the same place five years later and that they had…gotten lost?"

"I remember. The theory was that they had gotten lost on the way and had never made it."

"What if they didn't get lost on the way? What if they made it to the campsite? What if they never made it back because something happened to their…transportation?"

For a moment Lee didn't follow her and then it clicked. "Oh."

"You and my dad never considered that possibility did you?"

"It never crossed my mind. I'm sure he never thought about it either or he would have mentioned it. We both accepted the prevailing theory about their transportation getting lost in route to the camp."

"Tell him what I said and see what he thinks. I think there were survivors. Maybe that's whose campfire smoke you saw."

"If those people are still around from that second camping trip, they'd be…old," Lee said. "Some of them would be long dead."

"Their kids would be getting older, too. Maybe even their grandkids."

"I'm sure your dad and I can have a lively discussion about that."

"I know. He's convinced that some people from the newer settlement are living in the woods."

"That's what we both think."

"Okay. I've told you my theory. We've only got a couple of minutes left."

"How is the training going?"

"Better. We watched a movie on Monday during our briefing. You could have heard a pin hit the floor when it was over. Even bigmouth Kat didn't have anything to say. Most of them had never seen the sky so full of…fireflies before. There were our fireflies and some other fireflies. They were buzzing around getting into it. Hot Dog asked the CAG to show the video again and he did. Not a single person got up and left. They'd never seen anything like that before. How are things on Caprica?"

"Zak and I went to the first pyramid game of the season on Saturday night. The C-Bucks won. Sam Anders just gets better every year."

"Was Maya there?"

"I didn't see her. I think she was taking care of Braedon. John and Laura had some black-tie fundraiser to go to. I think my dad was going, too. I think John said they had something every weekend until the election."

"How many dates did Zak bring to the game?"

Lee laughed. "Only one. Me."

"Please don't try to get me to believe that it's been seven weeks and he's still being faithful to Maggs."

"I don't know. I didn't ask him any questions and he didn't volunteer. We went to Crocodiles afterward and he talked to dozens of girls, but he left to go home alone."

"I guess you went home alone, too," she joked.

"I love you, Kara."

Kara closed her eyes and turned her back to the comm window. "I miss you so much," she said softly.

One minute. The computerized voice intruded.

Lee shut his eyes and swallowed. He took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Five weeks. That's just a week longer than you were on restriction. We'll make it."

"I'm keeping as busy as I can."

"Playing triad with the other pilots and taking their cubits?"

"A few times."

"You need to go back to bed and get some sleep."

"I know. We're going to see another movie today. CAG will want to talk about it afterward. Me and Narch usually try to answer any questions that the others have since we've seen the movie before."

Lee chuckled. "How is that going over with the Top Gun?"

Kara smiled. "How do you think?"

"Maybe she'll see the light and just hand that mug to you."

"I wouldn't bet a lot of cubits on it. I think she's got some personal issues with me, too."

Lee thought of what had happened at the Academy with Maggie. "Just don't let her push you into doing something stupid. You don't walk off demerits on a battlestar. You go to the brig."

"I won't get in trouble. I learned my lesson the hard way. The way I learn best."

"We're about out of time. I love you, Kara."

"I love you, too. Talk to my dad."

"I will. Go get some sleep."

"I'll call you next week."

"Don't get up at 02:30 in the morning to do it."

Kara hung up the phone and left the Comm room. She walked slowly back to her quarters and got into her bunk. She ached for Lee, for his body and his touch. She rolled over and sighed. Four weeks and six days.

...

Laura lay drowsy and satisfied in her husband's arms. She could tell by his breathing that he was nearly asleep. Tonight had been the last big fund raiser before the election in two weeks. She was proud of John, of the change she had seen in him since the night she had introduced him to President Adar nearly two years earlier. She had seen how ill at ease he had been that night. Tonight he had stood chatting with Adar and Bill Adama and several of the Quorum members like they had known each other for years.

Even Billy had noticed the change and remarked on it. Billy had brought a pretty young woman that he introduced as Dee. Laura knew that name should mean something to her, but at the time she had not been able to think why. Dee had seemed quite taken with Billy and Laura hoped he was finally getting over Blaire.

Laura leaned over and kissed John lightly on the cheek. "You were wonderful tonight. I am so proud of you. And you really were born to wear a tuxedo."

"The Caprican Gentleman," he murmured sleepily, but she could tell he meant it in a humorous way.

She snuggled against him and put her arm across his chest. He squeezed her shoulder gently.

"I love you, Laura. I'll always do my best to keep you happy."

"I know you will. I couldn't have done this without you, without your support."

"Yes, you could have. You're strong. You're tough. I might have made it easier, but you could have done it without me."

"I'm keeping you awake."

She heard the sleepy smile in his voice. "If you want to talk, I'll always listen, especially if you're saying nice things about me."

"They will save until tomorrow. Go to sleep. I love you."

In less than a minute she heard his breathing even out. His hand relaxed on her shoulder. She envied him at the moment. Her mind was still racing, planning, looking to the future.

In two weeks she was almost certainly going to be elected President of the Twelve Colonies. Despite the complete destruction of ten of the Colonies and the near-destruction of Tauron, the title had not been changed. In one way she was surprised that Cavil had allowed it and in another she was not so surprised. Perhaps he liked the hollowness of it now. Perhaps he saw the title as a mockery of what had once been and would never be again, at least not in this solar system for many millennia. The nuked planets would be uninhabitable for many thousands of years. She didn't know if humans would ever be able to settle there again and Caprica's resources were limited. Ultimately mankind would have to turn to the stars if they wanted to continue surviving.

Except for some hardy Taurons, they were all on one Colony now. Yet if what John and Bill and Lee believed to be true, there were Colonials being held captive on Nereid. Now John had told her another theory, one that Kara had thought of, that survivors of the second Hyperion mission and their descendents were also there. Perhaps some escaped prisoners had even joined them. He and Lee had speculated about that possibility for over an hour one night several weeks earlier.

Laura thought of what Bill Adama had told them tonight. After careful consideration he had decided that before he took their battlestars to Nereid, another mission in Sadie would be flown over the planet, concentrating on the area where smoke had been photographed and also on the mountains to the north of it. Only this time Lee wouldn't have to jump the Raider in the middle of a thunderstorm. He would be able to do it from the sky over the airbase because the Cylons on Caprica and the basestar over Caprica would have been destroyed.

Laura tried to force her mind to slow down. She thought of her son, of her bright, happy little boy. She pictured the swearing-in ceremony on the platform in front of the Capitol Building with her husband by her side holding their child and Kara with them as well. She knew it would be cold on that January day. She saw her son bundled in his winter coat and hat and mittens. She said a silent prayer that the gods would watch over him and protect him always, that they would protect all of them in the coming fight.

She prayed that no dark force would try to harm him as the Oracle had said. She prayed that he would grow up free even if it meant that one day he would leave Caprica to map the stars. Perhaps her son's role in their future was to help insure the survival of mankind.

...

"Hey, Kat, get it together," Kara barked over her cockpit wireless. "You're drifting toward me."

"I am not frakking drifting toward you!" Kat snarled. "You're the one who's drifting."

Hot Dog was flying behind them. His voice came over the wireless. "You're drifting, Kat."

She finally moved over.

"Okay, let's do our math," Kara said.

She was referring to the simple maneuver that the three of them were going to fly, a looping figure eight designed to orient them with where they were in relation to each other while flying a tight formation. They would fly the formation five times, moving steadily to the starboard as they flew it so that none of them would chance colliding at the mid-point of the figure eight.

Their Cylon escort hovered, waiting for them to begin.

"Who made you the leader?" Kat asked angrily.

"Somebody's got to do it," Kara answered.

"Ease up, you two," Hot Dog said. "Start the exercise, Kat. We're behind you."

Kat began to fly the formation. The speed and loop distances were designed so that the Vipers passed each other closely in the center of the eight.

They did fine until the third pass when the hair on the back of Kara's neck prickled and she instinctively eased back on the throttle. Kat wasn't over far enough and Kara narrowly avoided colliding with her.

"Damn it, Kat!" she shouted. "You're in my pattern!"

"I am not!" Kat shouted back angrily. "Learn to fly and you might be able to do these exercises."

"It's not me that needs to learn to fly," Kara snarled, just as angry now. The near-miss had started her adrenalin flowing. "Get your head on straight or get back to the ship."

"Watch your mouth, nugget!"

"Quit calling me nugget. You're more a nugget than I was before I ever got in my first trainer. You're still flying like you got snakes in the cockpit."

Hot Dog's snicker was clearly audible over the wireless. Snakes in the cockpit was an insult to any pilot who had graduated from Flight School. It referred to the way a rookie usually stomped the rudder pedals and jerked the stick like he was trying to kill snakes instead of the smooth coordinated moves that made flying look good.

"And don't get me started on your landings," Kara fumed.

"My landings are fine, nugget."

"It won't be long before you have to hand that Top Gun mug to me."

"That'll never happen, nugget."

"Don't bet your next paycheck on it."

"Finish the pattern," Hot Dog said. "We've got to get back to the ship. Our escort out there is starting to look twitchy."

Kara snickered at Hot Dog's description. How did a Cylon Raider look twitchy? But she made the last loop of the figure eight and headed back to the Galactica with Hot Dog and Kat following her.

The LSO had to wave Kat off once before he let her land. Kara had already filled out her post-flight checklist and was climbing down the ladder when Kat's Viper was raised onto the hangar deck. Kara hurried to avoid her. She knew Kat would be spoiling for a confrontation and Kara was afraid that she couldn't keep her cool.

As she and Hot Dog walked back to their quarters, Kara said, "She's dangerous."

"She's a good pilot," Hot Dog said. "She was the Top Gun in our Flight School class."

"Was that before or after she started taking stims?"

He shrugged and didn't answer her for a while. Finally he said, "That's where it started. She wanted to stay on top."

"Well, she's a stim junkie now," Kara snapped. "I'll bet she starts sweating at the thought of going out there without her little helpers."

"She gets the job done. It's not like what we're doing out there is important. Doing our first-grade exercises while their Raiders babysit us is yawn inducing. I'm surprised one of us hasn't fallen asleep in the cockpit."

"I'll pretend you didn't say that," Kara said angrily. "It's always important. Every time we go out is important."

"Come on, Starbuck. You'll feel different after you've done this for a year or two so lighten up on me. Lighten up on Kat, too."

"She was flying in my pattern! If I hadn't throttled back she would have killed us both."

"She would have pulled up. She wouldn't have hit you. She was probably just testing you, trying to see if you were on your toes."

"Why are you protecting her? You give her grief all the time."

"We went through the Academy and Flight School together. I know I give her a lot of grief, but she's okay. Kat's had a hard life."

"My heart bleeds for her. Maybe she isn't the only one."

He shrugged again. Kara knew he didn't believe her and she wasn't in the mood to talk about her childhood or the years she and Karl had spent in the camp. Kara guessed that to a lot of the other pilots, she looked like the spoiled and pampered stepdaughter of the woman who was going to be elected President as well as the girlfriend of an admiral's son.

She didn't know what was worse, having it tough or having it easy, but she knew one thing for certain. One day Kat would hand that Top Gun mug to her. Kara wanted it to happen that way. She didn't want to inherit it by default because Kat had killed herself or someone else on a simple training mission.

In the shower later she put her hands against the wall and let the warm water beat down on her tense neck and shoulders. One more week and she could leave Kat and training exercises behind for nine whole days. One week and she would be on her way back to Caprica and the man she loved.

...

Lee paced the small waiting room at the airbase. It was almost 20:30 in the evening and the personnel transport from the Galactica was thirty minutes late. Lee knew better than to go up to the desk again and ask the sergeant. The man had already told him the transport had left late. It was on its way.

His mobile phone rang and he looked at the caller ID. It was John.

"Hi," Lee said. "The transport ship isn't here yet."

"Is anything wrong?"

"Not according to the guy on desk duty. He said they left the G late. Half an hour ago he said another twenty minutes."

"I'm sure everything's fine. I just wanted to tell you that Laura and I are at the Parthenon Hotel at a Commerce League banquet. She's the guest of honor and she's making a speech. We'll be here another two hours."

"I'll have Kara home by midnight."

"No rush," John said. "If she doesn't make it home until tomorrow morning, I'll understand."

Lee was silent for a few moments. "You're okay with that?"

"I want to see her, but I know what she wants and that's to be with you."

"Thanks, John."

"I've got to get back to the banquet. I'll see Kara in the morning. Tell her I love her."

"Okay."

Lee closed his phone. The sergeant looked at him. "The transport's on final approach. You need to stay inside until it's at the terminal and docked."

Lee stood at the wall of windows and watched the big ship land and then taxi toward the terminal. He saw the ground crew directing the pilots as they docked. The minute the ship stopped, Lee was out the door. He had to wait nearly ten minutes in the cold wind before the steps were rolled up and the hatch was opened.

Kara was one of the first ones off the ship. She saw him and began to run. A few feet away, she dropped her duffel bag and threw her arms around him. He lifted her off her feet. For a moment they couldn't speak.

"I've missed you so much," she finally said.

He buried his face against her neck and breathed. Having her in his arms again was like all his dreams come true.

She drew back and smiled at him. They kissed long and hard.

Karl and Sharon walked by them. Karl said, "You'd better go to Lee's apartment before you get any deeper into that kiss."

Kara and Lee broke apart and grinned. He picked up her duffel bag and they began walking arm in arm back through the terminal building and then out to his car.

"Do you guys want a ride?" Lee asked Karl. "I'll be glad to drop you off at your apartment."

"Thanks," Karl said, "but we're going to get something to eat first." He snickered. "I guess we were flying economy. There wasn't any meal service on board our flight."

"There never is," Lee said. "Zeno's is two blocks from my apartment."

"Okay," Sharon said. "You talked us into a ride."

They got to Lee's car.

"We were late leaving the G," Kara said.

"I know."

"Have you been waiting long?"

"I came straight from work."

"So you've been here how long?"

"Almost three hours."

"Gods, Lee. Have you eaten anything?"

"I got a pack of crackers from the vending machine. I thought we'd order a pizza when we get back to the apartment."

Kara smiled. How many times had they done that when they wanted to spend the evening mostly in bed? They were definitely on the same wavelength.

Lee pulled up to the curb outside of Zeno's and Karl and Sharon got out.

"Thanks for the ride. Enjoy the evening," Karl said.

"No worries about that," Lee answered.

He drove the two blocks and pulled into the parking garage. Kara reached for him and they kissed again. He finally pulled back.

"We'd better go upstairs."

"I know. We've only got a couple of hours until curfew."

Lee smiled. "We've got all night. I talked to John not long before you landed. He gave his blessing."

"No kidding. My father said he didn't care if I spent the night with you?"

"He didn't put it exactly like that, but he did say he was okay with it. You're eighteen now. Technically he can't tell you what to do anymore."

"I know, but he's still my dad."

Kara slid over and got out of the car. Lee got her duffel bag from the trunk. They kissed again in the elevator. Lee managed to get his key out of his pocket and open the apartment door. He dropped the duffel bag and reached for her, sliding his hand under the back of her hair and pulling her to him. They kissed long and hard again.

Her hands found the buttons of his tunic. How many times in the last three months had she dreamed of this moment? She pressed herself against him. His hands slid down and cupped her buttocks, pulled her even closer as he walked her backward into the living room. She pushed the tunic off his shoulders and he finished pulling it down his arms. He tossed it in the direction of the chair before he started on the buttons of her jacket. She helped him.

Lee stopped and took a deep breath. "Let's slow down. We've waited too long to rush this."

Kara was breathing hard. She put her arms around his neck. "You're asking a lot."

He lifted her arms and pulled off her tank top before he bent and kissed her neck, the desire giving him even more determination to make this first time in three months last longer than a few minutes. But when they were naked and she pushed him back on the couch and straddled him, he didn't try to stop her.

She looked into his eyes and saw the love. He pulled her to him and kissed her slowly, almost gently, his tongue finding hers.

She sucked in her breath at the feel of him inside of her. It was better, so much better than any dream she had ever had about them. Slowly she began to move, savoring the sensation as it grew, trying to make it last. Making love to him would never get old to her. She knew she would never stop wanting him like this, never stop loving him.

Her cry was soft and sharp and a few moments later she felt him also give in to the feeling. She collapsed against him, her face against his neck. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly.

"Better than your dreams?" Kara finally murmured.

He answered, still breathing hard. "Much better."

"Did I tell you I missed you?" Kara asked softly.

Lee smiled. "I think you mentioned it."

They never got around to ordering a pizza. Instead they put on sweats, opened two beers, made sandwiches and ate them at the kitchen table.

"Tell me about the mission," Kara said.

"It went okay."

"Except for when it didn't. Something happened that wasn't supposed to happen."

Choosing his words carefully, Lee told her about the jump back into the atmosphere and getting struck by lightning.

She stared at him for a long time, emotion playing over her face. "You could have died."

"I could have, but I didn't. Kevin and Rick had built redundancy into most of Sadies' systems. As soon as the primaries failed, the backups took over. That's why I owe Kevin."

Kara sat quietly for a moment struggling with the thought of losing Lee.

Finally Lee said, "I'm okay. I'm going to get another shot at it."

"What?" Kara asked in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"After we defeat the Cylons here, my dad wants me to go back to Nereid on another recon mission. He wants a closer look at the area around were I photographed that campfire. He wants a look at the mountains."

"Why? He's just going to nuke the planet. Why does he care?"

"Maybe he's not going to nuke it. Maybe not right away. Maybe we'll get a chance to rescue some prisoners. Maybe he won't nuke it at all."

"What changed his mind?"

"He hasn't made a decision yet. It depends on how many humans I find on my next mission. If there's still only two basestars and he can destroy those without too much risk, there may not be a need to nuke the planet. What he really wants to know is how much of a force the Cylons have there and an estimate of the number of human prisoners."

"So you get to go back to Heliops Island."

"No. The jump won't be so bad this time. The Cylons will be gone. I'll get to jump somewhere closer to home, probably over the boneyard. I'll leave during the day and come back during the day."

She didn't say anything.

"Come on, Kara. Don't be like that."

"So you're going to risk your life again and I'm supposed to jump up and down with joy?"

"We're all going to risk our lives on the Solstice. That's going to be much more dangerous than getting back in Sadie and jumping to Nereid again."

"I guess you're right."

"You don't think I'll be worried about you up there on the G? What if your basestar manages to launch its Raiders? You'll be in a Viper taking them on."

"And you'll be down here taking on any Raiders that Caprica's basestar manages to launch."

"My dad doesn't think the basestar above Caprica will get to launch any Raiders. He thinks it will be destroyed before the Cylons realize what's happening. He thinks all the basestars will be destroyed before they can go on the defensive."

"I hope you're right," Kara said.

"Cavil will think we're all out drunk and partying like most of Caprica does on the Solstice. He won't be expecting it. None of them will."

Kara sipped her beer. She was tired of talking about the coming battle. "What do you think I should do about Kat being on stims?"

"Is it so bad she's dangerous?"

"Maybe. A couple of weeks ago we were flying a training exercise and she flew into my pattern. Hot Dog says she wouldn't have hit me, that she was just testing me, but I don't know. I haven't said anything about the stims to anybody except Karl and Hot Dog. Hot Dog already knew anyway. They went to Flight School together. That's where Kat started using. He gives her grief all the time, but I think he likes her."

"As in they're having a relationship?"

"I've never seen them together. Nobody's ever mentioned them either so it probably hasn't gotten that far yet"

"I'm sure other people know what she's doing with the stims. That's not something you can hide forever."

"You think the CAG knows?"

"Probably."

"Then why doesn't he do something?"

"It's probably not bad enough. Stims are how some pilots keep their edge. When I was on the Triton, I saw half a dozen pilots who always popped a stim before they went out on training exercises. They didn't see anything wrong with it. They're the same ones who would pop one to pull all-nighters studying at the Academy or in Flight School."

Kara's eyes were getting heavy. "I wonder what Kat will do if we have to fight on the Solstice."

"She'll fight. She'll either make it or she won't."

"Just my luck she'll be flying my wing or I'll be flying hers."

Lee got up and put their empty plates in the sink. He reached for her hand and pulled her to her feet. They took their beers into the living room and sat on the couch. Kara put her head against his shoulder and yawned.

"I think the six-hour time difference is catching up with me."

Lee teased her. "You mean you're not normally bright-eyed at 04:00 Galactica time?"

"Only if I've had a weird dream."

Lee put his cheek against the top of her head and breathed the clean scent of her hair. They had nine days before she would have to go back. He put the thought out of his mind. The only thing that mattered right now was that she was with him.

"I love you, Kara," he said softly.

"Um," she said sleepily. "You know how good it sounds to hear you say that in person?"

Lee stood, took her hand and pulled her to her feet. "Time for bed."

Kara smiled and put her arms around her neck. "Is that a hint?"

"After three months apart, I hope so. But you might want to go to sleep instead."

She kissed him. "I can sleep when I get back to the G."

...

Despite not going to sleep until nearly midnight, Kara awoke at 05:00, wide awake, her body telling her that it was 11:00 like it was on the Galactica. Lee was still sleeping soundly when she slipped out of bed, went to the living room and got her duffel bag. She took a quick shower. He was awake when she walked into the bedroom ten minutes later.

"Go back to sleep," she said. "I'm going to call a transport and go to the apartment. My dad will be up with Braedon by the time I get there."

"I can take you."

Kara walked over and sat down on the bed. "You can go back to sleep and come over later. It's Saturday."

Lee realized that she wanted to spend some time alone with her father and her brother. "Okay."

She leaned over and kissed him. "I love you. Come over later and we'll all go to the park."

The apartment was quiet when she let herself in. She put her duffel bag in her room, went to the kitchen and started a pot of coffee.

"I thought I heard somebody prowling around," her father said from the doorway.

Kara turned. They met in the middle of the kitchen and hugged. She felt tears well in her eyes.

"I've missed you so much," she said.

He put his hands on her shoulders and stepped back. "Just let me look at you." After a few moments, he said, "Your hair is longer."

She smiled. "I never got around to getting it cut on the G."

"I didn't expect you home until late in the morning."

"It's the six hour time difference. My body told me to get up."

"I forgot about that." He put the baby monitor on the table. "Help me listen for Brae. I want Laura to sleep as long as she can. As soon as she gets up she'll want to go to her campaign headquarters. I told her I'd go with her today. I'm taking next week off so I can spend the time with her doing whatever she needs me to do."

"The election is Tuesday, right?"

"That's the big day."

"She's going to be elected, isn't she?"

"By a big margin if you believe the polls."

"It still doesn't seem real to me."

"In some ways it doesn't to me, either, and I've been on Caprica and in the middle of it for the last three months. How's Lee?"

"He's fine. He's coming over later. I told him we'd take Brae and go to the park."

"Laura and I didn't want to ask you to take care of Braedon all day on your first day back, so Maya is coming over. She'll be here about eight."

"Good. I'm looking forward to seeing her."

"Sam's been very understanding about how much we've needed her to take care of Brae lately."

"I guess she told you they…maybe I shouldn't say anything."

John smiled. "No, she didn't tell me she was sleeping with him, but she'll mention his name sometimes and blush. It doesn't take a genius to figure out why."

"Do you think it will work out for them?"

"I don't know, Kara. A young, good-looking sports star like Sam has got women throwing themselves at him all the time. Only time will tell if he can stick with one woman. I'm sure she'll talk to you about it after we leave today."

"How's Laura?"

"I don't see how's she's done it lately, but she has. She's put in some grueling days and she's not sleeping well at night. I'd asked her earlier about going down to the island this weekend, but she said only if she loses. Since there's not much chance of that, I don't guess we'll go."

Kara heard a sound.

"That's Brae," her father said. "He's talking to himself. He does that now when he wakes up. He stands up in his crib and jabbers."

"Let me go get him," Kara said.

"Change him first."

She grinned. "I remember what to do."

Kara walked down the hall to the nursery and went up to the crib. "Hey, little star mapper. Do you remember me?"

Braedon held up his arms. "Kawa."

She picked him up and turned. Her father was standing in the doorway.

"He's gotten bigger," Kara said.

"Babies tend to do that."

Braedon was trying to get down. "A dry diaper first," she said.

He stiffened and began to fret when she put him back in the crib.

Her father smiled. "You should have changed him before you picked him up."

"Now you tell me."

"I thought I did."

By the time Maya arrived, Kara had dressed Braedon and he was running around the den. John was ready for the day ahead. Kara and her father were drinking a second cup of coffee. They had all eaten breakfast earlier and Laura had chatted with Kara, but Kara could tell she was very distracted.

Laura walked into the den. She was dressed. John stood.

"Time to go," he said and looked at Kara. "I charged your phone. I'll call you later today."

Laura picked up her son and hugged him. John took him and did the same before he handed him to Maya.

Braedon wanted to go with them and Maya had to hold him. Braedon reached for his father. "Dadadada."

"He'll be back," Maya said soothingly. It took her several minutes to distract Braedon, but he was soon running around again.

"Coffee?" Kara asked Maya.

"That would be nice. I'll go get it. I don't dare leave Brae in here by himself even though John has put child-proof latches on all the cabinet doors."

When Maya returned, she sat down on the other end of the couch. Braedon was content for the moment with the dozens of toys and soft books that were scattered on the floor.

Maya chuckled. "Brae's mess drives Jennet crazy. She comes in here a couple of times a day and puts everything back in his toy box and he drags everything out again."

Kara tried to imagine a day taking care of a child instead of flying a Viper. Maybe one day she would be ready to take on the challenge. Maybe one day when there weren't any Cylons left in the universe she would want to bring a child into the world.

Kara smiled. "I appreciate the letters. It's the highlight of my day to get letters."

"I enjoy writing."

"So tell me about you and Sam."

"What do you want to know?"

"Everything," Kara kidded her.

"He's a nice guy," Maya said coyly.

"I think we've already covered that. Are you and him…exclusive?"

"I am. But I've always been a one-guy woman. After Peter and I became a couple, I never even thought about other men. I haven't asked Sam if he's seeing other women. I'm okay with the way things are now."

"Really?"

"It's too soon to think about a future with Sam. Aren't you the one who told me to just go with it and enjoy being together?"

"I think I was."

Maya smiled. "So I'm enjoying it. Sam's a nice guy. He's not pushy. He's not demanding. He understands when Laura and John ask me to take care of Brae for an evening. He understands when I have to work on school assignments. Of course that might be because he's always got the option to go to Crocodiles and pick up a hot woman or go over to Tory's or Lissa's."

"You think he does that?" Kara asked in surprise.

"I know he does."

"I don't see how you can be so…so cool about it."

"Because of the Cylons I lost my child and the man I loved. In that camp I faced the worst kind of humans there are, as bad as the Cylons, maybe worse. I saw what I was capable of letting them turn me into while I was trying to save Hanna. In some ways my life now is like a dream."

"Those were bad times," Kara said as she thought of going back to the camp and the kind of memories it had stirred in her.

"The memories are always with me, but I don't dwell on them like I used to."

"Does Sam know what you went through?"

"He knows I lost my child and her father. He knows I loved Peter. I'm not ready to tell him the rest. Maybe one day. In most ways his life has been so easy. He wasn't really touched by the war."

"You don't think he'll understand?"

"I don't know, Kara. If he were like your father, I'd have already told him, but he's not. John is one of the most understanding and least selfish people I've ever known."

"Maybe you should talk to Sam about the camp. At least give him a chance to understand."

"Maybe I will one day." Braedon brought one of his books over to Maya. She picked him up and smiled. "But right now this little guy is the most important man in my life."

...

Laura paced the large room that had been her campaign headquarters for the last eight months. The returns were beginning to come in now. She had a solid lead. John and Kara and Lee had been with her all day. Her Vice-Presidential running mate Scott Mickelson and his family were there also as well as Billy and the dozens of volunteers who had helped her. Billy's new girlfriend had just walked in.

Laura had finally gotten the opportunity to ask Billy about her. With a sheepish smile he had admitted that Dee and Blaire had once been roommates. He had also told her that Dee had once had a crush on Lee. Laura had tried to get everything straight. Lee and Blaire, then Billy and Blaire and now Billy and Dee. Laura had shaken her head and smiled. "And I thought running for President was complicated."

Now she glanced over at Billy as he talked to Dee and then over at Kara. Laura wondered how much she knew. Lee was talking to her. She wondered what he was saying.

John walked over to her and interrupted her thoughts. "Won't you sit down for a few minutes? I think you're wearing a path in the carpet."

"There's an interesting little drama unfolding near the door that has nothing to do with the election."

"You mean Billy's new girlfriend?"

Laura sighed. "Is there anything you don't know?"

"You told me last week who she was. I mentioned it to Lee. He filled me in."

"And Lee has told Kara?"

"I think he's telling her now."

"Kara doesn't look too worried."

John smiled. "She knows she doesn't have any reason to be. Just like you don't have any reason to worry about the election…Madame President."

...

Kara glanced over at Dee and Billy. "I thought she looked familiar," she said to Lee. "So that's the chick who was trying to pick you up at Zeno's."

"That was nearly two years ago."

"I guess we should go speak to them or do you want to try to avoid them all night."

"Speaking would be the polite thing to do."

"After you," Kara said.

Together they walked over to Billy and Dee.

"Hi, Dee," Lee said.

"Lee, it's been a long time." Her tone was even, not cool but not exactly friendly either.

"How are you?" Lee asked.

"Good."

Lee put his arm around Kara's shoulders. "This is Kara Thrace, John's daughter. Kara, Anastasia Dualla…Dee."

"Hi," Kara said. "So you share an apartment with Blaire?"

"Not anymore. Blaire got her own place a few months ago. Another girl from the base moved in with me."

There was an awkward silence. Finally Lee said, "I guess you dropped by to hear Laura's acceptance speech."

"And to see Billy."

Billy blushed. He still had a shyness that made him seem younger than his twenty-six years. Kara thought of the contrast between Billy and Zak. Zak was five years younger than Billy and Zak had a confidence around women that made him seem much older.

"Nice to see you again," Lee said.

She and Lee walked back to one of the television sets and watched the returns for a few minutes. Laura was still leading.

"That wasn't too awkward," Kara said.

"Yes, it was. The last time I saw her I acted like a jerk. I was drunk and mad at Blaire and I took it out on her."

"She seems nice."

"She is. I used to talk to her when Blaire and I were dating."

"You never had any…other kind of feelings for her?"

"No. Nothing romantic, if that's what you mean."

"But she obviously felt that way about you."

"I wasn't sure until that night at Zeno's. Like I said, I was drunk. I was rough on her. I guess everybody has things they've done that they'd like to do over if they had the chance. I would have been nicer to her. I was just drunk and in an ugly mood because Dee was the one who showed up instead of Blaire."

"I know what you mean. I sometimes wish things had ended better between me and Jared."

"That night at Zeno's was the first time I ever saw you. I was trying to figure out a way to meet you when you got up and left. When you showed up that day at the base, I couldn't believe it." He touched the side of her face. "Meeting you was a dream come true."

Kara smiled. "Even the way it happened?"

"If you hadn't been half-conscious, you might not have looked at me twice."

"Probably not," she teased. "I guess you could say I was a captive audience."

Scott Mickelson got up on the small stage at one end of the room. "Could I have everyone's attention, please?"

The excited voices began to quiet down.

"Laura, John, get up here." Kara saw them step up on the platform. "We've just received a call from Mr. Cantrell's campaign manager. He's conceding the election. I give you our next President, Laura Roslin."

The room erupted in wild and loud applause and shouting. Noisemakers were being blown.

Scott motioned to his wife and family and then to Kara.

"Get up there," Lee said.

"You come, too."

"I'm not part of the family yet. Go."

John was beckoning to her. The news cameras began to roll. Kara stepped up on the platform. Laura and Scott were waving and smiling. The cheering and clapping continued and got louder.

John put his arm around Kara.

"Aren't you glad it's over," she said to him.

"It's not over, baby. I think we should say it's just beginning."

Laura walked over and put her arms around both of them. She leaned up and murmured something to John, something that Kara couldn't hear. She saw her father smile. He leaned over and whispered something back to her.

Kara thought of the way she had seen Laura two years ago in the hospital, the morning she had seen her father for the first time in three years. They had all come such a long way since then, but there were still many tasks ahead for all of them.

Laura stepped forward and held up her hands. The room finally quieted as she began her speech thanking everyone for their efforts on her behalf and accepting the enormous responsibility that came with being the President-elect of the Twelve Colonies. Kara heard the pride in Laura's voice, pride that was a testament to the enduring ability of humanity to survive and overcome tremendous odds. She heard the fierce determination also that had characterized Laura since the day they had met.

Her father's hand was clasped on her shoulder. He was right. It was only the beginning. Laura finished her brief speech and stood back. The roar of those assembled in the room was overwhelming.

A line from a poem by Kataris kept running through Kara's mind as the sound poured over and around them.

The winds of change blew in one night and swept my old life away from me.