Heya back you all and thank you for reading up to this chapter!

Laura's as well as Bill's ideas about war and service might differ a bit from the original BSG at this point, but I tried to make it still believable. Most of their motivations will be revealed in time.

This chapter is a bit shorter than the others, but the next one will be following as soon as possible!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except storyline and OC's

May 1803

Challenged

Laura Roslin

In that moment, she could have smacked Helena Cain in the face. With her fan. Hard. Firstly, she was insinuating again that Laura had had affairs with basically any politician of name in England, which was not true. Then she had accused her of being unpatriotic and unsupportive of the English military, which was also not true. She might not be the first one to wave an Union Jack, but when it came down to it, she still prefered their Kingdom to any other in the world. Of course her opponent used a clever strategy, portraying her as indifferent would make her look bad in front of a Navy man such as Adama. She knew she should not bother too much about his opinion, but at least Laura wanted to show the commander that she did think for herself.

"No Mrs Cain, this is not what I am saying. I simply mean that war should be the last option, if any diplomacy fails. Our people must be protected, I agree. As for the Royal Navy, from what I have heard they are exceptional and have been recruiting a lot. But deeming it unbeatable would be hubris." While the dark-haired woman was silent, undoubtedly planning her next attack, the commander raised his voice. "Ms Roslin, I have to agree with you in one point. Our odds are quite favourable, but nevertheless we have to be carefull." It was oddly reassuring that he backed her. A political discussion with him might be tempting, but the prospect of having the Cains right there next to her all the time quickly put her off. She better got away before that horrible woman could start to provoke her again. On the upside, at least Cain could not talk behind her back while she was still standing here. The perfect solution would be to get Mr Adama dancing again, but that would very likely not happen.

"So what do you think about Vice Admiral Nelson?", Albert offered. Inwardly Laura stomped her feet, Nelson was probably the worst topic that could have been brought up. Mrs Cain would know more than a thousand ways to exploit it for her purposes. To her surprise, the commander started to speak. "The tactical decissions he has made so far have been exceptional, any rank he has, he has earned. He is one of the best commanding officers that I have ever met." Even Mr Cain did not seem to have any objections against this statement, he nodded. "Ms Roslin, aren't you aquainted with him? And with Lady Hamilton?", Helena interfered. Now Laura knew that she had to try and keep the ball as low as possible. "I think acquainted is an exaggeration, I have simply met him on a few occasions. Most of the things I know about him are either from the newspapers or what other people have told me. And yes, I know Sir William Hamilton and Lady Hamilton."

"That Lady, she is something else from what I have heard", Mr Cain remarked, much too loudly for Laura's taste, "but you women, you wave nets with your words and capture us poor men in it!" Helena tilted her head, smiling evilly. "However, there are always the ones who overestimate their abilities." The look she gave Laura was so pointed that Adama couldn't have possibly missed it. "That might be true", she answered, "but you know what can happen to somebody who challenges another weaver." It gave her some satisfaction that even the so accomplished Helena needed a moment to understand the deeper meaning of her words. While the black-haired women pressed her lips together in anger, Laura intended to say her goodbyes and leave the battlefield with a temporary victory.

Suddenly, her eyes locked with Commander Adama's, soft grey-green and striking blue holding onto each other. She felt as if she gravitated towards him and at the same time was pushed further and further away. Giving him a last small smile, she turned around and left.

Only when she was sitting in her carriage on the short way home, she could breathe freely again, trying to calm her racing heartbeat. Racing from anger, from confusion and from a feeling she could not quite place and definitely did not want to think about. It was clear that she was already in far to deep, but somehow she could not regret it. This evening had made her feel more alive than all the last months in London.

Random fact:
"Hubris" is a word of Ancient Greek origin and describes either extreme/foolish pride or overconfidence (in a dangerous context). The "weaving challenge" between Cain and Roslin is also a reference to Greek mythology: There is a story about a woman called Arachne who challenged the goddes Athena to a weaving contest. Most sources say that Arachne won, but Athena ripped the tapestry to shreds and turned Arachne into a spider. In this context Laura basically calls Helena a spider.

Random historical fact:
Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson was a very popular figure at that time. If you want to know about his life in detail, Wikipedia will be happy to help ;) I will just note down the facts that are important for the story. He was successful, used new tactics and he was married, but had a very public affair to Lady Hamilton (I could also write a whole essay just about her). She was a former actress, model and also politically influential, as she was for example friends with the Queen of Naples.

Up next: Bill has to cope with the aftermath of the ball