Chapter 93 Matched Set

While going through her pre-flight checklist, Kara thought about the past month.

It was some forty days ago that she had crept into a dark hole and felt her world and sanity crumble to dust about her.

The Viper's gauges flashed green, and she started the computer diagnostic and while waiting, counted back the significant days. Thirty days ago and she'd found herself sharing a cabin with the Admiral. Starbuck smirked at how scandalized the military echelons of the Twelve Colonies would have been if they'd still lived. A female Captain cohabitating with her Admiral, a man old enough to be her dad.

Computer systems a go.

She did a comm check with the communications officer on duty, vaguely thankful that it wasn't Dee. Though she'd been happy enough that it had been Dualla handling comm when she and Athena had barely avoided getting turned into wreckage twenty-two days past when their Raptor exploded.

Now, as she was cleared by the LSO to launch in her first flight after having being reinstated, it felt more like a lifetime rather than closer to two months since she'd last shot out into the welcoming embrace of space.

As she accelerated away from the bulky confines of the battlestar, Kara flexed her fingers, reassured that all the painting she'd been getting in lately had kept them nimble. A glance to the right confirmed her wingman sliding into position off her starboard flank.

Her wingman.

Apollo.

Lee.

He'd insisted, of course, that he be the one watching her back during this, her first flight since being grounded. Starbuck's automatic irritation was sloughed aside by the warmth Kara felt at having Lee share the CAP with her.

Toggling her comm on, she hailed him. "Apollo, Starbuck. Ready when you are for our first lap."

"Starbuck, Apollo. Lead the way," came his brisk reply through the familiar static of the helmet speaker.

Nudging the Viper over, Starbuck slid into a course that would encircle the fleet, and she also slid into memories of the ten days since she'd told Lee about Kacey. Their time together after the confrontation in his office followed the same pattern as the first, at least in so far that she spent the mornings helping Lee with his mound of paperwork. They'd made a game of calling Bullshit on each other when one of them said a remark that was just a little too self-disparaging. Kara had even coined a hand-scooping motion to use instead of words, so they could still challenge the other even if they weren't alone.

A week ago Cottle had finally released her for limited maintenance duty in the mornings, and she'd taken to showing up at the CAG's office just prior to lunch to drag Lee off for a meal, then companionably spent a couple of hours helping him with paperwork. When he finally went off to stand his mid-afternoon shift in CIC, she usually stay behind, taking the opportunity to luxuriate in the chair sent over from Colonial One, and work on the revised pilot training courses. They still met most evenings to workout together in the gym, Lee making sure she didn't overdue it in her hurry to get cleared to fly again.

"Starbuck, Apollo," Lee's voice cut into her meandering thoughts "What's say we dust off some of those fancy maneuvers you're so famous for?"

"Roger that. Whatcha got in mind?"

"Why don't we start small, say…a few Germinon Tri-star rolls to warm-up?"

Kara's brows rose. Tri-star rolls were a 'small' evolution? She grinned as she wondered what Lee planned next if they were just warming up with one of the more involved moves a Viper was capable of.

Keying her comm, "Sure thing, Apollo. I just figured you'd want to whet our teeth on a Hulari Cross-Thatch Pivot or two, you know, ease me back in and all," she shot back at him, naming the first Black-class maneuver that came to mind, knowing that he wouldn't even consider it as it required such perfect timing between two pilots that it was rarely performed, even for stunt flying demonstration purposes.

"Maybe another day. Let's just see what you can do with those rolls," he replied, and Kara could hear his grin even through the line. "Starbuck, you lead and I'll follow."

"Like usual… Don't lose me now, Apollo."

"Not a chance," he fervently said, and Kara heard how much was conveyed in those three words.

[ I I I I I ]

A couple of hours later, they finally settled back into a trajectory that would loop them around the fleet for the last lap of their CAP rotation. Kara was sweating and frowned at the realization that the Doc had been right to limit her to only three hours her first time back. Resolving to have Lee start running with her again in the mornings, she grimaced at the need, having thought she'd built back up a lot more stamina in the past few weeks than she obviously had. It was disconcerting to find that she still had a long ways to go before she was one-hundred percent again.

And the physical side wasn't the only area she still had to work on.

Remembering the panic attack that had hit her this morning in the shower had Kara shifting uncomfortably in her seat. She had shaken it off after only a few seconds but it had rattled her; not having had one in several days, she'd kinda assumed they were a thing of the past. For the briefest of moments, she had questioned the advisability of her flying, but had instinctively known that she was safe in her Viper—at least safe from flashbacks.

She was frakkin' Starbuck, after all, and she refused to doubt herself in the air.

Within her Viper, slicing across the star-speckled black, Kara looked to her side and was comforted by the closeness of Lee's ship. True to his word, Apollo had stuck to her wing through each evolution. He'd pushed her, never giving evidence in deed or word that he held any doubts about her readiness to be back in the cockpit.

And his support lately hadn't been limited to the air.

During their time together, Kara had started to share some of her experiences with him. Usually it was on the days following one of her sessions with Laura, and she would offhandedly bring up something discussed the night before. Lee listened. He didn't ask questions, didn't push for more than what she was volunteering, he just listened to her and seemed to understood that she was trying to open herself to him as she had never dared before.

Kara's stomach knotted in a way that no number of Germinon rolls would stimulate and she swallowed repeated against the brief nausea. Who would've thought that Starbuck, a pilot that never got queasy in the air, would find mere words enough to bring bile to the back of her throat. She gave a slightly bitter chuckle, knowing that her comm wasn't on and she'd not have to explain. Kara opened herself the enveloping blackness about her and felt the tension in her back ease. She could never explain to a groundpounder how space never felt cold to her, how the expanse that stretched beyond her limited vision gave her a sense of freedom not available any place else.

Lords of Kobol, I've missed this, she thought and followed up with a prayer, something she hadn't been doing much of since her return to Galactica. As the peace about her settled within, she purposely let her thoughts trail back over the memories of the of the past couple of weeks.

It had steadily become easier to discuss her experiences with Laura. Easier, yes, but far from fun as Kara still found it repugnant sharing her thoughts and feelings. She no longer felt the need to guard each word, afraid that it would be the one that brought a look of contempt and disgust to the older woman's face. And finding the courage to trust that those in her life wouldn't suddenly turn from her because of her revelations was one of the hardest things Kara had ever done. But she was getting there, in spurts and starts, but finally accepting the risk.

Now that she was back on active duty, Laura had agreed just last night to drop their twice a week talks to once a week, with the proviso that Kara seek her out if something came up. She'd reluctantly agreed, having thought that the all-clear from Cottle would have also ended her required sessions with Laura, too.

Again Kara chuckled to herself, this time with a true note of humor supporting the sound. She, more than most, knew that Laura Roslin, President of the Twelve Colonies, wasn't about to leave a task unfinished. And the woman had obviously decided that she wasn't finished with one Kara Thrace yet.

After each visit, Kara had primarily felt exhausted—she could only wonder at the older woman's stamina—but each time she'd also been both angry and relieved on the Raptor flight back to Galactica. Laura had insisted on dragging from her so many feelings, at first only about New Caprica, but later their discussions had segwayed to other areas, including Kara's relationships, both romantic and otherwise, even eventually they'd got around to talking about her parents.

No, it hadn't been easy or pleasant, but once the initial roil of emotions had subsided, Kara had found a growing sense of expanding, as if cords that had bound her were, one by one, releasing their hold.

So it was that Kara had agreed, reluctantly because she was Starbuck, but agreed none-the-less to continue her visits.

"Hey Starbuck," Lee said, his voice pulling her back to the present. "Who wants to bet that we've had a few spectators watching from the observation lounge?"

"I know a sucker bet when I hear it, Apollo."

"So, how about a last fly-by before we set 'em down?"

"Ah, Apollo, you're a man after my own heart." She blinked, immediately realizing exactly what she'd said, and if the pause before he spoke again seemed overly long, Kara decided not to worry about it.

"Starbuck, I think a Top Over/Under Twist should be just the thing."

Kara couldn't help but grin at Lee's choice. The move required two Vipers to fly, cockpit to cockpit, while executing a slow corkscrewing pattern. She'd be able to look up and see Lee inverted directly above her with only a foot or so of space, and two slats of clear shielding separating them.

"Roger that, Apollo. I'm on top," she said, smirking as she envisioned his eye-roll, because that's just how he'd respond her to provocative comment.

"Just form up, and let's do this," he ordered, his grin again there for all to hear.

She took her position, and Starbuck and Apollo performed the move together perfectly.

A matched set once again.