Chapter Text
Without Doloxan, Laura knew she would feel infinitely times better. She also knew that without Doloxan, that feeling would only last for so long and it wasn’t a risk she was willing to take. It forced her to enjoy the good moments and the relief that there was a visible light at the end of the tunnel. When she woke to her husband’s arm around her, his warmth completely encompassing her, and feeling okay, she hummed drowsily and let her eyes close again. Unless there was something pressing, she had no desire to move.
Eventually, Bill’s alarm dragged him from bed and though he was hesitant to get up, he peppered her face with kisses until she agreed to stay right where she was. He smiled and walked into the head to shower, unsurprised to find her up and moving when he was done. After he dressed and while she showered, he ordered breakfast and coffee and settled at the table to wait for her. Saul arrived at the same time as food and he welcomed his friend, only watching from the corner of his eye as he picked up the carafe.
“It's fresh. You want a cup?”
He grimaced. “Ever since they started grinding it out of algae I've lost the taste. We got three more civilian captains pitching fits, refusing to allow the Cylon engineers on board.”
“I thought we settled that a couple days ago.” Bill picked up his mug and took a slow drink, then poured one for Laura.
“Well, the tylium ship didn't get the message. They're screamin' bloody murder to anyone who'll listen, claiming they're being illegally seized by our Marines.” His disdain was clear in his voice and Bill agreed.
“I'm tired of this,” he sighed. He was confident that Laura could handle it in an instant, but he didn’t want to push her too far and have her recoil into her shell again. “Go to Lee. Tell the Quorum that if they don't get their ships in line, they can all share a blanket in Zarek's cell.”
When she heard Saul’s voice, she had hesitated at joining them, but her rumbling stomach and need for coffee drove her forward anyway. Wearing just Bill’s robe and a headscarf, the deck cold beneath her feet, she entered the outer room and smiled pleasantly at him.
“I'll make the call, but…” he trailed off as he looked at her, her smile only widening.
She hummed and reached for the second cup. “Smells good. Hello, Colonel,” she added after taking a careful drink.
He only stared for a moment and she wanted to roll her eyes. Bill struggled to contain his smile.
“Morn– M-Madam President.” He stumbled over his words and quickly cleared his throat.
“Don’t let me disturb you.” With the mug held between both hands, she sat beside her husband and leaned against him, waiting for the coffee to do its job before she tried to eat.
When his XO said nothing more, Bill raised an eyebrow. “You were saying, Saul?”
His eyes were still wide and slowly moved back to Bill. “It's just, um... Given the fleet's mood toward Cylons... You might not want me taking point on this.”
He nodded his understanding and stretched his arm out along the back of her chair. “I’ll be up there in a minute.”
After Saul left, she giggled quietly and leaned over to kiss Bill’s cheek. “Poor guy.”
“I don’t know why he was surprised to see you,” he muttered.
“I don’t think he was surprised to see me.” She smiled. “I think he was surprised to see me like this.” She gestured to his robe, quite possibly the most casual she had ever been around him, including after Grace had been born.
“That’s what he gets for coming by before my shift.” He huffed and refilled their mugs before he pushed her plate closer. “Eat.”
It took some coaxing, which he was more than used to even with normal food, to get her to eat enough that it could be considered more than a snack but still less than a meal. As a reward, he tugged her to the couch afterwards and she curled up next to him with a soft hum, enjoying their last few minutes before he had to leave.
“The Colonel's right, you know,” she murmured after a minute of relaxed silence. “The fleet has never been comfortable with this blanket Cylon amnesty.”
He ignored her comment and focused on the last of the coffee in his mug. “This coffee is terrible.”
She continued on anyway. “Siccing Lee on the Quorum is only gonna be seen as a shot across the bow. He can hedge it all he wants, but the delegates will see it comes straight from you.”
Realizing she wouldn’t relent, he sighed and raised an eyebrow. “Well, Lee can handle it.”
“Yes, he can, and so can you. And I'm not getting involved.” She patted his leg and stood up. “So, he can take care of himself and you can take care of yourself. And,” she dragged the word out and smiled, “I am not getting pulled back in.” When he remained quiet, her smile grew and she nodded. “Yeah, the legendary Adama silence. I’ve always seen right through it. This passive aggressive pretense that you are okay if I don't get involved.”
He smiled but sighed. “I don't do passive aggressive.”
“Oh, honey.” She shook her head slowly and watched him as he stood up next to her. “Yes, you do. You just don't know that's what it is.”
“Maybe I learned from the best.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in quickly enough that she gasped and then giggled. “Take it easy today.”
“I will,” she promised softly.
“I'll try to make it home for supper.”
“I'll have it ready,” she teased with a laugh that he matched. He kissed her softly and reluctantly released her, but she called to him before he walked through the hatch. “Cantrell's the key. Tell Lee. If he can get to Cantr…” His smile made her stop and she huffed, her arms crossing over her chest. “I'm not…” He left before she could finish and her words trailed off into a sigh, her head shaking again as she retreated further into their quarters to get dressed.
A crewman stopped him on his way to the CIC and handed over a report that he briefly scanned over the rest of the walk. The room was quiet as he expected it to be and he sighed softly as he joined his XO. “Colonel Tigh, sitrep,” he ordered as he took in the CIC and glanced at the DRADIS.
“CAP is out,” he answered immediately as he looked up from his own stack of paperwork. “DRADIS shows no enemy contacts, fleet's still jacked up on Zarek's anti-Cylon bull. Lee's giving the Quorum a shove, but it'd take a cavity search to find the backbone in that sorry bunch.”
He started to laugh, but a noise from the DRADIS stopped him and he looked up.
“Laird probably rescheduled and it didn't make it into the system. See if you can find the update,” Gaeta said into his phone and Bill made a note to keep an eye on whatever that situation was.
“I've got Nowart rounding up every Marine that can still pull a trigger,’ Saul continued. “So, if you get fed up playing chicken with these bastards, say the word.”
He shook his head and dropped his papers to the console. “Hitei Kan was a special case. We have to shoot up every ship we go into, you can kiss this alliance goodbye,” he grumbled.
“Yeah, hold up, hold up. Is that your launch? Because I'm not seeing a squawk code.”
Catching onto the conversation as well, Saul glanced toward Gaeta. “Is there a problem?”
“We've got an unidentified contact off the flight deck, no transponder ID,” he sighed. “I'm thinking DRADIS ghost.”
There was enough on Bill’s plate without his ship throwing out more issues and he bit back a swear. “Last thing I need.”
“Four years without a pit stop.” He shrugged.
“Equipment's sketchy as hell. Mr. Gaeta, order a full diagnostic on DRADIS.”
“Yes, sir, right away.”
Sometimes, Bill felt more like an office administrator than a military admiral, and it made him grumble under his breath as he worked with Saul through the backlog of paperwork and reports waiting for them. It made the time crawl by and he wanted to check in with Laura, but he knew if he called too soon, it would just annoy her. Resigning himself to a neverending shift, he focused on making progress until another, more concerning alarm filled the room.
“Admiral, I'm getting a fire warning on Deck C near the main antenna array,” Hoshi explained.
“Order the damage control team to C Deck. Have them report back to me with their assessment ASAP,” he told him, his eyes briefly wandering to the ship schematic nearby that reflected the fire.
“Admiral, if the wireless array goes down, we could lose communications across the fleet. Given our current situation, I'm thinking this fire might not be an accident,” Gaeta warned.
Bill didn’t need one of his lieutenants warning him about what would happen without the wireless array and he blamed his dull headache for his short temper.
“Baltar’s true believers would have a field day if we went dark,” Saul muttered.
“Very well. Have the Marine fire unit accompany the DC party and prepare an evacuation of all personnel from C Deck,” he added to Gaeta.
Hoshi made the announcement to the ship to evacuate the deck and barely finished before the DRADIS beeped again, confirming that communications were down.
It was a problem, but it wasn’t the end of the world. “Switch to secondaries.”
Gaeta shook his head. “They're a no-go; backups are down as well. And the fire seems to be escalating, I'm seeing cascading system failures across the board.”
“Main antenna and backup both down at the same time?” Saul raised an eyebrow and took a step closer to his console.
“With comms down, the damage control team has no way of relaying the status of the fire.”
Bill’s brow furrowed and he shook his head, looking around the room to try to piece together the information they did have and could obtain. The answer was not much.
“What do they have down there, a forest fire? Where the frak are my damage reports?” Saul demanded when there were absolutely no updates from anywhere on the ship.
Bill kept his cool, but he could feel the concern growing. Laura would still be in their quarters and Grace was in hers. Artemis would likely be on the hangar deck or in her bunk and Lee was on Colonial One. None of them were close to the fire, even if it did spread.
“Admiral, sensors are still showing red, but these trace gas readings don't make any sense. They're normal,” Hoshi informed him worriedly.
“If something was burnin' down there the carbon monoxide levels would be spikin' through the roof.” Saul looked at him, but Bill only shook his head.
“If the fire's compromised our sensors, it's possible all of our readings are suspect. With communications out, we have no way of verifying anything.” Hoshi was grasping at answers and looked as confused as Bill felt.
“All I know is I'm tired of being blind.” He turned to the crewman who had lingered near the CnC. “Private Jaffe, double-time it down to C Deck. Check in with the damage control team, get their reports, and haul ass back.”
“Yes, sir,” he replied before he ran off. It didn’t take him long to return, panting heavily as he wiped a drop of sweat off his forehead and skidded to a stop in front of him. “Admiral, I checked the array. The equipment's been jury-rigged—”
The rest of his report was cut off as Gaeta suddenly jumped to his feet and raised his voice. “Sergeant of the Guards, get your Marines in here! Nobody gets in or out!”
The small seed of concern in his stomach exploded as he turned to face Gaeta, not bothering to rein his anger in. “What the hell are you doing?” he demanded, the worry growing as the Marines aimed their weapons. “What is this?”
Sensing something, Jaffe moved in front of him as the Marines fired. “Admiral!”
Saul grabbed his arm and pulled him away, both hitting the deck hard enough to steal their breath but at least protected by the CnC. The fire continued for a moment and the sound of a few more people hitting the deck made Bill wince.
“Hold your fire! Cease fire! Hold your fire!” Gaeta began to yell. “Nobody fires without my order! Admiral! Get your staff to stand down.”
“You son of a bitch!” Saul growled as he stumbled to his feet.
“Stand down, Colonel!” Bill yelled at him, but he focused more on rolling over to check Jaffe for a pulse. Finding none, he closed his eyes briefly and then slowly stood up. “Everyone! Stand down! You killed this boy.” His last words were directed at Gaeta, but he barely reacted.
“Admiral Adama, I am removing you from command of this ship. I am taking you into custody on the charge of treason,” he stated calmly.
“You swore an oath when you put that uniform on. You pledged to defend this ship and her crew.” Eyeing the Marines warily, he didn’t move.
“You swore the same allegiance. So did your daughter, your son. Your wife! What happened to that oath?” He shook his head and scoffed. “For seven years, I have done my frakking job and for what? To take orders from a Cylon? To let machines network our ship? No, you... you are not the leader that you were when we started. You're just a sad old man that has let his heart and his affection for a Cylon cloud his judgment.”
His finger extended in warning, he slowly turned around to look at each guard individually. “I want you all to understand this. If you do this… there will be no forgiveness. No amnesty. This boy died honoring his uniform. You… you'll die with nothing.” He could’ve laughed if he wasn’t so worried about what would happen next.
“Sergeant of the Guards, take the senior staff, put them in a holding cell. Place Admiral Adama and Colonel Tigh under arrest,” Gaeta ordered angrily. “Do it!” he added when they didn’t move. “Someone find Thalia Adama and make sure she doesn’t try anything.”
“Don’t you dare.” Bill took a step toward Gaeta, but it was matched by the closest Marine.
“Sir…”
“Don't touch me!” he yelled before turning back toward his lieutenant. “If you lay a hand on my family,” he warned, but no threat felt strong enough.
“Please, sir.”
“Take him.” Gaeta waved his hand and at the sight of Saul’s arrest, his shoulders slumped and he realized they needed to bide their time. Instigating them into shooting him wouldn’t help anyone.
The morning hadn’t been nearly as productive as Laura was hoping for and it had only been two hours. She feared it was an indication of what the rest of the day would be like, but she gave in and settled on the couch with a book, trying to rest and regain her momentum. Billy knocked on the hatch not long later and she welcomed him in, apologetic that she had forgotten their meeting. He reassured her, but they were interrupted by the distant sound of gunfire. Brow furrowed, she tried to blame the sound on Galactica’s shifting or any number of recyclers, but the sound continued and, combined with the worried look Billy gave her, shattered her delusion. He beat her to the hatch, her thoughts caught up in a prayer that Grace stayed in her quarters and nothing happened to Serine. Before he could reach for the wheel, it opened on its own and they froze, his hand still extended.
“Mom!” Lee pushed his way through and grabbed her arm to pull her along, Kara following and dogging the hatch. “Are you alright?”
Billy stumbled out of the way and worriedly scanned the room. .
“I’m fine. What the hell is going on?” She looked between them, her hands firmly on her hips and grateful that neither wasted any time.
“There's been an uprising. I'm not sure how many of the crew are involved. It’s widespread,” he answered quickly.
“I’m sure Bill’s handling it. Can't the Marines stop it?” she asked, but the continued gunfire warned her that it was bigger than that.
His hand waved back toward the hatch. “There should've been Marines outside that hatchway,” he said before he hesitated. “We’re in danger of losing this ship.”
“Oh, my gods…” Her eyes closed briefly and she let out a deep breath. “We need to get to Grace, to Lia.”
“Lia’s fine, okay?” he reassured her. “Without comms, we can't get through to CIC, but it’s bigger than Galactica. Zarek's already back on Colonial One; he wants the presidency.”
Through her worry, an idea began to form and she grabbed her blazer off the back of the chair. “Of course.” Not being able to check on Lia worried her, but not as badly as needing to get to her youngest. “Frakking Zarek. He always had dangerous ideas.”
“It's not too late to stop this. Address the fleet, call for calm. The people will listen to you,” he insisted, sparing a glance back at Kara and Billy who stood guard by the hatch.
“I'll do whatever it takes and I will not allow Tom Zarek to assume the presidency under any circumstances.” As put together as she could be, she nodded. “I have an idea about the wireless. Let's go.”
The outside corridor was empty and Laura’s stomach dropped as they reached Grace’s just-as-empty cabin. There was no sign of her or Cassie, just Homework sitting on her bed with a pout. Lee tried to stop her, but she pulled free and rushed into the room, her voice shaky.
“Grace? Grace, baby, if you’re hiding, it’s okay. You can come out.” She continued to call for her as she searched the few hiding spots, Homework quickly joining her with a mix of concern and curiosity. When her search yielded nothing, she turned back to her son and felt tears stinging her eyes. “Where is she?”
“I don’t know,” he began before he quickly forged on, “but Corporal Serine isn’t here, so she probably took her to safety. She’ll keep her hidden, safe, but we need to get going.”
“No, we need… I need…” She had to force herself to take a deep breath. As much as she detested it, the ship and fleet had to come first. If they lost Galactica, if Zarek took over, Grace would be in significantly more danger. “Oh, gods, keep her safe,” she begged.
To make things worse, their source of possible communication was Gaius Baltar. She had to swallow down more than her fear as Lee and Kara cleared the route through the ship and Billy stayed by her side, barely encountering anyone until they approached the large room housing Baltar’s cult. Lee looked at her worriedly as they merged with the crowd, but she ignored him and pushed onwards toward a young woman blocking the hatchway.
“I need to speak to Dr. Baltar,” she said simply.
The woman’s expression hardened and she took a threatening step forward. Both Lee and Kara tensed behind her. “No, you're not welcome in here.”
Chief Tyrol appeared over her shoulder and stepped closer, gently encouraging her to leave. “Hey, I got this. Go ahead. Go on.” Laura barely reacted. “I need to see Baltar.”
He shook his head and looked at her sympathetically. “There's somethin' you need to know,” he murmured gently. “I got people all over the ship givin' me information. The Admiral was just led away from the CIC.”
Her stomach somehow dropped further and she reached out to brace herself against the bulkhead, Lee’s hand hovering protectively over her back. “Where to?
“No idea. My guess would be the brig. Don't trust the ship's comm systems. We're using these.” He held up a large walkie talkie, but she interrupted him before he could continue.
“Do you have anything on Lia, Grace?”
He hesitated and then shook his head. “No, ma’am, but I imagine Lia will be taken to the brig with the other people loyal to the Admiral. Grace…” He stopped short and changed topics, much to her frustration. “The hangar deck's lost to us. If you can get your father to the secondary storage bay within the hour, I'll get him off the ship,” he promised Lee.
She quickly turned around and grabbed Lee’s arm, looking up at him pleadingly. “Find Lia too, please. Grace if you can. Keep them safe, Lee, for gods’ sake.”
“I’ll try, Mom, I will.” He suddenly pulled her into a tight hug and she had to fight not to break down in his arms.
“I'll handle the fleet,” she whispered shakily as she released him and smoothed out her blazer. “Stay safe.”
As she walked by the Chief, she was still able to overhear their conversation.
“Galen, why are you doin' this?” Lee asked.
“Old Man deserves a better fate than what he'll get from them. No one else deserves that either. Go find them, Lee.”
With the woman and Billy as an escort, Laura kept her eyes on her destination and did her best to ignore the number of people staring at her with a mixture of disdain. She was biting the bullet and doing what was necessary. At the end of the day, they all had to be on the same side: survival.
Baltar wore a nervous expression but didn’t move as she approached him, struggling to keep her emotions concealed but unable to do much about the lingering tears in her eyes. Each fluttering beat of her heart was another reminder that every member of her family, of this fleet, was in danger, and she was one of the only people that could save them.
“But obviously I have to get back as quickly,” he quietly told someone beside him.
She carelessly interrupted him, hands landing on her hips. “Going somewhere?” she asked loudly as she stopped just in front of him.
He flinched and kept his voice low. “Yes, matter of fact, I am. They consider it to be a precautionary measure. Sensible given the delicate nature of the fleet.”
A smirk briefly formed as she stared at him. “Very sensible, considering the fleet's tearing itself to pieces right now.”
“Have you come to pray?” It was clear he was trying hard to get rid of her, but her feet were planted and she wasn’t going anywhere until she had what she needed.
“No,” she hummed, “I have something more tangible in mind. There is a chance that we can avoid more bloodshed if I address the fleet and reassure them the Cylons mean no harm.”
He looked over her shoulder for a moment and then returned her smirk. “Well, your faith in your oratorical skills is impressive. And I'd love to help, but unfortunately, communication down here, just as dodgy as…”
She had no interest in his lies and cut him off again. “I know you have a wireless. You've been using it to communicate with your flock all these months.”
Her escort moved closer to Baltar and eyed her angrily. “It's a trick, Gaius.”
Laura spared her a glance. “I wish it were.”
“She's afraid of your teachings,” the woman insisted. Laura clenched her jaw and let out a silent laugh, her eyes closing momentarily. “She will take the wireless and she will silence you…”
This time, Baltar did the interrupting and held his hands up to stop her. “Alright, okay, Paula…” Dismissed, she reluctantly turned away and left as he sighed. “Thank you.” He dropped his hands and slowly looked back at her. “She's got a point, hasn't she? I mean, if you can convince the fleet, why can't you convince her?”
Her head tilted a little as she considered him and everything she knew. “The thing is that I never really believed in your conversion, so I was counting on your well-honed sense of self-preservation,” she decided.
He scowled and looked down. “I'm so sick of your insinuations. I recall your sudden allegiance to the priestess Elosha and the scrolls of Pythia the last time your political fortunes were in doubt.” Suddenly, his piercing eyes met hers. “Tell me, how is that working out for you now?”
Unbothered, she stared back. “If it makes you happy, maybe we're both frauds and this is our last chance to atone.”
Silence fell between them for several long moments, but there was a crack in his gaze that told her to hold on. She did and he finally sighed, his head shaking slowly.
“Why now, Laura? After everything, after Earth, after hiding?”
No part of her wanted to explain her struggles, her doubt, to him, but if that was what it took to convince him, she would do it. “The fleet is shattering, Gaius. If we lose the ship, humanity doesn’t stand a chance.”
“Neither does your family,” he pointed out.
“You can hardly blame me for looking out for my family,” she shot back quietly, her expression flickering as her emotions welled up but couldn’t successfully overwhelm her.
“No,” he mused. “No, I can’t.” He took a breath and released it. “Follow me.”
“Thank you.”
It took him a few minutes to get everything set up while she sat on the couch, watching silently and as calmly as she could while she tried to think of what best to say. His flock slowly began to circle around them, including the Chief, and Baltar gestured to the nearby microphone when everything was ready, his hands shushing the crowd as much as possible. Billy joined her with a glass of water, but she had to focus on what needed to be done.
“Women and men of the fleet, this is your President,” she began slowly, her voice steadier than her hands. She clasped them between her knees and leaned forward, focused across the room to avoid looking at anyone specifically. “Of all the decisions I have made since assuming the presidency, none was more frightening or more difficult than agreeing to this alliance with the Cylons. I know what is at risk, but I also know what we could lose without this alliance. If we continue this way, we will run the remnants of humanity right into the ground. But we have come to a crossroads in our long and painful journey. Cylons and humans have been at war for generations—we know nothing else—and we have been locked in a struggle that has seen both sides suffer unspeakable loss. But with our supplies running low and our options limited, our former enemies may represent our last, perhaps our only hope.” She paused and took a deep breath to forge on. “To those in the fleet and on Galactica who would reject this alliance, I am asking you… No, I am begging you to reconsider and place your trust back in those who have brought you this far, and to reject those traitors who would use your fear of the Cylons to destroy Colonial civilization—”
The resounding feedback told her that the frequency had finally been blocked and she sank back into the uncomfortable couch with a long sigh. She stared at her lap and slid her glasses off, unsure of what to do or even say for the immediate moment. Her case had been made and now it was up to the people to determine which side they picked. She could only pray that they made the right choice, but humanity’s track record with that wasn’t very good. After allowing herself a moment to mourn, to pray yet again, she cleared her throat and stood up.
“Chief Tyrol, you said you had a way off this ship?” she asked as she faced him, her hand moving into her pocket along with her glasses.
“Yes, ma’am. I’m ready when you are.” He folded his hands in front of himself and nodded once.
Before she could move toward him, a hand lightly grabbed her arm and held her back. “Laura…” Baltar cleared his throat. “I’d like to go with you.”
It took everything in her not to laugh. “Why?”
“I’m no safer here than you are. And it’s the least you could do after I helped.” He waved back toward the microphone.
She sighed and looked at Tyrol. When he nodded his agreement, she relented and walked away without a word, the sound of Baltar’s footsteps following behind.
The corridors were quiet and empty as the mutineers escorted them through the ship in the direction of the brig. Bill was grateful that he didn’t need words to communicate with his XO, but there wasn’t much that words could say anyway.
If they couldn’t get away, they were frakked. Plain and simple.
“It’s Nowart, isn't it?” Saul questioned, his steps hesitating as he turned toward the young officer.
“That's right, sir,” he answered nervously, quietly.
“I thought I remembered you, Marine,” Bill added. “You put it on the line when we took New Caprica.”
“Got pretty hairy down there, sir,” he agreed.
The man leading them glanced over his shoulder as he yelled, “Hey, screw the war stories.”
“I remember you too, Maldonado,” Bill continued. “Big mouth, not much of a soldier. It doesn't matter because when this is over, there's gonna be a reckoning. And live or die, it's how you act today that's gonna matter.” His eyes refocused on Nowart. “So what's it gonna be, Nowart?” He stopped quickly and spun on his heel, aware Maldonado had his gun pointed right at his back.
Nowart started to lower his. “Admiral, don't do this,” he pleaded.
“I'll be damned if I'm gonna let a guy like you run me off my own ship. You wanna shoot? Go on. Let's see if you got a pair.” He knew Laura would hate him putting his life carelessly at risk again, but it felt like the better gamble than to keep moving forward with them.
“I don't want–” Nowart tried, but Saul and Bill moved too quickly for him to say anything more.
Saul threw himself at Maldonado and Bill punched Nowart, easily wrestling his gun from him. As he swung around, he saw both of the other men hit the deck. He hesitated for the briefest of moments, but knew that there was no option that kept both them and Maldonado alive. He pressed the trigger and turned back to Nowart whose hands immediately shot up.
“Look, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry,” he resumed begging.
It had no effect. “Put your hands behind your back,” he growled, not looking away from him. “You all right, Saul?”
“I'll live,” he answered, groaning as he pushed himself to his feet. “What about him?”
“I think…” He didn’t trust Nowart, but he also didn’t think he would take off running the first chance he got. “We'll take him with us.” After relieving him of his backup weapon and passing it to Saul, he gestured for him to start walking. “Go.”
Before they made it to the brig or found any other members of the crew, they were found by Lee and Starbuck. Immediately, he held both the gun and his hands up in surrender, his relief plain on his face that they both looked okay.
“It's all right, Lee. We're all right,” he reassured him, already moving closer.
“Thank the gods,” he whispered as they hugged tightly, both reluctant to release the other.
Starbuck’s angry voice pushed them apart. “What the hell is this?” She raised her gun and aimed it at Nowart as he and Saul came into view.
“Easy, he's our prisoner,” Saul kept one hand on the soldier to make sure he didn’t run.
“Starbuck. Starbuck! Lower your weapon,” Bill ordered, but she only raised it higher.
“They've taken over the ship. If you want it back, this is the only way. We don't have time to take prisoners,” she said coldly.
Knowing she wouldn’t give in, he turned around and glared at him. “Get outta my face.” When he didn’t even flinch, he raised his voice. “Move!” He finally took off and Starbuck rushed forward, but Bill was able to push her arm just far enough for her shot to miss as Nowart rounded the corner and disappeared. “Starbuck!”
“They are not your men anymore. They are the enemy!” she yelled, glaring angrily up at him.
“You don’t get to make those decisions.” He nudged her out of the way and grabbed his son’s shoulder. “Have you seen Laura? Your sisters?”
Lee hesitated and glanced away. “You heard her announcement?”
“But is she okay?” he insisted.
“Yeah, she’s okay. We took her to Baltar to get to a wireless and the Chief is bringing her and Billy down to the secondary storage airlock.”
“Which is where we’re headed,” he responded quickly. “Your sisters?”
“I haven’t seen Lia… Grace wasn’t in her quarters and there were no Marines outside her cabin or yours,” he answered hesitantly. His blood ran cold and he clenched his hands around his weapons, already turning toward Saul. “No, Dad, you can’t!”
“You don’t know what I’m gonna do.”
“You’re either about to go look for her yourself or send Colonel Tigh, but it’s not safe—”
“She’s not safe! Laura just left?!”
“If anything happens to either of you, this fleet is frakked. If Zarek or Gaeta really get a foothold, it’s all over. For you, me, Grace, everyone.” He sighed and quickly shook his head. “I’ll try to look for her, okay? And Lia.”
“Lee…”
“Admiral, we need to move.” Kara’s anger lingered, but it sounded like she had managed to push it down.
It went against his instincts, but he adjusted his hold on his gun and began to walk, Starbuck taking point and Lee following behind. They moved in silence, all focused on whatever potential death could wait around each corner. Bill could feel his heart pounding in his chest, but his hands were steady.
“How many men do you think Gaeta has?” he asked, hoping they had more information than he did.
“Enough,” Lee answered shortly.
“Hold up here,” Starbuck ordered as she signaled for them to stop.
“Middle of this mess, you really think Tyrol's found a way off the ship?” Saul questioned just before screams and panic echoed through the corridor from nearby.
“I don't know, you tell me. He's one of yours,” Lee muttered.
“You got a problem?”
“Yeah, I got a problem. Your people annihilated the human race.”
Bill glared at them both. “Keep it down,” he warned.
“No, let the great statesman talk,” Saul huffed. “You wanna know why Tom Zarek's got so much clout in this fleet? Because when you get past the arrogance, he's right. We can pretend to put it behind us, exchange lofty words about an alliance, but if this is what survival has come to…”
Hearing enough, Bill shut them both down. “It's all we've got. Now, calm down.”
“It's all they left us.”
There wasn’t time to continue arguing.
“Secondary storage airlock this way. Let's go,” Starbuck murmured, once again leading the way.
Each step, each echo of her heels on the deck, was a reminder of where she was and what she couldn’t do. The route was already planned in her head, a short list of places Grace would likely hide or where Cassie would take her. Immediately after, she would find Lia and they would get back to the airlock. The Chief would likely beat them back, but if Lee and Kara found Bill, they would be okay.
As planned out as it was in her head, she knew it couldn’t happen. Just finding Grace would take too much time and the moment she was seen by the wrong person, it was over. It couldn’t happen. She couldn’t risk it. But each step still took her closer to the hatch until she forced herself away again.
“Will you stop pacing?” Baltar grumbled from where he sat on the stairs to the airlock. “It’s not helping anything.”
She spun on her heel and glared at him, slow and measured steps carrying her closer to him. “Gaius,” she began coldly, her voice trembling, “my children are out there, my husband. I’ve already lost one child and I have no intention of losing another, but instead of keeping them safe, I’m stuck in here!” Her voice rose until it broke and she turned away, tears once again stinging her eyes. “Frak this!”
For once, he was quiet and she returned to her pacing. Billy had remained silent since they reached the airlock and only watched from where he leaned against the bulkhead near the hatch.
Before long, she took a seat and Baltar began to pace instead, the irony only irritating her. Needing to say something if there was nothing she could do, she sighed and rested her head in her hand. “Felix Gaeta. Who would've thought?” She shook her head. “You probably knew him better than anyone back on New Caprica.” “Well, obviously his loyalties were divided even back then,” he muttered. “Seems we both made rather bad choices when it comes to our presidential aides-de-camp, wouldn't you say?” She couldn’t entirely disagree and it made her sigh, but her eyes moved to Billy.
“Not all of them,” she murmured. He tried to smile reassuringly, but their tension was too high.
Time crawled by and without any updates, she was convinced she was going to lose her mind—assuming Baltar didn’t drive her crazy first. Even the Chief’s return didn’t help, his minimal information doing very little. Baltar even attempted to call Gaeta in the CIC, but got as far as Laura thought he would, leaving the room in silence until they finally heard the sound of an approaching Raptor. Without hesitation, Laura hurried up the stairs as the airlock opened to reveal the ship’s interior and one of the Eight models. The Chief ducked inside and after checking with her, came back out and met Laura’s eyes.
“We're ready,” he told her quietly.
They weren’t. She wasn’t. But it didn’t matter.
Reluctantly, her steps dragging, she walked past the Chief and into the Raptor, only for the Eight to stop her and point back outside.
“Look,” she insisted.
She turned back around to watch Bill, Saul, Lee, and Kara enter the room. Her heart fluttered and then stopped, and she suddenly couldn’t breathe. At first, it felt like each time he made it home, that first sight overwhelming and exciting and full of relief.
This reality was worse. So much worse.
Bill stared at her, silhouetted by the lights from the Raptor, and it stole his breath. Even with her red-rimmed, anxious eyes partially hidden behind her glasses, she was beautiful. It made what they both needed to do that much harder.
Ignoring the rest of the room, they gravitated closer like two magnets slowly attracted to each other. Her eyes roamed over him, the worry on his face so obvious. His serious expression faded as he stopped at the foot of the stairs, then moved up a step. It left her a little taller and she felt herself lean into him. He reached out first to catch her, his hands sliding under her arms and firmly holding onto her. She stretched her arms out over his shoulders, but he kissed her before she could do anything more. Gasping, she returned the deep kiss and gently held his head, allowing each and every worry to be shared between them. Her fingers brushed through his hair until her hands settled on the back of his neck and her chest was pressed against his. His hands moved to her shoulders and held her closer, tighter, and she finally had to part to catch her breath, her lungs aching.
“You didn’t find the girls, did you?” she whispered breathlessly. He only shook his head. “There has to be another way.”
“There’s not,” he murmured gently, his hands capturing hers and tightly lacing their fingers together. “You have to keep the government going and I’m getting my ship back. I’ll find our girls too.”
“Stay safe, Bill. Please.” She swallowed and pressed her forehead against his, her eyes closing. “I can’t lose you…”
“I’m not goin’ anywhere.” He squeezed her hands and then dropped one to wrap his arm around her waist. “I love you, Laura.”
Tyrol’s walkie crackled to life. “This is section 12, copy.”
“Go,” he grunted.
Laura watched him over Bill’s shoulder.
“Marine fire team just went past. Looks like they're comin' your way. You got about two minutes.”
The words made her hold onto her husband even tighter, but she pulled her head back to meet his eyes. “I love you,” she managed quietly. “I don’t know how to walk away.”
While it was physically as simple as turning around and climbing into the Raptor, she couldn’t force herself to let go. Especially knowing what he had to do.
“Bill, please,” she begged softly.
“Go,” he urged before he kissed her quickly and let go of her. “Go.”
Her mind began to shut down, focusing only on what needed to be done. It was the only way she could leave. Sending her away made his entire chest ache, like his heart was burning beneath his scar. Her agony was plain on her face and he wished there was anything he could do to help, but they just needed to make it through this first.
“Keep them safe, Bill. Stay safe.” She lifted her eyes to Lee and Kara awkwardly shuffling nearby. “I love you both.”
They mumbled it back and she sighed.
He nodded and stepped away, his eyes never leaving her. “Mr. Tyrol, take them back the way we came. You go with them, Colonel,” he said before he turned around.
“Come too far to walk out on you now, Bill,” his friend replied quickly.
Starbuck looked between them. “What are you doing, sir?”
“Colonel and I are gonna make sure that Raptor gets outta here safely.” He waved his hand toward the airlock and then readjusted his weapon.
Lee and Starbuck hurried back through the small maintenance hatch and up the ladder while Tyrol and Saul began to secure the main hatch as best as they could. The Eight and Baltar climbed in the Raptor and after a moment, Bill allowed himself to be drawn back to his wife. Her tears were slowly trailing down her cheeks and he gently wiped them away, only for more to form. She couldn’t help but lean into his touch, her eyes fluttering.
“Admiral, Madam President, please,” Baltar insisted softly from behind her.
There was commotion outside the hatch and they knew they had used up every possible second.
“Prepare to launch,” he sighed, his hand on her elbow as he guided her to the Raptor and passed her into Billy’s hands. “I love you.”
“I love you.”
“Take care of her,” he warned Billy, his eyes darting to Baltar.
“Yes, sir.”
The hatch began to slowly close, but she couldn’t look away until the thick metal completely cut them off. It felt like they had never been further apart, the realization forcing a sob from deep within her. She pressed her fingers against her lips and sank into a seat, her arms tightly wrapped around herself.
“Please, gods,” she pleaded, her voice wavering. “Keep them safe. Please.”
Bill couldn’t see the Raptor with the airlock closed, but he swore he could feel it as it pulled away from Galactica. For now, he believed, and he prayed that she would make it to the baseship safely.
“You coulda gone over with her,” Saul said as he joined them and they faced the hatch.
He immediately shook his head. “I couldn't have lived with it. Especially not with the girls here.” He fired a few shots through the small opening from the mutineers prying the hatch open. “It's been an honor to have served with you, my friend.”
Saul leaned over to bump their arms together. “We’ve gotten out of worse. You’ll see them again,” he promised firmly.
Despite his own promises, the doubt was starting to creep in and Bill could only nod as they watched a flash grenade sail through the hatch toward them.